Author: 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.
(click stars to vote)
Easy Vegan Lemon Squares
Servings: large bars
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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 ⅓ cups white sugar
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ⅓ cup plant-based milk, (such as oat or soy)
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground 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
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
AccidentallyVeganDee says
I started with a pan of these as a tester batch. My adult children gobbled it up FAST. Now I have cupcake versions of these sitting in my fridge waiting for the wedding I'm taking them to because they are THAT GOOD!!!
Note, for anyone that does these in cupcake form... do NOT remove the base in the paper cups before filling. I have a swack of misshapen ones I now have to eat by myself. Whoa is me. *snicker*
agnes says
Tried this recipe today and they are very good and easy. Added some protein powder to up my protein intake. Thank you!!! First time making lemon curd using cornstarch (I normally use eggs) and it is a great success! This is definitely a lot faster than my old method. Now I have a quicker way to make lemon filling oat bars 🙂
AccidentallyVeganDee says
Agnes, did you add protein powder to the lemon curd or the base cookie?
Arlene Burke says
I made these today, they are SO GOOD and they were so easy to make. Thank you!
Catalina says
This is the second part of my review. Too bad I couldn’t update my earlier review. I had the crust in the oven for about 27 minutes, and it still there was not even a hint of brown around the edges. So I raised the temperature to 400° for about 7-8 minutes. Finally, there was some browning. And I know my oven is working well. I had no problem with the filling. I made this recipe for a friend who is vegan. She loved it. She said the crust was “amazing.” Since it was a gift, I didn’t try any. So maybe I’ll make it again so I can have some, too. Thank you.
Catalina says
I’m in the middle of making the crust for the lemon squares. It looks very oily. I read the instructions a couple of times so I know I added the right amounts. Crust is in the oven, but it’s not looking good. Here’s hoping!
Sam Turnbull says
Good luck! Be careful to measure accurately. 🙂
Jo says
These were delicious! We had no trouble getting it to set and they refrigerated well -- they even froze reasonably well! A bit wet once they thawed, but no difference in consistency or taste. Great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you loved them Jo 🙂
laurel says
Hi! I usually love your recipes, but this one I don't get.
I even made it twice, thinking that I misread it the first time. Basically, the lemon layer came out like soup each time I made it. I finally had to add more corn starch to thicken it, but by that time it did not taste good. I went ahead and followed another recipe and it turned out fine. So, what is up with your recipe? Super disappointed. This is what I followed for your recipe (twice!)-
For the Vegan Lemon Layer:
1 ⅓ cups white sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ⅓ 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)
US Customary - Metric
Sam Turnbull says
Hi laurel, I'm really not sure what happened for you. The recipe always works perfectly for me, and has worked wonderfully for many others as well. The lemon curd thickens due to the cornstarch, and cornstarch needs heat to thicken, if you don't heat your cornstarch to a high enough temperature, your mixture will never thicken. Perhaps that's what went wrong?
Liz says
So I made this recipe for Easter and taste wise it was delicious! Everyone enjoyed (vegan and non). I will make these again! However idk what I did wrong. I made them the day before, I followed the recipe exactly, left it out for over half an hour to cook before refrigerating. A few hours later I checked on it and it looked beautiful!!! So I put a piece of foil over the whole thing (figured I would just cut into bars right before serving, that it would travel better that way). So over 24 hours later I took it out and the yellow lemon part had cracks all in it and it looked like some liquid separated. When I cut into it the lemon part fell apart a bit. It was not pretty looking at all. Any tips?? Did I make it too far in advance?
There were no leftovers so it was still a hit.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Liz, sorry that happened to you, I've never had that happen. My guess is that by covering them you trapped in warmth and moisture so it may have affected the topping. I let mine sit out uncovered until completely cool (I think it would take longer than 1/2 hour) before covering. Hope that helps!
