Healthy Lemon Squares: These might be the best lemon squares you’ll ever find.
So it’s a happy coincidence they’re healthy, too! My roommate, who is obsessed with lemon desserts, took one bite and declared these “the best lemon squares on the face of the planet, healthy or not.”
Be sure to stock up on the ingredients, as this is a recipe you’ll want to make over and over again!
Healthy Lemon Squares
Healthy Lemon Squares
Print This Recipe
[mrp_rating_result show_count="false" show_rich_snippets="false"]
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry or white flour (135g)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp powdered sugar or Sugar-Free Powdered Sugar (44g)
- 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (50g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp water or more coconut oil
- Filling:
- 1/2 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice (90g)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar or sf powdered sugar (linked above) (28g)
- 1/16 tsp uncut stevia OR or 2 more tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 cup MoriNu silken-firm or lite tofu (This is not the same as the tofu in a grocery store’s refrigerator section. See “nutrition facts” link below for where to find this.) (240g)
- zest of one lemon, optional but recommended for flavor
- optional: a few drops yellow food coloring or tiny pinch turmeric, for color
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine crust ingredients, either in a food processor or by hand. (Make sure the oil is melted if combining by hand.) Press evenly into a well-greased 8×8 pan. (I used a piece of wax paper over the top, so it was easier to press down.) Cook 10 minutes, while simultaneously combining filling ingredients in a food processor or blender. After crust cooks, pour filling evenly on top and cook another 26 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then fridge uncovered for at least 2 hours (important, as this lets the custard set) before cutting with a sharp knife. If you’re having trouble cutting, leave out just a few minutes so the coconut oil softens. Makes 12-16 squares. These are best stored in the fridge.
These healthy lemon squares are so good, they have even me questioning my chocolate roots. But don’t worry; I’ve already made a chocolate version. I’m not a complete disgrace to chocolateness!
Christie F says
I’ll have to try making them, then, since my son and I (and my mother-in-law) LOVE most things lemon flavored. MMM. Did you HAVE to tempt me so early in the day??? 😉
Amanda says
Yes! Ask and you shall receive. Thank you for posting this receipe. I love, love, love lemon bars.
Karen says
Yes, thank you! I voted for them the other day, and so of course I went straight out and made them this afternoon after seeing your post this morning. (Thank goodness I live close to a grocery store!)
Katie, they exceeded even my hopes and dreams. I can’t get over the fact that they’re not full of butter and sugar and eggs!
So custardy, and the perfect blend of sweet and tangy. You weren’t kidding when you said they were the best ever. My husband agrees and says to tell you “thank you” ;).
Karen says
Oh, my daughter loved them too! They’ll be going on our regular rotation for sure :).
Marissa says
Lemon bars are one of my fave desserts! I’m going to have to try MoriNu. What makes shelf stable tofu so different from refrigerated tofu? Is it that much of a textural difference?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yes, there’s a big difference. It’s somewhere between firm and silken.
Adele says
I have actually never tried a lemon bar (or cake or whatever) i my life, but I am positive that this will be my first go. They look so fresh and tasty. Lemon bars are actually not that big of a deal in Norway 😛 Maybe this will change the matter. I also love you photos! Could you do a post on how to take good pictures of food? Or maybe you have already? Thank you for a fantastic and inspirational blog, Katie 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I thought I’d done more, but apparently I only have one food photography post: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/14/food-photography-tips/
Maybe I should do another… I’ve shied away from it in the past because I’m not a professional by any means. But maybe I should share some of the things I’ve found that work, to help others who struggle with lighting like I do!
Maddie says
That would be absolutely amazing! I love your food photography,it’s always so beautiful. 🙂 Plus then maybe I could manage to get a photo on foodgawker. 😛
Suzie says
Oh yum, those do look delicious! Definitely on my to-make list, thanks!
Jamie says
i was SO excited about these until i found out they had tofu. (totally not blaming you, by the way, i read your nutrition link 🙂 ) the day i found out unfermented soy isn’t actually good for you might have been the worst day of my life (thanks, kimberly snyder lol), i love tofu in just about anything. do you ever worry about eating soy?
Sara says
No need to fear tofu! The Asians have been eating it for centuries and they’re one of the healthiest cultures in the world! Look at Okinawans. They live into their 100s, eating tofu :).
I’d rather trust history than some study that force-fed mass quantities of tofu to rats (which are different from people, and also if you eat mass quantities of anything you’ll get sick!)
Emma says
Katie wrote a really good post about it, a few years back: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/06/09/processed-foods-and-soybeans-and-tofu-oh-my/
I didn’t know about her blog back then, but I enjoyed finding the post while google searching a few months ago! Oh, and also I am Asian and my grandma eats tofu and is 94 years old :).
Tia says
She’s got it right. I’ve also done a lot of research into the safety of soy consumption and found numerous studies supporting the safety of soy eaten in moderate amounts. The few studies that link soy consumption to negative health results are controversial, use animals, and use ridiculously large amounts of soy. Also, the estrogen-like molecules produced by soy are no where nearly as strong/potent as the estrogen made by your own body. So if you can survive your own estrogen amounts, you should be able to survive soy. 😉
Shauna says
I’ve also read that spraying is a big problem with soy beans, so I try to get organic when I can. But I guess thats an issue with most things now, so what can you do… :S
Trish @ MyBigFatBundt says
Not everyone is the same. I used to consume ‘moderate’ amounts of organic, non-GMO soymilk and tofu, and it triggered low thyroid disease and estrogen dominance in my body over time. I’m not here to argue against soy, in fact I WISH I could eat the tofu that Katie puts in her pies because they all look so luscious. And not everyone’s body is sensitive. But I had no prior issues with any of this until I started including soy in my diet. I do not follow ‘mainstream research’ because everyone has their own agenda. I sought the advice of a medical doctor who only deals with women’s health and primarily hormonal health and would only treat with natural therapies, alongside a Chinese herbalist…and I learned A LOT of many of cannot tolerate even moderate amounts of non-fermented soy. Also read the book ‘Sexy Hormones’ by Lorna Vanderhaeghe. It REALLY opened my eyes. I also have raw, vegan chef friend who is dealing with an auto-thyroid immune disease, and one of the first things her doc did was yank the soy out of her diet. I felt so much better when I cleaned mine up and then got on the appropriate Chinese meds to re-balance my body. Now I feel great, and if I go near soy or too much sugar it throws me off balance again.
Again, not here to argue…but just be aware that not all ‘research’ covers all kinds of people, and many researchers have special interests, and not every body is the same. And while soy has been a part of Asian cultures forever, it has only been ‘recently’ introduced into the American diet, which of course can cause issues for people. I realize that most soy sources are cheap and GMO…but mine were not. Everything I consumed came from my local health food store…all organic and non-GMO. Just my experience!
Vane says
I’m with you Jamie.. Fermented soy is safe but I’ve heard bad things about processed soy. The Okinawans do eat soy but not as most people do, as a meat substitute; they eat it the fermented kind and mostly as condiments. Also 90 percent of soy is GMO and heavily sprayed.
Jamie says
thanks for all the info, guys! this is where i got my reasoning (for reference I guess, if you’re interested?):
http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2010/03/08/scary-facts-about-soy-put-that-soy-milk-down-right-now/
in her book she also mentions that consuming soy makes you “squishy” i believe was how she worded it, but that it basically makes you unable to look as lean/toned. (she said it, not me!) i wish the nutritionists of the world would get together on this stuff, it’s so confusing!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
I LOVE lemon bars! If I make these with a gluten free flour I will let you know how they turn out!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
Oh I just noticed it has tofu, I’m allergic to soy! Haha I won’t ask for a replacement, I saw what you put on the substitutions page!
Karen says
What about soaked, blended cashews?
Jamie says
http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2009/06/18/recipe-fat-burning-key-lime-pie-bars/
i made these for easter and they were delicious! you could sub lemon juice for the lime and try them with katie’s crust? i think that would make them even better 🙂
Jill says
Mmm.. love a good lemon bar! Thanks for sharing this!
kendra says
Dang- I cant eat tofu either.
Rosie says
Yummmmmmmmy!!! Can’t wait to try these!!
I’m from the UK and lemon bars aren’t that big a deal either. HOWEVER, we do have flapjacks (thick, chewy, soft, oaty bars made with golden syrup). But I heard there’s no US equivalent!!
Flapjacks can be fruity OR chocolatey. Chocolate>Fruit but Oaty>EVERYTHINGEVER 🙂
Alan Kleesattel says
I have heard of golden syrup before, what exactly is it?
Rosie says
From what I’ve read, it’s the same as light corn syrup in the US! It’s like a much much much more refined version of black treacle (which is more like molasses)
Rosie says
http://www.lylesgoldensyrup.com/flapjacks.php
(see here: mmmmmm flapenjacken)
Aja says
Those look so good! I’m going to have to go to the grocery store today!
Rana says
I just made some kick-butt good lemon squares, but they were all old-school and full of butter. Which I’m not complaining about really, but with your recipe I can have them MORE often! Thank YOU! Good work!
Tia says
So, what is the box equivalent to one cup of the Mori-nu tofu? I buy it all the time but I’ve never blended it up and measured it so I don’t how many boxes it would take to make one cup. 🙂 Is it just the equivalent of a box?
Emma says
My box says it’s 360 grams, and Katie’s recipe says to use 240.
Emma says
Just kidding. It’s 349. But same thing :).
kim says
Is there an option to print your recipes that I am missing ?will copy and paste onto word for now. Looking forward to making these lemon bars!!!!.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
It’s on my to-do list, but unfortunately I can’t add it at the moment. I’m having issues with a certain plugin on my site, and until I get that fixed it won’t let me add any others!
Alan says
Here are two alternative crust options if you wanting to avoid the oil
Graham Cracker Crust – http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/graham-cracker-crust/
Pie Crust – http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/whole-wheat-pie-crust/
Erin says
Yum, these look awesome! Thanks!
Queen Mommy says
Must buy organic tofu so I can try these! YUM!
Barb says
are there any substitutions for coconut oil in your recipes? i have a hard time finding it, and it would be great if there were substitutions I could use without having to go out searching. Thanks!
Michelle says
Tropical Traditions sells coconut oil. My favorite comes from Garden of Life and I believe I purchased through Vitacost.com because the cost savings was amazing.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I mentioned that under the “substitutions” link :).
It depends on the recipe, though, as to whether or not you can sub for it.
Barb says
thanks!!
Melissa @ SquatsandSquash says
YAY i was hoping this would be one of your first recipes…I LOVE lemon squares. Can’t wait to try your version!!
