This recipe for keto lemon bars is an absolute low carb dream! With only 4g of net carbs per serving, you'll be happy to indulge in this bright and tangy treat without a shred of guilt!
Are you missing fruity goodness on your keto diet?
I'm not one who subscribes to the belief that keto is a "no fruits" diet, and this is because I think many fruits are still great whole food options, that are nutritious than other artificial foods.
But some fruits are very high in NET carbs (total carbs minus fiber minus sugar alcohols) for someone following keto. This is mostly because of the high amount of natural sugars.
An apple is about 20.6g net carbs, an orange is about 8.3g net carbs, and a banana is about 23.9g net carbs. (source: Google)
Because of this, I would say those aren't great options for Keto, but other fruits, like berries are much better.
One cup of blackberries is about 6 net carbs, one cup of raspberries is about 7 net carbs, and a cup of whole strawberries is about 8.1g net carbs. Those numbers are much better, and when you think about it...one cup of any of these fruits is a pretty significant amount!
I love to put lower carb fruits into my desserts, like in my Keto Yogurt Recipe so I'm super excited to share this recipe with you...it's a real winner!
Thanks so much to Tasteaholics for letting me share this recipe! It comes straight from their Dessert in Five, eCookbook, which features 30 DELICIOUS recipes that all can be made with just 5 ingredients and are only 5g (or less) of net carbs per serving!
The fruit in this recipe is lemons...which are about 3.4g net carbs per fruit. And you're not using very much of it so the carbs stay low!
The other hero of this recipe is what makes it sweet...erythritol. Erythritol is a mild sugar alcohol with a glycemic index of 0. It's my favorite sweetener, and I believe the powdered version is the very best. It tastes and bakes like confectioner's sugar, AND really cuts down on the cooling effect that erythritol typically carries.
You can buy it on Amazon along with their Ketone Test Strips and Hand Held Spiralizer. If you've been following me for any amount of time, you know that I love to support small business, so I'm so happy to promote this quality brand!
Back to the recipe. When I tried the Keto Lemon Bars I was so impressed. It tastes so fresh and natural, unlike the processed junk you might be used to if you're new to Keto. And the nutrition info is great! Here's a breakdown per serving:
Calories: 272 Net Carbs: 4g Fat: 26g Protein: 8g
Here's how you make them!
Yield: 8 servings
You and your guests will be left satisfied after these dense, wonderful lemon dream bars! Finish them off with lemon and a sprinkle of erythritol.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour20 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup butter, melted
1 ¾ cups almond flour
1 cup powdered erythritol
3 medium lemons
3 large eggs
Instructions
Mix butter, 1 cup almond flour, ¼ cup erythritol, and a pinch of salt. Press evenly into an 8x8" parchment paper-lined baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, let cool for 10 minutes.
Into a bowl, zest one of the lemons, then juice all 3 lemons, add the eggs, ¾ cup erythritol, ¾ cup almond flour & pinch of salt. Combine to make filling.
Pour the filling onto the crust & bake for 25 minutes.
Serve with lemon slices and a sprinkle of erythritol.
Notes
If adding vanilla extract to crust is something you're used to, feel free to mix ½ teaspoon into the crust.
I recommend letting the bars cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Cutting the bars with unflavored dental floss is a GREAT way to get a clean cut.
Please note that I am not a certified nutritionist. If nutrition is important to you, I highly encourage you to verify any data you see here with your favorite nutrition calculator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servings
Serving Size:
1 bar Amount Per Serving:Calories: 272Total Fat: 26gCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 8g
Underbaking: This is the most common reason for gooey lemon bars. The filling needs enough time to set, which can be tricky since oven temperatures can vary and the visual cues for doneness are subtle. Solution: Bake the bars until the filling is just set and no longer wobbles when you gently shake the pan.
In just one fresh lemon, there are about 5.4 grams net carbs and 2.3 grams of fiber. This tells me you can enjoy two whole lemons daily on the keto diet. That's a lot, considering very few people will eat two entire lemons. Moderate amounts of lemons are a good choice for low-carb dieters.
Lemon filling: Mix lemon zest and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, flour, baking powder, and eggs. Mix until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over the baked crust.
Here's what you can do: Return them to the oven: Preheat your oven to the same temperature as the original baking temperature (usually 350°F). Place the undercooked lemon bars back in the oven and bake them until the custard sets.
A custard with both eggs and starch needs to be thoroughly cooked. The reason is that yolks contain an enzyme which liquidifies starch. It doesn't happen outright, but will happen while your tart is cooling. The only way to prevent it is to heat the mix high enough so the enzyme is deactivated.
Cloud bread, or oopsie bread, is very popular with low-carb and keto dieters. Cloud bread is a protein-rich alternative to regular bread and makes an excellent sandwich base or English muffin replacement.
Avocados, raspberries, and lemons are keto-friendly fruits when eaten in moderation. Fruit is known to be high in carbs, so you might think nature's candy is off-limits on the trendy, high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet.
With 11.2 grams of net carbs in each cup (156 grams), cantaloupe can be incorporated into a well-planned ketogenic diet. Cantaloupe also contains folate, potassium, vitamin K, and beta carotene.
Honey is 100% carbohydrate, so it isn't part of the keto diet plan. For reference, one tablespoon of honey contains 17.2 grams of sugar. If you want to kick yourself out of ketosis, honey is a good way to do that.
Lemons. Lemons are a particularly solid choice for the keto diet. Lemon contains 6 grams of carbs and 1.8 grams of fiber per fruit (a total of 65 grams per lemon) or 0.7 grams of carbs per wedge (8 grams per slice). It also provides plenty of flavor and is an excellent source of vitamin C.
There are a couple of things that can impact the integrity of your lemon bars. The first is if your crust has cracks in it and the lemon curd fills in the cracks. This can cause your lemon bar to break! It may also break if you don't bake the crust long enough or the lemon layer is underbaked.
Zest is a food ingredient that is prepared by scraping or cutting from the rind of unwaxed citrus fruits such as lemon, orange, citron, and lime. Zest is used to add flavor to foods. Zesting an orange. In terms of fruit anatomy, the zest is obtained from the flavedo (exocarp) which is also called zest.
Runny lemon bars - This is a common issue for people who are making lemon bars for the first time. Usually, it just means that you need to bake your bars longer. If your bars seem to brown at the edges, you can cover them with aluminum foil and turn down the heat.
It's likely your measurements were off and you either added too much lemon juice or not enough egg. You may not have heated the lemon curd to the proper temperature. Using a thermometer is a great way to ensure that you are cooking the egg to the point of thickening – 170 degrees F.
Serving: Lemon bars are fine to keep out at room temperature for up to 6 hours or so. Storing: Store cooked lemon bars or leftovers in the refrigerator. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days. Make-Ahead: You can make lemon bars up to two days in advance.
Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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