Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Bars

Last Updated on February 20, 2022

These Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Bars have a simple shortbread crust with a tangy sweet strawberry- lemon filling, and dusted with powdered sugar.

The bars are gluten free and, of course, vegan.

And they are really simple to make and use simple ingredients.

You will notice that these bars are similar to a lemon bar but I added a little something extra to remind us of summer, a strawberry powder.

These bars are the perfect lightly sweet and refreshing summer treat to compliment your iced or hot tea, sparkling water, or even my Sparkling Party Punch.

What ingredients are in these bars?

The shortbread crust

• Flours – In this recipe I used a gluten free flour and a almond flour. I like to add almond flour to my gluten free flour for this shortbread crust because of the taste. Almond flour will give the crust a mildly sweet with a hint of bitter nutty flavor.
• Oil – I used avocado oil for this crust. The oil is needed to help keep the crust together.
• Maple Syrup – Maple syrup is used to give the crust just a little more sweetness.
• Vanilla – Vanilla helps to enhance the other flavors in the recipe and give the crust a subtle vanilla flavor.
• Salt – Salt is another flavor enhancer the will prevent the sweetness from taking over.

The Filling

• Lemon juice – This is the tart and tangy main ingredient to these bars.
• Strawberry Powder – Strawberry powder is the second main ingredient that give these bars a sweet taste and pink color.
• Plant Based Milk – In this recipe I used an unsweetened plain almond milk, but a coconut, oat, soy, or cashew milk will work just as well.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is what helps thicken the filling.
• Maple Syrup – Maple syrup gives the filling a sweet, caramel, and vanilla like flavor.

How to make these Vegan Strawberry Lemonade Bars

The Crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, add the almond and gluten free flour, oil, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla.

Stir until well combined and pour into the lined baking dish.

Press out the crust evenly in the baking dish and place into the oven.

Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and set aside.

The Filling

In a small sauce pan, on a medium heat, add all the filling ingredients and whisk until well combined.

Don’t worry about the milk curdling, this will smooth out as the filling cooks.

Bring the filling to a boil, lower the heat to low and continue cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the filling is thick and slightly translucent.

Once the filling is done, pour it over the crust.

Return the bars to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave them to cool.

Once completely cooled, cover and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or over night.

When you are ready to serve, cut the bars and dust with powdered sugar.

Any leftovers, store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tips:

Make sure the bars are completely cooled before cutting. It is best to keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready for cutting.

Do not dust the bars with powdered sugar until you are ready to serve them. The powdered sugar absorbs into the bars quickly.

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