Sarah the official CCK drooler says
Um, chocolate desserts all the way! Though, fruit desserts are nice in the summer. But chocolate is all year round. Is there a possibility I could use agave instead of all the sugar? And maybe gf flour?
p.s.- i’m waiting for the strawberry cheesecake fruit dip recipe. And I’m VERY impatient. so don’ keep me waiting 🙂
Samantha says
Good morning Sarah –
I was thinking about your agave question because by nature I think powdered sugar has more of a thickening element which would probably matter in a more “gel like” recipe. Generally you can’t even really substitute white sugar in for powdered (depending what the recipe is).
So I was looking a lot at how to use agave since I am fairly new to using it myself. I found references that pretty much straight out say you can’t substitute agave for powdered and I can see why given the properties of powdered. I have no doubt that someone out there has tried. 🙂 I would guess that somehow you would have to deal with thickening it (more arrowroot) in addition to the reduction in amount as a ratio to sugar? Maybe today will be an experiment day for you. 🙂
Have a great day!
Sarah the official CCK drooler says
I was thinking that the powdered sugar probably did have a thickening effect! But maybe today should be an experiment day…. I mean it’s a Monday, best day of the week (seriously)! Maybe if I used agave and skipped the crust I could make a lemon pudding? I’ll be back soon with the results!
Thanks Samantha! 🙂
Samantha says
LOL. You know, I almost wrote to you that you could just make lemon pudding. 🙂 Have fun!
susanna says
i tried this recipe with a little less than 1/4 cup white sugar in the crust (i know brown sugar is better, but white sugar helps with crunch), put it in the food processor with whole wheat flour. i believe the crust can get away without powdered sugar. for the filling i made it with 1/4 cup agave and cut back on the lemon juice, although after tasting it i realised maybe i should have cut back on the agave to make way for the lemon juice.. it wasn’t lemony enough! (in fact, too tofu-ey).but i’m a bit like katie in that i don’t have a massive sweet tooth. since you put cornstarch anyway, it will definitely thicken up fine without the powdered sugar. or actually, don’t cut back on the agave either and add just a tad more cornstarch… no matter what, it’ll be liquidy when you put it in the pan but after baking it will firm up a bit.
Lauren says
Holy crap! I have to make these!
Yellow Haired Girl says
LEMON SQUARES! These are my one of fave desserts. I want one right now!
sarah@thesweetlife says
Chocolate vs. fruit? Too hard to decide. How about a fruity/chocolatey parfait?
http://thesweetlifeonline.blogspot.com/2012/04/chocolate-strawberry-parfaits.html
jenn a. says
did you make these wit the substitutions/sugarr free way?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Both! I never post an option unless I (or one of my friends, which is the case with many of the recipes with a gf flour option) have personally tried it to make sure that option works :).
Wendy says
I love you for making these. Just saying. 🙂
Erin says
any chance you have a soy free version of these? they look delicious!
Kathryn says
Katie says: “I’m already anticipating the onslaught of commenters wanting to know what can be subbed for the tofu. Sorry, I really don’t know! My advice would be to try another recipe.”
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/healthy-lemon-squares-nutritional-info/
Eleanor@Eatinglikeahorse says
I think maybe yoghurt might work, dairy or otherwise, instead of the tofu, if you increased the cornflour to make it thicker? Could be worth a go!
melissa says
I bet adding some rhubarb to this would be amazing.
Kelly says
Definitely chocolate desserts. I’m not a big “fruit dessert” fan! But these are very pretty (:
Ashleysh22 says
Fruit desserts or chocolate ones? You seem to be missing two very important options. Vanilla desserts and ice cream, which are my personal favorites.
I actually have all these ingredients already except the coconut oil and the “MoriNu silken-firm or lite tofu”. I think the latter might be tricky to find as I do most of my shopping at Walmart. But I might have to make a drive out to whole foods to locate such a thing just to make these.
Is the 45 calories per a square only if you use the sugar free powdered sugar?
Liz says
Xylitol actually has almost as many calories as sugar, so it shouldn’t make much of a difference in the calculations.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Edited my post! Sorry for the confusion!
Danielle says
These look yummy! Can’t wait to try them 🙂 Do I have to put the tofu in it though, or will that ruin the recipe? lol
Katie says
SO want to make these- love lemon squares! But don’t do tofu really and the one recipe I had a bad experience with from you was a tofu one (the chocolate pie). Any soy free lemon squares? or a way to sub it?
Kathryn says
Did you see what Katie said on the nutrition info/subsitutions page: “I’m already anticipating the onslaught of commenters wanting to know what can be subbed for the tofu. Sorry, I really don’t know! My advice would be to try another recipe.”
Annie @ Naturally Sweet Recipes says
I am addicted to lemon treats! Those look so tasty Katie!
kathy says
In your experimenting with this recipe, did you try any of the other refrigerated tofus? I have bought the boxed type before, but I guess I never noticed there was a difference. If you have, what results did you get? Love lemon bars and will definitely try this. Also, in your version, did you do the sugar free powdered sugar version or as written above? Thanks for the great looking recipe.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Both versions! I never post an option unless I (or one of my friends, which is the case with many of the recipes with a gf flour option) have personally tried it to make sure that option works :).
As for the tofu, please see my “substitutions” link :).
Liz says
These look amazing, Katie! I’m going to make them for Mother’s Day and surprise my mom :).
On another note, I can’t believe how many commenters don’t bother to read your actual post before asking questions you specifically answered in the post! Learn how to read, people!
Sabrina says
Hi Katie!
I just wanted to let you know that I calculated the points plus for the recipe as written (with the actual powdered sugar, not SF) for 12 squares. Each square is 2 points plus in case anyone was interested in learning the points value using regular powdered sugar and coconut oil (being a ww myself, those are the two ingredients I would automatically think to sub). Thanks for such an awesome recipe!
Kathryn says
Same here, Sabrina! Even with the lite tofu variation, I get 2 pt+ per square if you make 16 squares, with powdered sugar + coconut oil. I have these in the oven now…. 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks! And I edited my “nutrition facts” page to specify what version I used for calculations.
P.S. Thank you so much, Kathryn, for answering those comments ;).
Anonymous says
Kathryn,
I calculated mine for 12 squares (not 16) and they were still only 2 pp. Just thought I’d let you know because who wouldn’t want a bigger serving?? 🙂
Kathryn says
Haha – good to know, thanks, Anon. 😉 Next time I’ll put them in a rectangular pan and cut them in a 6 X 2 grid – that’ll get the filling a little higher, too. (Found them a little flat – they taste yummy, though!)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
You can actually double the filling if you want. But let them sit for more like 4-8 hours in the fridge to firm up. And cook for 40.
Hungry Heather says
Hey Katie, I am going to experiment with the crust later tonight and I would love your opinion. Do you think your chocolate lace cookies minus the cocoa would make a good wheat-free crust for these?
Chocolate > fruit desserts, but sometimes it’s nice to have something like lemon bars for variety!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I really have no idea! Sorry I can’t be more helpful, but I’d love to hear the results of any experimenting you might do.
Hungry Heather says
YUMMM! I made the chocolate lace cookies sans chocolate for the crust. I had to sub walnuts for almonds. I also had to make double the lace recipe to coat the bottom of an 8×8. Well, one batch may have worked if I hadn’t been eating the dough while I was making it! Oh, I also omitted the oil because I didn’t feel like adding that in. (My tummy don’t like too much oil.)
After making the crust I ended up making another batch to bake as regular sugar cookies. They turned out awesome! I haven’t had sugar cookies in months so it is more exciting than it should be! The lemon bars are in the fridge for their 2-hr waiting period. I’ll report back after I try one.
Hungry Heather says
Ok, I couldn’t wait 2 hours. The “sugar lace cookie” crust idea turned out great for the crust. My lemon filling, on the other hand, turned out really thin. Maybe I used the wrong tofu? It was Mori Nu silken firm, but it was in the refrigerated organic section. Hmmm…
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hmmm… that’s weird :(. You mean it didn’t firm up in the fridge? Can you tell me more specifics about exactly what ingredients you used? And did you fridge it uncovered?
Hungry Heather says
Oh my…I covered the squares in the fridge! Were they supposed to be uncovered?
I did not use xylitol. Instead I made my own SF powdered sugar out of cornstarch and stevia. Maybe that was also part of the problem. The other ingredients I followed precisely. Well, I subbed the lemon zest with lemon extract, but that shouldn’t have given me wimpy lemon squares!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yup, they need to be uncovered or the moisture won’t evaporate. Also, I really can’t vouch for the stevia pwodered sugar because I’ve never tried it!
Hungry Heather says
Aha! Thank you! Next time they will be uncovered. I’ll have to ask my doc if I can have xylitol.
Sabrina says
Oh I forgot to ask – since I have not purchased coconut oil before, do you use the refined or unrefined in your recipe(s)?
Thanks!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I always use unrefined (virgin) coconut oil :).
Dana Krall says
These (and everything else on your site) look SO good that I just bought a case of MoriNu silken firm tofu from Amazon. I can’t wait to start cooking! These and the Dark Chocolate Mousse will be first on my to-try list. Thanks!
michelle says
Katie
you are awesome ….did u use xylitol when you made yours?
I can’t wait to try this…
I think there is a place for both chocolate and fruit desserts and so glad you covered both …
I LOVE the share button…. it took me to your page vs posting the link either way easier for me as I share your recipes all the time…I think the most re pin I get on pinterest is your recipes! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Both. I never post an option unless I (or one of my friends, which is the case with many of the recipes with a gf flour option) have personally tried it to make sure that option works :).
Samantha says
Good morning! Your post cracked me up. You mentioned you have already tried a chocolate version…but it is kind of a tease because you don’t say what you did! 🙂
Generally I would say I am chocolate dessert kick. That being said, I do often enjoy like a berry crumble? And I am super excited to try these having never made a lemon bar before and always wanting to try. (Not to mention I have all the ingredients available).
Have a great day. If I had a facebook account I wouldn’t hesitate to share you. 🙂
Laura says
Ohmigosh YUM!!!
Emily @ Glitz Glam Granola says
Omigosh these look delicious! I’m not a huge fan of lemon desserts but lemon bars are my one of my Dad’s all time favorite items! I foresee making these for Father’s day!
Ida says
Yum! I love lemon <3 I have to try these if I have the right kind of tofu, that is.
Anna @ The Guiltless Life says
I’m so excited about these! I LOVE lemon squares. This might be my favourite non-chocolate recipe of yours yet!
carol says
HI these look sooooo delcious! I love anything lemon related. On another topic, do you know where I can buy brown rice krispies? Thanks
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I find them at my regular grocery store, in the cereal aisle. Erowon and Kelloggs are two brands.
