This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These gluten free lemon bars have a crisp, buttery shortbread crust and a smooth, bright lemon custard filling that sets just right every time. They’re simple to make, slice neatly, and deliver that classic balance of sweet and tart without any guesswork.
Why this recipe works
The texture is exactly what you want from classic lemon bars, and is even better without gluten. The crust bakes up tender but sturdy, with just enough chew to hold its shape under the filling without turning soft or greasy.
The filling is smooth, creamy, and full of real lemon flavor. Fresh lemon zest flavors the crust, not just the custard, so every bite tastes balanced and bright instead of flat or overly sweet.
The filling sets properly because you’re not guessing when it’s done. Since ovens vary, I give you multiple doneness cues so you can use your best judgment and pull it at just the right moment. That’s how you avoid a filling that’s underbaked or firm and rubbery.
“I’m the only gf person in the room but everyone loved it! Custard is so lemony and delicious.” Shannon
“I have made it many times and am making it again to bring to my 101 year-old grandpa who loves lemon bars.” Jennifer
Recipe ingredients
Here's a bit about the ingredients you'll need to make these bars, how to select the best of each, and what they do to contribute to the best result:
- Gluten free flour blend: Both the shortbread-style crust and the filling require a gluten free flour blend with superfinely ground rice flour as a base, without any xanthan gum. I’ve found that adding a binder like that makes the crust more chewy and the filling gummy, not smooth. The flour blend adds structure to both components of the bars. You can use my 3-ingredient blend or Nicole's Best. If you choose to use King Arthur Flour's gf blend without xanthan gum, I highly recommend sifting it multiple times before you measure to ensure there's no grittiness.
- Confectioners' sugar: In the crust, it adds sweetness and helps create a lightly crispy crumb that melts in your mouth. We dust more on top for extra sweetness and because it looks pretty (and covers any imperfections in the top of the bars).
- Granulated sugar: In the filling, it balances out the tartness of the lemon and ensures that the filling is smooth since the sugar dissolves in the lemon juice.
- Lemon juice: We use a lot to add tons of fresh lemon flavor. As it bakes, the taste intensifies, so avoid bottled juice in favor of freshly-squeezed. And strain out the pulp and seeds before measuring, to make sure you have enough.
- Lemon zest: Adds extra lemon flavor since it contains all of the essential lemon oils. Be sure not to grate down all the way to the bitter white pith.
- Butter: Brings the shortbread crust together, provides buttery flavor and richness, and makes the crust crisp on the outside.
- Eggs: Thicken and bind the custard filling, setting into a creamy structure that holds as the bars cool.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brightens the other flavors.
- Baking powder: Gives the filling a bit more rise for a slightly lighter-textured custard.
How to make gluten free lemon bars (step by step photos)
To make these bars, you have to place the pan in the oven twice. This visual guide includes an explanation of the reason behind each step in the recipe. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.
For the crust: whisk dry ingredients
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients to make the shortbread-style cookie crust of these bars, including the flour blend, confectioners' sugar, salt, and lemon zest. The lemon zest will stick to itself, so keep whisking until everything is fully combined, with no clumps.
Add melted butter
The only remaining ingredient to bring the crust together is 9 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. I melt the butter in the microwave on medium power, stopping just before it's fully liquid, as the residual heat will melt the rest and it cools more quickly and doesn't cook, losing moisture.
Mix into clumps
I prefer to mix the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork to create large, fully incorporated clumps that are easy to scatter evenly in a fully lined and greased pan. To keep the parchment paper in place during baking, you can clip all 4 sides with small binder clips.
Smooth the crust
Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to press down on the cookie clumps, smoothing them into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Don't press down too hard or you'll compress the crust and it won't bake as evenly.
Parbake it
To seal the crust and ensure it doesn't get soggy once you add the liquid filling, partially bake it first at 325°F for about 15 minutes. As it parbakes, the crust will turn shiny as the ingredients melt, then lose its shine and the crust will turn very pale and matte. Let it cool briefly while you make the filling mixture. This also prevents you from having to overbake the filling just to get the crust firm enough to hold it.
