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Healthy Lemon Bars made with Greek yogurt! These creamy bars have a gluten free shortbread crust with a stevia sweetened Greek yogurt custard layer on top that’s bursting with lemon flavor! These lightened up bars are baked to perfection for the ultimate low calorie dessert!
You will love these zesty Greek Yogurt Lemon Bars! They’re one of my favorite lighter dessert recipes for warm weather along with my yogurt cheesecake bars and healthy key lime pie bars.
I’m all about including all foods, even desserts. I firmly believe they can fit into a balanced lifestyle. However, I do think there are simple ways to make low calorie desserts without without sacrificing flavor or taste.
These healthy lemons bars recipe uses yogurt to boost the protein, making them higher in protein and fewer calories than traditional lemon bar recipes.
Low Calorie Lemon Bars
I just love these low calorie lemon bars! I ate the last one out of the freezer the other day and seriously was sad they were gone. I keep all my healthy treats in the freezer so they keep longer.
It would not be unheard of to find some leftover almond flour cobbler or my favorite cherry bars recipe in my freezer!
But these low sugar lemon bars…oh my are they good! They’re made with a gluten free crust that resembles the texture of shortbread. It’s delicious!
For the filling, I kept it lighter and lower in sugar by using stevia to sweeten it. I also balanced the protein content better by using Greek yogurt. Not only are these greek yogurt lemon bars lower in sugar and calories, but there’s also more protein. That means you’re sneaking in protein with every bite!
So if it isn’t spring where you are, at least with this healthy lemon dessert recipe you can make you pretend it is spring. One can always hope, right?
Want more delicious low-calorie desserts? Try my low-calorie pie crust, raspberry crumble squares, and low calorie edible cookie dough next!
Healthy Lemon Bars (Low Calorie)
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup Gluten Free Baking Four, or oat flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, or sugar of choice
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the top layer:
- 3 cups Greek yogurt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons powdered stevia, or sweetener of choice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper or grease liberally.
- In a standing mixer or using a hand mixer, blend together the oil, sugar, milk, lemon juice and salt. Add the flour (measured properly) and mix together with the liquid. The dough will be slightly crumbly at this point.
- Transfer the dough to the baking pan. Using your fingers, press it into the bottom of the pan firmly into an even layer.
- Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool 20 minutes.
- While the crust cools, prepare the filling by mixing the ingredients for the filling except the lemon zest together until well combined. See notes on sugar content. Test the batter as necessary, add and combine as needed.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Make sure it is cool before pouring so it does not crack the crust.
- Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes or until the filling has set. Once the edges turn slightly brown you will know it has set.
- Remove from the oven and cool the bars at room temperature 60 minutes then chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before slicing into 12 bars and sprinkling with lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- I used Trader Joe’s stevia as I do not like things too sweet. Test the batter and adjust the amount as needed for yourself. Alternatively use 2 tablespoons of sugar or maple syrup.
- Other flours have not been tested with the recipe. I do not recommend using other flours other than oat flour as they will not work properly without adjustments to the recipe. You can use gluten free or not gluten free oat flour or regular gluten free baking flour.
- Make sure to measure flour properly for baking.
- Store bars in the refrigerator up to 7 days or in the freezer 30 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hard to resist; very delicious!
Delicious dessert for a summer picnic! Was enjoyed by all. I used monk fruit sweetener and some vanilla extract because I used fage— a tangier yogurt.
Tried the almond flour in this and it absolutely does not work. It all separated after cooling and I was left with a giant soupy mess. What an (expensive) waste. And so insanely sour, I had to basically quadruple the Stevia, otherwise it tasted like lemon sour cream.
Almond flour will absolutely not work in the recipe. You made your own recipe and did not follow the instructions. You cannot complain about something that you did not follow appropriately. Thanks!
I think you could have made a more professional, less punitive response to Shaila considering that the recipe calls for gluten-free flour. I do believe almond flour falls under that category.
While almond flour is gluten-free, it is not able to be subbed 1:1 in recipes. Subbing almond flour or coconut flour always requires a different combination of ingredients to make a recipe work due to the fat content in those flours.
Can you use maple syrup or honey to replace the stevia?
I have not tested it. I’m not sure how it would impact the results so I couldn’t say.
Hi Megan!
So excited to try a ton of your recipes!! 🙂
Just a question is it possible for me to use vanilla fat free Greek yogurt or does it have to be plain?
It’s all I have on hand, if this kind won’t turn out for me could you please recommend a Greek yogurt substitute?
I appreciate your time thank you! 🙂
It should work fine, but the vanilla flavor may alter the lemon taste.