Keto Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares. A very simple, yet deluxe low carb dessert making use of the humble rhubarb. Bottom cake layer is moist and lemony, the middle layer is a sweet, yet tart rhubarb custard and the top a nice fluffy meringue.
Don’t let the 3 layers scare you! This is a very simple to make dessert that will surprise you in how delicious it tastes!
I found this recipe from my grandmother’s collection that my Aunty Irma put together for the family. It was titled ‘Spring Rhubarb Dessert’. The subtitle was ‘Art’s favorite dessert’. Art, being my Uncle Art.
When I gave my sister a piece, she loved it and said No wonder it was his favorite! Even my super picky 21 year old son loved it. You are going to love it too!
At first I was a little intimidated by it, but it was surprisingly easy to turn this Spring Rhubarb Dessert into my Keto Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares.
Can I Eat Rhubarb on Keto?
Many people are not aware that rhubarb is actually a vegetable and not a fruit! This is because rhubarb is often featured in recipes that are associated with fruit such as crumble and pie recipes.
If you are wondering how many net carbs in rhubarb, you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that 1 cup of diced rhubarb has only 26 calories and 3.3 net carbs. You can find out other Rhubarb Nutrition Facts in this article.
So the answer is a resounding YES! Feel free to eat rhubarb on Keto!
Gather These Items for this Low Carb Rhubarb Dessert Recipe
Food Ingredients needed:
- Rhubarb
- Lemons
- Almond Flour
- Sweetener. I recommend all natural zero carb monkfruit sweetener, either this So Nourished sweetener from Amazon or this Lakanto monkfruit.
- eggs
Tools and Equipment needed:
- lemon zester
- electric mixer for whipping egg whites
- pot
- mixing bowls
- 9 x 13 pan
Tips and Tricks for Making Keto Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares
- The original recipe calls for the juice and zest of 1 orange. I didn’t have an orange so I used 2 lemons. If I ever have an orange in the house, I might try it and if I do I’ll report back here with an update.
- You can meal prep by making the rhubarb custard filling a day ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.
- I couldn’t find my cream of tartar so I made it without and it turned out perfectly fine
- When the baking is finished, allow to cool and then refrigerate until cold. The lemon flavor seeps down into the bottom layer and the result is a super moist, lemony piece of heaven.
- For those using different sweeteners: The original recipe calls for the following amounts of sugar (which I lowered for this recipe), 1/4 cup in the bottom layer, 1 1/4 cup in the custard layer, and 1/3 cup in the meringue.
Keto Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares Printable Recipe Card
Keto Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares
Keto Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares. A very simple, yet deluxe low carb dessert making use of the humble rhubarb. Bottom cake layer is moist and lemony, the middle layer is a sweet, yet tart rhubarb custard and the top a nice fluffy meringue.
Ingredients
Bottom Layer
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup sweetener
- 1/2 cup softened butter
Filling
- 4 cups sliced rhubarb
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup sweetener
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 3 egg yolks beaten (reserve whites)
Topping
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup sweetener
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- Blend almond flour, sweetener and softened butter
- Press into bottom of 9 x 13 cake pan
- Bake at 350 for 10 minutes
- While cake pan is baking, heat rhubarb, lemon juice and zest and butter. Bring to a boil and stir in sweetener. Simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in beaten egg yolks.
- Spoon rhubarb mixture over bottom layer
- Whip egg whites with cream of tartar and sweetener until stiff peaks form.
- Spread meringue over rhubarb mixture.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until meringue is golden color.
- Cool and store in fridge
Notes
- For those using different sweeteners: The original recipe calls for the following amounts of sugar (which I lowered for this recipe), 1/4 cup in the bottom layer, 1 1/4 cup in the custard layer, and 1/3 cup in the meringue.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 squareAmount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 11gCarbohydrates: 3gNet Carbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
Try Some Other Keto and Low Carb Desserts
Other Keto Dessert Bars you'll Love!
Keto and Low Carb Dessert Bars and treats
Keto Cranberry Lemon Bars
These luscious lemon bars with a hint of almond and a burst of cranberry will be a welcome addition to your holiday dessert table. Easy to make but impressive in flavor and color!
Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert Bars
These no bake low carb dessert bars combine my 2 favorite food groups: peanut butter and chocolate! Perfect keto treat for a potluck or party!
