These Eggless Lemon Bars are pretty simple to make and only require 7 ingredients! The shortbread crust is buttery and crunchy, which is the perfect match for the lusciously sweet and tart lemon filling.
Oriana’s Thoughts On The Recipe
This Eggless Lemon Bar recipe is insanely delicious!
I’ve been working on it for a few weeks to get it just right, and what better time to give in to all our lemon cravings than today, right? Plus, they are the perfect dessert or snack, especially when you need an extra dose of vitamin C.
Why You’ll Want to Try My Recipe
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and instructions (scroll down).
You’ll need just 7 ingredients:
- Butter: . I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called for in the recipe.
- Sugar: Regular white sugar, also known as caster sugar.
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here, skip the cake flour, bread flour and wheat flour.
- Cornstarch: This will help to thicken the filling and make it creamy.
- Salt: I used Black Salt, which is a salt that is used in many vegan/eggless recipes to mimic the flavor of eggs. If black salt is not available, you can substitute it with kosher or sea salt. See recipe notes to learn more about black salt.
- Evaporated milk: You don’t have evaporated milk? No problem!! Check out my post about How to Make Evaporated Milk at home.
- Fresh Lemons: You’ll need the juice and zest.
Food Allergy Swaps
This recipe is naturally egg, nut, peanut, and sesame-free, making it suitable for most dietary needs. However, always check labels for hidden allergens.
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives.
- Butter: Substitute butter with dairy-free butter substitutes. Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Vegan Butter and Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks are my favorite butter substitutes for baking.
- Evaporated Milk: Use evaporated coconut milk or evaporated oat milk, or make your own dairy-free evaporated milk with your favorite plant-based milk. Evaporated milk is just milk that has been reduced to eliminate the water content, so it’s super easy to make at home with any milk of your choice. Check out my How to Make Evaporated Milk post.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. Look for a gluten-free flour blend specifically formulated for baking, as it will have the right combination of flours and starches to mimic the texture of wheat flour. My favorite is Better Batter Original Blend. I also like Doves Farm Freee Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, but this blend does not contain xanthan gum, so you need to add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup (140 g) of gluten-free flour blend.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Step 1 – Make the Crust
In a medium bowl, beat together with an electric mixer softened butter and sugar. Add flour and salt, mix to blend until the mixture is just combined, about 1 minute. Place the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer. Bake until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
TIP: I place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough to help with spreading.
Step 2 – Make the Filling
Sift the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the evaporated milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and whisk until completely combined. Add 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring if desired. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, then pour the filling over the crust.
Step 3 – Bake
Bake the bars until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours. Then refrigerate for 1-2 more hours until chilled.
Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Cut into squares, and dust with icing sugar before serving. NOTE: For neat squares, I recommend using a long serrated knife and wiping the knife clean between each cut.
Air Bubbles on Top Of Baked Lemon Bars
The air bubbles on top of the baked lemon bars are completely normal. It’s the air from the mixture rising to the surface. Regardless, the lemon bars taste the same, and after dusting them with confectioners’ sugar, the bubbles won’t be visible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Halve each of the ingredients and bake in a 9×9-inch baking pan. Same oven temperature. Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes and the bars for 15-20 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.
Black salt or Kala namak is a type of rock salt, a salty and pungent-smelling condiment used in South Asia. Although it is called black salt, its color is not black; it has a purple-ish to pink-ish color. Due to its sulfur content, it tastes and smells like hard-boiled egg yolks. This salt is used in many vegan/eggless recipes to mimic the flavor of eggs. It can be found in gourmet grocery stores or online on Amazon. You don’t have black salt? No problem! Just use regular salt. The bars won’t have an eggy flavor but will still be delicious regardless.
If you plan on eating your eggless lemon bars within a day or so of baking them, there is no need to refrigerate them. However, for more extended storage, chilling the bars is recommended.
I haven’t tested this recipe with regular milk, so I can’t say for sure. But making your own evaporated milk is super easy. Check out my post about How to Make Evaporated Milk at home.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store: Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze: Lemon Bars are freezer-friendly!
- Let them cool completely.
- Place cut bars in a single layer in a tray and freeze for 1 hour.
- Then cover each bar individually tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze.
- Freeze for up to three months.
Before serving, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with Confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.
Try These Egg-Free Lemon Recipes Next!
Recipe Card
Easy Eggless Lemon Bars
Important
• For best results, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (75 g) cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon black salt (see notes below)
- 12 oz (354 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 cup (240 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1-2 drop yellow food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350º F/ 180º C. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper (see tip in the notes below), leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together with an electric mixer softened butter and sugar. Add flour and salt, mix to blend until the mixture is just combined, about 1 minute.
- Place the dough into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer. TIP: I like to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough to help with spreading. NOTE: I highly recommend building up a thin 3/4-inch edge around the sides to keep the filling from spilling beneath the crust and sticking.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Filling:
- Reduce oven temperature to 325º F/ 160º C.
- Sift the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl.
- Add the evaporated milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and whisk until completely combined. Add 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring if desired.
- Pass the mixture through a fine sieve, then pour filling over the crust.
- Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours. Then refrigerate for 1-2 more hours until chilled.
- Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Cut into squares, dust with icing sugar before serving. NOTE: For neat squares, I recommend using a long serrated knife and wiping the knife clean between each cut.
- Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can easily swap out the dairy ingredients for non-dairy alternatives.
- Butter: Substitute butter with dairy-free butter substitutes. Miyoko’s Creamery Organic Vegan Butter and Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks are my favorite butter substitutes for baking.
- Evaporated Milk: Use evaporated coconut milk or evaporated oat milk, or make your own dairy-free evaporated milk with your favorite plant-based milk. Evaporated milk is just milk that has been reduced to eliminate the water content, so it’s super easy to make at home with any milk of your choice. Check out my How to Make Evaporated Milk post.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend. Look for a gluten-free flour blend specifically formulated for baking, as it will have the right combination of flours and starches to mimic the texture of wheat flour. My favorite is Better Batter Original Blend. I also like Doves Farm Freee Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour, but this blend does not contain xanthan gum, so you need to add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup (140 g) of gluten-free flour blend.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in April 2020, the post content was edited to add more helpful information; no change to the recipe in September 2025.
I am an avid baker, and unfortunately, this was a complete waste of ingredients. Play doh is right.
How long do I bake thw dough?
Hello Gabriela! The crust is bake for 15 – 20 minutes. I recommend scrolling down all the way to the recipe card where you can find all the quantities and detaled instructions. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it.