With a shortbread-like crust and fresh lemon flavor, this 6-ingredient Low FODMAP Lemon Bar recipe is a yummy, springtime treat!
I LOVEEEEE anything lemon flavored! And, this Low FODMAP Lemon Bar recipe might take the cake! With a kind-of-crumbly, not-to-sweet, shortbread-like crust and a tangy and pudding-like lemon topping, this yummy bar just screams springtime!
The crust is made using my favorite low FODMAP (and wheat-free/gluten-free) all-purpose flour: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. This flour is versatile, readily available in most US grocery stores, and has made it easy to convert a lot of my favorite recipes into delicious FODMAP-friendly goodies.
Shopping List
To make these easy low FODMAP bars, add these 6 ingredients to your shopping list:
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag) – 1 ¾ cup, divided
- Granulated sugar – 2 cups, divided
- Unsalted butter – ½ cup
- Eggs – 4 large
- Fresh lemon juice – ½ cup (about 3 lemons)
- Powdered sugar – for dusting
Low FODMAP notes
In this section, I share information for certain ingredients that are either frequently asked about or that have suggested serving sizes to remain low FODMAP. We each have unique tolerance levels and nutritional needs. Please listen to your body (and if possible, work with a FODMAP-trained dietitian) to determine what is best for you. For more low FODMAP serving size info, please refer to the Monash FODMAP app and FODMAP Friendly website or app.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour (in the blue bag) is my go-to low FODMAP flour. Wheat flour is considered high in FODMAPs. Whereas, gluten-free flours made with rice, potato, and tapioca starch are low FODMAP in amounts up to ⅔ cup or 100 grams.
Although this Bob’s Red Mill flour hasn’t specifically been tested, it appears low FODMAP by ingredients. It is also readily available across the US. You can usually find this flour in the “health,” “natural,” or gluten-free foods section of the grocery store, as well as online.
Unless you tolerate GOS, avoid the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour in the red bag while low FODMAPing. This particular flour is made from higher FODMAP garbanzo beans.
Lemon juice is low FODMAP in servings up to a ½ cup or 125 grams.
Instructions
To make these easy lemon bars, simply:
Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan with butter or line with parchment paper.
Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix together 1 ½ cups flour and ½ cup sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Then add 3 tablespoons water and mix. (I sometimes use a food processor – pulsing crust ingredients together until crumbly.) Press mixture into the bottom of the greased pan.
Bake the crust for 20-22 minutes until set and kind of puffy looking. (Note: Gluten-free crusts don’t usually brown like wheat-based crusts.)
Make the lemon topping: While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, lemon juice, 1 ½ cups sugar, and ¼ cup flour until smooth. Pour evenly over baked crust.
Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes more or until lemon topping is set. (To test doneness, I put an oven mitt on and gently shake the pan to see if the center no longer jiggles.) Remove baked bars from oven and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
Serve: Dust with a sprinkle of optional powdered sugar. Slice into 16 pieces and serve.
Storage: Cover leftover bars and refrigerate for up to a week.
Similar recipes
- No-Bake Low FODMAP Peanut Butter Brownie Bites
- Low FODMAP Raspberry Vanilla Chia Pudding
- Low FODMAP Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Recipe
Low FODMAP Lemon Bar
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16 1x
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
With a shortbread-like crust and fresh lemon flavor, this Low FODMAP Lemon Bar recipe is a yummy, springtime treat!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour (the blue bag)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3 tablespoons water
Lemon Topping
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour
Optional: Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan with butter or line with parchment paper.
- For the crust: In a medium bowl, mix together 1 ½ cups flour and ½ cup sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Then add 3 tablespoons water and mix. (I sometimes use a food processor – pulsing crust ingredients together until crumbly.) Press mixture into the bottom of the greased pan.
- Bake crust for 20-22 minutes until set and kind of puffy looking. (Note: Gluten-free crusts don’t usually brown like wheat-based crusts.)
- For the lemon topping: While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, lemon juice, 1 ½ cups sugar, and ¼ cup flour until smooth. Pour evenly over baked crust.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes more or until lemon topping is set. (To test doneness, I put an oven mitt on and gently shake the pan to see if the center no longer jiggles.) Remove baked bars from oven and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
- Dust with a sprinkle of optional powdered sugar. Slice into 16 pieces and serve.
Storage: Cover leftover bars and refrigerate for up to a week.
Notes
Low FODMAP Serving: One serving (1 bar) of this recipe contains low FODMAP amounts of ingredients. Individual tolerance may vary. For more information on specific ingredients, please refer to the Monash FODMAP App or check out the “FODMAP Notes” section (above the recipe).