For the filling: whisk dry, then wet ingredients
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup of the flour blend, granulated sugar and a bit of baking powder. Whisk fully to avoid any pockets of leavening which will cause uneven baking and can taste off.
Add 2/3 cup of fresh-squeezed and strained lemon juice and 4 eggs to the mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Whisk fully to ensure that everything is smooth and fully combined, and the eggs well-beaten, but not so roughly that introduce too many air bubbles.
Combine crust and filling
Pour the smooth filling into the partially baked crust. It will be thin enough to smooth itself into an even layer. Tap the bottom of the pan a few times on the counter to help break as many air bubbles as possible for a filling that bakes as smoothly as possible.
Finish baking the bars
Bake the crust and filling together for about 25 minutes. The filling may seem like it's going to remain liquid for the first 18 to 20 minutes, until it finally appears set. When it's done baking, the filling will have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, will look uniformly risen across the top, and will only jiggle a bit in the center when you shake the pan gently back and forth, much like gluten free cheesecake.
Chill and slice
Remove the baked bars from the oven, place them on a wire rack, and let them cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. This allows the pan to release any residual hot air from the oven so you don't trap condensed steam, making the bars soggy. Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours to allow the egg custard to set enough to allow you to slice it.
Expert tips
Use fresh lemon juice
Like in our gluten free lemon pie, bottled lemon juice tends to taste bitter, and the heat of baking intensifies flavors. If the flavor isn't great at the start, it will be worse after baking. Conventional lemons are available year-round, and there are even seedless ones that have more juice per lemon. Be sure to strain any pulp and seeds away before you measure the 2/3 cup of juice you need.
Whisk the filling fully, but gently
The filling mixture is quite thin, since it starts out as mostly liquid, then thickens in the oven as the eggs set with some stability added by the added flour. If you whisk the filling too vigorously, you'll create more air bubbles in the mixture which will break through the surface during baking.
If you've created too many bubbles, just let the filling sit for a while to allow the bubbles to break through, tapping the filling flat on the counter to help them burst. You can't eliminate every bubble though, so don't stress.
Allow for setting time
The lemon filling slices cleanly on top of the shortbread crust, but only if you allow it enough time to set in the refrigerator. Chilling allows the egg-based filling to set so that it's firm enough to slice.
Ingredient substitutions
Here are my suggestions for how you might be able to avoid some of the ingredients in these bars, and where you can't:
Dairy free
For the butter in the crust, I recommend using half Spectrum brand nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening and half block-style vegan butter to mimic the flavor profile and moisture content of dairy butter. For vegan butter, I like Melt or Miyoko's brand.
Egg free
There are 4 eggs in this recipe. I don't believe that you can replace all 4 of them with an egg substitute and achieve anything like the texture of these smooth, creamy custardy bars.
Lemon alternatives
In place of freshly squeezed lemon juice, try lime juice or orange juice, along with the corresponding zest.
Storage suggestions
These bars can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If you've already dusted them with confectioners' sugar, it will likely absorb into the bars so you'll have to dust them again before serving.
For longer storage, freeze the bars uncovered just until firm (about 1 hour), then wrap each bar individually with plastic wrap for up to 3 months. They won't freeze solid, so they'll defrost quickly even in the refrigerator. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.
Gluten Free Lemon Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup (140 g) gum-free gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- ½ cup (58 g) confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, from 1 large lemon
- 9 tablespoons (126 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the filling
- ⅔ cup (93 g) gum-free gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup (5.33 fluid ounces) freshly squeezed lemon juice, juice of 4 to 5 medium lemons, strained of seeds and pulp
- 4 (200 g out of shell) eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, line with criss-crossed pieces of parchment paper that overhang the sides, and grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
Make the crust
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup (140 g) of the flour blend, confectioners’ sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk to combine, breaking up any clumps of lemon zest.
- Add the melted butter and mix with a fork until well-combined. The mixture will be clumpy.
- Scatter the clumps evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then use a small offset spatula or knife to press the mixture into a smooth, even layer on the bottom of the dish.
- Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until no longer shiny. When it's done, it will have a matte look to it and be very pale in color.
- Allow the crust to cool briefly while you make the filling.
Make the filling
- In a separate large mixing bowl, place the remaining 2/3 cup (93 g) flour blend, granulated sugar, and baking powder, and whisk to combine.
- Add the lemon juice and the eggs, and whisk until smooth. The mixture will be very thin. Make sure there are no dry patches and the eggs are fully combined.
- Pour the filling into the baked crust.
Bake
- Return the pan to the center of the oven. Bake until just set (25 to 30 minutes).
- The filling is set when it does not jiggle more than a tiny bit in the center when the pan is shaken gently back and forth. It will also likely have begun to pulled away from the sides of the pan and should look uniform across the top.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool, still in the pan, for about 20 minutes.
Chill the bars
- Cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours).
- Remove the bars from the pan by running a butter knife or thin spatula around the perimeter of the baking dish, then lifting the bars out of the pan by the overhung pieces of parchment paper.
- Pull the paper away from the sides of the baked bars to expose the sides. Use a very sharp knife to slice into 9 equal squares. Separate the bars from one another.
- Dust the top of the cut bars with confectioners sugar. Serve chilled.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
One average-sized fresh lemon, when squeezed, will produce about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. This recipe requires 2/3 cup of juice (or just over 10 tablespoons), so you'll need about 4 lemons to get enough juice.
I don't recommend using bottled lemon juice, as it tends to be bitter, and baking with it will only intensify its bitterness. There are some bottled lemon juice brands, like Best Select, that people swear taste like fresh-squeezed. If you have a brand of bottled lemon juice that has juice you love the taste of, then use it!
Yes, you can make these lemon squares with a graham cracker crust if you'd like. Just follow my gluten free graham cracker crust recipe, which uses my homemade graham crackers.
More lemon dessert recipes
Here are a few more of my favorite gluten free lemon dessert recipes.
- Gluten Free Lemon Cookies – Buttery-rich and light, these delightful lemon cookies melt in your mouth, and call for only 15 minutes of prep time.
- Gluten Free Lemon Brownies – The chewy consistency of a brownie with the bright flavor of citrus.
- Gluten Free Lemon Cake – If you've ever had the lemon cake at Olive Garden, try this tender, lemon-rich copycat recipe.
Oh, Pam. I’m too busy sitting with my lemony tartness to turn that frown upside down.
Sigh. I’m out of BB flour. And I’m not ordering more until after we move next month. But…but…I love lemon bars so much. They bring tears to my eyes. I also love lime bars, and will make them with this recipe too. After I order 25 lbs of BB flour…
Hi, Jen,
Oh no! I can understand not wanting to buy flour, though, just to have to move it. That’s crazy. You’re caught between a rock and a gluten-free hard place! Can you get your hands on even a box of something smaller at a grocery store – like King Arthur multi-purpose GF flour? If we were neighbors, I’d make you some lime bars. Have an uneventful move.
xoxo
Nicole
Honestly, yours is the only blog I consistently follow. I find those rules “boring” at times and I like that you’re willing to “do your own thing”. :) Plus, I love that you write in a conversational manner. It makes it fun like we’re actually talking. I started looking at your blog for the recipes, but I keep coming back because you’re funny and I like to converse with others who understand about the gluten-free life. Keep up what you’re doing and ignore all their silly rules! :)
Hi, Sarah,
It’s so great to hear from you! I would tell you that I had missed you lately since I hadn’t seen you ‘around,’ but that might sound creepy, so I won’t tell you that. :)
I’m so glad you enjoy the blog. If it sounds like I am having a conversation with readers, it’s probably because, when I write, I imagine that I am doing just that. That’s the most natural thing in the world to me. Of all the places I write (books, magazines, blog), this blog is the most natural to me. It’s home. I’m honored to have you in my ‘home.’
Thank you for coming, and for posting. :)
xoxo
Nicole
I’ve not been posting here much lately because my husband was gone for 2 mos for work and got home a couple weeks ago so I’ve been cooking out of my freezer that I stashed while he was gone. Thanks for helping me fill my freezer! :) It’s nice to be back here, though. I love reading people’s comments and seeing the gf community support each other.
