Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (2024)

April 24, 2018(updated February 7, 2024) // by Phoebe Lapine // 24 comments

4 from 9 votes

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Gluten-free baking usually falls into one of two categories.

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (1)

Either it’s nearly as good as the real thing, but requires dozens of ingredients and gums. Or it only uses “healthy” ingredients and, though looks like it could kind of be the real thing, it tastes like it was in fact made with chickpeas not flour.

The closest I’ve come to the best of both worlds are these paleo lemon bars. And it’s all thanks to the simple, streamlined recipes in the Sweet Laurel cookbook.

Very rarely do I want to cook my way through a book the way I did when I first received Lauren Gallucci and Claire Thomas’ paleo baking bible. The recipes transform the same 10 or so natural ingredients into dozens of drool worthy treats from my childhood. (Despite my mom’s crunchy granola status, she never quite figured out how to bake without white flour either).

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (2)

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (3)

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (4)

Usually when I flip through a gluten-free baking book, I know that you guys are going to be too intimidated to try half the recipes because of all the random flours they require. I have most of them in my pantry, and still don’t’ want to break out that many jars for one loaf of banana bread.

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (5)

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (6)

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (7)

Everything in Sweet Laurel is very much aimed at the home cook who is just looking for minimally processed, naturally sweetened baked goods without having to spend all day making them. That Laurel is a member of the #HashiPosse is no surprise, and she is officially my new healthy hedonist girl crush!

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (8)

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (9)

Paleo Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust | Healthy, Gluten-Free Recipes (10)

Read on for how to make these simple paleo lemon bars with almond flour crust. I subbed ghee for coconut oil in the crust because my jar was running low and it was equally fabulous. I left out the instructions to the powdered coconut imitation of store bought powdered sugar because it’s brilliant, and I really hope you pick up a copy of the book.

If you’re looking for another spring-y showstopper, also check out my gluten-free raspberry almond tart!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

Paleo Lemon Bars

4 from 9 votes

print recipe

These easy lemon bars are adapted from the Sweet Laurel Cookbook by Laurel Gallucci and Claire Thomas. They use “shredded coconut powdered sugar” on top instead of powdered sugar. You’ll have to pick up the book for that little trick!

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups almond flour
3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Pinch Himalayan pink salt

For the filling:

4 large eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 3 lemons
Shredding coconut powdered sugar for serving or powdered sugar!

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hand over the sides in a cross for easy removal.
Make the crust: whisk together the flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt in a medium bowl until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, about 1/4 inch thick, and bake for 15 minutes, or until just golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool while you make the filling.
Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (I used a hand egg beater), whip the eggs for about 4 minutes, until frothy. Slowly add the coconut oil and honey, and mix until combined. Fold in the lemon juice and zest by hand. Before adding the filling to the cooled crust, let the filling settle so there are no bubbles on top. You can tap the bowl on your counter a few times to help pop any bubbles.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until set at the edges and just barely jiggly in the center. Let the bars cool and set completely in the pan, then dust with the powdered coconut sugar and cut into squares. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!

become a HEALTHY HEDONIST! subscribe to get my FREE e-book How to Meal Prep Like a Pro

Reader Interactions

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Comments

D says
April 25, 2018 at 12:51 pm

Can I replace the almond flour with oat?
Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
  May 8, 2018 at 3:08 pm
  
  I can’t vouch for that substitution, but report back!
  Reply
Little Cooking Tips says
April 26, 2018 at 5:14 am

Amazing work (again) Phoebe!:) Don’t know if we can get some almond flour, but we can definitely enjoy this perhaps with regular flour as well:)
The photography in this post was such a joy to our eyes… Kudos sweetie!
xoxoxo
Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
  May 8, 2018 at 3:07 pm
  
  it would be great with any crust!
  Reply
Eric Berg says
April 28, 2018 at 7:24 pm

This was an excellent reading. Knowing what flour is best to consume to maintain a good health condition requires a strong understanding about the effect that nutrients have in our bloodstream. This Pinterest site https://goo.gl/XCQSnw?ericberg also provides valuable information about this and other related topics.
Reply
Linda says
May 10, 2018 at 7:31 pm

I must have messed up big time on the filling. Not creamy looking like yours. Eggs seemed frothy but after adding honey, oil and lemon it all thinned out and looked watery. Its baking but doubt it will turn out. Is there a secret to how the eggs should look before adding those ingredients? When beating with hand mixer what speed do you recommend? And should the honey, oil and juice all be mixed by hand? Thanks!
Reply
See Also
Cinnamon Swirl Bread Recipe
- Phoebe Lapine says
  May 22, 2018 at 11:45 am
  
  i used a hand mixer and was fine! sped up to high towards the end. you want it very frothy and then hand mix in the rest.
  Reply
Elizabeth Lee says
June 2, 2018 at 10:44 pm

