Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Gluten free lemon bars with a brown butter shortbread crust and a silky lemon filling that sets up perfectly every time. These are the bars you bring to every gathering and come home with an empty pan.

“I made these for a family brunch and every single person asked for the recipe. The brown butter crust is what sets these apart! It smells incredible while it bakes and has this deep, nutty flavor that works so well with the tart lemon filling.”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Renata

Lemon bars have always been one of those desserts that disappear fast at any table — and this version, with the brown butter crust, disappears even faster. I’ve made these for spring gatherings, summer potlucks, and honestly just a random Tuesday when I needed something bright and citrusy.

These bars are a natural fit alongside other lemon desserts when you want a full spread, and they hold their own just as well on a solo plate with a dusting of powdered sugar. If you love the lemon and buttery shortbread combination here, my lemon buttermilk sugar cookie tart is another recipe that leans into that same pairing. Or you can make this magnificent lemon poppy seed cake!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Unsalted Butter: This is the base of the shortbread crust, and it gets browned first to develop a deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter just can’t match. The most common mistake here is rushing the browning process or walking away from the pan. Stay close, stir constantly, and pull it from the heat the moment it turns golden brown, because it can go from perfect to burnt very quickly, just like when making these brown butter brownies!
• Granulated Sugar
• Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour: This is the flour that makes these bars work without any gluten. A 1-to-1 blend (Bob’s Red Mill is my go-to) already contains xanthan gum, which means it swaps directly into this recipe with no additional binders needed. It’s used in both the crust and the filling. I would not substitute a different type of gluten free flour, like almond flour or oat flour.
• Salt
• Large Eggs: The eggs set the lemon filling as it bakes, giving it that smooth, firm-but-creamy texture. Whisk them well before adding the other filling ingredients so the mixture comes together evenly.
• Lemon Zest: Zest adds a bright, concentrated lemon flavor that juice alone doesn’t deliver. Use fresh lemons and zest them before you juice them, which is a much easier order of operations than trying to zest an already-squeezed lemon.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: Fresh juice gives these bars their sharp, authentic lemon flavor. You’ll need a good number of lemons, so plan ahead. If you love lemon desserts, my lemon curd is a great use for any extra juice and zest you have left over.
• Powdered Sugar

Variations for Gluten Free Lemon Bars

• Swap the citrus. Swap the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice 1:1 for Meyer lemon, lime, orange, or even key lime juice. Or you could make these key lime pie bars!
• Change the crust! You can make this with the shortbread crust from these no bake lemon bars or the base from these raspberry crumble bars!
• Lemon meringue pie bars! Hi, huge opportunity to make these amazing! You can top with a marshmallow fluff recipe and torch it or follow the baking instructions for this lemon meringue pie!

Professional Tips for Perfect Gluten Free Lemon Bars

• Don’t skip chilling the browned butter. The butter needs to return to a solid, soft state before you cream it with the sugar. Like when making these brown butter cardamom snickerdooles If it’s still liquid or too warm, you won’t get the light, fluffy crust base the recipe depends on, and the shortbread will bake up greasy and dense.
• Press the crust up the sides of the pan. The instructions call for about a half inch of crust up the sides, and this step actually matters. Without it, the lemon filling seeps underneath the crust during baking, and you lose that clean, layered slice.
• Pour the filling onto a hot crust. Don’t let the crust cool completely before adding the filling. Going straight from the oven to filling helps the two layers bond cleanly and gives you a filling that sets evenly across the whole pan.
• Cool completely before cutting. Two hours on a cooling rack isn’t a suggestion; it’s what gives you clean, firm squares. Cut too soon, and the filling is still soft in the center, which means ragged edges and a filling that smears instead of slices. I would also suggest a short siesta in the fridge before cutting.

How to Make Gluten Free Lemon Bars

Use these step-by-step instructions to make gluten-free lemon bars with a nutty brown butter shortbread crust and a smooth, bright lemon filling that slices cleanly every time. Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prep the pan and oven. Heat your oven to 350°F and line a 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving enough overhang on two opposite ends to use as handles when you lift the bars out later. Press the foil flat against the pan’s corners so the crust bakes into a clean, even layer.

Step 2: Brown the butter. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it melt completely, then keep cooking and stirring constantly. You’ll watch it go through a few stages: it’ll get creamy, then foamy, then the foam will clear and you’ll start to see golden-brown bits forming at the bottom of the pan. That’s the moment to pull it. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and pour the browned butter into a small heatproof bowl so it stops cooking.

Step 3: Chill the browned butter. Refrigerate the browned butter until it returns to a solid but still soft state, about 1 hour. It should look and feel like slightly softened regular butter, not liquid, not hard. If it sets up too firm, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes before moving to the next step.

Step 4: Chill the browned butter. Add the chilled browned butter and the first portion of granulated sugar ½ cup to a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream them together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. It’ll look pale and airy, which is exactly what you want for a tender shortbread base.

Step 5: Mix and press the crust. Stir in the gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour and salt just until a soft dough forms. It will come together quickly and feel slightly crumbly at first, which is normal. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, then press it about half an inch up all four sides. Take your time here and make sure the sides are actually built up, not just touched.

Step 6: Chill the crust. Refrigerate the pressed crust for 15 minutes before baking. This short chill helps the crust hold its shape in the oven and keeps the edges from slumping down before the dough sets.

Step 7: Bake the crust. Slide the chilled pan into the oven and bake for 17 to 23 minutes, until the crust is just set in the center and lightly golden around the edges. It shouldn’t look raw or shiny in the middle, but it also doesn’t need to be deeply golden — a pale, even color across the surface is exactly right. Set the pan on a cooling rack while you make the filling.

Step 8: Make the lemon filling. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until fully beaten, then slowly beat in the second portion of granulated sugar 3 cups, the lemon zest, and the fresh lemon juice until everything is well combined. Add the second portion of gluten free flour gradually, beating until the mixture is completely smooth with no lumps remaining. It’ll look bright yellow and pourable, almost like a loose curd.

Step 9: Bake the bars. Pour the lemon filling directly over the hot crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is just set. It should no longer jiggle in the center when you nudge the pan, but it won’t look completely firm either. A slight, uniform firmness across the surface is the cue you’re looking for.

Step 10: Cool completely. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the bars cool for about 2 hours, until they’re completely room temperature before cutting. It’s tempting to cut early, but the filling needs that full cooling time to firm up enough to slice cleanly. If they’re even slightly warm, the filling will smear.

Step 11: Cut and finish. Use the foil overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 24 squares using a very sharp, clean knife, wiping the blade between cuts to keep the edges tidy. Dust generously with powdered sugar just before serving.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope these gluten free lemon bars become a regular in your baking rotation. Browse our other gluten-free recipes or make this oat flour banana bread next!