Dairy Free Lemon Bars

Dairy free lemon bars are a sunshiny dessert.  They have a tasty shortbread bottom and a bright custard filling.  This dessert is easy to make, but never fails to impress.

My family moved to Israel five months after I did into a house with a big lemon tree in the yard.  

Having lived in New York from the time I was eleven, I don’t think I had ever seen a lemon tree before.

It was love at first sight.  

I couldn’t get over how bright they were.

No matter how cold it was, when I looked at them, it felt like summer was just around the corner.

We had dozens of lemons, and lemonade was always on hand.

I started wondering what recipes I could make with these citrus fruit, other than Lemonade and Israeli Limonana.  

Popular desserts like lemon meringue pie and lemon bars came right up.

I also found lemon crinkle cookies, blueberry lemon muffins, and more.

Not to mention European classics like spaghetti al limone and Greek lemon chicken.

I even found that the zest could be used to make lemon extract, lemon sugar, and lemon simple syrup.

Since then, I’ve been working my way down the list.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. 10% of all profits are donated to charity.

what you need

Dry measuring cups and spoons
Liquid measuring cup
Whisk
Rubber spatula
Mixing bowl
Baking paper
8×8 baking pan

HOW TO MEASURE FLOUR AND OTHER DRY INGREDIENTS

Using a dry measuring cup, scoop ingredients from the bag or spoon them into the cup. 

Next, level off the ingredient by removing the excess with an upside-down butter knife.

The one exception to this is brown sugar.  Brown sugar should be packed down, and then any excess should be scraped off as well.

DRY VS LIQUID MEASURING CUP

Ever wonder why measuring spoons often come with a set of measuring cups?  I used to.  I didn’t see why we needed a set when we could have one large measuring cup. 

After a quick search, I had my answer.  I discovered that the large measuring cup is used for liquids, whereas the set is used for dry ingredients.

As it turns out, if you try to measure dry ingredients with a liquid cup, the measurements get messed up. 

First, you pour the flour or cocoa in, next you shake it around to get it level, and then you add more. 

By shaking it, you are causing the powder to settle, and when you add more, you end up using more than called for.

WHY SIFT FLOUR and Other Powder Ingredients

There are a number of benefits to sifting flour and other ingredients like cocoa: 

It removes any unwanted debris and you can get a more accurate measurement than when packed tightly in a bag. 

It also removes any lumps that can get into the batter and be hard to break up later, or be missed altogether before baking.

If you sift the powdered ingredients together, it helps combine them and mix more evenly with other dry ingredients like sugar.

BAKING WITH OIL

In general, oil in baked goods makes for a superior texture than those made with butter.  

Oil cakes tend to bake up taller with a better crumb. They also stay moist and tender far longer than recipes made with butter.

Furthermore, since oil is lighter than butter, the texture of oil cakes is lighter too.

Also, given that oil is 100% fat while most American butter is 15% water, it creates a more tender crumb.

This is due to the fact that the extra water strengthens the gluten, resulting in a crumb that’s more dense.

Which Type Of Oil to Use

I use neutral oils like canola oil, safflower oil, and vegetable oil.  However, it’s not unheard of for oils with stronger flavors like olive oil or coconut oil to be used.

If using olive oil, I recommend using pure olive oil for its milder flavor and higher smoking point.

Baking with Oil Conversion Chart

If you want to convert your butter recipes to oil recipes, check out my baking with oil – butter to oil conversion chart.

Understanding Sugar

Sugar may seem very basic if you’ve baked before, but I’ve been asked about it in the past – so I’ll explain.

There are many different types of sugar, including white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla sugar, powdered sugar, turbinado sugar, and demerara sugar.

When a recipe (any recipe, not just mine) says “sugar” without specifying anything else, it is regular white sugar.

White Sugar

White sugar (sometimes called granulated sugar, table sugar, or white granulated sugar) is made of either beet sugar or cane sugar, which has undergone a refining process.

