Raw lemon bars recipe
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Prep Time
-
Total Time
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Shelf Life
5 days in fridge -
Yield
8 bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 1/2 cups dates
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (the peel from 1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (ideally from the lemon above)
- 1 1/4 cups shredded dried coconut
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Recipe Directions
- 1. Place almonds in food processor and process into a fine powder.
- 2. Add dates, vanilla, lemon juice (if using fresh squeezed don't let any lemon seeds go into the recipe!) and lemon zest to food processor.
- A note re: lemon zest: Lemon zest is simply lemon peel. If you don't have a fancy zester, just do what I do: use a clean carrot peeler and "peel" the lemon with your carrot peeler and throw the big chunky peels into the food processor for processing. Done!
- 3. Process again until well mixed. Depending on how hard your dates are this could be a wild ride!
- 4. Once everything seems pretty well processed thus far, set food processor lemon bar mixture aside for a moment.
- 5. In a large mixing bowl, place your dried coconut and salt. Mix with a spoon to distribute sea salt.
- 6. Now dump your food processor mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix everything together with your clean hands so that it's nicely combined and resembling a delicious lemon bar dough!
- 7. Transfer your raw lemon bar dough into your final dish. I like to use a glass brownie dish. Now press the mixture down into the dish with your hands so that the mixture sticks together nicely.
- 8. Ideally, you should refrigerate your raw lemon bars for about an hour so that they really stick together and are easy to cut.
- 9. Enjoy your raw lemon bars! Their lemony coconut flavor goes really well with fresh or thawed strawberries. They should be stored in the refrigerator.
The Rawtarian's Thoughts

Raw lemon bars recipe... How do I love thee? Let me count the lemony-coconutty raw ways...
Before I went raw I used to love lemon bars made with lemon and coconut. Lemon bars are so sweet and flavorful and I used to eat them quite frequently as a sweet snack.
So when I went raw I knew I needed a substitute. Surprisingly, these raw lemon bars are easy to whip up and the taste is pretty similar to the lemon bar recipes that I remember from days of yore!
This raw lemon bar recipe is pretty easy to make, you just need to food process almost everything, mix recipe together with your hands, and then press it down into a pan with your hands. The toughest part of making raw lemon bars is getting the dates to process well, especially if your dates aren't fresh.
Tip: Be careful if doubling this raw lemon bar recipe. You might want to make two batches right after one another instead of making one huge batch because it can be tough to get everything to move well in the food processor.
Tip: If your dates are rock-hard try softening them by soaking them in warm water for half-an-hour, then squeezing almost all water out of them before using in this raw lemon bar recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- This recipe is very low in Carbohydrates.
- This recipe is low in Calories.
- This recipe is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Riboflavin, and Vitamin E.
- This recipe is a noteworthy source of Protein, and Iron.
Amounts per 65 g (2 oz) suggested serving
Name | Amount | % Daily |
---|---|---|
Calories | 268 | 11 % |
Protein | 5 g | 9 % |
Fat | 17 g | 21 % |
Carbohydrates | 28 g | 8 % |
Dietary Fiber | 6 g | 20 % |
Sugars | 20 g | |
Calcium | 63 mg | 6 % |
Iron | 1.4 mg | 10 % |
Sodium | 224 mg | 10 % |
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Comments and Reviews
All
Georgecatface
Jul 18, 2013
I love love love these lemon slices (almost as much as the raw chocolate brownies!). Can you recommend a decent blender/food processor? Mine just very nearly blew up! Thanks :))
Posted from The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes App
The Rawtarian
Aug 04, 2013
Glad you like the lemon bars!
Not sure what your budget is, but if you're cheap like me here's what I recommen for a FP. Here is the cheap food processor that I own - it gets bad reviews on Amazon but it's cheap and it's the one I've been using for almost 4 years! I don't have a problem recommending it, it's the Black and Decker Quick and Easy: http://tinyurl.com/avdwva4
As for blender, I say go big or go home. There is nothing like the vitamix. It is $$$$$ but SO worth it: http://tinyurl.com/b8a967w
glo
Jul 17, 2013
Would you please provide the nutrition values for this raw lemon bar?
thank you.
