I know, I know – ANOTHER dessert post. Believe me, I’m well aware. I’ll be sure to get back to more entrée recipes soon.
A while back, I mentioned a Lemon Bar recipe I found, tested and loved. I promised to share the recipe and finally, here we are. Actually, what I found was a Grapefruit Bar recipe which I converted to Lemon Bars. Traditionally, lemon bars are made with a lot of butter and eggs. Instead, this recipe uses coconut oil and silken tofu. Don’t freak out – you won’t even taste the tofu. I promise. There is still a load of sugar in this recipe, so I wouldn’t categorize it as healthy, but it’s definitely better for you than traditional lemon bars. And oh my gosh, are these bars ever GOOD!!! Hubs loved them and so did his mom. I’m guessing these may even fool the biggest lemon bar fan you know.
I’m not only excited to share this recipe because it’s awesome, but also because the recipe SOURCE is awesome. I can’t remember how I stumbled across Chickpea Magazine, but I’m so glad I did. I’m in love with this quarterly publication which showcases various items (food, recipes, books, gardening, interviews, etc) from the vegan world. The content (a collaboration of contributors) is GREAT and the design is BEAUTIFUL. Editor in Chief and Art Director, Cara Livermore, does the most amazing hand lettering (check out her Etsy shop here) and her photos are lovely, too. I’m smitten.
While browsing the Winter 2012 issue, I spotted Courtney West’s recipe for Grapefruit Bars. I’m not a grapefruit fan, so I subbed lemon instead. I also added just a little powdered sugar for garnish. They were the perfect combination of sweet and tart. And – bonus! – they are gluten-free.
Note – I only used one piece of parchment paper, but in hindsight, I would highly recommend two (one in each direction). It will make removing the bars much easier.
The photo above is from the first time I made the bars. As you can see, the filling color is a pale yellow. If you want a deeper yellow color, just add a bit of food coloring.
Welcome to 86 Lemons. My name is Livvy. Thanks for stopping by! I test a wide variety of seemingly fun DIY projects, vegan recipes and consumer products (like the latest mascara, for example). Then I report to you with the inside scoop. You'll get the real story on which ones are worth your attention and which ones are "lemons" to be avoided. Read more on my 
Thank you for this, Livvy! My husband loves lemon bars but I’ve yet to find a good vegan one that doesn’t have weird ingredients. He will love this one!
Yum I love lemon bars! Can’t wait to make these, the crust sounds delicious thanks for sharing.
woo! i grew up loving lemon bars. these look delicious!
I found your blog through Angela’s Super Bowl recipe round-up and have rally been enjoying it. It’s like Cook’s Illustrated for my favorite vegan blogs! Also I’m a native Michigander – whoo hoo! :)
Hi Jill! So glad to have you here! Glad you are enjoying it so far. Thanks for reading/commenting :)
Very nice! I’ve been holding out for some clean, vegan lemon bars for so long and these are perfect, especially since they are gluten-free ;)
I love your lemon adaptation of the bars! Glad you liked the recipe and found the ever awesome Chickpea magazine :)
Courtney, thank you for that recipe!!! We absolutely loved it!
Incredible bars! Cant wait to make em!
I am so weird, I cannot eat any kind of dessert with tofu in it. It totally weirds me out. I love tofu too! Maybe I’ll just have to bite bullet and try these.
I get that. I was a little leery of this recipe, too. But I was pleasantly surprised! Give it a try and lmk what u think!
I am a life long lover of lemon bars and have sadly missed them since switching to veganism. I am going to have to try this version, it looks delectable!
PS~I love Chickpea Magazine too!
Hi Anna, thanks for reading and commenting as always! Let me know how you like this recipe :)
I’m going to make it this weekend using Meyer lemons that I finally found at my local grocery store.
I used them for muffins and the lemon flavor/scent was intense. Can’t wait to try them in these bars.
I just saw Meyer lemons at the store yesterday and had the same thought. I didn’t figure I had enough time to squeeze in another recipe, so I passed for now. Lmk how they turn out!
I love lemon bars! Remind me of warmer weather which I am so ready for!
I did make these Saturday for my husband and added some turmeric (about a half teaspoon) to the filling for color. He’s eaten half the pan already, so I think I’ll be making them often! Thanks!
I’ve been scouring the Internet for a vegan lemon bar recipe lately and this looks perfect! Yay!
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Oh my these look absolutely amazing. I want to make them with a raspbeeey !!