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Easy Keto Recipes For a Low Carb Lifestyle | Cutting Carbs, Striking Out Sugar

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Keto Lemon Bars

This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you’ll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt!

This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you'll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt! | heyketomama.com

Are you missing fruity goodness on your keto diet?

I’m not one who subscribes to the belief that keto is a “no fruits” diet, and this is because I think many fruits are still great whole food options, that are nutritious than other artificial foods.

But some fruits are very high in NET carbs (total carbs minus fiber minus sugar alcohols) for someone following keto. This is mostly because of the high amount of natural sugars.

For example:

An apple is about 20.6g net carbs, an orange is about 8.3g net carbs, and a banana is about 23.9g net carbs. (source: Google)

Because of this, I would say those aren’t great options for Keto, but other fruits, like berries are much better.

One cup of blackberries is about 6 net carbs, one cup of raspberries is about 7 net carbs, and a cup of whole strawberries is about 8.1g net carbs. Those numbers are much better, and when you think about it…one cup of any of these fruits is a pretty significant amount!

I love to put lower carb fruits into my desserts, like in my Keto Yogurt Recipe so I’m super excited to share this recipe with you…it’s a real winner!

Keto Lemon Bars

This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you'll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt! | heyketomama.com

Thanks so much to Tasteaholics for letting me share this recipe! It comes straight from their Dessert in Five, eCookbook, which features 30 DELICIOUS recipes that all can be made with just 5 ingredients and are only 5g (or less) of net carbs per serving!

There’s also Breakfast in Five, Lunch in Five and Dinner in Five. The best option would be to buy the whole bundle. You won’t regret it!

This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you'll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt! | heyketomama.com

The fruit in this recipe is lemons…which are about 3.4g net carbs per fruit. And you’re not using very much of it so the carbs stay low!

The other hero of this recipe is what makes it sweet…erythritol. Erythritol is a mild sugar alcohol with a glycemic index of 0. It’s my favorite sweetener, and I believe the powdered version is the very best. It tastes and bakes like confectioner’s sugar, AND really cuts down on the cooling effect that erythritol typically carries.

And what’s REALLY cool, is Tasteaholics has their own brand called So Nourished that manufactures affordable erythritol!

so-nourished-erythritol-1

You can buy it on Amazon along with their Ketone Test Strips and Hand Held Spiralizer. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know that I love to support small business, so I’m so happy to promote this quality brand!

Back to the recipe. When I tried the Keto Lemon Bars I was so impressed. It tastes so fresh and natural, unlike the processed junk you might be used to if you’re new to Keto. And the nutrition info is great! Here’s a breakdown per serving:

Calories: 272
Net Carbs: 4g
Fat: 26g
Protein: 8g

Here’s how you make them!

 

Print

Keto Lemon Bars

This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you'll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt! | heyketomama.com

★★★★★

4.7 from 47 reviews

You and your guests will be left satisfied after these dense, wonderful lemon dream bars! Finish them off with lemon and a sprinkle of erythritol.

  • Author: Tasteaholics
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 3/4 cups almond flour

1 cup powdered erythritol

3 medium lemons

3 large eggs

Instructions

  1. Mix butter, 1 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup erythritol, and a pinch of salt. Press evenly into an 8×8″ parchment paper-lined baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, let cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Into a bowl, zest one of the lemons, then juice all 3 lemons, add the eggs, 3/4 cup erythritol, 3/4 cup almond flour & pinch of salt. Combine to make filling.
  3. Pour the filling onto the crust & bake for 25 minutes.
  4. Serve with lemon slices and a sprinkle of erythritol.

Notes

If adding vanilla extract to crust is something you’re used to, feel free to mix 1/2 tsp into the crust.

I recommend letting the bars cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Cutting the bars with unflavored dental floss is a GREAT way to get a clean cut.

Please note that I am not a certified nutritionist. If nutrition is important to you, I highly encourage you to verify any data you see here with your favorite nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 272
  • Fat: 26g
  • Carbohydrates: 4g net
  • Protein: 8g

 

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This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you'll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt! | heyketomama.com

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I made these last night and my crust portion is way too greasy. It won’t hold together. Seems like too much butter. They taste good but next time I’ll use half the amount of butter.

