Paleo Lime Bars (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Tangy, ultra rich, and perfectly sweetened, these paleo lime bars are a fresh and light take on traditional lemon bars… except they’re grain-free, gluten-free, lactose-free, and refined-sugar-free! They’re simply delicious.

💚 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• These paleo lime bars are the ultimate warm weather, almost-too-good-to-be-true dessert. They’ve got a crumbly, crisp crust that’s reminiscent of crushed graham crackers, and a citrusy lime curd filling that’s equal parts tangy, tart, and sweet. It’s a better-for-you sweet treat that’s perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, baby showers, cookouts, or just any time you’re craving something extra delicious.
• Making them really couldn’t be easier! Similar to our paleo lemon bars, these lime bars are great for even the most novice bakers. Believe it or not, you need less than 10 ingredients total, and most of them are pantry staples I bet you’ve got on hand right now.
• Feeding a group with a variety of dietary needs? You’re in luck. This recipe is paleo, obviously, and it’s also dairy free, grain free, gluten free, and refined-sugar free. If you swap out the coconut sugar for Brown Swerve, allulose, or monk fruit and the maple syrup for a liquid keto sweetener, you can make them keto-friendly and low carb, too!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• When you’re zesting the limes, be careful not to cut too deeply into the peel. The white pith (the layer just beneath the vibrant green peel) is dry and bitter, and it’ll totally throw off the flavor of the lime bars.
• We’re using regular limes here, but you can absolutely use key limes instead! Paleo key lime bars will have a brighter, slightly sweeter flavor than paleo lime bars. Key limes are typically a little smaller and more yellow in color than traditional limes, so you may need to use more to get the same amount of juice and zest. Your key lime bars may also look a little different than our lime bars. They’ll taste just as great, though!
• I love a dusting of powdered tapioca starch and a lime wedge garnish, but you can skip both of those if you want. If you don’t want to serve naked lime bars, give each square a dollop of whipped coconut cream. The coconut flavor is subtle but goes beautifully with the flavor of the limes, and it keeps your bars paleo and dairy free!

🥘 Perfect Paleo Recipes You’ll Love

• Whole30 Grazing Board (Paleo, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)
• Tuna Ceviche
• Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Thighs
• Accordion Potatoes
• Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad (Whole30)
• Grilled Spaghetti Squash
• Paleo Pancakes
• Whole30 Marry Me Chicken (Paleo, Dairy Free)
• How to Cook Nopales (Cactus Paddles)

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Paleo Lime Bars

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 45 minutes minutes

Cool & Chill 2 hours hours

Total 3 hours hours

Bright and tangy paleo lime bars are a little morsel of sunshine and summertime – with no gluten, grains, lactose, or refined sugar!

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9 bars

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Equipment

• Oven
• 8×8 metal baking pan see Notes
• parchment paper
• 2 large mixing bowls glass or stainless steel, see Notes
• Flour sifter optional
• Silicone spatula
• whisk
• stovetop
• medium heavy saucepan stainless steel, glass, ceramic; see Notes
• Wooden spoon
• instant read thermometer
• fine mesh stainless steel strainer (sieve)
• large glass measuring cup or glass or ceramic bowl, see Notes
• wire cooling rack
• refrigerator
• Sharp knife

Ingredients

For the Paleo Crust

• ▢ 1 cup fine blanched almond flour
• ▢ ½ cup tapioca starch
• ▢ ¼ cup coconut sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup ghee at room temperature
• ▢ 1 big pinch salt approximately ⅛ teaspoon

For the Paleo Lime Filling

• ▢ 6 large egg yolks yolks only, no egg whites
• ▢ 2 large whole eggs egg yolks and egg whites
• ▢ ½ cup maple syrup
• ▢ ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lime juice juice from approximately 6 large limes
• ▢ zest from 2 large limes approximately 2 tablespoons
• ▢ 4 tablespoons ghee at room temperature

Suggested Toppings (All Optional)

