Lucious lemon bars just got a healthy upgrade. These light and refreshing lemon bars are made with tofu for a creamy filling packed with bright, zesty lemon flavor. You’re going to LOVE these Healthy Vegan Lemon Bliss Bars!
Healthy Lemon Bars Naturally Sweetened
Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, they’re the perfect treat for those craving something both delicious and wholesome. These sunny yellow squares are sure to satisfy your citrus cravings without compromising on taste!
How to Serve Vegan Lemon Bliss Bars
Lemon bars speak for themselves; nothing else is needed! Of course, if you’d like to gild the lily, they’re even more decadent and delightful alongside a scoop of banana “ice cream” or tofu whipped cream.
The turmeric not only adds a beautiful golden color but also provides a subtle, earthy flavor without overpowering the lemon. However, if you’re not a fan of its flavor, you can reduce the amount to ¼ teaspoon or leave it out entirely.
If you’re feeling creative, go ahead and switch up the citrus. A blend of lemon and lime, or even orange or grapefruit, could add a fun twist while keeping that bright, tangy flavor.
Other whole food plant-based recipes you might like:
- Vegan Matcha Shamrock Shake
- 4-Ingredient Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Dr. Fuhrman’s Chocolate Cherry Cookie Recipe
- Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake
- Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Healthy Vegan Lemon Bliss Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or date syrup
- 3-5 tablespoons water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Lemon Curd Filling
- 10.9 ounce package extra-firm silken tofu must be "silken" otherwise it will be gritty
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch
- 2 1/2 teaspoons agar agar powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ degrees. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flaxseeds, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons water, and salt. If needed, slowly drizzle in a little bit of additional water while stirring, just until the mixture comes together in a thick, cohesive dough. It should be about the consistency of wet clay.
- Transfer to your prepared baking dish and use your spatula or lightly moistened hands to press it out into an even layer. Bake for 22 – 25 minutes, until golden around the edges.
- Meanwhile, in your blender or food processor, combine the tofu, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup, cornstarch or potato starch, agar, turmeric, and salt. Blend until completely smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides of the canister as needed.
- Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk continuously until thickened and bubbling gently; 5 – 8 minutes. Immediately turn off the head and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the filling over the baked crust, smoothing it into an even layer with your spatula. Let stand until cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours, until thoroughly chilled. Slice into squares and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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I love lemon anything! Can’t wait to try them!
I agree! Lemon flavor anything is delicious. I hope you enjoy it!
While this recipe looks great it concerns me that there is 14g of sugar in each bar. This is very high and so would be not good to give to children and secondly is not suitable for people with type 2 diabetes. This is an issue with many vegetarian and vegan recipes….just too high in sugar.
There’s a big difference between natural sugar and added sugar. Natural sugars come from whole food ingredients like fruit (such as dates or bananas), which also provide fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients that help slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. This is very different from refined or added sugars like white sugar or corn syrup, which spike blood sugar quickly and offer no nutritional benefit.
Also, it’s helpful to understand the difference between a whole food plant-based diet and vegan junk food. A whole food plant-based diet focuses on minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Vegan junk food, on the other hand, can still be loaded with processed ingredients, refined sugars, and oils—it’s just free from animal products. So, just because something is vegan doesn’t automatically mean it’s healthy.
Everyone’s nutritional needs are different, so I always recommend checking the ingredients and adjusting recipes as needed (for example, reducing dried fruit or sweeteners, or increasing fiber).
These look great but I cannot have nuts or seeds. Can you recommend a substitution for the almond flour? Would oat flour, whole wheat flour or spelt flour work?
You can try oat flour. We haven’t tried it but it might work.