    ★★★★

    Reply

    • After reading several posts regarding the crust not holding, I put the oven rack up one above the middle, it came out great! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

  3. So I followed the recipe, but the “crust” didn’t set. Not sure if that’s normal, or should I bake longer before pouring in the lemon filling. Anyone have any experience with this? Looks like an amazing recipe and I can’t wait to try it al many others on this lifesaving website!

    Reply

    • If the crust isn’t fully set don’t hesitate to pop it back in the oven. Almond flour is softer than regular flour but firms as it cools. If it looks actually wet, put it back in for a few minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Sometimes ovens can slightly vary in temperature

      Reply

      • I haven’t tried these yet but am going to. They look absolutely amazing! Could the problem some are having with the crust setting up be due to the type of almond flour they’re using, that it’s not ground fine enough or that it’s almond meal? I know that was my problem before with some recipes. Just a thought……

        Reply

  4. Hello, can you explain how you only get 4g of carbs? I plugged everything in myfitnesspal app and everything came up matching to what you have except the carbs. I got 30g. Thank you

    Reply

    • hi! Have you subtracted the fiber and sugar alcohols (from the erythritol) from the total carb count? That should bring the number down quite a bit

      Reply

  5. This is one of the easiest and best low carb desserts I have ever made. Outstanding!!! Mine wasn’t as pretty but OMG

    Reply

  6. Hi – I made these and the topping is very gooey and doesn’t seem to have cooked all the way through. Is that the right consistency or is it supposed to be firmer?

    Reply

    • It was slightly jiggly but did firm up. If you make these again, definitely do add it back in the oven briefly if it seems gooey until fully cooked.

      Reply

    • Mine were a little bit crumbly too. Were they fully cooled? sometimes if they’re even a bit warm still it can be overly crumbly. Once I stored mine in the fridge and ate them chilled, it improved even more.

      Reply

  11. These are awesome! I want to make again, using the crust recipe and then changing it up and maybe doing a blueberry or strawberry topping.

    Reply

    • I would definitely recommend the real lemons because the taste will be much better/fresher, especially with the lemon zest. Unfortunately I’m not sure how much lemon juice you could substitute with.

      Reply

  15. 911! Is the filling supposed to be loose? I think my lemons were too big. I added more almond flour but it’s very runny. Should it be like cake batter?

    Reply

  16. They taste so good!! However, the erythritol seemed to recrystillize in the crust. Has this happened to anyone? Any tricks to prevent this?

    Reply

  17. I used to Monk sugar because it’s all I had, and it wasn’t powdered, but it seems everything turned out fine. I also used french butter, and it was the first thing you tasted. It was my first time using french butter, you should try it, there is a big difference from the Land O Lakes I’ve been using prior.

    Reply

    • Debbie,
      I ADORE Land O Lakes butter and can tell when someone uses a different butter just by the taste. Does the French butter have a better taste than my favorite?? How so??

      Reply

  18. I made these last night but used granular Swerve instead, as that is what I had. I was a little light handed with it – so maybe a quarter inch below top on my steel 1 cup measure. I was still worried it would be too sweet due to the difference in granular and confectioners. It actually turned out perfect for us. Husband and I both love them. Crust held together, but was really buttery and a little loose while still warm, but so, so good. Stored in fridge, it firmed up nicely and is delicious cold as well. A great recipe. Will order the powdered erithritol for next time.

    Reply

    • Yes you can but I don’t know how much. I would recommend using fresh if at all possible. I do think the fresh lemon flavor is different than bottled juice. Also this recipe calls for lemon zest which I think adds an important depth of flavor.

      Reply

    • You can use coconut flour but I personally haven’t tried it. It’s more absorbent and requires a different amount than the almond flour and may make it taste like coconut. There are some good recipes for crusts on google that should work. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  23. These were absolutely fantastic! My husband said he wouldn’t have known they were low carb, that’s how yummy they were. I actually think these are better because they are not as sweet as the traditional ones! I doubled the crust recipe to make it thicker and added whipped cream on top. So wonderful!

    The crust would also make a great base for other desserts 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  26. I am a reluctant cook and baker however since switching over to Keto woe I have been baking a lot more. I made these today and they taste incredible. So yummy. I often make substitutions and hope for the best. I did substitute a few things here and they still turned out great. I can’t eat anything with sugar alcohol so finding a great sugar substitute was a challenge. I have been using Kakato sugar substitute and it worked great. For the filling I only used 1/2 cup instead of 3/4. I also did not have lemon zest or fresh lemons. I used non-GAO lemon juice—8 tablespoons and it tastes fantastic. For those that asked about type of butter….I always use Kerrygold or another grass-fed butter. I also baked the crust for 5 extra minutes since it was still so wet. I also baked the entire dish for 5 extra minutes. The crust was awesome due to the buttery crunch with the extra baking. I hope this helps other novice bakers out there.