No explanations necessary! I just thought it might be nice to know that you were missed. Or it might be creepy. You know, either way. :) It’s nice to have you back, Sarah.
Dear Nicole, You break the rules, you flaunt the conventions, and yet we return, again and again. You must be doing something right. Oh yeah, you’re COOKING and BAKING, and then writing about your adventures! That’s three things you’re doing right. So, yay Nicole!
I had a heyday of blogging where I was active in the children’s and teen/young adult blogosphere. It was fun, and I made friends, but after awhile, I realized, “Hey, this is not a paid gig.” I have an Etsy store, too (Alkelda [dot] com, in case you want to head on over and play with little felt dolls), and tried to follow some of the rules before realizing that there was only so much energy I was willing/able to commit. I have an active Facebook page, excellent customer service, photos that are better than they were before, and a team of fellow artisans. Twitter just isn’t happening for me.
But lemon bars could happen for me. Rather, I could make them for other people and revel in my baking endeavors. I’ve decided that the lemon is my favorite fruit for its sheer versatility. Lemon provides contrast. Lemons are the stripes to my solids, the harmonic minor seconds to my major scales, the zigs to my zags. When life hands you lemons, make limoncello. But lemon bars will do nicely.
xoxo,
Farida
Okay, here you go:
1. Your one picture is plenty and tons of pictures make it hard to find the text.
2. You are original and witty, you have a great writing voice, even when you are crabby!
3. Tweeting? Really? No thanks!
4. Nicknames can be cute, but they can also be annoying.
5. I comment on your blog, I hope I am witty and original, but I don’t really care. Mostly, I just want to tell you how great your blog is, and ask my questions, so my pictures (which I don’t take or post) look as lovely as yours!
Mostly, I think a blog starts out being for yourself, like journaling in public. If you aren’t doing it ultimately for yourself, I think you won’t continue, or it won’t be good. We are all very lucky to have you here, and I don’t mind your cranky days! Now, time to get some lemons! Anneke
Not to worry, Nicole! Someday I will send you a secret ninja note that will help you know where to find me! xoxo right back at you! Anneke
I love all things lemon, and since I was in a bit of a baking rut today lemon bars were the perfect thing to post.
No one sells a gf all purpose flour mix in my area except in little teeny bags that definitely do not qualify as on a shoestring. Unfortunately Better Batter does not deliver to Canada. Do you have a favourite blend that you made before discovering Better Batter? If not, would you be able to tell me how much approximately one cup Better Batter weighs and I will see if I can match it up to a blend recipe. Thank you so much.
Hi, Martine,
It’s good to hear from you.
About GF flour – I hear you about the teeny little bags. Better Batter is not a good value in small 20 ounce boxes sold in brick-and-mortar stores. It’s a great value online, though, especially when you buy the really big bags. That’s what I do. Before I used Better Batter, I used a stinky bean blend and was very sad but thought that that was the best I could do. It was actually a blog reader who suggested Better Batter, I ordered it and never looked back. I can tell you that Better Batter all-purpose gluten-free flour weighs, on average, 165 grams per cup. I hope that helps!
xoxo
Nicole
Thank you for helping out, Kadren! I’m so glad you found such success, and can share it with Martine!
xoxo
Nicole
Kadren! :) That’s my flour blend! :) Thanks for posting it!! It’s been a life saver for us since there aren’t any non-bean non-rice GF flour blends out there. :) I’m glad it’s working out well for you.
Nichole: I won your cookbook in a giveaway, and I have to say that the chocolate chip cookies are really, really good! :)
Nicole,
I LOVE your blog- style! Yours is the only blog I read! I like it real, I like the little white dog. My pug/Chihuahua mix chases the cursor on screen and licks it wherever it goes! She’s pretty much a *itch, dominant over the dog 30lbs. Bigger than her. Keep up the great work!
