Easy vegan lemon bars
The lemon flavor and smooth texture will make you fall in love instantly.
The simple vegan recipe, which is light, soft, sweet, and lemony, is ideal for barbecues in the summer, book clubs, or potlucks. It can also be used at weddings, baby showers, or dinner parties.
After just one rich, luxurious bite, you’ll think the healthful lemon squares are loaded with heavy cream and butter. But they’re not!
Vegan lemon bar ingredients
Lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract are required. You’ll also need coconut butter or cashews, salt, soft tofu, and sweetener. There’s a soy-free option in the recipe.
This recipe does not require coconut cream, agar-agar, sugar, lemon curd, or vegan butter.
Any neutral nut butter, including cashew butter, macadamia butter, raw almond butter, or coconut butter, can be used. Plant-based butter is also an option for a nut-free alternative.
Tofu lends these bars a delicious eggy texture without the need for eggs. You can find soft tofu in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores, including health food stores. Mori Nu tofu in any firmness will work.
Crust Recipes
Graham Cracker Crust: Pulverize ten sheets of graham crackers in a food processor with three tablespoons of oil or plant-based butter. Then, press the crumbs into a pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the filling over the top.
Many packaged graham crackers contain honey. Both Nabisco’s grahams as well as the original Keeblers grahams are vegan at this time.
Low-carb crust: Mix one and a quarter cups of almond powder with five tablespoons of melted coconut butter or vegan butter and one teaspoon of liquid sweetener or water. Press into a pan lined with parchment paper. Then, spread the lemon filling over the top.
Other crust options: Substitute gingersnaps, sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, or shortbread cookies for the graham crust above. Use a homemade or store-bought pie crust, or omit it for crustless lemon bars.
How to make vegan Lemon Squares
Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Blend or process the ingredients until they are entirely smooth.
Spread the thick lemon mix into the pan. Place the pan on the center oven rack.
Once the bars are no longer hot, refrigerate them until they become cold. Refrigerate the bars of citrus fruit once they have cooled down. During this time, they will harden.
Slice with a sharp knife. If serving the bars at a party, they can be left in an air-conditioned environment for a couple of hours. For freshness, I recommend refrigerating leftovers.
Lemon bars can be stored in a container with a lid for up to 4 days. Leave a small hole to allow moisture to escape.
How to Color Lemon Bars
I added a pinch or two of turmeric to achieve the yellow color in the pictures.
It is not necessary to be precise. You only need an eighth of a tablespoon.
Blend the ingredients, adding the turmeric last. The bars’ color won’t change much after they go in the oven.
Turmeric is optional. You can substitute it with a few drops of yellow food coloring or omit it altogether if that’s what you prefer.
Ingredients
1/4 cup of lemon juice
16 oz of soft tofu.
One lemon zest
1/4 cup pure maple or agave syrup
Use 1/3 cup cashew butter or plant-based butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Use 1/4 tsp of salt (if you are using salted butter, only use 1/8 teaspoon salt)
Add up to 1/4 teaspoon turmeric for color
See above for options on the crust
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Blend or process all ingredients until smooth. Spread the mixture into an 8-inch pan lined with parchment paper, and add a crust as desired. After 35 minutes of baking, let the cookies cool. Before slicing them, let them cool in the refrigerator.