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My Keto Lemon Bars Are A Tangy, Sweet Burst In Your Mouth
I’ve been making these keto lemon bars since 2019, but two things always bothered me despite their rave reviews: they’d sometimes crack, and they weren’t quite sweet enough. So, I recently tweaked the amounts and method based on your feedback, and here’s why I now love them even more:
- Ultra creamy, tangy, and sweet lemon filling – No one will guess these are sugar free lemon bars! They’re the perfect balance of sweet and tart, but not overwhelmingly sour anymore. I also adore the texture — it’s creamier than any lemon bar I’ve ever had, almost like my sugar free lemon curd.
- Buttery shortbread crust – Based on my popular almond flour cookies! Yes, that same one you might have loved in my magic cookie bars or peanut butter bars. And it’s amazing as ever.
- Low carb, gluten free, and dairy free – All at just 3.5 grams net carbs per bar!
- Easy to make – With just 7 ingredients, plus salt.
I made 6 batches of these low carb lemon bars this year to nail the no-cracks method, and my family ate all of them. So if you’re looking for a lemony keto dessert for spring or summer, make these with me!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my keto lemon bars recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
Shortbread Crust:
- Wholesome Yum Blanched Almond Flour – It has a finer grind than other brands, for a better texture in your crust. Many other brands turn out gritty. If you want to use coconut flour for a nut-free version, I recommend using my coconut flour pie crust recipe.
- Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – Other keto sweeteners should also work okay in the crust, but Besti locks in moisture so it turns out less dry. If you want to cut down on the number of different sweeteners you need, powdered Besti (in the filling below) should work fine in the crust as well.
- Coconut Oil – I’ve also had success using unsalted butter or butter flavored coconut oil.
- Egg (just one), Vanilla Extract (I like this brand), and Sea Salt (to balance the sweetness)
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Lemon Filling:
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The type of sweetener is super important for the right texture in your sugar free lemon bars! Anything granulated or containing erythritol won’t dissolve and can crystallize, leading to a grainy, gritty texture. Most brands labeled “monk fruit” or “stevia” have these issues. Liquid sweetener won’t work either, as the filling won’t set. Powdered Besti is the only one I recommend here for a smooth texture, although powdered allulose would also work — you’ll need an extra 1/3 to 1/2 cup. Also note, some older reviews say these bars aren’t sweet enough, but in June 2025 I increased the amount of sweetener to address these.
- Wholesome Yum Almond Flour & Eggs – To set and thicken the filling. I don’t recommend egg substitutes here.
- Lemons – I highly recommend fresh lemon juice here, plus you’ll need the zest from a few of them, anyway. I use this lemon squeezer, and it makes juicing lemons so fast and easy. I usually just grab a big bag from my local warehouse club! I have made these keto lemon bars using this organic bottled lemon juice as well, but even with this quality brand, the flavor is nowhere near as good as fresh.
How To Make Keto Lemon Bars
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Make the filling. Juice and zest the lemons. In a large mixing bowl or a huge measuring cup (I use this one for convenient pouring later), stir together the almond flour, powdered Besti, and salt. Whisk in the eggs, then the lemon juice and zest. Set aside near your oven area.
- Make the crust dough. In another large bowl, whisk the almond flour, Besti, and salt for the crust, breaking up any lumps. Mix the vanilla into the melted coconut oil or butter, then add to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and mix until a crumbly dough forms.
- Bake the crust. Press the dough into a square baking dish (I use this one). Poke holes with a fork to prevent bubbling, then bake until firm and golden on the edges.
- Bake with filling in a water bath. While the crust is still hot, immediately pour the filling over it. Place into a hot water bath and bake again until almost set, but still a bit jiggly — a lot like a keto cheesecake. I use this baking dish for the water bath, and fill it with boiling water from a kettle before placing the smaller dish of bars inside.
- Cool gradually, then chill to set. Turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Cool like this until the filling is set and lukewarm (not hot or cold), then cool completely on the counter. Finally, cover and refrigerate the keto lemon bars to set completely before slicing.
