These keto lemon bars strike that perfect balance of bright, tangy lemon flavor and a smooth, creamy filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust. If you’ve been missing a truly good low carb lemon bar, this one delivers.
They’re not quite a “dump and stir” recipe—but don’t let that scare you. The extra step is what gives these bars their rich, silky texture, and it’s absolutely doable (and worth it, I promise.)
If you don’t want to read the origin story of these keto lemon bars, please feel free to use the Jump to Recipe button on the top right of the page.
Lemon bars have always been one of my absolute favorite desserts. They are the thing I’m most likely to gaze longingly at through the glass at a bakery or coffee house – and sometimes I give in and have one.
I’m never really sorry until the next day when I wake up puffy and bloated from the gluten and sugar. Even then a perfect lemon bar is usually worth it if I’m being honest.
I finally decided though that it was high time I came up with a legit keto lemon bar recipe that would meet my low carb and gluten free criteria (and save me from the morning after bloating.)
As an added bonus these keto lemon bars are relatively simple to make, and just as good or better than the “real” thing. I’m not just saying that either, I tested these out on crowds of non low carbers at several parties – all with rave reviews and no leftovers.
This keto lemon bar recipe is basically the love child of my Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies (crust), and my Sugar Free Lemon Curd (filling) recipes, with a few minor tweaks.
I like my keto lemon bars a little on the tart side, but you can increase the sugar free sweetener in the lemon curd if you prefer them sweeter – or you can add more powdered sugar free sweetener to the top of them after baking.
I’m confident that you guys are going to love these low carb lemon bars – they simply scream “IT’S SPRING BABY!” and they’ll make you believe it – no matter what time of year it is where you are.
These low carb lemon bars use a homemade lemon curd filling for a brighter, more authentic flavor than shortcut versions.
Recipe Notes:
- When zesting your lemons, make sure you don’t zest any of the white coating. That’s the pith and it’s super bitter – you just want the bright yellow rind, which is where the oils and therefore flavor are. The best tool for zesting a lemon is a microplane grater in my opinion, but a box grater on the side with the small holes in it can work too if that’s all you have.
- Use FRESH LEMON JUICE in these keto lemon bars. That bottled stuff just won’t taste the same. Since you need lemon zest anyway, you might as well take a few seconds to juice the lemons you’re zesting for a superior lemon flavor. A handheld lemon crushy thing like this one is what I use and it’s super easy.
- You will need 5 – 6 average sized lemons to make these keto lemon bars.
- When cooking the lemon curd for these keto lemon bars, DO NOT LEAVE THE POT UNATTENDED. Whisk gently but constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, and it has lightened slightly in color. This may take 10 – 12 minutes, and it will feel like it’s never going to happen and then WHAM it’s there and it seems to be instantaneous. Be patient – I promise it’s worth it!
- Some people choose not to strain the curd after cooking, and leave the bits of grated lemon zest in the bars. It’s strictly a matter of personal preference and if you don’t mind the texture of the zest in there, it won’t hurt anything to skip that straining step.
As always I can’t wait to hear what you think! Make these keto lemon bars ASAP and report back STAT! Bonus points if you snap a pic and tag @ibreatheimhungry on IG!
(fyi said bonus points are completely useless, much like my passport in 2020.)
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Keto Lemon Bars
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
An easy and tasty Keto lemon bar recipe that’s just as good or better than the classic – but low carb and gluten free!
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used Swerve)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used Swerve)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 5 – 6 lemons)
- 1/4 cup grated lemon zest
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 tablespoons unflavored collagen powder (or 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin)
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan.
- Add the almond flour, sweetener, and lemon zest, stirring until fully combined.
- Press the dough evenly along the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8 x 8 inch square pan. For best results line the pan with parchment paper or foil first, then you can simply lift out the completed lemon bars.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove and cool while you make the filling.
For the filling:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat.
- Remove from heat and whisk in sweetener, lemon juice, and lemon zest until dissolved.
- Whisk in the egg yolks and return to the stove over low heat.
- Whisk continually until the curd starts to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and strain into a small bowl.
- Whisk in the the xanthan gum and collagen or gelatin until dissolved and smooth.
- Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust and spread out evenly to the edges of the pan.
- Bake the bars at 350 degrees (F) for 15 minutes.
- Remove and cool.
- Sprinkle with Powdered Swerve before serving if desired.
- Cut into sixteen 2 x 2 squares.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Keto desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 x 2 square
- Calories: 193
- Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 2g net
- Protein: 4g
More Keto Lemon Recipes You’ll Love
Keto Lemon Dressing aka. Vinaigrette
Keto Lemon Magic Custard Cake – Low Carb
Easy Keto Lemon Cheesecake – Low Carb
Keto Lemon Muffins – Low Carb and Gluten-free
58 best low carb lemon dessert recipes
Sara says
I absolutely love this recipe. The problem I am encountering is the nutrition info. It says 2 net carbs on your recipe but when I input the recipe onto my Lose-it app, I get 12 net carbs per serving which is a huge difference. Can you tell me how you calculated this?
M says
The ingredients are all low or no carb, except the almond flour. Check your app. I’d bet you didn’t get “net” carbs on your almond flour.
Gerri says
Divine! Truly the best lemon bars & so easy. The perfect balance of tart & sweet. Am in love with this lemon magic & was already a fan of the not healthy variety. Melissa’s are better in every way. My husband agreed. Thank you for a fabulous dessert.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Gerri – thrilled that they were a hit with both of you! 😊
Luann Ragonesi says
Oh my stars!!! These are now officially my favorite keto dessert! They are fabulous and everyone that has tasted them has fallen in love with them! Thank you SO much for this recipe! I really appreciate all your hard work at posting wonderful recipes; I love that I can cook/bake with confidence and know that I won’t be throwing out expensive ingredients because of a failed “experiment”!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Luann, that is really high praise and I’m so happy to hear that they are a hit with so many!
Kelsey says
My husband was pining over lemon bars when we were shopping the other day so I surprised him today with these. He absolutely loved them! I don’t eat keto and generally am not a fan of keto desserts, but I also thought these were pretty tasty. Definitely will be a repeat!
Mellissa Sevigny says
How sweet of you! I’m so happy he enjoyed them and that they satisfied his craving!
Charlene says
I made these last night, amazing! Can these be frozen?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’m not sure if it would affect the texture as I’ve never tried it. Let us know how it goes if you do!
Cici says
Would these work if I replaced butter with ghee?
Jennifer says
This was my first attempt at keto lemon bars and they turned out absolutely delicious! Even my non keto friends loved them. I used swerve and tsp of gelatin, my only alterations were to add some vanilla and almond extract to the crust. I topped these with keto meringue, just Divine!!
Deb Morse says
This was a ten! Easy to make. Gluten free & keto. I used a monk fruit erythritol blend for the crust & filling sweetener. On the tart side, but WOW! THANK YOU!!!
Avital says
Happy new year! Recently started kept and this recipe looks like a great fit. Been looking for a good lemon bar recipe and having all the ingredients and seeing comments make me wanna make it this instant! Although I don’t nor can I have collagen, is there something I can use instead? Coconut flour perhaps with the same ratio?
Avital says
*** Keto of course. Not kept. Can’t handle this autocorrect :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
xanthan gum can work as a thickener in place of the collagen.
Melissa Martz says
but can you use just gelatin or collagen without the xanthan? I have an allergy and never include. Just hoping the lemon on top will still set without it?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes you can omit the xanthan gum if you’re using gelatin.
Avital says
There’s already xanthan gum in the recipe so how much should I add? How much in total?
Shannon Marie says
I LOVE lemon and honestly, I believe ain’t NOTHING better than a lemon bar! Thank you for this recipe. Mine turned out perfect. I chose not to strain the mixture (and I add the bits of pulp too). Delish!
Lh says
Thank you so much for this recipe. Just started experimenting with erthryitol, it seems to be hit or miss, some recipes better suited vs. others. This one was great, tasted like traditional dessert! I followed the recipe, using gelatin vs collagen and the only thing that was different was I used a non-Swerve erthryitol/monkfruit sweetener (Amson Naturals). Delicious!!