These Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Bars are a refreshing spring or summer treat. A crisp shortbread topped with a rich, lightly sweet and tart lemon curd filling that’s bursting with fresh blueberries. These vegan lemon blueberry shortbread bars can easily be made grain-free, paleo, and AIP compliant.
As the creator of an online dairy-free and gluten-free baking school, I understand how challenging it is to find dairy and gluten-free baked goods that taste as delicious as their conventional counterparts. My Lemon Blueberry Bars have the crispy crust, rich filling, and sweet-tart flavors of traditional blueberry lemon squares without any gluten, dairy, eggs, or nut flours.
Try these other gluten and dairy-free lemon berry desserts: Gluten-Free Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread, or Lemon Glazed AIP Blueberry Donuts or this Lemon Custard with Strawberry Compote.
Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Bars Recipe
If you’re a fan of my Gluten Free Vegan Lemon Bars, you’ll love this Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Bars recipe. I take my classic lemon squares and add fresh blueberries on top for a sweet burst of flavor in every bite.
I made the vegan and gluten-free shortbread crust with a gluten-free 1:1 flour for maximum ease and convenience. Combined with the salt, baking soda, vanilla extract, maple syrup and melted coconut oil, it makes a buttery, crispy, lightly sweet shortbread and a firm base for these blueberry lemon bars.
The smooth and creamy vegan lemon curd is thick and rich from the coconut cream, with a bright, tangy lemon flavor from both the lemon juice and lemon zest. It’s lightly sweetened with maple sugar and I added a touch of turmeric for a natural yellow color. Sweet blueberries enhance the overall sweet-tart flavor and add fresh juiciness to each bar.
What You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities.
Ingredient Tips
- Warm up the maple syrup slightly in the microwave to remove the chill from the fridge if necessary. This promotes easy mixing and prevents it from solidifying the coconut oil in the dough.
- The high fat content in coconut cream is necessary for the filling to thicken so it gets firm and isn’t runny. Use the thick, creamy, solid part of coconut cream and not the liquid. I recommend the canned version.
I have tested this recipe with full fat coconut milk and it does not set as well. If you choose to use this instead, note that your bars won’t be as firm. One hack to get coconut cream from coconut milk in a can is to refrigerate the coconut milk and use the thick top creamy layer which separates from the liquid. - Frozen blueberries will release too much moisture and should not be used as a substitute.
- AIP Modification: To make these blueberry lemon bars grain-free, paleo, and comply with both the Core AIP and Modified AIP versions of the AIP diet, use cassava flour and arrowroot starch for the shortbread crust instead of the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour. Ensure the coconut cream is additive-free and made from only coconut and water.
Instructions
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some to overhang on the sides.
Step 2. Prepare the Crust
In a large bowl, combine the crust ingredients into a soft dough.
Then, press the dough into the prepared pan, spreading it into a smooth, even layer.
Par-bake the crust for 10 minutes to create a sturdy base that withstands the moisture of the filling so it doesn’t get soggy.
Step 3: Make the Filling
In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the vegan lemon curd ingredients until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.
Step 4: Assemble and Bake the Lemon Blueberry Bars
Spread the lemon curd filling on top of the shortbread crust. Then sprinkle the fresh blueberries over the top.
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Cool and Set
Remove from the oven and allow the lemon blueberry bars to cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge for at least 2 hours until set completely. Once fully set, slice into squares or rectangular bars. Dust the top with icing sugar or arrowroot starch for a refined sugar free version, additional lemon zest or garnish with baked lemon slices, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
Lemon Zest Tips
Unwaxed lemons are best for zesting, as it’s easier to release the lemon oil from the zest without the coating, providing a more vibrant flavor. If you only have waxed lemons, I recommend removing the coating first.
Use a zester, a rasp-style grater (Microplane), or the smallest side of a box grater to zest the lemon. Rotate the lemon as you grate gently and don’t go too deep in one spot to avoid the bitter white pith underneath.