Lindsey says
I guess I had no idea about shelf stable tofu vs refrigerated tofu! I made the Chocolate Fudge Pie recipe last week with regular Firm SprouTofu and it was so delicious. It looked just like the photos online. But now, I just read this recipe and thank you for putting in the distinction between shelf stable and refrigerated. I had no idea. Anyway, regular worked great for me for the other recipe and I think I’d try it with this one too.
katia says
I always make chocolate pie for my friends and family. They all ADORE IT! I like to put chocolate protein powder (along with a bunch other super healthy ingredients) into the mix because i can’t stand my family’s poor eating habits, so i cram in as much health as i possibly can! –anyways, it’s my mom’s birthday today and she ~looooves~ lemon bars, always asks me to make them for her but i couldn’t find a healthy recipe for the life of me! so I’m making these tonight, she’ll be sooo happy!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I hope you like them!! And happy birthday to your mom :).
Emily says
thank you thank you thank you!
jenny says
would coconut butter work instead of oil? or if i skimmed some of the oil off the top of the jar?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yeah, if you can get enough of the liquid when it separates!
Melissa R says
These look super yummy. I’ll have to make these when my hubby isn’t around and wait to tell him it’s got tofu until after he’s tried them! I’ve only made one recipe from CCK so far – deep dish cookie pie. What are the first 5 recipes you would recommend for newbies looking to transition into healthier desserts?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
LOL I don’t think I could choose 5!
But the fudge babies are REALLY popular with people who say they don’t like healthy desserts. And the Chocolate Bar Pie is my favorite. And the blondies (similar to the deep dish cookie pie) are always well recieved at parties. And the flourless cookies… lol see, I can’t choose ;).
katia says
make cookie pie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jenn says
I can’t wait to try these! They look so custardy and delish!
Just wanted to add a tip about coloring – instead of food coloring, you can try a pinch of tumeric!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I love your idea! I might have to try it next time (although, to be honest, I don’t really care if they’re yellow or not!).
Kristen @ notsodomesticated says
I’m more of a chocolate dessert girl, but the thought of these being the “best lemon square recipe ever” certainly has me intrigued! 🙂
Tash @ Dairy Free Chick says
I approve. I think chocolate is more wintery… fruit it more summery. I can already hear your disagreement… 😛
Cate says
Since going vegan I haven’t had lemon bars. So excited to try these! Gonna make some tonight!!
Kit-Kat says
this looks REAAAAAAAAAAAAALy good! Perfect for a hot summer day! I’m going to try these out, and then serve them at my next picnic hike with my friends!
Sarah says
Good to know not to use the refrigerator silken tofu. I tried a key lime pie recipe (totally made up in my head) with the refrigerator stuff. Did not work. Chunky and weirdly separated by the acid… I’ll try this recipe with the right stuff.
Marlee @ SweetHealthNut.com says
Oh my goodness I cannot WAIT to try this!!! I’m already planning my grocery haul tomorrow to get all the ingredients!
Marlee @ SweetHealthNut.com says
Has anyone here tried using regular silken or firm tofu instead of Mori-Nu in any recipes? I’m in Australia at the moment and I don’t think I can get the brand here.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
If you experiment, please do report back and let others know whether it sets and if it tastes ok!
Marty says
I once tried regular silken and also firm tofu from the shelf to make Katie’s frosting and also just with mashed bananas and chocolate. It tastes…. different. There is some strange flavour. Really hard to describe… Let’s put it this way: with mori nu tofu you don’t really taste the tofu, with the regular one you do.
Lou says
If I can weigh in… I’m in Aussie and you can get something similar (usually at Woolworths in the Asian food section) it’s shelf-stable tofu in a blue/green/white cardboard type box. I’m not sure if it’s the same as Mori-Nu but it doesn’t have as strong a SOY taste if you know what I mean?
Marlee @ SweetHealthNut.com says
Thanks Lou! I’ll check it out!
susanna says
no wonder! they don’t have mori-nu or any shelf-stable tofu here where i live because “fresh” tofu is the normal, everyday type of food. same with canned coconut – we just have the fresh variety here! so i’ve been making katie’s desserts just totally used to the fact that they taste very soy-ey or tofu-ey. which is okay with the chocolate pie but not really with the lemon.
and yes i tried it with regular tofu (even used agave in place of the powdered sugar!), and it firmed up fine. : )
Vanessa says
Hi Katie,
I tried it with silken tofu (we can only get refrigerated in Australia it seems). It was a little runny when I tried it, but that could have been because I had to leave for work before the full two hours were up! Hopefully by tonight it will be ok!
Maybe with some more arrowroot or another thickening agent for next time!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks for the feedback, Vanessa! If it firms up, let me know! Otherwise, I’ll tell people about your experience if they ask about a silk tofu sub.
Vanessa says
Definitely firmer after a few more hours, but I’ll add more of the thickening agent next time, they were still a tad messy. It didn’t stop me from polishing them off over the past couple of days!
Jill says
I LOVE lemon squares!
You can buy coconut oil on Amazon.com – and coconut butter, and sugar!
I loved choc desserts most of my life, but i’m now 53 and love fruit desserts a lot better.
I still love regular choc candy a lot tho – such as quality chocs or choc bars.
I have been vegetarian for over 2 yrs (and semi-vegan) after a lifetime of meat-eatng. (:
Katie says
AH! help! I need to unsubscribe to this. I thought I was just going to get replies to MY comment, not every comment.. i have gotten 50 emails! can you change that please?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
You should be off!
If not, click at the bottom of any of the emails where it says “manage subscriptions.”
Melinda says
Katie- I have not been able to find a store that sells the unrefridgerated tofu. Any suggestions or substitutions?
anon says
She lists substitution notes in her “substitution” link :).
Kathryn says
Some stores (at least some near me!) still put the Mori-Nu in the refrigerated section even though it’s shelf-stable, I guess to make it easy to find, near the other tofu. You might try asking in an Asian grocery or health-food store.
Bonnie says
Katie, you’ve done it again!
These are fabulous! 🙂 I only let mine set about an hour, because I just couldn’t wait any longer. And they are so PERFECT! I haven’t had a lemon bar in like two years (since going vegan), and these are just as decadent and delicious as the ones I remember loving, pre-vegan days. You have put the most gigantic smile on my face!!! I can’t wait to bring these to share with my omnivore friends who will be FLOORED when I tell them the bars are vegan and healthy!
THANK YOU!!!! 🙂
Eleanor@Eatinglikeahorse says
I love lemon puddings so these look fab – I love the teethmark pictures too 🙂
Sarahishealthy says
I have them in the oven!!!
And I might be a little short on filling. I kept eating it. It was SO good! I’m so excited for the final product!!!
Sherone says
Yay! lemon squares! It is 7.22am in Sydney Australia and I have all the ingredients in the kitchen ready to go. My grandchildren will be having these for afternoon tea today:) Nana may be having her’s a little earlier:) Thank you Katie:) My little dessert fairy:)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aw I hope they turn out well!
I’ve always wanted to go to Sydney :).
Vanessa says
Hi Sherone,
I’m based in Sydney and am having a lot of trouble finding any non-refrigerated silken-firm tofu, only Morinaga firm. Any tips?
Sheesh says
These look awesome! Going to make them this week. Hopefully sharing on G+ will make you almost as happy ha ha.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Definitely just as happy, and honored too. I honestly don’t know much about G+ yet (I need to learn!!). I’ve heard it’s going to be the next big thing :).
Sheesh says
It’s pretty fun 🙂 And people have been posting CCK recipes! I’ve heard that as well, might be a slow and steady start.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit says
Oh my gosh… tofu? You’re brilliant!
Ellen @ Scrumptious Gruel says
I love lemon bars! Whether I want fruit or chocolate depends on my mood-I probably go hoc plate more often than not:)
Michelle @ Esculent Dreams says
I LOVE lemon squares!!! They are possibly my 2nd favorite dessert…right behind fruit pies 😉 Thank you so much for a healthier version! Can’t wait to make these~
Dawn says
I made these tonight!!! YUMMY!!!!! I of course did not share with my husband that it was made out tofu. I had purchased silken tofu for the first time a few weeks ago, not knowing what I was going to do with it. Thanks for posting the recipe!!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m so excited you already tried them!
Moni Meals says
this is so refreshing and bright! Yum.
I am totally a chocolate gal too but this could work for me.;)
I liked it on FB too. 🙂
kris says
Katie! These are awesome – the best ever! I am eating a piece right now and can’t believe how delicious they are! Great job with the recipe … keep them coming. Thank you for coming up with wonderful recipes!!!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thank YOU for trying them 🙂 :).
Jasmine says
I’d really like to try these. I like lemon desserts. Do you know if I could substitute stevia extract in the raw in place of the sugar? I’d love to try it that way if I could.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Sorry, I’ve not tried it.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
But if you use the linked sugar free powdered sugar, they’re sugar-free :).
Joanna says
Must try!
Lisa C says
Hey Katie!
I just made these, and they taste JUST like a lemon bar from a bakery! Actually, maybe even better, because the filling is softer and has a wonderful lemony flavor.
I know your thing is chocolate desserts, but boy did you do a good job with lemon!
Katie @ Nutrition in a Peanut Shell says
Mmm, these look amazing! I’ve never actually had a lemon bar, because they’ve never appealed to me ( so much chocolate so little time) but now I might have to!
Crystal says
These were SO fabulous! I made them for a dinner party we had tonight. I was wondering what to make for dessert this morning, and these went SO well with dinner. Some notes- I didn’t realize until I was well into making them that we were out of wax paper, and I just couldn’t seem to get the crust to fill the bottom of the 8×8 pan, so I doubled the crust recipe. I also did 1.5x times the filling and followed your instructions for cooking and firming up longer. I would recommend taking them out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before serving. I greased up my pan really well with PAM, but the coconut oil was so firm from being in the fridge that it was really hard to chip the crust out of the pan! After 20 minutes, though, they slid right out, no problem. I made the SF version, and the people we had over for dinner had NO idea they were Vegan/ SF until I told them!!!
Crystal says
Also, since I kind of destroyed the shape chipping them out of the pan at first, I covered them with fresh blueberries and sliced strawberries, and covered it all in more SF sugar! It was amazing!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I am so so happy they turned out well! And thanks for the note about the crust! I’d forgotten to mention that they should be “thawed” a little before cutting if they’re too hard. Edited the post now. Thanks, Crystal!! 🙂
Amber with Slim Pickin's Kitchen says
Yummy, yum, yum!!! I love lemon desserts!!!!! <3
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
A healthy lemon bar?! I’m SO IN!
Jenna says
These are incredible!