Hi, Christine,
Thanks for the love! Keepin’ it real is all I am really capable of at this point. I have no editor here but myself. It’s like the Wild Wild West! So funny that your dog (pug/chihuahua sounds unbelievably adorable) chases the cursor. Sometimes I think my dogs have cotton between their ears. My little white meanie is totally the boss of our other dog, who also has nearly 30 lbs. on her. And he takes it. Sucker. ;)
Thank you so much for posting – and for the encouragement. Posts like yours are the lifeblood of this little engine that could. :)
xoxo
Nicole
When life hands me lemons i either just cut them and eat them or I make lemon curd. Lemon bars sound oh so divine and I think I’ll do that with our next batch!
I do have a blog but its not a food blog though often times I find myself talking about food a lot either in recipe or in preserving food. My blog tracks our progress as a family on our urban farm, though do to being thrown lemons, that will change big time but i’m keeping the blog for us & family. The blogs I read tend to be around the same tone of either food or urban farming/homesteading.
Hi, Heather,
I didn’t know that you had an urban farm. That’s pret-ty cool. Did you ever read the book “Farm City” by Novella Carpenter? It’s a great memoir of her urban farm in the mean streets of Oakland, California? It’s such a great book. I would have left it all behind (all – all what?) to move next door to her when I was reading that book!
That’s really nice that you keep your blog for yours and your family’s posterity. I don’t often think of this blog as serving that purpose, but I guess my kids can look back on it and remember, when they are all growns up one day.
xoxo
Nicole
Honestly, I have only recently (read- since I started reading your blog) started reading blogs. And I do follow the other 2 blogs you recommended to me. How is that for loyal? :) lol I hate being told how to do things when I already know how to do them. And you obviously already know how to write a wonderful blog, so just ignore those people! :) Thanks for the Lemon bar recipe. It looks so easy and delicious! I do have to say, I made this lemon curd last week that absolutely divine! And it went so nicely with the awesome GF lemon sponge cake roll. ;)
Love you much!
Kadren
Hi, Kadren,
I can’t remember which 2 blogs I suggested to you! Was it gingerlemongirl and another? Remind me!
I get what you mean about not enjoying being told what to do when you feel you already know. The thing is, the bloggers who are usually doing the telling-what-to-do are the ones who have been doing this much longer than I have. And then other bloggers mimic what those bloggers say, and it becomes almost cult-like. It can be hard to stand your ground, when you’re not entirely sure if yours is solid, you know? But thank you for the vote of confidence!
Sounds like your kitchen has been humming, as usual. Keep up the good work!
xoxo
Nicole
You recommended Better Batter and the Adventures of a GF Mom. Both are good, but I love yours! You make me smile every time I read a post. :) Just because someone has been doing something for a long time, doesn’t mean they are the end all. There must be people out there willing to do things a bit differently so we can discover new and improved ways. Ex. Horse and buggy—–> car. Wooden pegs——> nails. See, someone was thinking outside the box! That’s you! And we all love it! Keep up the awesome work! We would be lost without you and your lemon bars. :)
Kadren
Oh, I remember when I recommended you check in with both Naomi of Better Batter and Heidi of Adventures of a GF Mom to help you solve your all-purpose GF flour problem. That seems like so long ago by now! I think I recall telling you that, unless and until you could find a GF all purpose flour that would work for you, you shouldn’t bother buying my book because you wouldn’t be able to use it and I didn’t want you to waste your money. That was long ago and far away by now. :) Thank you so much for the kind words. And I love the horse and buggy to car analogy. :)
xoxo
Nicole
If you post Great Recipes YES I will Visit!
I do enjoy reading blogs *sometimes* others I just jump to the “goods” lol
I try to blog & do have and empty Etsy store….I wish the “internet” would make me money while I work (30hrs), clean the house, laundry, cook meals, manage the kids & hubby…..*sigh!
I think I am cranky too!
Love you!
ps The GF community is unique, I think we are truly supportive!
Hi, Joy,
I’m so glad you’ll still visit me. I feel like I’m asking “will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”
Can you hear an echo in your empty Etsy store? Good thing there’s no overhead!
If you can train the Internet to watch my kids and clean the house, I’ll make money another way. :)
xoxo
Nicole