Dairy free paleo lemon bars are a refreshing dessert that only take 10 minutes to prep! With hints of banana and a raw date and nut crust, you'll absolutely fall in love. These lemon bars are gluten free, dairy free, and paleo.
Just wanted to let you know that these fabulous lemon bars are sponsored by my friends at Vital Proteins!
A raw lemon bar recipe perfect for summer!
Since summer is here, I thought by making them eatable right out of the freezer, they’d taste that much more refreshing… and boy was I right!
When I was growing up, frozen treats were always my go-to when I was inkling for a treat.
Even though I grew up in Chicago and it was pretty darn freezing for about half the year, there was an unexplainable satisfaction that came from eating something sweet and cold.
I had a lot of fun eating baked goods, too… don’t get me wrong. But my grandparents, who spoiled me very much, knew the way to my heart was via a Klondike bar. Ha!
What makes these lemon bars so great?
I absolutely love how refreshing these lemon bars are. They are my favorite treat to make throughout the years, especially during the hotter months.
The texture is simultaneously refreshing and creamy. You can enjoy them straight out of the freezer or let them come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
Just wait until you sink your teeth into the crust. It's a simple and straight forward mixture of nuts and dates. That's it!
What will you need to make paleo lemon bars?
As I mentioned, the crust is really quite simple. It is a blend of:
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Dates
- Water
- Hemp Seeds
- Kosher Salt
The filling is super quick and easy to whip up, too. I do recommend using fresh lemons instead of bottled lemon juice.
Otherwise, here is what you will gather for the filling:
How to make paleo lemon bars
In a food processor, combine and pulse together nuts and dates. Do this for about 1 minute until well combined. Add water, hemp seeds and salt and pulse again until everything forms a paste-like texture.
You should be able to take your fingers and press the mixture against the side of the processor, as it will hold together and resemble a crust.
Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined square pan (8x8” works well) and press it down onto the bottom and slightly up the edges.
Rinse the food processor and dry it. Pulse together the lemon topping ingredients. The mixture will turn into a milkshake-like texture.
Pour mixture over the crust, and top off with powdered sugar if you'd like. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let the bars set in the freezer for 24 hours.
When you are ready to eat them, cut into squares with a knife after running it under hot water.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
A quick and easy paleo lemon bars recipe
You know what’s super bad ass about these lemon bars? They only take about 10 minutes to put together.
Then, you get to stick them in freezer and let them work their magic overnight. And VOILA, come morning, you can polish one off for breakfast because it’s time to treat yourself, ya know?
The not to secret ingredient that I added to the dairy free paleo lemon bars that really put them over the top is the collagen.
Not to mention, I’ve snuck in some creamy bananas and powdered turmeric, too. Seriously, you guys, they are delish!
I’m sure you’ve heard that collagen is *all the rage* right now. It has been for quite some time in my book but is just now starting to get as much publicity as it deserves.
That being said, it was a no brainer to add collagen to these lemon bars. Why wouldn’t I want to add extra protein into a refreshing treat?
My theory is: if you’re going to indulge, why not do it right?
A treat is a treat, absolutely. But why not reap the benefits of consuming mindfully sourced protein and fat while you satisfy that sweet tooth, eh?
It’s time to hop on board the dairy free paleo lemon bars train. It’s going to be a wild and delicious ride, and you’re going to want to ride again as soon as it’s over. Trust me.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Soak the Medjool dates in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain well before adding them to the food processor.
- Use medium bananas. Be sure they are ripe (a few brown spots is fine) but not overripe or underripe.
- Three scoops of Vital Proteins collagen peptides is equivalent to 4 ½ tablespoons of collagen.
- You can use another combination of nuts that you love. Feel free to use pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.
- Feel free to use vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder. See equivalents on the recipe card.
- You may need slightly less or more dates depending on their size. Start off with 10 and check the texture of the crust before adding more.
More paleo dessert recipes you'll love:
This post is sponsored by the lovely folks at Vital Proteins. Thank you for allowing me to continue creating such incredible content by supporting relationships with incredible brands and companies that The Movement Menu enjoys working with! Opinions will always remain 100% my own!
Dairy Free Paleo Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 12 Medjool dates pitted & soaked, see notes
- 1 tablespoon filtered water
- 1 ½ tablespoons hemp seeds
- pinch sea salt
Lemon Topping
- 3 medium ripe bananas see notes
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- 4 lemons juiced
- 2 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 scoops collagen peptides see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ⅛ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine and pulse together nuts and dates. Do this for about 1 minute until well combined. Add water, hemp seeds and salt and pulse again until everything forms a paste-like texture. You should be able to take your fingers and press the mixture against the side of the processor, as it will hold together and resemble a crust.
- Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined square pan (8x8” works well) and press it down onto the bottom and slightly up the edges.
- Rinse the food processor and dry it. Pulse together the lemon topping ingredients. The mixture will turn into a milkshake-like texture.
- Pour mixture over the crust, and top off with powdered sugar if you'd like. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let the bars set in the freezer for 24 hours. When you are ready to eat them, cut into squares with a knife after running it under hot water. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Soak the Medjool dates in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain well before adding them to the food processor.
- Use medium bananas. Be sure they are ripe (a few brown spots is fine) but not overripe or underripe.
- Three scoops of Vital Proteins collagen peptides is equivalent to 4 ½ tablespoons of collagen.
- You may need slightly less or more dates depending on their size. Start off with 10 and check the texture of the crust before adding more.
Yeah, I was a little bit upset as well when you added collagen to the recipe. I agree with Jessica, you can't call it vegan after you've added animal products to it... its like saying a BLT is vegan if you omit the pig...
I'm sorry you feel that way, it's a complete optional item that doesn't make or break the recipe. It's simply for protein.
How long do these last? Can I keep them frozen?
Absolutely. They will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for at least 6-8 weeks. I would store them in the freezer and pull out what you want to defrost.
I'm a little confused on how you can call this vegan when there is cow product in this recipe. Vegan means not animal products at all yet you are adding collagen, which is an animal product....
Hi Jessica, I'm sorry to have confused you. This recipe has a vegan option simply by omitting the collagen peptides. If you take a look at the recipe ingredients / notes, you will see that I wrote that there. 🙂