Massaging the lemon zest into the maple sugar first releases the lemon oil (where the flavor is most concentrated) for more even distribution and makes the filling more flavorful and fragrant than just mixing the zest into the filling. You can grate the lemon peel directly onto the sugar then squeeze and rub the zest and sugar together with your fingertips for a few minutes before you make the lemon filling.
Don’t Overcook the Filling
Keep whisking the filling at medium heat and ensure it does not start to boil. This will cause the arrowroot starch to lose its thickening ability.
Adjust the Filling’s Flavor to Taste
Feel free to make the lemon curd to suit your taste. Add more or start with less maple sugar to adjust the sweetness and add more or start with less lemon juice and/or zest to adjust the tartness.
Setting the Lemon Blueberry Bars
Letting the bars cool to room temperature prevents the filling from cracking when you put it in the fridge.
Allow the bars to chill and set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. The longer the chill time, the better they will set and easier they will be to cut.
Cutting the Bars
Use a sharp knife dampened in warm water to slice the bars, so the knife glides through the lemon curd more easily without sticking. Clean the blade between cuts for neat, clean slices.
How do I know when they’re ready?
- Wearing oven mitts, gently shake the pan to test if the bars are done baking. The bars are ready to cool and set if the filling has a slight, controlled jiggle, and the edges are mostly firm.
- If the filling is very gooey and loose, keep baking them in increments of 1-2 minutes.
- If the filling doesn’t move at all, it’s over-baked.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Keep these gluten free lemon blueberry bars in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Separate layers with plastic wrap or parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together.
Freezer: These bars freeze beautifully. Place cut bars on a tray in a single layer and freeze for about 1 hour. Then wrap individual bars in parchment paper if desired and store them in a freezer-safe container or resealable bag for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or reheat in the microwave for just 10 seconds.
I hope you love these Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Bars. If you do, I would appreciate it if you would give the recipe a rating and review. Be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious.
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Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Bars Recipe (Vegan)
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 squares 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Bars pair a crisp shortbread crust with a rich, tangy lemon curd bursting with fresh, sweet blueberries. These vegan blueberry lemon bars are easily grain-free, paleo, and AIP compliant. A perfectly refreshing spring or summer dessert!
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
(For grain-free or AIP/paleo use 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP cassava flour and 1/4 cup arrowroot starch) - 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Lemon Filling
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup maple sugar
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 4 TBSP arrowroot starch
- pinch sea salt
- pinch of turmeric (for color)
- 3/4 cup fresh blueberries, washed and dried
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some extra to hang over the sides.*
- In a large bowl, combine gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour, baking soda, salt, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract until a soft dough forms.
- Press dough into lined baking pan in a smooth, even layer and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool as you make the lemon curd filling.
Lemon Filling
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, maple sugar, coconut cream, arrowroot starch, salt and turmeric. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and is a pourable consistency.**
Assembly
- Once the lemon curd filling is thick, remove from heat. Spread the filling over the crust in an even layer.
- Sprinkle fresh blueberries on top of the filling.
- Return to the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 2 hours to set completely, or overnight, if desired.
- Dust the tops of the squares with arrowroot starch or powdered sugar, if desired (use arrowroot starch if you want to keep these squares refined sugar free or Paleo and AIP compliant).
Notes
The yield depends on the size that you cut the lemon blueberry bars or squares.
I tested this recipe with this specific brand of flour. Add 1/4 tsp xantham gum if the gluten-free 1:1 flour blend you are using does not have any.
*Use the overhang as handles to easily lift the whole baked bar out of the pan and onto a cutting board when you’re ready to slice them.
**Ensure the lemon curd filling does not boil fully at a high temperature for a continued period, as the arrowroot starch will begin to lose its thickening properties. Turn down the heat if necessary to prevent boiling.
If doubling this recipe you can make it in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baked, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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