I made them last night, so I had to wait until this morning to try one. I had no problem serving them to my shocked kiddos for breakfast, since they’re sugar-free (we used the sf option), all natural, and whole-grain! My three kids LOVED the bars, and they and I managed to almost polish off the entire pan at breakfast this morning! Guess I’ll be making more ;).
It is UNBELIEVABLE how good these are!
courtney says
i made these last night and they turned out so well! i used some substitutions, and even though i didn’t follow the exact recipe, they were great. my omni boyfriend literally licked the crumbs off the plate! here’s what i subbed:
– i had to use refrigerated firm tofu because i didn’t have mori-nu.
– i used vegetable oil in the crust because i didn’t have coconut oil (added an extra tsp to your measurements)
– i added a tsp lemon extract because i LOVE a strong lemon flavor.
– i used the 1/2 tbsp cornstarch vs. the arrowroot.
– i ended up cooking the crust for the whole 10 minutes, but cooked the filling for just 20 minutes.
the only thing was that the filling was very thin, obviously because i used a different tofu. they were incredible, however! next time i make them, i’ll double the filling recipe so it looks more like the picture. all in all, this recipe is fabulous! thank you so much!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks for testing them out with the fridged tofu and the veg oil! I was hoping someone would try it and report back! 🙂
Jenna says
I’m going to try this recipe tonight with lime….or maybe grapefuit instead of lemon! Can’t wait. Thanks!
Emily says
I’m not a vegan, or even a vegetarian, and yet I LOVED these bars! My boyfriend loved them too, and he claims to hate tofu! You should’ve seen his face when I told him ;).
Thanks for another great recipe. Your recipes are the best!
Jasmine says
How can I print this recipe? I can’t seem to find a button to do that. Thanks!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I don’t have a print button. What I do with recipes is highlight the actual recipe, copy it (“control c”) and paste it into a Word document (“control v”). The you can even make the font smaller and print multiple recipes on the same page to save space :).
Jasmine says
Thanks, I’ll have to try that.
Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats says
These look so good!! I bet my mom would love some for Mother’s Day…I’ll have to bake her a batch! Thank you!
Juliana says
I can’t wait to try these!!! My little sister absolutely LOVES all things lemon. I’d love to hear what her opinion of these would be. 🙂
Definitely fruit over chocolate desserts! But, unless you’re talking white chocolate, that’s a completely different story. 🙂
Tamara says
Hi Katie,
I’m guessing you didnt mean to email out this post again tonight? Great post, but Ive already got it saved on my computer! lol
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Are you sure you got the actual email twice? Or do you mean that you saw the post on my blog yesterday and got the email today? My emails are going out a day late for some reason.
Suzi says
Hard Choice- but, I would choose a good pie over a piece of chocolate cake. However anything with chocolate and raspberries in it- is at the top of my “perfect dessert” list. I’ve never been a fan of sugary candy like sweet tarts, or pez. Whenever I’m in Europe I love getting the little custard tarts that have a layer of chocolate under the custard and then a beautiful assortment of fruit on top. I guess I’m of no help- they are both amazing!
Sarah S. says
Hi Katie! These look amazingly delicious, but (tiny but) what exactly is healthy about them? I know they are probably “healthier” but there’s still not much in the way of nutritiousness here (as opposed to many of your truly healthy desserts).
anonymous says
They’re completely sugar free and whole-grain to boot! Sounds pretty good to me! Oh, and throw in some coconut oil and you’ve even got healthy fats.
Emma says
They look great to me as well. Not sure what the first commenter means :(.
Sarah S. says
It’s just that I equate “healthy” with something that actually has health benefits… the absence of sugar doesn’t make something healthy. I guess it’s not so bad if you’re using whole grains, as anonymous said, but coconut oil is saturated fat and also not what I’d call “healthy” (though I wouldn’t say it is unhealthy in moderation). I just think compared to Katie’s other recipes offering protein, vitamins, fiber, etc… this isn’t what I personally consider “healthy” though it isn’t really bad! I hope that explains what I mean.
Carli says
Sarah,
I just stumbled across this recipe and plan on making it soon. Since I try to keep my foods gluten free, I will probably make these with CCK’s sugar cookie recipe which uses almond flour. That would add healthy fats and protein to the recipe. I also like to add flax meal to pretty much everything I bake to add fiber and Omega-3s. I think you could easily do that to the crust on this. Also, despite the fact that coconut oil is saturated fat, it is the healthiest of saturated fat and more info is coming out about the many healthy benefits of consuming coconut oil. Check out http://wellnessmama.com/2072/benefits-of-coconut-oil/ for one opinion on coconut oil. She references several other sources and has a back ground in nutrition. I’d say it is definitely better than vegetable oils! I’m not saying that these lemon bars are so healthy you should eat the whole pan at once (even though I’ll want to), but I won’t feel bad about eating them. Also, citrus is very healthy for you as well, so I wouldn’t skip the lemon zest. 🙂 I would like to change the powdered sugar though. I prefer using pure maple syrup/honey. I may have to experiment with that!
Jessica says
Hi Katie! These look fantastic – I too am obsessed with lemony desserts! 😉 Have you thought of using turmeric as a healthier alternative to yellow food colouring?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Someone else mentioned it in this post, and I love your (and her) idea. I might try it next time… But to be honest, I don’t really care if they’re white ;).
Anna A says
Can you make these without a blender or foodprocessor? If you just mix the filling ingredients really really well?
Thanks & love, Anna
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I don’t know how you’d blend the tofu part, though. Unless you want to experiment with silken tofu, but I can’t guarantee that’ll work. I’d love to hear if you experiment, though!
Rebecca Wright says
I am totally going to try making these for Mother’s day! She LOVES lemon bars, thanks so much! I may attempt a GF version for my sister but not sure if I’m brave enough on the first go lol. I’ll update you if I do 🙂
Leslie @ healthybybalance says
Lemon bars is one of my favorite desserts! I cannot wait to try this version. And I love the new layout…good work! I’m working on a brand new site, so I’m starting to understand all that goes into this! I’m much more appreciative of all your hard work!
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
I am smitten with lemon bars, but sobbing as I type this…. I’m allergic to all forms of coconut!!
I know that coconut oil was probably used because it firms up so much when it’s chilled, but I’m wondering what I could use as a replacement. Do you have any ideas, Katie?
Emma says
Did you see her substitution page, linked in this post?
Emma says
I’m sorry….a chocolate version of lemon bars? BLEGH! Haha, this looks like a (baked + crust) version of my lemon curd recipe and I loved my mom’s (egg + butter filled) lemon bars, so this recipe is definitely on my to-do list.
Speaking of facebook, do you post new recipes on facebook that you don’t publish on your blog? I don’t have a facebook out of principle and don’t want to miss out on anything!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Nope, I don’t post anything exclusively to facebook. No worries!
And lol about the chocolate lemon bars. That does sound bad… but really they’re just chocolate cream pie bars. No lemon in the chocolate version ;).
Ella says
I made these today with a bit of modifications, they we´re amazing!
For the crust I used ½ cup coconut flour instead of wheat, and I added 6 tbsp soy yogurt and two eggs since I´m not vegan. Turned out great, I love the mild coconut flavour in it!
For the filling I used 0,84 firm Alpro Soy tofu and 3 tablespoons of soy yogurt, and it worked out just fine!
As a sweetener I used erythritol and stevia mixed together 🙂
Thanks for a great recipe!
Erin says
I made these and I liked them! I followed the recipe and also included the lemon zest. I might leave it out next time or reduce the amount of lemon juice slightly. They were REALLY lemon-y. I love lemon, but if you don’t like a strong lemon flavor you might want to reduce the lemon a little. Thanks for the recipe Katie. So glad to have a low calorie lemon treat!
Charissa says
I accidentally bought Soft instead of Firm…do you think this will be a problem?
Emma says
See her substitution page, linked in this post.
Ida says
Can I use this: http://www.iherb.com/Mori-Nu-Silken-Tofu-Soft-12-oz-340-g/34261 ?
Kathryn says
You’ve got the right brand, but it should be the *firm* variation, not soft.
http://www.iherb.com/Mori-Nu-Organic-Firm-Silken-Tofu-12-3-oz-349-g/34258 (organic)
http://www.iherb.com/Mori-Nu-Firm-Silken-Tofu-12-3-oz-349-g/34259
or firm lite:
http://www.iherb.com/Mori-Nu-Silken-Lite-Tofu-Firm-12-3-oz-349-g/34260
Ida says
Okay, thanks 🙂 Any idea what I can use the soft for?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/02/06/chocolate-chocolate-chocolate-mousse/
🙂
Melissa (Better Fit) says
Aw, I would share it on facebook, but I’m not on it! I know, weird right?!
Looks like a lovely little lemon tart!
Chocolate or fruit? Chocolate every time. Except when the fruit sounds REALLY good. Okay so I love both. Better yet- both together! The dark chocolate and fruit combo is one of my favourites!
Casey @ Insatiably Healthy says
Yes! So pumped for this recipe. I’m definitely going to give it my best college try with silken tofu
Emma says
So, I think I’m in love with these bars.
Just sayin.
How many do you have to have before it’s considered an obsession? I’m on my fifth!!
Starmona says
Hi! Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I wanted to make something special for my brother before he left on his job for awhile, and I was down to 2 days before he was going to leave, when he happened to mentioned that he REALLY liked lemon bars, —and then you posted this!!!! Yay!! My mom and brother are totally psyched to try this — and none of us like tofu much! I have made them and am waiting for them to cool. They taste delicious, and my brother thinks so, too! We licked the bowl after pouring in the filling 🙂
I made them with what I had on hand (and what my brother would eat) — white flour, and regular powdered sugar. I would be allergic to Mori-Nu tofu (because of the soy protein isolate) so I used House Foods brand of silken tofu. It is organic, and even though it is silken, it is in the refrigerator section of my grocer.
Only issue for me was that the crust and filling amount made for a VERY thin bar in the 8×8 pan. I am considering doubling, or tripling the recipe to get a more typical 1 inch-ish tall lemon bar.
Just out of curiousity – – How tall are the bars in the photo??
–Okay, just went and ate some more before I put them in the fridge to cool – they are so delish!!!!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hmmm… I’m not sure how tall they are. Pretty thin, which is why I mentioned the “1.5 times the filling” option. Maybe like the size of a brownie (total)?
For my first batch, I actually made twice the amount of crust, but we decided that it was too much crust for the lemon. Then again, I don’t really like crust so maybe I’m not a good judge.
Elizabeth says
Mine came out extremely thin too. The lemon layer was about the same height as the crust layer; nothing like the photo. They were VERY lemon-y (sour) too. I wonder if for both those reasons I can use the whole box of tofu instead of just 1 cup. Didn’t stop us from eating them all though on this first trial!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Elizabeth,
Did you use mori-nu firm tofu? And did you make sure to wait at least 2 hours for them to set?
