BAHH! I did it Ladies and Gents, I have created the perfect summer dessert, Creamy Vegan Lemon Dream Bars! These bad boys have it all. They’re creamy, sweet and lemony. A light and refreshing dessert for hot days! They take some time to make but overall are one of the easiest vegan desserts I’ve tried.
I’ve been wanting to figure out how to make lemon bars for quite some time, and while this took a few tries to figure out it was so worth the extra effort. Lemon bars have always been one of my favorite desserts. When I was little and all the other kids were eating tons of cake and cookies, I could eat an entire pan of lemon bars. My mom’s were always so good too, she would make them for holidays all the time along with mini cheesecakes and all kinds of other good stuff!
I usually see lemon bars made with a sort of jello consistency and that’s how my mom always made hers as well. However, I went in another direction for these and decided to do a creamy almost cheesecake like filing and my experiment paid off! I have to warn you though if you have the time, make these a day ahead and let them cool in the fridge overnight. The crust is awesome, but it needs the extra time to cool to stick together.
These are the perfect starter dessert for anyone who is trying to eat less dairy or get creative with their cooking. I know the tofu seems scary if you’re not used to it but I swear it works perfectly here! If you have an aversion to soy, you can try this with soaked cashews instead. If you try this please share on social media, I want to see your recipes!! And don’t forget if you like this to subscribe to Almost Like Mom’s for more deliciousness straight to your inbox. Thanks for visiting!
Until Next Time,
Jackie
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Creamy Vegan Lemon Dream Bars
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian
Description
Sweet, creamy and full of lemony goodness, these Creamy Vegan Lemon Dream Bars are the perfect light summer dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- Lemon Filling
- 2 cups silken tofu
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 1 1/2 tbs lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tbs cornstarch
- 1/4 cup coconut cream*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- Crust
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup almonds**
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 5 tbs coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Begin by making the crust. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor combine the oats, almonds and brown sugar until they form a crumble. Next, add the coconut oil and maple syrup to the mixture and pulse until it forms a dough. You should be able to pick it up and mold pieces in your hand into a dough. If it crumbles in your hand, add a little more coconut oil. It doesn’t have to be a perfect mold, it just shouldn’t be crumbly.
- Line an 8×8 baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the mixture to it. Gently pat the mixture to flatten it until it covers the bottom of the pan. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until it slightly browns. Then remove the crust from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes.
- While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. Add all the ingredients for the Lemon Filling to a high speed blender and blend until fully combined. It should be a relatively thin liquid. Taste and adjust adding extra sugar or lemon if needed. Place the mixture in the fridge until the crust is finished cooling.
- When the crust is done cooling, pour the lemon filling over it and use a spoon to ensure it is evenly set. Sprinkle the top with a little cane sugar so it slightly browns in the oven. Place back in the oven and bake for 25 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely before placing them in the fridge. Chill in the fridge for at least three hours. I highly recommend though that you make these the day before you need them and let them cool overnight in the fridge. This helps solidify the crust, the first time I made them I pulled them out of the fridge early and the crust was very crumbly. Garnish with a little powdered sugar and enjoy!