    Reply

  27. I made this tonight and used pyure organic stevia blend (granular) and it came out very bitter. Do you think if I use the powdered version would taste better? Or I don’t know maybe my lemons were to tangy.

    Reply

    • Do you typically use stevia in your desserts?

      Powdered may help but I’m not sure. I don’t really use stevia because it tastes extremely bitter to me in most forms. I think that varies by person.

      Sometimes products blend erythritol and stevia to make them less bitter and counteract the cooling effect of erythritol, which I think helps. You may try one of those blends if stevia alone is too bitter to you.

      Reply

  29. Came home and made these this evening. My second time baking them and I absolutely love them. The look fantastic and taste even better. You know it is easy if I bake them on a Monday night!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  30. I can’t rate the full recipe, since I only madethe crust portion as a bottom for my lemon curd tart. But it is yummy! I used liquid monk fruit sweetener and it can out delicious and perfectly cooked in 20 mins. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  32. I just attempted these and because I was apparently having a brain cramp 😀 I put in coconut flour instead of the almond flour in the crust. I knew as soon as the scent hit my nose but by that time I had a choice of going with it or wasting the coconut flour and an entire stick of butter. I had my doubts, but I went ahead and made the crust as was. It seemed okay after baking, so I went ahead and made the lemon layer. These bars are amazing! The lemon set up just right and has the perfect amount of tang. I still want to try it with the almond flour crust… It will probably be a bit more crisp. But the coconut flour version wasn’t bad at all!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  34. Just made these tonight. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe. My husband and I are loving it. The flavour is so dense that we can only have 2/3 a square each. And it fills any desire for a little something sweet. ????

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  36. My very first keto treat and WOW! I can’t speak for the baking dish route but I had to use a cast iron frying pan and everything cooked PERFECTLY. Nice browned crust that didn’t crumble, perfectly cooked and non-gooey top. Next time I’ll add some rosemary or lavender because this recipe is going to be hard to move on from. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  37. I have been living low carb/ keto for around 10 years, and this is by far the best cake recipe I have found! It is soooo delicious with the fresh lemon, crunchy crust and creamy filling. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes, thank you so much for sharing this!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  38. The recipe is fantastic and such a treat thank you! Personally I wld go a little sweeter and more lemon. We loved the crunchy “sugar” sprinkled on top.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  39. I made these yesterday for a family get together. Oh my goodness. These may be the best lemon bars I’ve ever had! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe! I couldn’t be more grateful! 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  40. These are AMAZING.
    I had my son asleep on me so baked the base then couldn’t get to the top until probably an hour.
    Baked it with the topping and let completely cool for 2 hours and omg my kids loved it too, definitely a winner.
    I also only had xylitol and limes but swapped them out and it was perfect.
    The BEST part is it’s so easy and very little ingredients ????????

    Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  41. I tried this tonight and loved it! I, too, have a very soft crust that is releasing a bit of butter. However, it may stabilize once it sets in the refrigerator. If not, I will reduce the butter by a 1/4 until I hit the right amount. Since it’s just me, I plan to see how well they freeze. I’ve missed lemon bars since I started Keto, so this was a welcomed discovery.

    ★★★★

    Reply

  42. This are amazing! I’ve eaten Keto for 3 1/2 years and this is by far the best dessert I’ve had!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  43. This was very tasty! My crust came out just fine, but I think that’s because my oven runs a bit hot. The filling was very good and had a great lemon flavor, however it is quite crumbly. Will be making again for sure! (I used Swerve confectioners, 3g carbs per 1tsp)

    ★★★★

    Reply

  44. I don’t bake often but since I’m on Keto I’ve been baking a lot more. I’ve never zested lemons. Can someone’s tell me how much of the lemon zest do I put in this recipe?

    Reply

  46. I followed to a T and it was nothing like the picture – not dense at all. Very soft and WAY too tart. I used everything exactly as described. I love to cook, and have never had a recipe turn out so badly. Your picture looks like it rises, and is cake-like. Mine was about 3/4″ – 1″ high and very soft. The crust was soggy and the filling was like a hard custard. Totally confused by this recipe and hesitant to try it again as the powdered erythritol is so expensive.