Elizabeth says
I did use mori-nu and waited for it to set in the fridge per the directions. I put the tofu in a measuring cup to measure it out, so perhaps weighing would be more accurate. I also used all powdered xylitol. Nice of you to reply!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I know some people want a thicker bar, so I added the option of making 1.5 times the filling. But the photos are of just the filling as written (not 1.5 times). I don’t know what would’ve caused your sour taste :(.
Nichole says
I think I may have unintentionally cut the sugar in half….. for sf powdered sugar, I measured the amount in the recipe, then ground it to powder… didnt re-measure… didnt add in the cornstarch per your sf recipe…. hopefully it still turns out ok! i could just pile on more sf powdered sugar on top too… hmmmm its cooling now, only time will tell!
Heather says
yayyyyy lemon bars!!! i used to make them fairly often, then i had a spell where they came out poorly a couple of times (never figured out why) …this has encouraged me to try them again soon, though – they are one of my favorite desserts! maybe mother’s day!
Patricia @ thecastironvegan says
Oooh, these look yummy! I just saw a lemon bar recipe using ground almonds for the crust. I might try to combine the two recipes. I’ve made vegan lemon bars using agar-agar before, but this looks much less fussy.
Monica says
where did you see the ground almond crust, please share (i don’t eat gluten and want to make them today) ty!!
Jessica says
Hi Katie, I just want to let you know how AWESOME your recipes have been for me…life changing, really. I had to go gluten free, sugar free and dairy free about 6 months ago and thought I would never be able to enjoy yummy treats again! Your chocolate frosting is a staple in my fridge and your coconute chai is my new fave breakfast treat…I seriously lick the blender. Thank you so much for sharing all your efforts. I’d love to try this recipe with an almond flour crust. I’ve never done tofu, but this looks so good, I think I’ll give it a shot. Thanks so much!
Lena says
WOW!! These look soooooo delicious!! I want to make them right away but unfortunately I can’t 🙁 I avoid soy products because it gave me some serious health problems. What could I use in stead of tofu? :(( Because I really want to make these yummy lemon squares!! 🙂
Sophie says
These things just made my mouth water! And I just ate dinner. . . and dessert. These are so going on my recipe list (which is literally half your recipes)
Do you know what would be awesome? And single serving lemon bar! LOL, if that’s even possible.
Anna says
My friend Ann loves lemon bars! I’m definitely pinning this recipe to make for her the next time I see her!
Janice says
This looks very intriguing. I’m going to try to use the lemon filling in between layers of a layer cake as a Mother’s Day treat.
Janice says
Update: I didn’t actually make the filling until now, but it’s good! I didn’t use a food processor so it’s not very smooth, but it’s still very creamy and tasty!
Rosalie says
These seem like the perfect recipe to use the lemon NuNaturals stevia!
Marlee @ SweetHealthNut.com says
Just made these and they’re currently cooling in the fridge! I can’t wait to try them 🙂 I wasn’t able to get any MoriNu, but I found shelf-stable firm tofu by the same parent company. so we’ll see how it turns out! Crossing my fingers.
I didn’t have any yellow food colouring, I wish I did to make it look as pretty as yours do in the pictures. Oh well! It looks a little like meringue since it’s a little off-white. I hope it tastes good. I’ll report back soon 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Someone else said you can use tumeric for yellow color! I wouldn’t use too much, because I’d be afraid of the taste. But maybe a tiny bit? I haven’t tried it, but I’m intrigued!
My Slice of Sky says
I absolutely adore Lemon bars! I’ve been working on creating a healthier version of them too. It’s just wrong how much sugar is in them! I’m going to have to try this… 🙂 Your pictures always look so delicious! 🙂 great job!
Jasmine says
I made these today for Mother’s Day. I sneak previewed the flavor. They are good, but the filling is to thin. I did double the recipe but I made it in a 9×13 pan. Next time maybe I’ll do in in a plain 8×8 pan.
Hailey says
these are absolutely delicious! I was iffy about making them because of the tofu but i finally decided to today and I’m so glad i did. the one thing i added was vanilla extract which made it taste good. i also made if gf and so i substituted regular pastry flour for gf multi-purpose flour and i added 1/4 cup honey combs cereal ( i put in in the cusinart for 30 seconds to grind it up before i added the other ingredients for the crust- this addition required that i add 1tbs more water).
Kailey says
Yum I love lemon bars, and so far I haven’t been able to find many good sounding vegan ones, so Im veryyy excited!! Thank you! I really want to make these for mothers day but I am making breakfast, do you think theres a way to incorperate these into pancakes? Maybe use a basic pancake recipe of yours and add some filling? What do you think? Again thanks so much Katie!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’ve thought about that too! Maybe just spread the filling over pancakes instead of the crust. I love the idea… I might have to try it too!
kristine says
I accidentally covered these in the fridge (note to self, don’t bake at midnight), does anyone know how that will affect them? Do I need to scrape them and make a new dessert?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
They probably won’t have set. But if they’re still hard to cut and messy, you could always make a trifle or parfait?
Kristine says
Excellent ideas, but turns out the lemon bars came out wonderfully delicious! Ps- I used gf ground oats for the flour. Thank you for all of your vegan chocolate-covered recipes (the unchocolate ones, too)!
Amy W says
Lemon bars are my absolute favorite-est dessert in the whole wide world so obviously I had to give these a whirl. I was very pleasantly surprised! I did the SF version and I’m thinking next time I make them I’m just going to use regular powdered sugar since the zero calorie sugar sub I have sort of leaves a funny taste (I buy it for when I make kool-aid haha). And probably I’ll use key-limes. 🙂
P.S. My boyfriend wouldn’t believe me that it was tofu. Hehe.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I love tricking boyfriends with secret tofu desserts! My boyfriend was so mad when I tricked him into liking tofu with a chocolate pie ;).
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
But then he wanted another slice, so he couldn’t have been too mad!
Melissa says
Thank you for making this a good website well your awesome thank you again
Alicia says
I just made this recipe using Medium Firm tofu from Sunrise brand. They turned out REALLY well! My filling “cracked” in the oven (similar to how the surface of cheesecakes can crack during baking), but I’m guessing I’ll just need to cook them for less than 26 minutes due to the different type of tofu I used. I really can’t believe how good these taste…I’ve never been big on tofu!
Alicia says
Oh, and I forgot to mention – the tofu was the refrigerated kind. I couldn’t for the life of me find shelf-stable tofu (I live in Canada). Fortunately, Well.ca (a Canadian online drugstore) carries the Mori Nu shelf-stable tofu, and offers free shipping to Canadian addresses – just thought someone might find that info useful. 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks for trying it out with the fridged tofu!! I’ll change my post notes to say that someone did it and it worked. You’re awesome :).
Alicia says
No problem! =)
Jodi says
Hey Katie,
First off, you’re incredible. I’ve struggled with food my whole life, and I’ve always hated cooking because recipes were generally long and complicated, full of expensive one-time use ingredients. You’ve got me thinking a whole lot differently about food, and through your website I’ve found other veggie/vegan websites with tons of simple/healthful recipes. It’s totally changed my outlook!
As for this recipe: I tried it using refrigerated, extra firm, tofu and it worked quite well. I also added sugar-free (splenda) strawberry jam for the last 2 Tbsp of lemon juice, which gives it an awesome strawberry-lemonade taste. However, the tofu is definitely apparent, and I don’t know if someone who DOESN’T like tofu would like them. I am cooking a new batch right now with the mori-nu, and instead of strawberry jam, I’m using blackberry jam. I had to call all over Baltimore city and Baltimore county to find a place that carried Mori-Nu, and when I got there, I bought their last two boxes! Everything is so hard to find out here, makes me really miss home (northern California — where every store is veggie friendly!)
🙂
Kate says
Hi Jodi, I don’t know if you’re still in Baltimore, but if you are, you can get several varieties of Mori-Nu at the Asian supermarkets in Catonsville. There’s a Korean one called H-Mart at Rt. 40 & Rolling Rd. The Mori-Nu is in the Produce department there. They also sell coconut oil, unsweetened coconut (for making your own coconut butter), and all sorts of vegan baking staples. There are several other Asian supermarkets in the Catonsville/Ellicott City area, and I’m sure that any of them would have it. Lately, I’ve been shopping at Lotte Plus on Baltimore National Pike, and they have Mori-Nu there too! I hope this comment reaches you, I just realized that your original remarks are from a year and a half ago.
Laetitia's Diary says
The surprise is they are healthy!!! i’m addict <3 <3
Alicia says
I think someone upthread mentioned that refrigerated tofu has a stronger flavour than the shelf-stable Mori Nu tofu…apparently, with that kind of tofu, it doesn’t taste “tofu-y”.
Jodi says
I had a chance to have folks taste compare the bars w/ mori-nu versus the bars with regular tofu and *drum roll* everyone preferred the ones with REGULAR refrigerated tofu! The mori-nu versions were more gooey, less firm and actually tasted more tofu-y to most folks! So, there ya go, you can definitely make them either way.
Alicia says
Really? Oh wow – now I feel compelled to order some Mori-Nu and taste for myself! I’m sure they’ll be devoured either way, lol! 🙂
Lisa says
I made these yesterday for a church picnic. They were awesome! My husband LOVES lemon bars and he thought these were great. Especially because they were so tart. Mmmm
Julie says
Congrats on your upcoming book, Katie, and count on us to buy it (whereas I might hesitate to splurge on a book about Pippa Middleton’s butt)
Just wanted to let you know that I made a new batch of (mini-cupcake-sized) deep-dish chocolate chip pie yesterday. Scarfed some down with my family and put the rest in the freezer in a desperate attempt to make it last. Since we’re going the no-milk, no-egg route with our 4 year-old, this is a godsend. Sorry, a katiesend.
xoxo,
Julie
Kristina says
Hi Katie!
Would spelt flour work in this recipe? Just wondering because it seems like a pretty versatile flour and it’s what I have on hand. Thanks!
Sami says
I used spelt today and it worked great! I highly recommend doubling the crust & filling recipes for an 8×8 pan. My bars are way too thin (not even covering the bottom of the pan entirely, and yes, I’m sure it’s an 8×8). 🙂
Hanh says
I made these last night with mori-nu soft silken tofu rather than firm and they still turned delicious! I baked it in a 9X9 pan though with the same measurements and the custard part was slightly thinner than the crust. I had to add another half of the crust measurements though to cover the bottom. Personally I like this ratio of equal crust: custard.