I have made this recipe twice now and each time the filling goes underneath the crust. Any idea why this is happening? Please let me know if you have any suggestions. I tried baking the crust a little longer the second time, but it felt overbrowned.
Thank you in advance!
Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
  June 26, 2018 at 2:40 pm
  
  So sorry that I can’t be of more help trouble shooting this. Try DM-ing Laurel on instagram or facebook since it’s her recipe. I wouldn’t have printed if I hadn’t tested successfully, but mine turned out great.
  Reply
- Adriane says
  September 3, 2018 at 2:30 pm
  
  I had the same problem. I think it’s because the almond flour doesn’t expand as much while baking as a wheat flour would, thus the crust doesn’t actually fill the pan and create the seal needed to keep the filling from leaking under the crust. I personally wouldn’t make this recipe again because I don’t see any way around this problem. Maybe bake the filling in the pan by itself, then top with the crust or a crumble? Maybe even cobbler style…
  Reply
  - Phoebe Lapine says
    September 9, 2018 at 4:34 pm
    
    Sorry to hear that Adriane. I didn’t have that problem. Perhaps try with a smaller pan if you feel there isn’t enough crust and make sure it’s really pressed up to the sides like a tart.
    Reply
- jerod a freitag says
  November 20, 2018 at 8:03 pm
  
  I read elsewhere that, if you pour the mixture into the crust while it’s still hot, instead of waiting for it to cool, the eggs in the mix start to cook and effectively “seal” the crust.
  Reply
  - Phoebe Lapine says
    November 27, 2018 at 4:08 pm
    
    Very good to know – thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  - Melissa says
    August 2, 2020 at 4:55 pm
    
    Yes! I have made many other lemon bar recipes and they all say add lemon mixture as soon as crust comes out that way crust does not “float”. If you let the crust cook it contracts and pulls away from the baking dish thus making the filling go under crust.
    Reply
Jamie says
July 12, 2018 at 2:42 pm

Does this recipe freeze well? Trying to make it ahead of time for a party…
Reply
- Phoebe Lapine says
  July 26, 2018 at 1:06 pm
  
  I’m not sure, sorry!
  Reply
Rosalind Britton says
February 28, 2019 at 6:31 pm

These worked out very well. Still cooling so no sugar on top, but we like less sweet so may omit that. But the taste great, and no filling went under the crust. Almond flour makes great cakes and cookies too! Yes, the mixture thinned out after adding honey, oil and lemon, but the eggs firmed it all up in 20 minutes.
I will make these again! Thank you.
Reply
Linda says
August 11, 2019 at 7:04 am

Just made this slice with almond meal instead of almond flour. I only had 3 eggs so I cut back a little of the other filling ingredients. Turned out so yummy I will be making this on a regular basis
Reply
Ann Naumann says
December 17, 2019 at 9:35 pm

I also had the filling go under the crust making it all a mushy mess! I did cool the crust. It was mushy and not very sweet. Had to throw it out. Never good with expensive ingredients:(
Reply
Mike says
November 4, 2020 at 7:24 am

This worked great. Had to substitute maple syrup for the honey in the filling, but didn’t notice the difference.
Reheated the crust for 3 mins before pouring the filling over, based on comments about losing the seal.
Used a magic bullet to froth the eggs and to mix in the syrup and coconut oil. Just had to be careful not to let the thing heat up too much.
Let the filling sit for a good 30 mins but fine bubbles remained. Poured it anyways, didn’t seem to cause any problems.
They tasted delicious! Were still a tiny bit fall-aparty even after being in the fridge for a day, but only a little.
Great recipe!
Reply
Appletower says
March 27, 2021 at 9:28 pm

Visiting this site was a costly disappointment and epic failure! I was ashamed that I even attempted to serve these as people did not seem to want to even try one. The texture and taste and lack of sweetness had me throwing this mess away at the end of my party. Anyone who raved about these “lemon bars” must have seriously altered the recipe. I don’t like leaving a bad review but these were just plain bad.
Reply
- Appletower says
  May 3, 2021 at 10:06 am
  
  I tried to delete this very unkind reply. I am really sorry. Honestly, my paleo friends loved this. So, next time I just won’t make so many, just enough for those who truly appreciate paleo.
  Reply
  - Phoebe Lapine says
    June 1, 2021 at 10:37 am
    
    thanks for the update!
    Reply