My Recipe Tips
- Make the filling before baking the crust. You’ll have to pour it into the pan immediately when the crust is done, so it’s less stressful to have it prepared first. You might be able to mix it while the crust bakes if you have all your ingredients measured out upfront, though, which I always do anyway (mise en place and all!).
- Mixing the filling in my extra-large measuring cup makes for easier pouring. Any large bowl will work, but the cup is convenient for pouring. A bowl with a spout is great, too.
- Don’t overmix the filling. Too many bubbles can cause your sugar free lemon bars to crack. I usually whisk the eggs to ensure they incorporate, but when I add the lemon juice and zest, I mostly just stir with the whisk.
- For the crust, you can whisk the egg in a separate bowl first if you like. I usually just whisk it right in the bowl in one spot before incorporating into the flour mixture. Less dishes this way!
- Mix the dough well. It might seem dry, but I find it helpful to press with the back of a spatula until it comes together and there’s no powder left. The texture should be like a thick cookie dough.
- Don’t use a metal pan. The acidic lemon juice can react with the metal and give your keto lemon bars a bitter taste. Even though we’re lining the pan, I still recommend avoiding metal. I prefer this glass pan because it has a lid that’s convenient for refrigerating the bars in the last step (and storing them, too).
- Poke holes in the crust to prevent bubbling. I use a fork, but a toothpick works, too.
- If the filling seems separated before pouring over the crust, stir gently first. Again, you don’t want a lot of bubbles, but just enough for the texture to be uniform. Once I didn’t do this and ended up with some areas of egg separated from the lemon juice – not good.
- The water bath is crucial if you don’t want cracks. I’ve been making this keto lemon bar recipe for years and honestly, they always cracked on me. More recently, I tested multiple ways and the water bath method was the only one that didn’t lead to cracks. If you don’t mind cracks, though, you can skip it and simply bake for 22-26 minutes, until set.
- Be careful not to overbake. The key is to turn off the oven when the filling is still a little jiggly, not fully set!
- Cut straight down and wipe your knife between cuts. The filling is very soft and can stick to your knife, so this will help you get smoother cuts.
- Dust the bars with more powdered Besti at the end if you like, but only right before serving. It soaks in if you do it in advance. I used the smallest sieve from this set. I also like lemon slices on top of the bars, but that’s definitely optional.
- These low carb lemon bars are very creamy with a soft filling, so they’re a little fragile. The best way to pick them up is by the crust!
Keto Lemon Bars
By
My sugar free, keto lemon bars have a creamy, tangy, and sweet lemon filling over a buttery almond shortbread crust. Just 7 ingredients!
Ingredients
[ See substitutions ]Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.
Lemon Filling:
Shortbread Crust:
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
Filling:
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line an 8×8-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper, hanging over the sides. (I use these parchment paper sheets that are the perfect size without needing to cut them.)
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Make the filling first, because it must be ready to go immediately when the crust comes out of the oven. In a large bowl or extra-large glass measuring cup, stir together almond flour, powdered Besti, and salt.
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Whisk in the eggs, until uniform. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest, until smooth. Set aside near your oven area.
Crust:
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In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, Besti, and sea salt. Whisk to break up any lumps.
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Melt the coconut oil in a small bowl in the microwave, or over low heat on the stove. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour the coconut oil mixture into the dry ingredients and mix.
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Add the egg. Whisk at the edge of the bowl, then mix well until a dense dough forms.
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Press the dough into the lined pan. Poke holes in the crust with a fork. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until firm and golden on the edges. Meanwhile, boil a kettle (or pot) of water and get a 9×13 baking dish.
Assembly:
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Remove the crust from the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Immediately pour the filling over the crust. Pull out your oven rack, place the baking dish on it, and place the smaller baking dish with the lemon bars inside. Pour the boiling water into the outer baking dish, going partway up the sides of the inner dish, so it’s at about the same height as the filling inside the dish. (This is a water bath, similar to one you’d use for a cheesecake.)