Gina says
I just came across this recipe for my dad and I have to try making it. He’s diabetic and loves lemon-flavoured things, so the fact I can make this sugar-free is brilliant 🙂 thank you so much for posting these!!
Jade says
Katie!(or anyone else)
I’ve used refrigerated tofu before in recipes and I’ve always been able to taste it (:[)
have I been using the wrong tofu the entire time? Is the shelf stable version less tofu-y
in certain recipes?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I find it to have no aftertaste, so yeah you might try Mori Nu before giving up on tofu completely! 🙂
Emma FtW says
Since I’m not a fan of crust, and I didn’t have any lemons, I tried this with a slightly different spin– fresh kiwis, lime juice, and grapefruit zest, baked without any crust… and topped some coconut! mmmm, so good.
Anne says
I substituted the tofu with soy yogurt and added a little more cornstarch.. I can’t say how the taste /texture is in the original recipe, but “my version” looked like the original (well, it turned out orange instead of yellow, because of the food colouring, but.. :)) and tasted absolutely delicious! It had a creamy texture in the middle, a baked top and a cunchy crumble crust.
Yum! :o)
casey m says
Hi Katie! What color will it take if I don’t use the coloring? I don’t really care, but I also wanted to double check before I make them for a party 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
More of an off-white.
Brigitte says
Loved these so much! You’re recipes never left me down. Thinking about doubling the filling and substituting limes, for a delicious and healthy key lime pie 🙂
carolyn says
is the nutrition info for 12 or 16 lemon squares?
My birthday’s this Sat so I just want to know before I suggest we make these for it… 🙂
Jennifer says
Do you think we could replace the cornstarch with Agar?
Mira says
Can refrigerated tofu be used in any of your other “tofu recipes”, or does the non-refrigerated type only work in them???
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Fridged tofu is fine as long as he recipe doesn’t specifically call for Mori Nu. For example, in the chocolate bar pie you can use fridged tofu. Same with the fudge daddy brownies. But be warned that some people think fridged tofu has an aftertaste… I haven’t encountered that with the mori nu.
Carolyn says
I just had to add something…
I made these Saturday night, and my dad ended up eating literally half the pan (which says a lot seeing as we’re a hard-core carnivorous family and my dad cooks for us, but usually makes the same things repeatedly, and half of it’s from a box.)
ANYWAYS, he said they were not only the best lemon squares he’d ever had but also one of the best desserts he’s had (!!!!) ever!
To which I replied “Don’t thank me, thank Chocolate Covered Katie.”
Do you have any recipes with silken tofu *and* pumpkin on here, btw? Tofu because we have like half the package of ours left from this, pumpkin since we opened a can by accident when making a dish with garbanzo beans, and now we need to use it.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hmmm… off the top of my head I can think of the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars :).
Carolyn says
Pumpkin and cream cheese?
Double win 😀
Miriam says
I’ve never had lemon squares in my life, but I’m making these as one of the cakes for my goodbye at work tomorrow. They look so delicious! I even got the Mori-Nu here in Germany, didn’t expect that. Now my question is, are these best eaten the same day, or is it okay to make them the night before?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I think it’s actually BETTER to make them a day ahead of time. 🙂
That way they have time to set properly, and they also seem to be a little sweeter the next day.
Sherlock says
These were good! I loved the crust.
Kasey Lawhorn says
So Katie…you know that movie ‘Julie and Julia’? That’s what I am doing each night with your recipes! My husband laughs and me and thinks I am a big DORK- but he has NO problem trying them all 🙂 I have had such a great time making all of your healthy treats and like ALL of your other HUGE fans- I would like to thank you for everything that you do!!
~Kasey~
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
This pretty much made my week :).
Sandra says
Hi Katie, I`ve never seen/ heard of/ eaten Lemon Squares before, but yesterday I made yours and today I enjoyed them for breakfast- they are SO good! Tank you 🙂 Best regards from Germany! =)
audrey says
Hey, I don’t know if youve already answered this or not, but what brand of coconut oil do you use? Mine is 120 calories per tbsp so i was just wonering how these could 45 cal? I love your stuff by the way (:
Peter @Feed Your Soul says
really liked this dessert as a lighter offering. featured it on Friday Five – http://chefpeterskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/friday-five.html
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Thanks, Peter!
Alanna says
Finally got brave enough to try these with my mom coming to town since she loves lemon desserts (I’m intimidated by tofu, lol). I think I may have mis-measured either the lemon juice or the sugar because the first few bites were REALLY lemony, but as my mouth adjusted I found that I liked them a lot more than I thought I would, and my mom gave them a thumbs up! My boyfriend loves lime, so I might try modifying this to make healthy lime squares! 🙂
Dawn says
Thank you for this recipe! I, like your roomate, LOVE lemmon/tart desserts and food even though I’m also a self proclaimed choc-aholic. 🙂 I do have one question about the nutritional info. You wrote this recipe is 45 calories per serving. How many servings are there per recipe? You wrote 12 -16 bars above. Which number of bars did you use to calculate this? Thanks for your help!
Heather the Non-Vegan CCK Lover says
I do like lemon desserts, and plan on making these as is sometime, but tonight I was craving pineapple…so I turned these into pineapple/coconut squares instead! I edited the recipe to have some unsweetened coconut in the crust, reduced the sugar, and subbed pineapple and pineapple juice for the lemon. I also added an extra twist by mixing some crushed pineapple slices with sweetened shredded coconut and added a little layer of that on top of each crust before the custard mixture. They turned out so deliciously!! I hope that makes you proud Katie, you inspire me! 😉
-H
snenny says
Just made these for my sister’s birthday, but made a little extra one on the side… y’know, just so I could test them. Insanely good, and oh so lemony! Which is splendid, as nothing is worse than a lemony dessert that barely tastes of lemon.
Both my sister and I have coeliac disease, so I made the crust using a plain gluten free flour blend. I added 1 tbsp extra coconut oil, as the base didn’t seem to be any more than crumbs when I whizzed it in the blender, though I’m not sure whether this was necessary or not (I’m not an expert at gluten free pastry).
I actually used up the rest of my tofu by making the filling again, and instead of baking it, layering it in a parfait with crumbled vegan lemon poppy seed muffins (also from your site). They’re also amazing. They taste so rich and creamy!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Happy birthday to your sister! And thank you so much for trying the bars :).
snenny says
Thanks CCK 🙂 She’ll be chuffed – with your birthday wishes and with your lemon bars!
Kate says
I subbed brown rice flour for a gluten free version and the crust was phenomenal.
Eva says
Looks delicious, make me salivate 🙂
Christy says
hi Katie!
i’ve these twice and they both turned out great! in the first round i used tofu and it was delicious but the filling was very very thin. on my second try I subbed the tofu for greek soy yogurt and doubled the topping. even though they were both amazing the second batch was the best! the soy yogurt makes it so creamy, it melts in your mouth! mmmm its dreamy. i highly recomend using greek soy yogurt and doubleing the topping. makes for some incredible bars. thanks so much for the great recipie katie, love your blog.
thanks,
Christy
Anne says
The key to working with refrigerated tofu is that you always have to drain it before you cook/eat it. To drain, line a low bowl with paper towels (or anything with a rim to catch the excess water), cut tofu into quarters, and place standing upright on its cut sides on top of the paper towels with spaces between the tofu quarters. No soggy lemon squares if you drain the tofu first. Thanks for a tasty and easy recipe!
Jenny says
Hi Katie! I have to tell you that I made these lemon bars for a gathering this weekend and they were *fantastic*! Everyone loved and raved about them. I followed the recipe exactly, except I used almond flour instead of regular flour in the crust (an excellent substitution). They were so wonderful and tasted as if standard lemon bars and lemon cheesecake had a delicious, delicious baby. Thanks for your wonderful recipes and all you do!
lailja says
hi katie…can’t you just make these for me and send ’em to me? must be some way we can work that out. pleeeeeaaase 🙂 what would it cost me?
Mother says
hi Katie! my next door neighbor has the same name as you! haha your oatmeal is delicious! i made it for my blind date….he never showed up but i was pretty hungry that night so i had an oatmeal feast all by my lonesome 🙁 by the way, when i made the lemon squares they were a bit dry, you might want to look into that! thanks for making that awesome dinner last night! it was fantastico!
Love, Mom
Fiona says
I made these yesterday and they came out well but for some reason my crust is really baked on to my glass dish. I guess I should have greased it first! Thanks for the tip about using parchment paper to smooth the crust down, that really helps! I like how easy this recipe is too; I thought making powdered sugar would be an annoying extra step, but then I ended up needing the blender anyway to mix the filling so it was pretty minimal on dishes, which I like! I enjoyed these but I’m not sure if I will be making them again – to be honest, I do prefer the Betty Crocker recipe. But of course this is much healthier and I like that!
Anononon says
Sugar and tofu is not healthy in my opinion. My personal experience with tofu and soy milk was devastating to my hormones, thyroid and weight as a result to my so-called “healthy” low fat lifestyle. I don’t see how these are considered healthy, but to each their own. I have a gluten-free/dairy-free recipe (also soy-free) that is great for these, not exactly healthy but a good treat on occassion.
Angela says
great story
Angela says
great story…
Tina says
Hi! I made these today (well like 3 hours ago) and they are delicious! I was a little skeptical about the tofu and apprehensive about if they would work especially since in Australia I could not find any Mori-nu, but even with my substitutions they turned out great 🙂
I made a cereal and walnut crust instead of the listed one with 1 cup of whole grain low sugar cereal, 1/2 cup walnuts, 2T coconut oil and 1T honey. For the filling I used the refrigerated regular firm tofu, added an extra 1/2T cornstarch and used 1/4 cup of honey instead of the sugar. They turned out great and I got 10 good sized squares out of a loaf pan.
Thanks so much for this recipe!
dani says
Super tasty! Because it’s more of a custard filling than regular lemon bars, I’d recommend putting a pan of water in the oven with the bars when they’re baking (you know, like with a cheesecake?) to help keep the top from cracking open. I didn’t think about it to try it til it was too late…but in my experience with custards and cheesecakes, it should definitely help!
Georgia says
It does help! I tried this twice, with 1.5 times the filling; the first time, it cracked all over and looked like an earthquake had hit 🙁 Wasn’t till afterwards that I thought about baking it like a cheesecake.
The 2nd time I tried it, I put a pan of water on the rack below, and the moisture helped keep it from cracking. It only looked like it was going to crack along the edges. Then when I took it out of the oven, I covered it with a baking tray at once so the cold air hitting the surface wouldn’t make it split, like I would do with a cheesecake. (I uncovered it for a bit to see what would happen and immediately the tiny cracks around the edges started deepening). After it had cooled down somewhat, I removed the tray and the surface looked pretty good.
