What better way to end the week than with some homemade dessert…
I love a good yummy something and it’s become a tradition that I bake something for the weekend, almost every weekend. It’s just a nice way to reward yourself I think, and keep the sugar-intake at a minimum. After all, dessert eating has its limits – if we all could just succumb to our cravings, we’d be sick, obese, diabetics and what not. Basically, I’ve learned that sugar cravings are not all that cute – you just can’t have it all… and the more disciplined you become with your sweet tooth cravings – the healthier you are.
But, but wait! What if this said dessert is incredibly um… Good-for-you! Like for reals! No sugar added, healthy grains, healthy ingredients, amazing taste, completely guilt-free!? Do all my rules and all my discipline for craving sugar go out the window? Ha! They kind of do!!! ;)
Because this dessert is a crazy amazing dessert that you could eat for breakfast and not feel one piece of guilt about it! ;)
Desserts don’t have to be evil and painful to look at!
Just trust me on this… this is a sugar-free no-bake, raw recipe for a dessert so delicious that you I think you should just make a double batch and call it a day! Because people will start knocking on your door and inviting themselves over for tea as soon as news gets out of this deliciousness in your kitchen! (Welcome to my life… I already left the door open… and the tea pot is already set! ;)
No-Bake, Raw, Vegan Coconut Lemon Bars, gluten free
Ingredients for base :
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 cup certified gluten-free oats
1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats
3/4 cup dates, pitted
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes + extra for topping
2 tablespoon agave nectar, honey (not vegan) or maple syrup
fresh lemon zest of 1 lemon + extra for topping
pinch himalayan pink salt (optional)
Ingredients for top layer :
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoon raw coconut butter (optional, use regular coconut oil if not available)
3 tablespoon raw honey, one that becomes solid at room temperature (use agave or maple syrup if vegan)
juice of 1/2 lemon
You will need a food processor, any dish that will hold an approximately 6×6″ base (does not have to be oven proof), pan to heat oil, unbleached parchment paper
Directions :
To make the base : In a food processor, grind all ingredients until well blended. Be sure to turn the food processor off and scrape down the ingredients from top to mix them all in. Line a dish with parchment paper; leave tops of paper sticking out so it’s easy to remove the finished dessert from the dish once it’s done. Press the ‘dough’ into the bottom of the dish, be sure to pack the bottom tight and press down evenly. (Be sure the sides are nice and firmly packed). Set aside.
To make the top layer : On the stovetop, heat the coconut oil with honey or other sweetener on low until just melted, not boiling. Remove from heat completely and make sure the temperature is lukewarm not hot before you add the fresh lemon juice. Whisk those ingredients together to incorporate well. Pour over the base and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to chill or overnight. For a quicker serving, place the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set faster, then cut into squares and serve.
So there you have it. Guilt-free, sugar free dessert recipe that is easy, quick and tastes amazing!
And I totally give you the stamp of approval to even devour for breakfast! It’s all good… enjoy!
I have to say my family is my best taste-tester for all my recipes first! And I know my husband has a biased role in saying he loves everything I make. But, when he bit into one of these bars, his eyes widened, he smiled and said : “This is the best thing you ever made!” Totally rude, right? Because I have made so much other good stuff. Plus I think he says that every time he bites into my desserts. So, I don’t even know anymore… some constructive criticism would be nice for a change….
Now there’s one more recipe taster that I know I can’t fool easily… my girl flew into the kitchen a gazillion times when I was making these asking if they’re ready! Only to be turned away with grave disappointment that she has to wait 5 minutes longer.
Kids don’t know patience anymore…. ;)
Finally, when she saw the big squares, the excitement could not be contained. She quickly grabbed one and was all smiley ear to ear. I love making little girls happy!
Now I just want to make myself happy again and make these very soon! What’s great is that these ingredients are something that I keep regular stock of at all times – and fresh lemons are like air around here. We always have them…. so I think I need to make these again very soon…. I hope you will join me, and enjoy my vegan lemon bars.
♥
Ella
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Ella Leché is a cookbook author (‘Cut the Sugar‘), recipe developer, and photographer/stylist behind Pure Ella; where she shares delicious and healthy recipes. Eating PURE is clean ingredients, whole foods, plant-based nourishment and delicious desserts – with quality ingredients and sweeteners so they’re treats with benefits so you won’t have to feel deprived or restricted to eat healthier.Thank YOU for being here!
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Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
Oh my these look amazing! Love lemon bars, i will try these out :)
xo Suus
Oh wow Ella, these bars look lovely.
My husband is the same way with recipe testing — although he will tell me when things taste “too healthy.” :)
I love lemony desserts! These look beautiful. I made a similar recipe recently- a tester recipe for Ricki Heller’s upcoming cookbook (it’s anti-candida though so no fruit- except lemon!).
OMG Ella these are looking so good! Both the cake, the pictures and the ingredients :-)
I just love cookies, chocolate and co. when it´s made out of super ingredients!
Yesterday I made my best raw chocolate pralines and shared my recipe on the blog.
You can see it here:
http://hippiechic.blogg.se/2014/february/raw-chocolate.html
So happy that I am able to share yummy and healthy stuff, and soo happy to see blogs like yours everyday who do the same. Keep up the good work love!
/ Mia
Hi, interesting looking recipe, will have to give it a try! Just wanted to mention that it should say refined sugar free, as honey is still considered a sugar, just a much healthier natural variety!
I just love these! I am moving away from chocolate recently so just love the fresh sound of these :)
I just gotta tell ya…man, I can’t WAIT to make your desserts n dishes n I be startin with this un right here. Hubs loves all things lehy-mone! And we are both diabetics, so I am looking forward to presenting him with foods that taste really good and that will leave him with NO CLUE that they are so healthy for him!