It is the easiest to find and most commonly used.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added to it.

It is commonly used in chocolate chip cookie recipes, and it’s rare for a recipe that calls for brown sugar not to also call for white sugar as well.

When a recipe calls for “brown sugar” but doesn’t specify what type (light or dark), it is referring to light brown sugar.

In my recipes, you can use whatever type of brown sugar you have on hand, whether it is dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, or demerara sugar – which is very common in Israel.

Just keep in mind that the flavor and color will be slightly different depending on what you choose to use.

Turbinado Sugar

Turbinado sugar is better known as “raw sugar”. But, despite this name, the sugar is not really “raw.”

Instead, it’s partially refined sugar that retains some of the original molasses.

The term “raw sugar” may also give off the impression that it is somehow healthier.

In reality, turbinado sugar is nutritionally similar to white sugar.

Demerara Sugar

Demerara sugar is very popular in Israel and is especially delicious in tea, but is also used for baking.

Unlike white sugar, demerara sugar undergoes minimal processing and retains some vitamins and mineral.

However, it is still not much healthier than white sugar.

Vanilla Sugar

Vanilla sugar is not very common in the States. However, it is common in Israel and parts of Europe.

This is sugar that sat for an extended period of time with vanilla beans, giving it a vanilla flavor.

Caster Sugar

This type of sugar is common in the United Kingdom.

It has a grain finer than white (granulated) sugar and larger than powdered sugar.

Caster sugar is often called for in recipes for delicate baked goods like meringues, souffles, and sponge cakes.

You can use a 1:1 conversion rate between caster sugar and white (granulated) sugar.

Powdered sugar

Powdered sugar, sometimes known as confectioners’ sugar, is a sugar with a powdered texture.

This sugar is rarely, if ever, used for baking. Instead, it is used for dusting desserts and making frosting and icings.

In some countries, you can also find powdered vanilla sugar.

It is made the exact same way regular vanilla sugar is made. However, the sugar used is powdered instead of granulated.

Vanilla Extract vs Vanilla sugar

In my recipes, I don’t specify what kind of vanilla to use.

The reason for this is that in the States, vanilla extract is exclusively used.

Meanwhile in Israel, along with many European countries, vanilla sugar is common.

In most, if not all recipes, both vanilla extract and vanilla sugar can be used.

In recipes where vanilla sugar can be used instead of extract, you can replace them 1:1.

Replacing Sugar with Honey

If you’d prefer to use honey instead of sugar, you can do so with pretty good results.

Honey can be two or even three times as sweet depending on the honey, so for every 1 cup of sugar, you can use 1/2 to 2/3 cup honey.

Since honey adds liquid, you need to remove some to balance it out.  For every cup of honey, remove a 1/4 cup of liquid.

Also, it burns faster than granulated sugar, so you want to lower the baking temperature by 25 F or 14 C.  In addition, check it early and often to avoid burning or overbaking.

Baking with Humidity

Humidity can have a big impact on how your baked goods come out.

This is because when humidity is extremely high (think 70 percent or more), baking ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda soak up moisture from the air.

This can negatively impact the outcome of your cakes, cookies, yeast breads, and quick breads.

There are some things you can do to try to save your baking.

Try to counterbalance the additional moisture

To help counterbalance the additional moisture your dry ingredients soak up from the air, try reducing the amount of liquid in the recipe by about one-quarter.

If the batter or dough looks too dry once all the ingredients are mixed together, add an additional liquid tablespoon at a time until you have the desired consistency.

This is not usually possible to do for cookies, but it does work for cakes and breads.

Store Ingredients in the Fridge

If flour and sugar are stored in the refrigerator or freezer rather than in a cupboard or pantry, they are better protected from humidity.

As an added benefit, keeping these ingredients cool also helps keep them fresher longer, in addition to helping them stay bug-free.

For the best results, let them warm to room temperature before using.