• ▢ powdered tapioca starch or powdered coconut sugar
• ▢ thinly sliced lime wedges or lime peel twists

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Instructions

 

For the Paleo Crust

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Leave excess parchment paper hanging over sides of pan, to use as handles to remove lime bars. Set pan aside.
• Add 1 cup fine blanched almond flour, ½ cup tapioca starch, ¼ cup coconut sugar, ¼ cup ghee, and 1 big pinch salt to mixing bowl. Stir ingredients together until fully combined, forming crust dough.
• Transfer dough to prepared baking pan. Gently press dough out to cover bottom of baking pan in one even layer, making sure to press dough into corners of pan.
• Place baking pan in preheated oven. Bake crust 20 minutes or until lightly browned, then carefully remove baking pan from oven. Note: while crust bakes, prepare lime filling. Do not wait until crust is ready to start on filling.

For the Paleo Lime Filling

• Add 6 large egg yolks and 2 large whole eggs to second mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously until yolks and whole eggs are combined, approximately 5 seconds.
• Add ½ cup maple syrup to egg mixture and whisk until ingredients are just combined.
• Add ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lime juice and zest from 2 large limes to egg mixture. Whisk until fully incorporated.
• Transfer egg mixture to heavy saucepan and place on stovetop over medium-low heat.
• Add 4 tablespoons ghee to saucepan and stir mixture constantly with wooden spoon until mixture develops thin, sauce-like consistency. Temperature of mixture should read 170° Fahrenheit when checked with instant read thermometer.
• When desired consistency and temperature are achieved, carefully pour lime curd through fine mesh sieve and into glass measuring cup. Discard any sediment left in sieve.
• Immediately pour strained lime curd on top of warm, lightly golden crust in baking pan, covering crust completely and evenly. Spread lime curd into corners of baking pan as needed.
• Return baking pan to preheated oven. Bake lime bars 10 minutes, then begin checking doneness. Continue baking as needed, checking doneness every 1 to 2 minutes, until lime filling is opaque, shiny, and jiggles slightly in center of pan.
• When lime filling is ready, carefully remove baking pan from oven and place on wire cooling rack. Cool lime bars 45 minutes or until room temperature, then place baking pan in refrigerator. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

For the Paleo Lime Bars

• When ready to serve lime bars, use excess parchment paper "handles" to gently wiggle and lift sheet of lime bars out of baking pan.
• Slice sheet of lime bars into 9 to 12 equally-sized squares (see Notes for tips). If desired, garnish bars with light dusting of powdered tapioca starch or powdered coconut sugar, top with thinly sliced lime wedges or twists, and serve chilled.

• Baking Pan: For best results, use an 8×8 metal baking pan. Glass pans may cause the crust to burn. 9×9 pans will result in much thinner lime bars, which can also cause the crust to burn.
• Cookware: Because this recipe contains very acidic ingredients, it’s important that you use bowls, pans, strainers, and saucepans made from non-reactive materials like stainless steel, ceramic, or glass. Avoid using aluminum, cast iron, or copper.
• Flour Sifter: If desired, sift the almond flour, tapioca starch, and coconut sugar into the mixing bowl, to reduce clumping.
• Make it Dairy Free: Use a paleo-friendly, dairy-free butter alternative.
• Make it Keto: Replace the coconut sugar with Brown Swerve, allulose, or monk fruit. Replace the maple syrup with a maple-flavored liquid keto sweetener.
• Storage: Refrigerate lime bars in an airtight container up to 4 days.

 

 

To Slice Lime Squares Perfectly

1. Use long, sharp knife.
2. Run knife under warm (not scalding) water to warm blade. Dry blade completely.
3. After each cut, wipe blade completely clean. Run blade under warm water again, then dry blade completely before next cut.
4. Repeat until sheet of lime bars has been sliced into 9 to 12 squares as desired.

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Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1 paleo lime barCalories: 315calProtein: 6gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 194mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 184mgTotal Carbs: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gNet Carbs: 24gVitamin A: 232IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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