Isa over at the Post Punk Kitchen (author of Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) has come up with a great vegan lemon bars recipe. I’m going to try making it gluten-free and with less oil at some point in the upcoming weeks, but until then, here’s her base recipe:
Vegan Lemon Bar Recipe
Crust:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
Filling:
1 1/3 cups water
3 tablespoons agar agar flakes
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon tumeric
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from two large lemons)
1/4 cup soymilk
Extra powdered or confectioners’ sugar to decorate finished bars
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
Pulse flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch in food processor. Add margarine in spoonfuls and blend, 8 to 10 seconds, and then pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture into prepared baking pan and press firmly into an even layer with slightly raised sides to hold in the filling. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and then bake for 40 minutes; remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
In a sauce pot, soak the agar agar in the water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, zest your lemons and squeeze your lemon juice. Mix the arrowroot into the lemon juice to dissolve.
When the agar has been soaking for 15 minutes, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until the agar is completely dissolved. Add the sugar and tumeric and boil until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the arrow root and lemon juice mixture, then add the lemon zest and soy milk. Wisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. It should not be rapidly boiling, but lowly bubbling is ok.
Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, let cool for 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the filling is only slightly jiggly and set. Use a sifter or a fine mesh strainer for sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar. Slice into squares and serve.
(vegan lemon bar recipe photo credit)
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Hello, The agar flakes that I buy at Whole Foods never dissolves. What may be the problem? Thanks, Jai
Hrmmm, that’s odd. How are you dissolving them? What temp water are you using?
This looks like a great recipe!! Did you ever get a chance to make it gluten free? If so, can we get the recipe?
Thanks,
Shelley
Shelley, not yet but thanks for reminding me. Will do that soonly!
If you decide to try it out first, please report back with your results. I’d love to hear what kind of GF flour you use.
Hey there, wondering if I could sub something for the agar agar? Thanks
Hi Emily, I’m not sure – perhaps some other gelling agent, such as arrowroot would work. Cornstarch might also, in a pinch!
I tried this recipe, but the crust burned
Is 40 min. too long ?
I use a 13.5 X 9.5 pan… can it be the problem?
Someone got this problem too ?
Hrmm, the pan size should be fine, though I might knock off five or ten minutes to account for a thinner layer of crust. Do you have an oven thermometer? Perhaps your oven is too hot?
I also noticed the crust was cooked after about 25 minutes. I think that i would just start watching it after 20 minutes, else you may end up with a black and yellow lemon bar!
I just made a GF version using 253g of Domata flour in place of the AP flour. It’s a 1:1 flour sub but I’ve found that it works best if you go by weight rather than volume. It’s setting up in the fridge now, but the crust looks perfect and based on a lick of the spoon, the filling is divine!
Forgot to mention, I used hemp milk instead of the soy milk, since we’re soy free…
My GF version was delicious but the crust was a bit too crumbly.
Just stublmed on your post. So, how did your GF version turn out?
tried the recipe…havent eaten the finished product yet but I can say that it would have been nicer to have a more substantial amount of “curd” on the crust. It seems too thin a layer. (It thickened nicely in the pot, its just not enough). Also I’m not sure if the color is off because I used Florida Crystals as opposed to white sugar, but the color is VERY off…its almost tan with yellow flecks of zest in it. Most white sugar is not vegan (animal bones are ground up and used to prevent off odors in the sugar, like a filter) so I make sure I use FC. Any ideas to add a rich lemony color?