The Rawtarian
Aug 04, 2013
Hi Glo, sorry but I do not provide nutritional info
Tracey
Jun 28, 2013
These are great!!!! A nice lemony tang and not too sweet. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Posted from The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes App
The Rawtarian
Jul 08, 2013
My pleasure Tracey!! I haven't made these in ages. My tastebuds are squealing just remembering what these taste like lol
JB
May 31, 2013
I'm pregnant and having a really hard time getting anything nutritious in me. I just whipped this up and stuck it in the fridge - can't wait to try it out. Maybe next time I will try hiding some green veggies in there! (Green veggies are the ultimate gross to me right now!). Thanks for an easy and healthy recipe.
The Rawtarian
Jun 02, 2013
Hi JB, Hope you liked it once it was out of the fridge :) Green smoothies are a great way to get your greens without tasting greens :) spinach is the best for not tasting "green" when mixed in other recipes
Kelsey
May 17, 2013
Love this! I have tried the raw brownies several times and can't wait to try these. Shared this site with my dad (who just switched to a plant based diet) and he has been calling me nonstop about each of the recipes he's tried. Thanks!
The Rawtarian
May 19, 2013
Hi Kelsey, your dad rocks!
bronwyn
May 09, 2013
Hi. Do you use fresh or dried dates in your recipes. Thank you
The Rawtarian
May 11, 2013
Hi Bronwyn, fresh is best, but to be honest I used dried quite a bit because they are way cheaper and I always keep them around in the back of my pantry :) In ALL of my recipes dried dates will TOTALLY work, but fresh will be even better.
Michelle Camarillo
May 07, 2013
Michelle Camarillo's Review
Raw lemon bars recipe
So I made these bars a few days ago when we had some guests over for dinner, and decided to be adventurous and spread the top with a thick layer of your raw cream cheese icing before chilling, just to see how the flavor combinations would turn out.
To sum up my guest's reactions: they were completely blown away, and so was I! The creaminess of the icing was absolutely PERFECT on top of the tangy lemon-ness of the bars, and I will definitely be making the recipe again once I pick up some more cashews from the grocery store!
Thank you so much for this recipe, Laura-Jane!
~Michelle
The Rawtarian
May 11, 2013
BRILLIANT Michelle!!
Kristina
May 05, 2013
These are amazing!! I too rolled them into balls then rolled in extra desiccated coconut. Husband and kids Iove them. That's 3 from 3 so far from your recipes, slowly making my way through, such a happy and tasty journey..
Posted from The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes App
The Rawtarian
May 11, 2013
Hi Kristina, Hopefully we can make it 4 for 4!! What's next on your list?
Jennifer
Apr 30, 2013
These are amazing! I am always looking for recipes that my partner will love too! I rolled them into balls so they were easier to put in little containers for when I am on the go!
Posted from The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes App
The Rawtarian
May 11, 2013
Hi Jennifer, lemon balls - yum! Bet they were sticky but deelish!
Joelle
Apr 29, 2013
I made these and they are yummy, but I should have used less salt, and I didn't even use the full 3/4 t. I needed to add more sweet and lemon to bring the sweetness and lemon back out. I used real salt because my celtic sea salt is in chunks...I guess I should have thrown it in the processor. Next time! = )
The Rawtarian
May 11, 2013
Hi Joelle, definitely next time use sea salt. The flavors are really different. :)
Corrine
Apr 22, 2013
I don't like coconut- is there something I can substitute?
Posted from The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes App
The Rawtarian
Apr 28, 2013
Hi Corrine, not really, in this recipe it's all about the coconut.... So I suggest trying a different recipe instead :)
Emily House
Apr 09, 2013
Dried coconut. Is that different to dessicated coconut?
The Rawtarian
Apr 20, 2013
Hi Emily, they are the same :)
Jen
Apr 09, 2013
Holy Moly! Amazing! Just stumbled upon this recipe and it's the goods! Just recently started trying to eat more raw vegan and organic, with recipes like this it'll be hard to eat cooked food again! I will be coming on here for most of my recipes, so thank you SO SO SO SO much for taking the time to do this for people, You're raw-esome!! :)
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