    Reply

  47. So delicious! I’ve made these for my non-keto family a couple of times and they love them, too. Definitely one of my go-to desserts. Easy to make too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  48. These were phenomenal! Me and my roommate agreed when we think of lemon bars we think of more lemon flavor (that sweet tartness…mmm) So, next time I wonder if I should add the juice of 1 more lemon or the ZEST of 1more lemon. Which would possibly add more lemon flavor without compromising the performance of the batter?

    Also, I added extra (didn’t measure) sugar (maybe like less than 1/4 a cup and extra Almond flour. I am pretty intuitive as an untrained cook or baker so the batter looked a bit runny for my taste so I thought I would “stiffen” it up. Took the risk and it was AMAZINGGGGGG….

    The crust was cooked about 7 minutes longer than necessary. I didn’t want to risk it being TOO soft and it was amazing. It is pretty durable and tasty. I would add a smidgen less butter next time personally. I think KERRYGOLD is much richer than average butter and I think it goes further than typical watery butter. Kerrygold is rich thick and the flavor is deeeeeeeep. I might remove 2-4 tablespoons from the recommendation and see how that turns out 🙂

    So, apart from adding more lemon (suggestions), these were ammmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzinnnn… Crumbled some on top of my cake batter HALO TOP icecream. My roommates keep asking for more each day. And I’m excited for it to be gone so I have another reason to bake something.

    Thanks so much for the recipe :)!!!

    Reply

  49. Made this today and it was amazeballs 🙂 Nice lemony flavour. Next time I’ll add a little less sweetner. 🙂

    Reply

  50. These are absolutely spectacular – thank you so much for sharing! Mine turned out perfect – i baked the base until firm, let it cool, then added the lemon layer. Sliced when still warm, but put into the fridge to firm up – looked beautiful (even when sliced with a knife) and held together perfectly!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  51. I made them. They went together great and smelled great while cooking. As for taste…yuck! I threw them in the trash.

    Reply

  52. Made these! So delicious, thank you so much for creating this keto approved recipe. I had a terrible sweet tooth before starting keto and so when I get a craving for something sweet I love finding keto approved recipes to try out. This was so quick and easy and tastes the same to me, maybe even better, than regular lemon bars. I cut these smaller than normal to limit the calories a little bit more, basically made bite size pieces. Thanks again, love this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  54. 2x I tired crust -18 minutes black so threw it away and tried again. Now at 10 minutes 1/2 is dark brown like burnt. Not sure if it’s even worth adding filling. It’s an expensive mistake to keep making when following directions.

    ★★★

    Reply

  55. These are perfect, lemony, creamy, super tasty. For those of you asking about lemon juice, you will miss the zest, but per the real lemon bottle, 3 tbsp juice per lemon.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  56. These bars are amazing! I did use half the butter and cooked the crust five minutes less. The filling did need an extra five minutes cooking time. Otherwise the flavor is on point!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  58. Dude are we sure these bars are only 4 net carbs? Cause if it makes 8 bars they are very large potions! I’m so scared to love them as much as I do. They taste so good it seems too good to be true. I’m not dreaming, right?
    One of the things I’ve really missed on Keto is tart sweet things. I loooove sour gummies. This completely satisfied that craving. I’m so happy!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  59. These were delicious , however mine were quite flat and dense,,, nothing like the picture , any idea where I went wrong ,,,

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  60. Tried these Keto Lemon Bars for the first time last night. As my second ever Keto friendly dessert, these are absolutely amazing. They don’t taste “modified” or “lighter” at all. I followed the recipe exactly, adding 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the crust, as the notes offered. The bars have that familiar lemon bar texture once set in the fridge for a while. I definitely recommend fresh lemons, because the natural flavor can’t be beat. Thanks for a delightful new staple!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  62. I made this today. When adding liquid butter it appeared to liquid. I added an extra Tbsp almond flour and coconut. My husband loved these. Thank you for your recipe. Good job!

