Ages ago, a blogger and cookbook author named Amy Green shared this wonderful recipe for dairy-free and gluten-free coconut lemon bars with us. It’s remarkably low in sugar, and made without nuts or soy, too. Amy no longer maintains a blog, but we’re happy to still have some of her healthy dessert recipes online.
We’re Sweet on these Healthier Coconut Lemon Bars
We originally posted this recipe back in 2011, but I’ve updated it and moved it to our recipe section. I also have answers to some FAQs that have popped up.
Is There a Substitute for the Sorghum Flour?
You can use your favorite gluten-free flour blend, but omit the xanthan gum if your blend contains gum. If you prefer a single flour, brown rice flour usually substitutes well for sorghum flour.
Can I Use Regular Sugar instead of Coconut Sugar?
Definitely! You can use white or brown sugar if you don’t have coconut sugar on hand. It won’t increase the overall sugars much at all (just a fraction).
Is there Another Sweetener I Can Use instead of Honey?
Agave nectar would substitute well. I would hesitate on other sweeteners like maple syrup or brown rice syrup. They both have flavors that can overpower the delicate notes of lemon.
Special Diet Notes: Lemon Coconut Bars
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian. This recipe does rely rather heavily on eggs. If you confuse eggs for dairy, you’re not alone. See this article: Are Eggs Dairy?
- 1½ cups sorghum flour
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, roasted and unsalted
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 4 extra-large eggs
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon liquid vanilla stevia
- ½ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put the sorghum flour, sunflower seeds, and xanthan gum in the bowl of a food processor and process until the sunflower seeds are finely chopped. Add the coconut oil and palm sugar and pulse until the mixture is a crumbly meal, much like a pie crust. Do not over-process.
- Press the crumbly mixture into your prepared baking pan.
- Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Put the eggs in the food processor (no need to wash the bowl) and pulse several times until the yolks are broken. Add the honey, lemon juice, milk beverage, starch, lemon zest, and stevia. Pulse several times, about one second each, until thoroughly combined.
- Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust then sprinkle the shredded coconut evenly over the top.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the center of the lemon bars are set.
- Let the bars cool completely. Then cut into squares approximately 2 x 2 inches each.
- Store leftover lemon coconut bars in the refrigerator.
More Sweet Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Bar Recipes
Wholesome Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chip Bars
Super Banana Oat Snack Bars
No Bake Paleo Salted Caramel Bars
