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    Home » Brownies and Bar Cookies » Bar Cookies

    Gluten-Free Lemon Bars

    Elizabeth Barbone
    Modified: Apr 30, 2020 · Published: Apr 20, 2018 by Elizabeth · This post may contain affiliate links · 13 Comments
    Jump to Recipe

    The BEST gluten-free lemon bars! A rich and tender shortbread base with a thick, lemony topping. Not too tart; not too sweet! Lemon lovers will adore these bars.

    Gluten-free lemon bars in a stack.

    Urgh. Lemon bars. Why you gotta be so cruel?

    In theory, lemon bars are awesome. I consider them a proud member of the classic cookie bar family. Other members? Gluten-free brownies, of course.

    Part lemon meringue pie, part lemon tart, and 100% awesome. Only…most of the time, they’re not so awesome.

    Most of the time that lovely topping causes problems. Big problems. Either there’s not enough of it or it’s too sweet or too tart.

    Qualities of an ideal gluten-free lemon bar:

    • tender, buttery shortbread crust
    • thick sweet-sour lemon baked lemon topping
    • easy-to-make

    So this is what I set out to make. And, after lots of trial and error, I think I’ve finally nailed the perfect gluten-free lemon bar. (Woo-HOO!)

    The Crust

    Let’s start at the bottom: the crust.

    The crust for these bars is a simple gluten-free shortbread. To make it, combine gluten-free flour with powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients. You can do this with a pastry cutter or food processor. Then add just enough water to form a dough. There’s no egg in the crust; however, these are not egg-free lemon bars. There are lots of eggs in the topping.

    For the shortbread crust, I used Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free baking flour. Use whatever gluten-free flour blend you love*.

    *Be sure the flour blend contains xanthan gum. If it doesn’t, add 1/4 teaspoon to the mix. This keeps the crust from crumbling under the filling.

    Press the dough into a parchment-lined 8-inch pan, chill for about ten minutes and bake until golden brown.

    Baker’s Tip: Line the pan with parchment paper before baking. This prevents the bars from sticking and makes them easy to remove. To do this, cut a piece of parchment 8-inches wide by 16 inches long. While you’re pressing the dough into the pan, use binder clips to prevent the parchment from moving. (Remember to remove the clips before baking. They’re not oven-safe.)

    The Filling

    After baking the shortbread base, make the filling. You don’t want to make it in advance because the acid from the lemons and the sugar can chemically cook the eggs, making the filling lumpy.

    Mix the granulated sugar together with the cornstarch. This step seems like nothing but it’s important. It prevents the cornstarch from clumping when combined with the eggs. So don’t skip it.

    Most traditional (read: not gluten-free) recipes call for flour in the filling. While I could have used a superfine rice flour, I worried about folks who don’t keep that in the house. So instead of flour, I used cornstarch. It makes for a lovely lemon filling with a custard-like texture. I really love it.

    To give the filling a nice pop of lemon flavor, add the zest of one lemon. Take a second to rub the lemon zest into the sugar mixture. Then whisk in the eggs and lemon juice and you’re done.

    For lemon bars (or any lemon dessert really) use freshly squeezed lemons, not the stuff from the bottle. There’s no replacing the flavor of a freshly squeezed lemon and the success of these bars depends on it.

    Gluten-free lemon bars topped with powdered sugar cut into nine squares. One bar is missing.

    Baking and Topping

    Pour the topping over the bars and bake until the topping sets. Allow the bars to cool and then, if you feel like it, sprinkle with a generous amount of powdered sugar. Since powdered sugar melts pretty quickly, it’s best to finish them right before you serve.

     

    Gluten-free lemon bars in a stack.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    Servings 12 bars

    Ingredients

    For the Crust

    • 1 cup gluten-free flour
    • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 stick butter, cold and cut into 8 pieces

    For the Filling

    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
    • zest of 1 lemon
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1/2 cup lemon juice

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8x8x2-inch square pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray. 

    2. Pulse together the the gluten-free flour, powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. (Or whisk together in a large bowl.) Add the butter. Run the processor until a dough forms, about 30 seconds. (If mixing by hand, cut butter in with a pastry cutter.)

    3. Press dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven, leaving the oven on, while you prepare the filling. 

    4. For the filling: Stir together the granulated sugar and cornstarch. Rub in the lemon zest. Add the eggs and egg yolk. Whisk until smooth. Add the lemon juice and stir. Pour mixture over baked crust. 

    5. Bake until filling sets, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the pan. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar, optional. 

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Annie says

      April 23, 2018 at 4:20 pm

      There is no lemon zest listed in the ingredients. How much should I add? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        April 24, 2018 at 11:59 am

        Hi Annie!
        Sorry about that! You need the zest of one lemon. I’ve updated the recipe. It’s included in the ingredient list now. Gremlins must have gotten their hands on it before. 😉

        Reply
    2. Digit says

      May 06, 2018 at 8:14 am

      can you substitute arrowroot powder for the cornstarch?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        May 07, 2018 at 10:31 am

        That should work for this recipe!

        Reply
    3. Jeanine says

      December 07, 2018 at 6:48 pm

      Is there a way to make these dairy-free as well?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        December 10, 2018 at 11:19 am

        Yes! Replace the butter called for in the dough with a dairy-free baking spread, like Earth Balance.

        Reply
    4. Bonnie Cook says

      December 16, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Can I replace the sugar with stevia?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        December 16, 2019 at 2:19 pm

        Hi Bonnie,
        I’m not sure. I haven’t tested the recipe with stevia. Sorry.

        Reply
    5. Angela Cobb says

      August 07, 2020 at 6:22 pm

      5 stars
      These are delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe. how do you store them?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        August 10, 2020 at 11:01 am

        Glad you like them! The best way to store these are covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. I’ll update the recipe to include this!

        Reply
    6. Dorothy Morrissey says

      September 03, 2020 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      Please could somebody tell me, how big is a stick of butter. I’m in NZ and our butter comes in 500g packs. I know it’s smaller than that!

      Thanks for the recipe. Looks great.

      Dorothy

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        September 03, 2020 at 9:03 pm

        Hi Dorothy,
        Sorry about that! I’ve been working on updating recipes to include weight. A stick of butter in the States is 4 ounces/ 113 grams. I’ll update the rest of the recipe tomorrow to include weights for all the other ingredients.

        Enjoy!

        Reply
    7. Mary says

      September 18, 2025 at 10:27 am

      My granddaughter is gluten free and she loves them as well as the rest of the family! I have to double because they may last two days usually gone by that evening! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply

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    Elizabeth Barbone

    I'm Elizabeth. Welcome to GlutenFreeBaking.com --- a judgment-free baking space. Here you'll find easy recipes, product reviews, and other good stuff that makes gluten-free living easy and a lot more fun!

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