I bought a large box of fresh blueberries this week, and even after baking a batch of my vegan blueberry breakfast bars and vegan blueberry muffins, I still ended up with many blueberries in my fridge. That’s how I came up with the idea of baking blueberry blondies. This lemon blondies recipe is inspired by my 4-ingredient lemon cake. I added more melted plant-based butter because blondies should be buttery and less cakey. I also added lemon juice and lemon zest and didn’t blend the whole lemon in the batter. Finally, I experimented with all-purpose gluten-free flour, and I adore the texture, so here’s a new vegan gluten-free dessert recipe for you.
Ingredients and Swaps
All-Purpose Flour or all-purpose gluten-free flour that contains xanthan gum. Both options deliver great results, so pick the option you prefer. Almond Flour – This is my secret ingredient to turn the blondies’ texture rich, dense, and even more buttery. Almond flour adds a lovely moisture (see why) to the crumb and a subtle nut flavor that goes so well with lemon. You can swap it for sesame flour, oat flour, or more all-purpose flour, but the texture ends up more packed. Lemon Juice and lemon zest from fresh lemons for best the lemon flavors. Melted Plant-Based Butter – You can also use melted margarine, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil. While many options work, the texture and taste change. If you use oil, the texture is a bit oily, and some oils are high in flavor, changing the blondies’ taste. If you can, stick to melted vegan butter for the best results. Fresh Blueberries or frozen blueberries if they are not in season where you live. My expert tip, if you are using frozen blueberries, is to roll the frozen berries in a tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot flour before adding them to the batter. This prevents the frozen berries from releasing too much water that thins out the blondies’ texture. Maple Syrup or any liquid sweetener you love. But I highly recommend maple syrup as it marries very well with lemon. Baking Powder for a little raise. Make sure you use gluten-free baking powder if you need. Salt – This is optional, but it balances the overall sweet and sour flavors of the blondies. Vanilla Extract – This is also optional, but adding a teaspoon tastes amazing. You can replace it with almond extract if preferred.
How To Make Blueberry Lemon Blondies
Expert Tips: If you use frozen blueberries, don’t add them with the previous ingredients. First, stir all ingredients expert the blueberries to form a smooth blondie batter. Then, coat the frozen fruits in a tablespoon of cornstarch.
Decoration
You don’t have to add the lemon glaze, but lemon and blueberries taste so good together that I couldn’t resist adding the lemon glaze. It also adds a cute glossy effect, boosting the lemon flavor and sweetness of each slice. To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar and lemon juice following my vegan royal icing recipe. Simply swap the almond milk for lemon juice to make the icing taste lemony. Grate some lemon zest in if desired, or add the zest to the lemon bars.
Serving
You can also serve the blondies plain with some:
Scoop of vanilla ice cream, Avocado Ice Cream, or Sugar-Free Raspberry Sorbet. Coconut Frosting Vegan Whipped Cream
Storage
You can store the blondies in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can also pack the blondies in airtight freezer bags and freeze them for up to one month. Thaw the blondies in the fridge the day before serving.
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