Bake for Longer

If you bake your goodies for a few extra minutes, it can help the liquid to cook off.

To avoid overbaking, continue testing for doneness every couple of minutes for breads, quick breads, cakes, cupcakes, and muffins.  Cookies, on the other hand, need to be checked every minute.

Use Air Conditioning

To help lower humidity levels on humid summer days, air condition the room for at least an hour before you start baking.

Cooler air isn’t able to hold as much moisture as warm air.

Store your baked goods in an airtight container

Humidity can also ruin your fresh-baked goods, because when they are left out they can absorb moisture.

To avoid this, store them in an airtight container or resealable bag.

HOW TO DOUBLE THE RECIPE

If you double the recipe, you will need a 9 x 13-inch pan. 

The area of a square or rectangular pan is calculated by multiplying one side by the other side. 

This recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan so an 8 x 8 = 64 square inches, whereas a 9 x 13 = 117 square inches.  If you double the 8 x 8-inch pan, it would come out to 128 square inches, which is close enough to 117 square inches.

TROUBLESHOOTING

WHY IS IT TAKING LONGER THAN DESCRIBED TO BAKE?

Overtime, the thermostat on ovens gets a little off, causing some ovens to run hot and others to run cool.  This is why recipes tend to say things like “10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.” 

So, if it takes you longer than expected, that’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just keep baking until ready.

WHY DID MY RECIPE COME OUT TOO DRY?

Just like some ovens run cool, others run hot.  If your oven runs hot, bake these at a lower temperature.  Ideally, you should get an oven thermometer to know what temperature you’re really baking at.

The Cookie Bottom came out too crumbly…

Your measuring cups and spoons may be off. Believe it or not, measuring cups and spoons don’t have a standard.  They should, but many of them are off.  This is why pastry chefs weigh everything.

To best this, take your measuring spoons, liquid measuring cup, and dry measuring cups and compare them to each other.  I do this by filling the dry measuring cup with 16 tablespoons of water. 

If it fills it perfectly, then I know that it’s right.  Next, I pour the water from the dry measuring cup to the liquid measuring cup. If it’s a full cup, no more and no less, then they all match.

To avoid this, it is best to buy sets of measuring spoons and dry measuring cups. This is very helpful because sets are usually made to match each other. However, you still need to make sure that your liquid measuring cup matches as well.

Can lemon bars be made ahead of time?

Yes.  You can make lemon bars ahead of time.  If you are making them up to a few days early, you can store them in the fridge. 

However, if you’re intending on storing them for any longer than that, freeze them.

How to store

Let cool and set completely.  Lightly cover the lemon bars with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days.  After that, the quality begins to degrade.

Do lemon bars have to be refrigerated?

Yes.  Since lemon bars are a custard, they should be refrigerated if they are not going to be served the same day. 

However, they are fine to keep out at room temperature for a few hours – if the weather is not too warm – while served at a party.

How to freeze

For a whole pan

Let uncut lemon bars cool and set completely.  Do not add powdered sugar.  Instead, wrap the lemon bars in wax paper and again tightly in plastic wrap.  Store it in a resealable freezer bag. 

When ready to use, let them defrost, top them with powdered sugar, and cut them into squares.  Store for up to four months.

For cut lemon bars

Wrap each lemon bar in wax paper, then wrap each bar tightly with plastic wrap. Place them all in a large resealable plastic bag.  Store for up to four months.

Dairy Free Lemon Bars Tip:

If you don’t have a fresh lemon, 1/4 cup of lemon juice will work in a pinch.

Dairy Free Lemon Bars SNAFU:

I forgot to grease and flour my non-stick baking pan before making these. Big mistake they were tough to get out, difficult to clean, and I scratched up the bottom of the pan.

I realized when I was done I should have used plastic to prevent scratching. Also, I was worried a spatula would be too big and ruin them. So, without thinking, I went for the smallest thing I could find.