    Reply

  63. I’m going to try this recipe in individual ramekins. That way the crust and the filling will be intact and portion-controlled. I’ll try to remember to come back here and report on my success or failure with that technique. Sounds like an awesome recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  65. Im stunned a cake can be so good on keto
    Loved it! Was perfect but mine tasted too lemony maybe mine were kinda large il put less juice in next time! Will be making many though. Thank u!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  67. Made this lemon bar recipe for a work Christmas party and they were a hit, co-workers kept coming back for more. I doubled the recipe and they were perfect. I live at high altitude, over 7,000 ft and the only adjustments I made were a little less butter for the crust and I kept it in the oven 25 min at 350. Also, I used confectioners Swerve as my erythritol ingredient.
    Great recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  68. I made this for Thanksgiving and my whole family (even those not doing keto) loved them. I used the meyers lemons off my lemon tree, which made it even better. Finally, I have something to use my meyers lemons on. I am making them again for Christmas:)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  70. This came out great! Thank you! I had to improvise because I had a craving for sweets, and it was either do it now, or order something bad through grub hub! The only things I changed was I used spenda (all I had), and instead of fresh lemons I used 1/2 tbsp lemon extract to replace the zest, and 6 tbsp lemon juice. My crust got over done because ei got distracted and lost track of which device was running the timer, but they were still great! I will make these again. Thank you so muvh!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  71. Mine turned out fine. I had to cook the crust
    A few extra minutes but it turned out perfect.
    My oven is a bit on the hot side. Things with
    Erythritol take awhile to firm up. I made them
    Before bed and it cut perfectly the next
    Morning. I think people have to have some
    Willpower and patience. I have a BIG sweet
    Tooth so I added a smidge more erythritol into
    The filling and the crust. I also sprinkled a
    Fair amount on top. Then I put them in the
    Fridge. The bars are wonderful !!! And easy to
    make. They tasted better on the second day
    For some reason. At first I thought they
    Weren’t sweet enough. My boyfriend,
    Who has been anti sugar since the early
    70s said they were too sweet for him.
    More for me!!!
    I did notice some crystallization in the crust.
    I also added vanilla 1/2 teas to it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  72. Made these today!!!! Absolutely delicious!!! Sooooo easy. Only change I made was I added finely ground pecans to the crust, because we love pecans.

    I do have one question. I’m new to Keto. When a recipe calls for “powdered sweetener” does that mean confectioners sweetener or granular sweetener?

    Thanks

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  73. I made these a couple days ago and they are so so good. I didn’t have fresh lemon so I used 6tbs bottled lemon juice and a splash of lemon extract. I also used a blend of swerve and monkfruit sweetener. I did not put powdered anything on top, I chose a very thin cream cheese frosting and smeared it on top after it sat in the fridge for a while then I let it sit in there overnight. I tried these yesterday and I have to say they are dangerous! So yummy. I would never guess they were anything other than a decadent sugary lemon square. I will say the crust was nice but while baking the crust rises and the middle sank. I let it cool for a good hour before baking with the filling so it held together perfectly. I just ended up with weird sides that I trimmed off. I might try this with my usual almond crust recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  77. SO much better than I expected, lol! Do not expect a gel type of a top, it has a lot more chew than that. I didn’t think I would like it, but DANG!!! I cannot wait for the hubby to get home and try one, too. I am a professional candy maker and baker, and some of my customers have been requesting LCHF, sugar free, Keto, etc type of goodies. If you actually read the entire recipe and follow the very simple directions and hints, you’ll be just fine. LET IT COOL FIRST or the crust will not stay together, which is common with any almond flour baked good. Thank you for sharing this with us. <3

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  81. These are amazing! I’ve made them twice now. Second time I put raspberries on top of the cooked crust before adding the filing. Delicious! Next time I’m going to use blueberries.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  82. It would be awesome to see a measurement for the amount of lemon juice since “medium” is sort of arbitrary. For those who have had success with the recipe if you measured the amount of lemon juice you put in I’d love to know. Thanks!

    Reply

  83. My husband loves these ! He usually doesn’t take a dessert to work with his lunch but when I make these lemon 🍋 bars he ask every time. And fairly easy to make . This time I used Meyers lemons and the zest of regular lemons and a touch of lime zest . YUMMY . Thank you for your recipes I use many .

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  84. Just made these for the first time for Valentine’s dinner dessert. My non-low carb eating husband went back for seconds!

    FWIW, my lemons were decent sized, but so were the eggs. The filling was thinner than I’d expected, but firmed up nicely in the oven.

    And using Kerrygold butter in the crust was a good plan, too.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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