Confession time: I LOVE lemon bars! Although, traditionally, they are made with eggs and butter, making them not at all vegan. Enter, Sam Turnbull: Veganizer at large!! Trust me when I say these Easy Vegan Lemon Squares are over-the-top scrumptious, delicious and (as always) you don't need eggs, butter, or any animal products to make them. How's that for a game changer of a vegan dessert recipe, eh?
My Easy Vegan Lemon Squares are super easy to make with ingredients you may already have around your kitchen. I'm not sure how familiar you are with me and my recipes, but that's kind of a "theme" around here: fast, easy, cheap, fuss-free, and delicious!!
The buttery, crunchy crust will delight at first bite before melting in your mouth and the fresh, tart lemon curd is a refreshing companion to that flavour. These bars are fast-becoming a new favourite in my house. Seriously - we can't stop eating these things!!
How To Make Easy Vegan Lemon Squares:
For the shortbread crust: Preheat your oven to 325F (170C). Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides so the bars are easy to remove from the pan. Alternatively use a silicon pan.
In a medium bowl, add the melted vegan butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix to combine. Lastly add the flour and mix to make a firm dough. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press with your fingers to firmly pack and evenly spread the dough. Bake for 17 - 19 minutes until the dough is golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and if there are any bubbles you can poke them with a fork to remove them. Set aside.
For the easy vegan lemon squares layer: Add the sugar and cornstarch to pan and whisk to combine. Add the plant-based milk, lemon juice, and turmeric and whisk. (It's ok if the milk curdles, it will come back together when cooked).
Now put the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk often while simmering until the lemon square filling gets thick, translucent, and bright yellow, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
Pour the lemon layer onto the baked shortbread crust and evenly spread with a spatula. Allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes and then pop it in the fridge to cool for 1 - 2 hours, or overnight until completely chilled. When chilled you can remove bars from the pan and slice.
Sprinkle the lemon bars with powdered sugar if desired, just before serving. Store your easy vegan lemon squares in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you would like to try another, more spreadable lemony recipe that you can spread on scones, try my Easy Vegan Lemon Curd.
Common Questions:
- Can I make lemon bars gluten-free? Yes! If you swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free, it should work perfectly! Check out the comments below as some people have already tried this and had great success 🙂
- How long do lemon bars keep? If kept covered, lemon bars can keep in your fridge for about 1 week.
- Can you freeze lemon bars? Yes, you can. Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months if stored away in an air-tight container. Simply cut the cooled bars (without powdered sugar topping) into squares, then place in a container and freeze.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Easy Vegan Lemon Squares
Ingredients
For the Vegan Shortbread Crust:
- ½ cup vegan butter,, melted
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the Vegan Lemon Layer:
- 1 â…“ cups white sugar
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 â…“ cup plant-based milk, (such as oat or soy)
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric, (optional for colour)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, (optional for dusting)
Instructions
For the shortbread crust:
- Preheat your oven to 325F (170C). Line an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the sides so the bars are easy to remove from the pan. Alternatively use a silicon pan.
- In a medium bowl, add the melted vegan butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix to combine. Lastly add the flour and mix to make a firm dough. Dump the dough into the prepared pan and press with your fingers to firmly pack and evenly spread the dough. Bake for 17 - 19 minutes until the dough is golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and if there are any bubbles you can poke them with a fork to remove them. Set aside.
For the lemon layer:
- Add the sugar and cornstarch to pan and whisk to combine. Add the plant-based milk, lemon juice, and turmeric and whisk. (It's ok if the milk curdles, it will come back together when cooked). Now put the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk often while simmering until the lemon filling gets thick, translucent, and bright yellow, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the lemon layer onto the baked shortbread crust and evenly spread with a spatula. Allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes and then pop it in the fridge to cool for 1 - 2 hours, or overnight until completely chilled. When chilled you can remove bars from the pan and slice. Sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar if desired, just before serving. Store lemon bars in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Jane says
I made this today and followed the recipe exactly. It turned out perfect and it was yummy! I got rave reviews from my family. I will make again and experiment with sugar free options.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wonderful!
Kyndall says
I’ve made these as bars twice now for vegan events, and today I made them in muffin form for a tea party! I put them in a regular muffin tin, ungreased and lined with parchment, and divided the crust and curd into 12 for each one. The curd came out amazing. They’re going in to chill now, but I’m sure they’ll be a hit as always!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Fantastic! I'm sure they are adorable in muffin form.