Tiffany says
This is exactly what happened to my lemon bars! I didn't cover mine, though. Should I have waited until the shortbread was completely cool before adding the lemon layer? I put mine pretty quickly into the fridge to cool, I didn't wait until it cooled to room temperature first, not sure if that affected them too. So yes, not the most beautiful, but SOOO delicious! and I love that it's not full of egg; traditional lemon bars are delicious but make me feel gross. Already planning to make these again!
Sam Turnbull says
Always let things cool on the counters completely before storing in the fridge 🙂
Cheri says
I made these last week and they were great. I did add the turmeric so the yellow color would pop. I cut them small and put them in condiment containers so my little guy could have 1 for lunch every day. Thank you for the great dessert.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you love them, Cheri 🙂
Kristen says
So delicious!!! And easy!!! I added some zest to the filling - and used coconut oil instead of margarine. Mmmmm!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed Kristen!
Mandy says
Followed the recipe and it turned out perfectly. I was worried when I was simmering the filling because the almond milk frothed so much. However, after 5 minutes, like magic it turned the perfect lemon colour and became a thicker consistency.
I took this as dessert to a family dinner and even the kids enjoyed. Thank you,
Shawna says
These were exceptional!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that Shawna 🙂
Andrea says
I want to make this so badly but do they freeze alright? We wouldn't be able to finish them within the few days they're in the fridge...
Sam Turnbull says
I believe they should freeze well, yes! You could also half the recipe and make it in a loaf pan. The baking time would be slightly less if you did that 🙂
Deb Wade says
Oh wow - these are so easy to make and so delicious!! I will definitely be making these wonderful easy lemon squares again!!
Thank you Sam - you rock! : )
~Deb
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed them Deb! 🙂
Sara says
I'd like to make this recipe in individual servings, using parchment paper muffin liners. Do you think that would work?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that would work, you may need less baking time, so keep an eye on the shortbread. Enjoy!
Sarah says
I made a double batch yesterday and these are amazing!!! I used gluten free flour and it works perfectly. Thank you for another fabulous recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy these can be made gluten-free as well 🙂
Becky Mighton says
OMG! This was one of my favorite desserts before we switched our diet! I am constantly amazed (and happy!) at how well you turn non-vegan dishes to vegan. I mean, honestly, this relies on egg yolks, butter and milk. Thank you for helping us make easy and delicious vegan treats. My husband and I are HUGE fans.
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that makes me so happy! You're most welcome Becky! Thrilled you enjoy my recipes so much 🙂
Fiona says
If I don't have cornstarch is there an alternative ingredient that I can use instead?
Sam Turnbull says
Usually, arrowroot is a good sub but it needs less cooking time. Enjoy!
Barbara says
Ditto Becky, Sam’s a vegan recipe genius as far as I’m concerned. Love all of her recipes.
Unfortunately, can’t use anything with the coconut oils/creams etc due to high saturated fat so have to miss out on the whipped cream for her strawberry shortcake. Thanks for making it easier for all of us to take the vegan route Sam.
Shannon says
As I was thinking about making this recipe, the thought popped into my head of "I wonder if lime juice would work?
Then the dilemma of how to make it more green....
My daughter suggested avocado.
Any thoughts?
Planning on making the lemon version soon, will give a rating soon as I'm done!
Ash says
avo turns brown when cooked
Shannon says
Well then, that's definitely not an option!
Thx for the heads up!
Sam Turnbull says
Lime juice will probably work but they might be a bit more sour. I would just use a drop of green vegan food colouring like this one. 🙂
Nasheera says
I didn't have enough lemon juice and put lime. It wasn't green. It was even more delicious cause I topped it off with sliced almonds.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Claire Anderson says
Do you use fresh squeezed lemon juice or Realemon or similar?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm a fresh squeezed kinda girl 🙂
Leila Andino says
Hi! Would this recipe work gluten-free?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not an expert in gluten-free baking but I do think Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free all-purpose flour should work well 🙂
Var says
Hi. Do you have any substitute for sugar
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not an expert in alternative sugars but I've heard monk fruit sugar is generally a good sub.