A classic lemon bars is made gluten free with this easy to make gluten free lemon bar recipe.
Some of the hardest recipes that I convert to gluten-free are the ones that my family has made and loved for years. I want them to be just right—not okay or even good. I want them to be the exact same, only gluten-free.
When you have eaten a particular food or recipe for years, you know what it should taste like. Good is not going to cut it. You want it to be the same.
Recipes like my mom’s coconut bars, which I have been eating since I was a kid, need to taste the same. If they don’t taste the same, I keep trying and trying until I get it right.
My mom’s lemon bars are one of those recipes that I had to try again and again to get just right because I wanted lemon bars that were just like my mom’s lemon bars.
When I was adapting these to gluten-free, I had trouble with both the crust and the filling. Neither one was quite the same. I finally got the filling right using cornstarch.
I initially tried a gluten-free flour blend and then several different gluten-free flours for the filling; none set up quite the same.
I finally settled on cornstarch as the thickener to get it just right. It has the taste and texture that I remember.
Then, I had to work on the crust. The crust on my mom’s lemon bars was a little different than many of the other ones I had eaten. The butter, flour, and powdered sugar ratio was not quite the same.
It is shortbread-like, but not too shortbread-like. The crust might have been harder for me to get right than the filling.
I finally got the desired results using rice flour, sweet rice flour, and cornstarch. I know that not everyone keeps sweet rice flour in their kitchen, but you should. It is the flour I use the most when I can’t get the right texture in a gluten free dessert.
Sweet rice flour is higher in starch and less gritty than regular rice flour. I have found that it makes a big difference in some gluten-free baked goods. These lemon bars are one of those cases where I think sweet rice flour is a must.
Once I tried the sweet rice flour, I had them as close to my mom’s as I think I could get.
There are times when gluten-free baking is challenging, but when I get the right results, it is so worth it.
If you love lemon, these gluten-free lemon bars are a must-make!
Ingredients
- butter
- powdered sugar
- rice flour
- sweet rice flour
- cornstarch
- sugar
- cornstarch
- lemon juice
- eggs
Gluten Free Lemon Bars ~My Mom's Lemon Bars Made Gluten Free
Gluten Free Lemon Bars are my mom's lemon bars made gluten free.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup rice flour
- 2/3 cup sweet rice flour
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
Filling
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- In a bowl combine powdered sugar, rice flour, sweet rice flour, and cornstarch.
- Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly and chunks are about pea sized.
- Press into 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes.
- While crust is baking whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and eggs.
- Pour over baked crust and return to oven. Bake 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Let cool completely and cut into squares.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 98mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 2g
Originally posted September 2015. Updated September 2024.
Lynn, these look and sound wonderful! Lemon Bars are one of the recipes that I haven’t yet gotten right when I’ve been converting gluten-full recipes to gluten free. I agree that sweet rice flour is a terrific ingredient for getting the right texture. It’s gluten-free “glutinous” (aka sticky) nature can really make a huge difference!
I will have to share this on All Gluten-Free Desserts because everyone seems to do back flips over lemon bars and everyone needs a different version per the ingredients they can eat.
Thanks!
Shirley
Thanks Shirley I appreciate it! I really think the sweet rice flour is the trick. I know a lot of people don’t use it because it is just one more ingredient you have to keep on hand, but it helps so much in some desserts.