Deborah Bailey-Rodriguez says
Wow, I made three yesterday and refrigerated overnight. They came out perfect. I followed the recipe to a T! They were a hit! Thank you for another awesome recipe 😀
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're delighted to hear it!
Joan Oliver says
So I made this following the recipe exactly and the crust was hard and tough but had a good flavor. The lemon part was so thick when I was cooking it that I could barely whisk it and when it set up it tasted more like jello than anything and was too sweet and not lemon enough. Not good and won’t make again.
Moni says
The lemon layer never got hard or stiff??? Did we miss something? Would love to try it again
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Did you whisk your mixture (with cornstarch) over medium heat long enough until it thickened in the pan?
Lindsey says
Would it be possible to switch the lemon with passion fruit juice? Wondering if it works with other fruits, have had great success with this recipe with lemon and wanted to try passion fruit!
Sydney says
This was easy and so delicious! I added a little almond extract into the shortbread crust and some lemon zest into the lemon layer, which was great. I did get a little bit of the cornstarch pudding skin on top of the bars--I wonder if topping with Saran wrap while it cools in the fridge might prevent this? In the future, I think I'll also sub 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour for rice flour to get that perfect crumb on the shortbread. Thanks for this fantastic and easy lemon bar recipe!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yes the plastic wrap should work quite well. We're so glad you enjoyed it!
Renee says
The recipe was so easy, they turned out beautifully and my daughter loved them!
I’m not sure what happened with the person that had a problem with the filling not setting, maybe the cornstarch was not measured accurately.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear it!
Maddy says
I've made this recipe quite a few times and it's always a hit with everyone who tries it.. soo good!
I was thinking of making just the lemon layer to put in precooked tart shells then saw your lemon curd recipe.. do you have a recommendation on which would be best to use for tarts? Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Maddy! Either recipe would work in this case, it would just have a slightly different texture. The lemon squares filling would be firmer. The curd with be gooier. Hope that helps!
Irene Binyon says
The bars were wonderful! My fault as all I had was coconut sugar. It turned really brown. Oh no! I dusted with lots of vegan confectionary sugar and dried some lemons in over to put on top. Next time...will use white sugar. What was I thinking???? They tasted wonderful and the lemon filling set up beautifully. Thanks for a great recipe.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're glad to hear the taste was still great!
ELIZABETH says
Never set up. Smells like lemon bars.
Crust was excellent(ruined now w liquid on it)
Disappointed.
Helen says
Sam, Sam, Sam. I’ve been making your recipes for a few years and you’ve never failed to deliver less than five stars. I made this recipe for a bake sale, I needed to sacrifice one bar, to make sure they’d be worthy to share with others (I ate it!). These lemon squares are little lemony gems of deliciousness. Not too sweet, not too tart. Perfection. Vegan magic. A new go-to dessert. The lemon curd alone was delightful. The crust was perfect! (Substitutes: I used canola oil instead of butter and added almond extract for a little something extra.)
Thank you!
Jen says
These look delicious! Has anyone tried to make a larger batch in 9x12 pan? I'm thinking just doubling the recipe would work? (That's what I normally do with brownies.)
Thanks!
Christopher says
Thanks for an awesome recipe. It came out great.
Meredith Ashley says
It’s almost there, but not quite. I made the recipe as stated and I found it too sweet and not lemony enough. I think if I cut the sugar to 3/4-1 cup and add a tablespoon of zest it’ll be great. I’ll report back when I make the adjustments.
Bianca says
ANOTHER BULLETPROOF RECIPE BY SAM
Some reviews mention that the lemon topping doesn't thicken, but that's not at all the case if you follow the recipe correctly.
I wonder if people only cooked for 5 minutes total, when the recipe says 5 minutes AFTER it starts simmering.
I also wonder if people followed the visual cues of when it's ready: it should be glossy, thick and translucent (like the recipe mentions). Everyone's oven is different, so following visual cues is a must in every recipe - it may take more or less time for you.
If you cook for (at least) 5 minutes AFTER it starts simmering, in medium-high heat, and until you see those visual cues: trust me, it will work every time.
This recipe is a keeper 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thank you Bianca! So happy you love it 🙂 And I agree, visual cues are more important that timing in most recipes.