I followed Katie’s instructions to chill it uncovered and it set just fine. I brought it to my church for our fellowship dinner and most people liked it, even the little kids! It was delicious….thanks, Katie!
Stephanie says
I made these today with my 2 year old. They turned out tasty but next time I will double both the crust and the filling proportions. Thanks for the recipe!
Alaina says
I made these today for my family for my birthday dessert! I love traditional lemon bars, but these were fabulous, mostly because I didn’t feel completely weighed down by butter/eggs/etc. I 1.5’d my recipe, but if i hadn’t the filling would have been way too thin (for me). Might double both crust and filling next time, because they were just sooo good! My family/boyfriend all really enjoyed them, and couldn’t guess the “secret” ingredient of tofu :P.
Jonathan Mayer says
I keep coming back to see more things I want to make. As someone who is dedicated to eating better, lost over seventy lbs, I also like to have something sweet (who doesn’t). I like your recipes because they are sweet, and not overly complicated. I also like the pics of what it should look like. Keep up the good work!
Sharolyn says
LOVE your new look! I made these as a lemon pie for Thanksgiving, and it was so yummy! Somehow way more lemon-y and fresh tasting than the traditional lemon pie filling. Thanks!
Cristina says
I’m about to try this recipe!! But: I don’t have coconutoil… Can I use something else?
Thnx!
Jen says
I normally don’t comment on recipes if I have made changes BUUUT I made these with your healthy graham cracker crust and added blueberries to the lemon mixture (idea from here:http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/lemon-blueberry-bars/)… OMG seriously AMAZING! Thanks for the awesome recipe ideas!!!
Jenny says
Let me just say…. I LICKED THE PLATE!!!! Thank you Katie!
Cassie says
Hey, ive never heard of lemon bars before, but am curious if this could be turned into lemon meringue pie? Ive been trying to find a sugar free altertlnative (that doesnt contain splenda or equal) and havent had any luck. Also for those in Australia, did you just use the pack (ive only seen one) in the asian section of Coles etc?
TIA
Regina @ Fit4Mom says
I think that’s the pack! She said not the refrigerated kind, the shelf stable kind. I found it in the oriental section at our store. 🙂
Regina @ Fit4Mom says
Just bought (almost) all of the ingredients in this recipe to finally make it… forgot LEMON JUICE and a LEMON. Duuhhh. 🙂 Back to the store I go!
robyn says
Hi Katie,
i literally just made these lemon squares and they are so good! i actually used a gluten free flour instead of white flour and everything turned out great and delicious! love your blog! thanks 🙂
JinVABeach says
I LOVE this recipe! I have made it several times, exactly as stated, and it turns out perfectly. I’ve thought about trying it with oranges or limes but I enjoy the lemon flavor so much that I haven’t tried those yet. I tend to use whatever type of tofu is in the house (firm, silken, etc) and just puree it first in the food processor and then add the rest of the ingredients. It comes out fine every time.
~Katie says
I am very allergic to coconut. Is there a health conscious oil I could use in place of the coconut oil?
emaliah82 says
Oh NUMMY NUMMY NUMMY!!! Just tried these bars after anxiously awaiting their “setting” time in the fridge. I am obsessed with lemon so it is GREAT to find a healthful recipe I actually really enjoy! Didn’t realize the filling layer was going to be thin so I will definitely take your suggestion of doubling the filling into account upon my next making of the bars. THANK YOU! 🙂
rebecca says
WIN. but i will admit, i am one of “those people” who constantly changes recipes. subbed almond meal for ~1/3 of the flour in the crust, added a bit of fresh grated ginger to the filling…will definitely make these again!!
Rachel says
Ok so I made do with what I had at my parents as they were for my stepfather who loves lemon desserts. I was able to find siken tofu in refrigerated section and subbed that, also subbed two packets of the sugar in the raw stevia. They don’t have a food processor or blender so I did it the old fashion way (whisk). I don’t know if that is why I didn’t have enough crust for an 8×8 so I made another batch and used around 1/2-3/4 of it. Same case for the lemon-tofu filling. I added a little over a tablespoon of cornstarch as another made the suggestion with the refrigerated tofu and I let them cook a little longer (maybe an extra 5 minutes) and they definitely sat in the fridge for well over 2 hours (around 5 I think). They came out great my step-dad ate two back to back! Next time I will use my blender in hopes of getting the full 8×8 so I’m not doubling up on cals and I think I will use a tiny bit more lemon juice or zest for even more flavor. Also it maybe worth noting that I used an extra tbs of coconut oil instead of water. I made these Wednesday afternoon and today (Friday morning) the last one was eaten. Very good thank you!
Charlotte says
Hey Katie!
I tried your recipe for these Healthy Lemon Squares yesterday, but am wondering if I might have done something wrong. I followed your recipe exactly, but had to double both the ingredients for the crust and for the filling in order to even cover my 8×8. The filling tastes great, but has the consistency of pudding – did I do everything right?
Thanks so much and keep up the great work! 🙂
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Hey Charlotte, how long did you let the bars set in the fridge?
(Also, look through this page. If none of that helps, just leave another comment with as many specifics as possible, and I’ll try to help further! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/faq-page/recipe-questions-and-troubleshooting/)
marie says
Thank you a lot for your recipe.
I’ve just baked it: it’s look amazing.
I’ve put 500g of silken tofu to get a result as yours and a bit of curcurma for the color.
My husband said he won’t eat too much fat anymore: you make him happy.
Thank’s again
marie says
Can I published it on my blog to translate it in french?
Of course there will be a link for your site.
Chocolate Covered Katie says
Yes, and thank you for even asking… a lot of people don’t bother, so I really appreciate your kindness in asking :).
marie says
Thank’s a lot for your permission.
there we go : http://lostinkrakow.wordpress.com/2013/07/13/carres-de-citron-tarte-cheesecake-au-citron-vegan/
Shelley says
After tweeting about you obsessively for ages, I thought I’d better actually add a comment to at least one of these fab recipes. And I am completely hooked on this one. As written, this is the absolutely perfect balance of lemon zing and sweetness, one of the most wonderful things I have ever tasted. However, I have been determined to bump up the filling to make the perfect ‘deep’ lemon pie. So far I have still not been able to get the proportions just right to capture that same perfect balance of the original, but all have been very yummy, so I keep trying! Lesson learned so far for those wanting to try the ‘deep pie’ version:
– Don’t be tempted to use the same quantity of pastry base for a pie dish – even going up the sides the base comes out too thick. I now use about 2/3 of the original quantity for the pie base and this keeps the pastry just the right thickness as the original. (I added a drizzle of lemon juice to the leftover pastry and baked it along side as a giant shortbread-style biscuit – yum!)
– Cook the base for the deep dish pie longer than 10 minutes, I would say 15-18, as the extra topping will soften it quite a bit.
– Lime doesn’t work as well as lemons. I tried this as a lime pie and it just didn’t work. Lemons all the way from now on!
– Powdered Xylitol works very well as a substitute in the filling (just wizz it in the coffee grinder), but powdered sugar works best in the base.
– Some drops of lemon oil really help dial up the lemon flavour
If I find that perfect balance, I promise to post the proportions! Thanks again Kate, cannot tell you how much I appreciate your blog (but I’ll try)! 🙂
Shelley says
I got it! Finally I got that same zing in the deep dish pie filling as in the original. And you know what? It was because when I scaled up originally, I messed up and didn’t stick to Katie’s original proportions. I didn’t notice that the tofu packs I’m using are bigger than the Mori-Nu, so I hadn’t added enough of the rest of the ingredients. Duh!
If anyone is reading this from the UK, I used 2 boxes (2x300g) of Clearspring Organic Silken Tofu for this (you can buy it at Waitrose) and you just scale up the original filling proportions by 2.5. Notes I made on the base above still apply. I baked mine for 50 minutes.
Also, I realized that the ‘leftover’ base (see my earlier post on turning this into a pie) makes DELICIOUS biscuits! I drizzled about a teaspoon of lemon juice over it (just enough to make a ball of dough) flattened it out on a baking tray and cut out little heart shapes (or just leave it as one giant biscuit!). I baked it together with the pie for 20 minutes (or until light gold). SO yum. And also makes a very pretty decoration on top of the lemon pie when you serve it!
Thank you Katie!!
Margaux says
I love these! Have made them twice already this week alone and will have to triple the batch to keep up with my husband’s habit of vacuuming down five at a time! Delicious, tart, and different. 😀
Kay ren says
Hi Katie! Just wanted to say that I made this recipe but substituted chestnut flour for the wheat flour in the crust and it worked really well!
I had a really hard time finding chestnut flour. I looked for it for years, and I finally found some at a local grocer from the Aurora brand. Aurora is an Italian food company.
I will probably be making more of your recipes with chestnut flour so I will let you know how they work… I made the gluten free breakfast pizza with chestnut flour instead of garbanzo bean flour… It worked but the chestnut flavour was pretty strong. Next time I will try it with half chestnut and half sorghum, I think.
Erika says
I’ve made these several times and they are SO GOOD! Thank you for coming up with lemon squares that won’t break my healthy streak 🙂
Audrey says
Yay! A healthy and wholesome lemon bar recipe!! Can’t wait for payday so I can make these 🙂
Quick question. Are the nutrition facts based on 12 bars or 16? Sorry if you’ve answered this already.
Deborah says
question about the baking time/appearance of lemon squares. i baked mine for 25 minutes (minute less than the 26 min recommended because my oven tends to run ‘hot’. when i pulled them out they didn’t look nice and evenly yellowish on top but had areas that were darker. i wonder why? if my oven cooks unevenly for some reason, could this cause this? i’m not sure what would cause it to do so?? it’s an electric oven probably about 14 years old. hotpoint. just your regular standard oven that was there when we moved in. i did not use yellow food coloring but used about a 1/4 – a 1/2 tsp of tumeric for coloring. i noticed you added some powdered sugar to on of the photo shots, but there was another that the bare top was exposed and look perfectly yellow and fairly even in color, no darker spots. any ideas? won’t know until tomorrow how they taste, but when i tasted the inside of the food processor bowl as i was scraping the last little bit out, they tasted amazing. i used fresh squeezed lemon juice and added a nice dose of fresh grated lemon zest as well. ??? everything else was by the book.
Unofficial CCK Helper says
This is one of my favorite CCK recipes, and they always come out looking like the pictures for me, so maybe it is an oven temperature problem indeed. Maybe this link can be helpful?