Hi Donna,
I’m happy to hear about you getting some healthy desserts happening ;)
I just want to add a point that, as you know, this is not a sugar-free dessert. There are natural sugars that occur in the dates and carbs from the oats and buckwheat.
I just wanted to make sure you’re aware of this as you have your diabetes to consider first.
That said, those sugars are healthy and quite a treat when you want to excite your menu with something super healthy and yummy ;)
Best to you. xo Ella
Hi there,
It’s a little confusing that you describe these as sugar-free when they aren’t.
“So there you have it. Guilt-free, sugar-free dessert recipe that is easy, quick and tastes amazing! “
Hi Ella! What can I substitute aw buckwheat groats for? I live in Uruguay and don’t have access to a lot of things, we’re still a little behind on the raw business. Great blog! I’ve already pinned lots of things to try!
Hi Ines ;)
Thank you so much for your lovely compliment and great question! ;)
You could actually omit the buckwheat groats and this recipe will work out fine – just maybe reduce the liquid ingredients (see how it binds and adjust accordingly until they stick together). Or you could replace it with more oats.
What would be another great alternative is if you used a very natural cereal that you like with no added sugar and crushed those to make up for the groats. It should be an easy replacement actually so no worries ;)
I hope these ideas help and you can get this delicious treat happening soon!! ;)
Thanks for visiting Pure Ella! xoxo Sending hugs to Uruguay from Canada ;) <3 ella
Oh my, these lemon bars are divine! I have made them twice now and keep getting requests for more. Thank you for sharing with us your wonderful recipes and stories of your well being journey x
These look amazing! Perfect for a summer treat (any season, really!). :)
Del. Ici. Ous. Holy cow!
Hi! Actually busy making these right now :) too much excitement!! The one thing that’s bothering me though Ella, when I made my topping, it was still a clear liquid, not the milky consistency yours had. I used only coconut oil and honey and the lemon juice as I have not been able to locate coconut butter in a South Africa yet. When pouring it over my base was still showing “through” the topping. Any advice? Xx
Hi! Thanks for your excitement Nicola ;)
That’s a great question – it should be noted that it should solidify in the freezer also.
So if you’ve already done that last step, maybe it’s working out ok for you?
If not, the milkiness really comes from raw coconut… how about some Asian stores? If you have those in the area, a lot of them sell packages of raw coconut oil.
Let me know how it goes for you.
xoxo ella
These are simply amazing!! Just made them and I LOVE them!! Am about to share with my family :) Thanks so much for sharing your incredible delicious recipe :)
Sorry, but these are not vegan. Honey is an animal product and an over-farmed, unethical one at that.
Yes, I know, thank you Emily for this observation.
I will add notes to the recipe.
You can substitute the honey for another liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar.
xoxo ella
These are one of my favourite treats, they’re so tasty!! I’ve made them several times, sometimes they work out perfectly but often there is a problem with the icing – for some reason the honey won’t blend with the other ingredients until you add the lemon juice and even if they look good going into the freezer the icing will separate while freezing. Any suggestions?
Hi Kara,
I’m happy you’re enjoying the recipe… hmmm this is a great question. I’m puzzled.
All I can think of is the temperatures of the products are different. And maybe you need to really whip up these ingredients – how about placing them in a food processor or mixing them with an immersion blender?
That should do the trick! I think ;)
Hope it works out for you next time. Let me know how it goes.
Sending big hug!! xoxo ella
Would the recipe still work without the shredded coconut? I’m not crazy about coconut so can I skip that or replace it?
Hi Rachel ;)
Thanks for your question… well, the whole bars evolve around coconut flakes and coconut butter — sooo….. I don’t have too many suggestions- sorry.
I’m thinking maybe sunflower seeds for the coconut flakes, but then there’s the coconut butter that turns solid and there’s really no healthy replacement for that.
Maybe it’s not the recipe for you – you can try it with the sunflower seeds and let me know how it works out. Let me know if you do ;)
Hugs!! xoxo ella
I made these last night using only oats (because I didn’t have any buckwheat groats) & I think they’re delicious! I thought they could use some more lemon flavor & then I realized I forgot to add the zest to the base – I will definitely make these again & won’t make that same mistake. I did notice some separation of ingredients while I was heating them for the top layer, but I just whisked them really really well & everything set up just fine.
These are incredible! They will be a recipe we make over and over again. We put then in the freezer then get a slice out the night before so it’s ready for breakfast :) yum!
Hi Ella! these look super yummy! However I have a nut allergy, any ideas on what to use other than almond flour? I am from NZ :) Thanks!
Hi Lisa-Marie :)
Happy to hear you’re attempting these :)
As a substitute for almond flour I would recommend sunflower flour. If that’s hard to find, you could grind almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder to get it to a powder. I hope this will help. Let me know how they turn out as I would love to share that with other readers! :)
Much love, ella
Hi, i wanted to know how long i can keep it after making them? can i keep them in the freezer for some weeks? thanks a lot
Lydie
Yes you sure can :)
These are great to freeze!
The best way would be to cut into serving sizes, freeze on a flat tray lined with a parchment paper, then once fully frozen (4-6 hours or overnight) I would wrap them in a plastic wrap tightly, making sure there is no air around them and placing back in the freezer. You want to freeze them first so the plastic won’t stick and mess up the coconut frosting on these.
You could also place them frozen into an air-tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, just remove and go and enjoy! (they will defrost within 1/2 – 1 hour at room temperature) But, if they’re out in the wrapper too long in the warmth the coconut frosting will melt and they will be a bit messy. Still delicious – but messy :)
Hope you enjoy these! Do let me know how you like them!! xoxo ella