Dairy-Free Lime Bars

Updated! We’ve made these dairy-free lime bars so many times! The recipe is so easy that my daughter began making it by herself when she was just eleven years old. These sweet-tart bars have been our go-to treat for countless weekends, but they also make a great holiday dessert. For St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas, we use a little green food coloring in the filling. For Easter, we top the powdered sugar with pastel sprinkles. My mom says it looks like our typical Pennsylvania Easter with eggs (the sprinkles) scattered on the snow (powdered sugar), haha.

Dairy-Free Lime Bars for Every Occasion

These dairy-free lime bars are a riff on the lemon bars by one of my favorite motherhood authors, Catherine Newman. Her recipe varies from other lemon bar recipes I have known and loved because it uses the juice of one lemon and the zest from two lemons. My daughter and I decided to use the zest and juice from two limes for our lime bars because, why not? We also tried her recipe with the traditional two lemons and one lemon and one lime. It makes delicious “limon” citrus bars! If you have key limes, I bet key lime bars would be good, too. I have some additional ingredient options in the FAQs below.

How Much Sea Salt Should I Use?

I would use 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt meant for baking. Avoid chunkier sea salt as it won’t disperse properly in the crust. You can grind sea salt in a spice grinder, if needed.

Can I Use Salted Vegan Butter or Margarine?

You can, but I would reduce the salt in half if your buttery sticks or spread are salted. Particularly if you are using a quite salty brand, like Country Crock Plant Butter.

Can I Substitute Coconut Oil for the Butter Alternative?

I haven’t tested plain oil in this recipe, but substituting coconut oil could work. I’d use solid coconut oil and start with less, just 1/4 cup. Then add more as needed to get sandy crumbs. I would also use refined coconut oil to avoid any coconut in the taste. Or you could use a regular coconut oil and sprinkle toasted coconut on top of the bars for a “lime in the coconut” style treat.

How Can I Make this Recipe Gluten Free?

I haven’t tested these dairy-free lime bars without gluten, so I can’t make any guarantees. But in theory, they should work okay with your favorite gluten-free flour blend for baking, like King Arthur Measure for Measure. Just keep in mind that the crust could be a bit more crumbly.

Should I Line the Pan with Parchment Paper?

We usually just grease the baking pan, but you can line it with parchment paper for easier removal. If you do opt to use parchment, make sure the bars are completely cool before you lift them out of the pan. You can even refrigerate them a little to help them set up more.

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Lime Bars

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, and vegetarian. These lime bars do use eggs in the filling for a classic texture. If you confuse eggs with dairy, you’re not alone! See this post: Are Eggs Dairy?

For egg-free lime bars, try the filling in this Vegan Lemon Bars Recipe, but use lime in place of the lemon.

Sarah Hatfield

Dairy-Free Lime Bars

5 from 3 votes

The sweet and tart flavor of these tangy dessert bars is simply irresistible. They offer the perfect sweetness to holidays like St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Christmas. But we also enjoy them as a summery weekend treat throughout the year.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 16 bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 134

Ingredients Method Nutrition

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• ½ cup unsalted dairy-free butter alternative softened

Lime Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs beaten
• Juice of 2 to 3 limes 1/3 to ⅔ cup lime juice
• Zest of 2 limes
• Powdered sugar for topping

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Crust

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the butter alternative and beat with a mixer or a pastry blender until you have a bowlful of sandy crumbs.
2. Pat the mixture firmly into a well-greased 8x8-inch pan.
3. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.

Lime Filling

1. As the crust bakes, whisk together the sugar, flour, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
2. Add the eggs, lime juice, and lime zest, and whisk until smooth.
3. Pour the filling over the partially-baked crust and bake the bars for 25 minutes.
4. Let the lime dessert cool completely.
5. Sift powdered sugar over the top.
6. Using a sharp knife, cut the dessert into fourths each way to make 16 squares.
7. Store the lime bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can keep them in the freezer for longer storage.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 1.7gFat: 4.7gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 149mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 14.5g

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You’ll also love these Frozen Key Lime Tarts!