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Slide the oven rack back into the oven and bake the keto lemon bars for 20-24 minutes, until the filling is just slightly jiggly in the center if you gently shift the pan (again, similar to a cheesecake).
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Turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Cool like this for 30-45 minutes, or until the filling is set and just lukewarm (not hot).
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Remove the lemon bars from the oven, but keep them in the water bath. Cool completely on the counter (keep the hot baking dish on a trivet).
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Cover the bars and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up more. If you like, dust with more powdered Besti before slicing.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 bar, or 1/16 of entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you make the prep process easier, get the best filling texture, avoid cracks, and more.
- Storage & meal prep: I always make these keto lemon bars the day before, so they have time to set. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days — if they last that long.
- Freeze: You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for 1-2 hours.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Keto Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Keto Lemon Bars
230 Comments
Sandi M
1Made this Easter morning to take to an Easter dinner. I added a little more lemon zest because if I’m squeezing lemons for juice no need to waste good zest! I also used avocado oil since it was on hand. This was a home run! My friends loved that it was lemony yet not overly sweet. I’m convinced it’s the Besti in it. Several said it reminds them of many European desserts for the very reason that this is quite flavorful without being super sugary.
Jennifer S
0made it for Easter too! its a perfect blend of sweet and sour. very balanced and great with tea
Maya | Wholesome Yum
1Thank you, Jennifer! Hope you had a nice Easter.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad it was a home run, Sandi! I agree, I used to make this using other sweeteners before I had Besti and in my opinion there’s no comparison. 🙂 Hope you had a great holiday.
Kristen
1These were so good! I eat primarily keto, but my husband who does not, loved these!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Kristen! Always a wonderful surprise when the non-keto family members enjoy it. And that’s always my goal. 🙂
Joan
1Hi Maya, I made your lemon bars a while back and they are delicious! Easy to cut and I put the majority into the freezer after they’d cooled. They are still great after defrosting. I love your monk fruit allulose blend. It bakes just like sugar and has no artificial taste or aftertaste.
sandra
0I made these exactly as recipe called for and they are delicious!
Wholesome Yum D
0That’s wonderful to hear, Sandra! I’m happy they turned out delicious just as written. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Y
0Love the lemon bars!
Wholesome Yum D
0So happy you loved the lemon bars! They’re one of my favorite desserts, too.
Y
0Was wondering when you garnished w/the lemon slices?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I just put them on at the end!
Elizabeth Ferreira
0Do you really need to use powdered allulose to make lemon bars or will regular allulose do?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Elizabeth, Yes, I recommend powdered to ensure a smooth texture.
Jill R
0Have made these several times, and just made them for Easter. I’m not a baker, cookies are usually my limit. But love Lemon Bars and these are so easy and delicious!! And with fresh lemons off my tree makes it extra special.
Wholesome Yum D
0Jill, I love that these have been on repeat for you! And fresh lemons from your tree? That makes them extra special for sure. So glad you found them easy and delicious!
veronika
0Another amazing low carbs recipe for the win. Love the combination of sweet and sour together. I used butter instead of coconut oil, turned out perfect. Definitely taste the best when chilled the next day.
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m happy you liked them, Veronika! Serving chilled is a great idea! 🙂
Lori
0Hi, I gave my son pecan bars on Saturday night and now it’s Tuesday night and I just saw that they were supposed to be refrigerated. Should they still be safe to eat?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lori, You’d have to use your judgement and what you are comfortable with, as I don’t want to give advice that might be unsafe. Personally I’ve eaten the pecan pie bars if I left them out and they look/smell fine, but only you can make that decision for yourself. I recommend refrigerating them since they contain dairy.
Margarida
0when to stir almond flour into filling?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Margarida, This is in step 2 – please checkthe recipe card above.
Margarida
0When do you stir monk fruit into the filling mix?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Margarida, Please the recipe card – it’s in step 2.
