Keto Lemon Bars

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 25 mins

Cool and Chill: 3 hrs

Total: 3 hrs 35 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 12 bars

Lemon bars are a delicious way to showcase fresh lemon, injecting a sweet-tart dose of sunshine into any moment. This keto version is no different, offering all the flavors and textures you’re accustomed to from a lemon bar. There’s a shortbread crust that’s not too crumbly, a gooey rich filling full of both lemon juice and freshly grated zest, and a light sprinkle of powdered sweetener on top.

We’ve swapped out the sugar for powdered Swerve, a sweetener that contains erythritol (a common noncaloric sugar alcohol used for low-carb baking) as well as added prebiotics to help stabilize it at high temperatures. We use almond flour instead of wheat in the crust, and also add almond flour to the filling in lieu of starch. The filling doesn’t require cooking on the stove first, actually making this recipe easier to execute than some non-keto lemon bars.

Each serving of these lemon bars has just three to five net carbs, making them a great keto and sugar-free dessert. Quick and easy, free of sugar, grains, and gluten—what’s not to love?

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour

• 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

• 1/4 cup powdered Swerve

• 1 egg yolk

For the Filling:

• 3/4 cup lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 3/4 cup powdered Swerve, plus more for garnish

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 3 eggs

• 1 egg yolk

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

   

2. Make the crust by mixing together almond flour, butter, sweetener, and egg yolk with a fork until a crumbly dough is formed.

   

3. Press the dough into a greased or parchment-lined 9 x 9 or 1 1x 7-inch baking dish, and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden.

   

4. While the crust bakes, make the filling. Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, sweetener, almond flour, eggs, and egg yolk in a bowl together with a whisk.

   

5. Remove crust from oven and immediately pour filling over the top. Return to oven.

   

6. Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the filling is cooked through and only slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool completely.

   

7. Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing. Slice into 12 bars and dust with powdered sweetener. Enjoy!

   

Tips

• Any powdered cup-for-cup style noncaloric sweetener would work—provided it’s powdered and not granular. Other examples to use are powdered monk fruit or a powdered monk fruit/erythritol blend.
• It’s imperative to refrigerate the bars before slicing in order for them to be as firm as possible.
• Fresh lemon juice is a must; you won’t get the same brightness from bottled.
• Don’t poke holes in the crust as the filling will leak through if you do; if the crust bubbles after the blind bake, press lightly on the bubbles with a fork before adding the filling.
• Once baked, discolorations of white and yellow on top of the bars, as well as cracking after cooling, are normal and don’t affect the taste. Powdered sweetener will hide any imperfections before serving.

How to Store and Freeze

• Lemon bars should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eaten within two to three days
• Double wrap and freeze them for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge before serving.

Is lemon OK on a keto diet?

Lemons are low in carbs, especially when compared to other fruits, and are acceptable on a keto diet in moderation. One lemon contains roughly five net carbs, but since drinks, desserts, and other lemon recipes tend to contain much less than one lemon per serving, they don’t contribute much in carbs to each serving.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	238
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 5g	27%
Cholesterol 127mg	42%
Sodium 82mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 14g	5%
Dietary Fiber 2g	9%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 3mg	14%
Calcium 70mg	5%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 189mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.