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/faq-page/recipe-questions-and-troubleshooting/
deborah says
these are fantastic. every recipe i’ve tried on katie’s blog has been a winner thus far. but i have a special love of these bars. i love lemon but have diabetes and haven’t been able to eat a conventional lemon bar dessert in years because the sugar content is so high. i vastly prefer these bars, even if calories and sugar were not an issue. so light, so flavorful! and yet i am satisfied with just one or two very small bars. its’ amazing. i used fresh lemon juice and my own fresh lemon zest from the lemons. i’m in lemon heaven. when i made the bars they weren’t quite as beautiful as katie’s photo shoot, probably because my oven needed cleaning and may have baked a bit unevenly 😉 but the taste was astonishing regardless. i used tumeric for coloring and not a tiny amount and i had no problem with the taste of the tumeric, maybe it was masked by the lemon blitz to my taste buds. i would bring these to my next social event, except my family loves them too much to share. you must make this recipe.
IC says
So I tried making these, with some substitutions, and counting down the 2+ hours of chilling time to try it out. If it turns out well, which I’m sure it will, I will try making a key lime version and throwing some coconut flakes in with the crust.
Regarding a non-soy option I went to this great restaurant, Karyn’s Raw in Chicago, and she had a lemon pie using young coconut. Amazing…
Megan says
I love your recipes – we are GF, DF, SF, and Egg free around here, so finding your blog has been an answer to prayer! I really want to make these lemon squares, but I couldn’t find a comment where someone subbed the flour for GF flour – do you know if it works out with a GF flour? Thanks so much!
p.s. I have a recipe I want to send you to see if you can work your genius on it to make it easier to make and yummier!
Unofficial CCK Helper says
I think you will have to experiment. Be sure to report back with results if you do try it! 🙂
Elysa says
I can’t wait to try these. Go Katie!! 🙂 I have just found your site and have shared it with about 10 people already. I took your mounds bars to my chiropractor today! Except I made them into Almond Joys, with an almond on top. 🙂 They were very excited… as they are big into GF, SF, raw, and healthy eating, etc. I shared your site with them too!
Regarding Tofu, I saw one post talking about most Tofu being non organic and gmo, Wildwood Tofu is Organic and Non-GMO. I am not sure about shelf-stable, but they do have a silken version which I bought today and plan to try. Not sure about the crust… if anyone has made one GF please post and share. Maybe I will poke around the site and see if I can find an alternative… or just make it crust-less.
Elysa says
UPDATE – I tried to Wildwood Silken. Did not work. Was really sour. Not sure if it was due to the tofu or due to an “ingredient amount” issue. I tried to be very careful to stick to the recipe. One thing I wonder is if you can substitute xyla equally for sugar. I don’t think you can. It is not as sweet. So I am not sure the conversion there, but I suspect that was the crux of the issue. Looked all over today for MoriNu… no luck. Finally had to order from Amazon. Will try again. This time maybe taste the pudding before I bake.
Liz says
I made these for a fundraiser bake sale at work and they went so quickly!! These were so delicious and I will definitely be making them again. Thanks for the recipe! You rock!
Kate says
Mine just came out of the fridge- They’re so good!! I omitted the lemon zest and instead put in 8 drops of lemon essential oil (I have doTERRA oils, so they’re safe to ingest) and it was wonderful! I’m such a fan of lemon squares, but they’re so jam packed with sugar that I pretty much never have them. I knew I just had to try this recipe and I’m glad I did! I think I’m getting hooked on your blog 🙂
Emma Elizabeth says
Dear Katie (I apologise, I hope it is alright with you for me to use your name rather than CCK)
You are a blogging genius and an all-round amazing baker, cook and writer!
I happened to stumble across your blog one afternoon whilst procrastinating, and wow…just wow; there are no suitable synonyms to sum up how much I LOVE everything about ChocolateCoveredKatie. I have to admit, I was dubious to follow this recipe using tofu, as firstly, I am only seventeen, therefore my expenditure is not excessive, and because..well, it’s tofu…but I am, and forever will be irrevocably addicted! I halved the recipe and ate it all by myself…not feeling the slightest bit sluggish or weighed down from a carb overload.
You truly are an inspiration…I have recently created my own blog, but no matter how passionate I am about writing posts, I cannot find the time! 🙁
But, I will be eternally grateful to my English teacher setting my daunting homework, and enabling me to find this wondrous blog!
Is it possible to love someone whom you have not met, communicated with (until just now) or heard speak before? Too late…
– Emma Elizabeth
England, United Kingdom
debbie says
just a note…with your titel font, your “s” at the end of words looks rather like an “f” which gives an unfortunate result at first glance when the recipe is for “bars”….!
Mercer says
Katie, how do I make them gluten free?
Merc
Tani says
Hi Katie,
I just made these, and made sure I followed EXACTLY to the teaspoon. I made the base first, and saw immediately there was not enough to cover my pan, not nearly enough, so I doubled the mixture for the base, but kept the top qty the same as I did not have enough tofu. I entered everything onto a calorie counting site, and with around 20 one inch (tiny!) slices, it worked out to be 85 calories. And I used sugar free. Whats the difference?
Jennifer says
I made these and they were delicious! Taste even better the day after when kept in the fridge. I tried with medium firm regular tofu and it was fine, doesn’t mix as well (i’m guessing because of the water), so next time I’ll try firm tofu. Only thing is i had to double the crust portion because the amount specified wouldn’t even cover the pan. Otherwise, a keeper!
Elle says
Just for anyone who was wondering about using refrigerated silken tofu, it was successful for me! Set up perfectly and had no trace of soy taste.
Angela says
These were super yummy and so exciting for this vegan whose fave dessert used to be lemon bars. BUT in my opinion although they were perfect for vegans missing lemon bars and yummy as a dessert in their own right, they were too different to keep non-vegan lemon bar aficionados happy. I’m thinking of trying making them again and adding shredded coconut and calling them “creamy lemon-coconut custard squares” or something like that when I serve them to my non-adventurous-non-health-conscious friends. That way they aren’t expecting something specific and will be able to enjoy how completely yummy these are!
Julia K says
Katie!!!
I just made my mom your lemon squares for Mother’s Day! I was going to make her a chocolate cake but she /insisted/ on those (she isn’t even vegan). It is her favorite desert of all time OVER chocolate. The whole thing was gone within a couple of hours (yes, I helped). Btw your filling for the lemon squares makes fantastic ice cream and an amazing base for smoothies (I use Xylitol in place of sugar)! This is my favorite vegan dessert of all time, but they also make a great addition brunch and breakfast. Seriously, thank you so much for the recipe!
Best,
Julia
Fleur says
Love this Katie! Clearspring organic silken tofu (also in a box, non refrigerated like mori nu) works perfectly! And organic too:-)
Fleur says
http://www.clearspring.co.uk/products/organic-japanese-tofu
sara says
Making this recipe right now! Just wanted to let everyone know. . . As of Spring 2015, Costco in South Carolina sells Mori Nu tofu. Comes in a big pack, 12.3 oz individual boxes.
Sacha says
Im a huge Pinterest fan but I notice a big difference between Australian and what I believe are American products. I’ve looked at a lot of your recipes and there are a few common ingredients that Australia doesn’t sell or needs to be ordered on line I guess….. I.e canned pumpkin and mori ni silken firm?? Don’t even know what to substitute this for. I would love to try your recipes and is only some feedback due to my frustrations.
Lucy says
Alton Brown has a recipe for making your own pumpkin puree: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-puree-recipe.html Canned is much less of a hassle, though 😛
Kia says
Are you able to find a different brand of non-refrigerated silken tofu where you live? I get the impression that the texture, and not the brand (Mori-Nu is the brand), is more important. There are different levels of firmness available when you buy non-refrigerated silken tofu: Extra firm silken, firm silken, & soft silken are only some available. Each one is suitable for different recipes.
Calling local health food, and local Asian food stores might be fruitful! In fact, I just looked it up online, and Coles Australia might carry a brand called TLY Joyce silken firm tofu: http://shop.coles.com.au/online/national/tly-joyce-tofu-silken-firm. Contacting your local vegetarian society might also be helpful!
And regarding the pumpkin, yeah, you can totally cut a pumpkin or squash in half, roast cut-side-down, and scoop out and blend the insides. This works as a great substitute for canned pumpkin. It’s more work, but fresher, and awesome when pumpkin is in season!
Lucy says
Oh wow I LOVE these! They’re so delicious, and taste just like the real thing (but with tons of cholesterol-free protein 🙂 ) I had to try these with leftover tofu from the greek yogurt cheesecake (also yummy!).
Nitya says
Came out great! No question there will be several encores 🙂 FYI though, I used regular powdered sugar and when checking calories I got 87 cals a square (for a batch of 16, using the measurements in the recipe). Still thrilled about them.
Janet says
I’ve tried the one minute chocolate cake and deep dish cookie pie with good results, so was looking forward to healthier lemon bars, because they are a favorite. There is a suggestion that if the filling is not enough, add .5 additional ingredients. I would recommend this, and it must be what is pictured because the crust to filling ratio without doing that is about 50/50. Also, I looked at several other crust recipes and there is too much flour in this one. It would be better with less flour and more coconut oil, I think. The flavor and texture are good, but I will try again with these tweaks.
Whitley says
I was a little skeptical to make these (my first time cooking with tofu), but I whipped them up tonight and they really were DELICIOUS! So good and I can’t believe they’re healthy! I am working hard to lose weight, but have a major sweet tooth. Your blog has already been a lifesaver for helping me make some positive life changes. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!! 🙂
Kia says
I just made these using Earth Balance instead of coconut oil to really showcase the lemon flavour. Oh my goodness! The filling is SO SO good: Tangy and sweet and possibly the best lemon dessert I’ve ever tasted. For the filling, I used an entire package of Mori-Nu Extra Firm silken tofu (349 g) and multiplied the remaining ingredients by 1.5. Katie, thanks for the recipe! I bet you could make a custard dessert variation!
SGM says
Hi Katie!
Just wanted to let you and your readers know that I experimented in making tartlets using this recipe and they came out great! Everyone loved them! I split the crust (which I made using gf flour btw) into cupcake pans (12 total), baked for about 7 min. Then baked it again with the filling for about 19 min. They looked done (some of the tops cracked) so not sure if that was too much time or just enough. I figured it was enough since some of the edges were brown. The crust did not brown (not sure if it was supposed to). They held pretty well. 🙂
Sarah says
Hi, how is this 45 calories a piece? The virgin coconut oil is already around 470 calories. And the flour is around 400. That’s already 54 calories for 16 lemon squares!!
Heidi says
Hi Katie,
I followed the recipe exactly, and the flavor is delicious, but the lemon filling came out so thin, only about 1/4″! I swear it is thinner than the crust, so I don’t think my pan was too big. Should there be 2 cups of tofu in the recipe? I would really like this to work, because it was delicious.