Instant Pot Chocolate Cheesecake!
Use your pressure cooker to make this keto chocolate cheesecake smooth and rich! A favorite low carb dessert for any occasion.
I tried this recipe and found, like the other reviewer, that these bars didn’t hold up as bars. I followed the recipe to a T and mine looked nothing like the bars in the picture either. I am wondering if there is maybe a typo or something incorrect about the recipe? I did not have enough of the bottom layer to coat a 9×13 pan. It was very thin, and thus unable to hold everything together after the bars were finished. My middle layer was not thick like the photo either. It was not a complete failure, however, as we carefully scooped it with a large spatula onto plates and ate it as cake. I just wanted to share my experience as well, as I am not the only one who had the same issues.
hmmm, ok. My rhubarb will be ready to harvest soon so I think I will make a youtube video on this recipe. I’ve just made it so many times that maybe I’m doing something that I didn’t think to say! Not sure. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi! I’m so glad i just saw this recipe. This looks exactly like a “regular” cake that my mum used to bake when I was a kid 🙂
Quick question: how/how longwould you store it? Is it ok to freeze?
Thanks a lot 🙏
I haven’t had that problem yet because it’s a favorite around here. It’s usually gone within 2-3 days. But for freezing I think the only thing I would be worried about is the meringue topping. The texture of that would probably change. The base and the rhubarb custard part, that could be frozen for sure.
Now I remember why I don’t follow your blog and recipes. Could you please include the actual sugar equivalent in the recipe? Not all artificial sweeteners sweeten the same. It is very frustrating and disappointing to want to try one of your recipes and run up against the wall because I don’t have the information to adjust the sugar to the sweetener I use. Feeling sad, no rhubarb bars for us today,
Sorry Traci, I did not realize this was an issue for anyone! Nobody has ever mentioned it before. The reason I don’t include in the nutrition count is because the calculator includes the carbs but doesn’t deduct the sugar alcohols which really skews the carb count. But I will go and edit the recipe to include the orginal amount of sugar used (which I lowered for myself because I thought it was way too sweet!). The original recipe calls for: 1/4 c sugar in the base, 1 1/4 c sugar in the filling, 1/3 c sugar in the meringue topping. I hope that helps.
Weird that comment posted twice. Thanks for that information. I too find most sweetened foods to be overly sweet and the same goes for most substitute sweeteners. That is one reason I like erythritol, it is sightly (25 or 30%) less sweet than table sugar so I can simply use the measurements or cut them just a little..Bars tonight after all. Yippee.
Lol, I am happy that you will try them now!
Now I remember why I don’t follow your blog and recipes. Could you please include the actual sugar equivalent in the recipe? Not all artificial sweeteners sweeten the same. It is very frustrating and disappointing to want to try one of your recipes and run up against the wall because I don’t have the information to adjust the sugar to the sweetener I use. Feeling sad, no rhubarb bars for us today,
Very frustrating & putzy recipe. & the bars don’t look like anything in the picture, although my cream of tartar was a couple of months old and maybe that’s why the meringue didn’t look as pretty or set up decently. It also says 24 servings, and to serve them that way, the average person would likely want about three servings, unless they just want two bites . The rhubarb filling looks more brown than pretty pinkish-red (my rhubarb was fresh), and there’s no way that shortbread crust got nice and shortbread-y, although maybe that’s just the way keto flours go., There was not enough of that layer to spread even paper-thin onto the bottom of the pan,, and I ran out of almond flour so added some coconut flour, but it still did not crisp up, it’s actually on the mushy side😶. Some of the lemon peel tasted chunky in the filling, so that was a little aggravating too, and the cook time needed to be increased by at least 10 minutes. In my opinion this should have been made in a smaller pan. It cut really poorly too, as it’s all gummy on top, but it is humid her; and I do have the air conditioner cranked but who knows what the factors were? My German grandma would just say to not mess with the recipe, and I’m sure the original is divine, which is what I was looking for, like what my grandma used to make..I so want to work with more keto recipes but I sure won’t do this one again, and it gets really expensive to experiment…
I guess this one just isn’t for you! I have made this several times and we all love it and it turns out perfect so not quite sure what I can even suggest to you! By the way coconut flour and almond flour cannot be substituted for each other as they have completely different properties. Good luck on your next one, sorry it didn’t work out for you.