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: low FODMAP dessert, spring, low FODMAP bars, gluten-free crust
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Rachel Moore says
I’ve been starting to feel a little down lately because of the limited diet I’m restricted to, but then I found this recipe! Can’t believe these are low fodmap. The name of your blog is spot on. Excited to make these lemon bars again to share with friends and family. This time they’re all mine.
Alex says
These were amazing once we put them in the fridge and they cooled completely. Fantastic recipe thank you!!
★★★★★
Tara says
My eggs on one side of pan puffed up immediately upon putting in the oven and seem to have curdled. Any idea why? Should eggs have been at room temp? Lower temp to bake the lemon part?
★★★★★
Em Schwartz, MS, RDN says
Hi Tara, I’m sorry to hear this happened. I have not experienced this firsthand, so I did a little research to see if I could find some answers for you. From what I found, curdling can sometimes occur when an oven runs hotter than the set temp. Curdling may also happen if the lemon topping is overbeaten or if the amount of sugar is reduced. The topping may bake unevenly (puff up) if the oven is hotter in some parts compared to others. It’s hard to say exactly what was the culprit, but I would suggest maybe starting with cross-checking your oven temperature in a few places (middle rack, back, front, etc.) with an oven-safe thermometer to see if your oven temp is consistent. If your oven temp checks out, you could try room temp eggs or lowering the baking temp (and baking a little longer) to see if you get better results. I wish I had a more clear answer, but I hope that gives you some ideas to try. Best, -Em
Julie Lane says
These are delicious! However, somehow my crust ended up on top?? Any ideas how that might have happened? I ran out of sugar so there was 1/2 cup less (extra tangy and actually really good) and as you called for 4 large eggs and I only had small, I used 5 small eggs. Why did my crust float to the top? I prebaked it.
★★★★★
Em Schwartz, MS, RDN says
Hi Julie, Interesting! I’ve never had that happen to me. I’m not 100% sure why it might have happened, but possibly the crust needed to be packed more tightly into the bottom of the pan before baking. (If the crust isn’t packed tightly enough the liquidy lemon topping could penetrate into the cracks lifting the crust up.) And/or the prebaked crust cooled too much before adding the lemon topping. (Adding the lemon topping to a hot crust helps to “quick-cook” the lemon topping immediately touching the crust. This could, again, help prevent it from seeping into cracks and lifting the crust). Hope that helps! Best, -Em
Taylor says
These were so delicious!!! So easy to make and the gluten free crust is so soft and amazing. So impressed!!
Gabi says
Was hoping someone could advise: recommended changes to recipe if using an 8×8 pan?
Thank you in advance!
Keri says
I ended up using half rice flour and half oat flour (which I did by just pulverizing oats), and followed the rest of the directions perfectly, and these came out INCREDIBLE! The crust has nice texture and flavor, and they formed perfectly. Thank you!
★★★★★
RoninOfstag says
Hi!
Why do you have two different veraions of th3 same recipe, here?
The version at the top of the page says “2 cups of granulated sugar + 3/4 cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 APF mix”, while the version at the bottom of the page reads, “1.5 cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 + 1/2 cups of granulated sugar”?
It’s confusing!
Please call it something else if you are changing the amounts like that.
Also, please don’t suddenly spring extra ingredients such as “water”, without even disclosing how much to add in either mix.
This is also deceiving.
Thanks!
RoninOfstag says
P.S. Please pardon the poor spelling. My nerves have been through a lot lately and I’m not always able to easily catch my spelling mistakes. Thanks! ♡
Em Schwartz, MS, RDN says
Hi, I can appreciate how this might be confusing and will make some edits to hopefully help clear things up. As an FYI, the recipe card (at the bottom of the page) is going to have the most complete recipe information, and I encourage you to primarily use that when you are baking or cooking a recipe. For example, the recipe card has the flour and sugar measurements broken out and specifies the amount (3 tablespoons) of water needed. In the Ingredients section (at the top of the page), I combine the same ingredients (like the flour and sugar) to help you build a shopping list (or check your kitchen) to help ensure you have the total amount needed for the recipe. There was an error with the flour in the Ingredients section – it should have read 1 3/4 cup (the total amount needed for the recipe) instead of 3/4 cup – I have updated it now. -Emily
Teri says
I am new to the whole Low FODMAP diet, and I am so glad I found your recipe! This was delicious!
★★★★★
Em Schwartz, MS, RDN says
Thanks, Teri! Glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Emma says
THANK YOU for clarifying the red vs blue flour. I ran downstairs only to find I’ve been using the RED one :/ I assumed it was good to go because of GF, but still learning to look at the ingredient list regardless. Definitely going to make these once I get the right flour. Thanks for educating on your blog- I appreciate it.
★★★★★