Dm
0These were the best keto lemon bars i have had and i tried many. The filling was so spot on…so gooey! When i make them again i will sub out the allulose in the crust for a different sweeter that will make a harder crust. Any recipe for pecan pie that has a gooey filling?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! I do have a keto pecan pie recipe, or you might like my pecan pie bars.
Abby S
0Although these are very tasty, I found the crust to be too moist. It simply didn’t crisp up the way it should’ve when I par-baked it. Also, the water bath method is a real pain. The filling set up fine, but I’ll probably try to find a different way to bake these next time. Also, note that I used powdered monk fruit and erythriol sweetener and the filling turned out just fine – nothing crystalized.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for the feedback, Abby. I agree I wouldn’t describe this crust as crispy — that would be pretty challenging with such a soft filling on top of it. You are welcome to skip the water bath but the bars will likely crack. As for erythritol-based sweeteners crystallizing, it doesn’t always happen, but often does. It’s often later when storing, not right after making them. I’m glad it worked for you!
Mindy
0I had to bake the filling about an extra 15 minutes to get it to set to a light jiggle. While I’m high altitude, I’m not sure that would affect this recipe. Have you run into needing the additional bake time, or did I do something wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mindy, Yes, high altitude can affect baking time, as well as the pan you use and your particular oven. I hope you liked the bars!
Teresa
0Could you use just monk fruit sweetener instead of the blend?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Teresa, In general, no. Pure monk fruit is very concentrated, about 400X as sweet as sugar, so you’d need much less and that would throw off the consistency of both the crust and the filling. If you are referring to the kind of “monk fruit” that measures 1:1 with sugar, this is a marketing tactic and is in fact over 99% erythritol. I don’t recommend this either, because it will crystallize, as I explained in my notes above about substitutions.
Barbara
0I made these today and followed the recipe exactly as written. I used a 8×8 glass Pyrex baking dish with the parchment paper as directed. The crust was thick and dense-not as thin as shown in your illustration. Should I have used a metal baking pan instead? Tasted ok, but I think I’ll use less lemon juice and butter instead of coconut oil to see if that would be more to my liking.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Barbara! I did use a glass 8×8 pan, but if you look at my picture I go all the way to the edge, maybe that was the difference? Or maybe yours had 8×8 on top but slightly less across the bottom? Either way, feel free to press in a little less crust next time if it feels too thick. I don’t recommend using a metal pan – this is in my tips above. You can definitely use butter instead of coconut oil (I’ve done this and have it listed as an option above), but changing the amount of lemon juice might mess with the consistency and timing. Hope this helps.
Peter Schott
0Made the recipe today. I think we could have used a little more filling and it ended up cracking, though that could be the way it was prepped or maybe over-cooked a bit. I think they turned out pretty well overall, though. I’m the only one who likes lemon bars, though, so probably not one I make too often. I think a light dusting of powdered sweetener on top might add to the presentation and a touch of extra sweetness.
I ended up zesting the lemons with a serrated steak knife and that worked pretty well, if time-consuming. I then used those lemons for the lemon juice and that worked out just about even.
I’d make again – just dropping one star because I would like a little more lemon filling to go with the bars and need to figure out if I can adjust for that or not.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for the feedback, Peter! I just updated this recipe to beter handle the cracks, and adjusted the pan size (8×8 instead of 9×9), which I think makes the filling-to-crust ratio feel more right. I hope you get the chance to try them again and let me know what you think!
Jennifer S
0I often buy bags of lemons, and have too many leftover. Decided to try this for Easter dessert, my son and I made it together and it turned out amazing!! The only difference is that the lemon topping looks opaque (doesnt matter), and the bottom was a bit oily. Easy to remedy next time using less melted butter. Will be making this many times!! As a diabetic this is a wonderful treat.
Leslie W
0So glad to find a low sugar / lower carb option for one of my favorite treats. Very tasty!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Leslie! Glad you liked these bars.