Lemon Desserts are perfect for welcoming in the warmer days ahead! Here are 30 of our favorites, from cakes and cheesecakes, to cookies and pies and more!
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Maybe it’s their bright summery flavors, maybe it’s because citrus is in season, or maybe it’s a bit of both!
Lemon recipes are a surefire segue into summer, which makes them ideal for springtime baking. Nothing shouts “spring” from the rooftops louder than a beautiful and zesty lemon dessert.
In this list, there are over 30 lemon-packed desserts to choose from, from creamy lemon cheesecakes to cakey lemon doughnuts and fluffy lemon cupcakes!
These desserts are perfect for whipping up on a warm summer day, bringing to potlucks or parties, or whenever you want a taste of sunshine.
Our favorite lemon desserts:
Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts
These beautiful baked lemon doughnuts are bursting with fresh blueberries and citrus! A perfect springtime recipe for moist and fluffy, homemade glazed doughnuts.
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No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
A homemade cheesecake recipe made with 100% natural lemon, and no artificial flavors! Lemon zest and lemon juice are the stars of this no-bake cheesecake that tastes pretty close to a ray of citrus sunshine.
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Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Layers of lemony goodness and creamy, tangy cheesecake make up these delightful lemon bars. These are the best for spring and just the right amount of sweet!
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Strawberry Lemon Angel Food Cake Roll
This cake roll takes an angel food cake box mix and dresses it up into something truly special! Fresh sweet strawberries and creamy lemon curd get rolled up into an easy and delicious spring dessert!
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Lemon Icebox Pie
A sweet and tangy lemon icebox pie made with condensed milk, buttery egg yolks and loads of zesty fresh lemon! An easy lemon dessert that’s creamy, fresh, and so irresistible!
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Easy Lemon Meringue Pie recipe
Is it just me or is lemon meringue pie a springtime classic? This homemade meringue pie is full of cool and creamy flavor, channeling all kinds of light, fresh, citrusy vibes. Make the whole pie from scratch or take some store-bought shortcuts for extra convenience.
Get the recipe here
Frosted Lemon Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
Sour cream brings a level of moisture to these sugar cookies that’s totally irresistible! Deliciously flavored with lemon and frosted with a decadent lemon frosting, these easy drop cookies are perfect for spring.
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Lemon Scones
You only need a few ingredients to make these tangy lemon scones! They’re fluffy and soft on the inside and crisp and golden on the outside. Wonderful to serve with tea or coffee!
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Lemon Bread recipe
This easy Lemon Bread recipe is the perfect sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning or for dessert. Packed with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a mouth-watering sweet lemon glaze on top, this one is for all the lemon lovers out there!
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Lemon Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
A crisp and buttery shortbread cookie recipe with loads of bold lemon and almond flavor, these cookies also happen to be gluten free! You can make a batch of these slice and bake cookies in no time, for an easy gluten free dessert.
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Lemon Blueberry Cake
This Lemon Blueberry Cake has three layers of fluffy lemon cake with fresh blueberries and a homemade lemon cream cheese filling. It's an easy layer cake for Easter or Spring!
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The Fluffiest Lemon Cupcakes with Creamy Lemon Frosting
These light and fluffy Lemon Cupcakes are made with a creamy lemon frosting for the tastiest citrus dessert ever! You’ll love how easily they come together.
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Lemon Sheet Cake
Lemon Sheet Cake is a citrus lover's dream! Made with fresh lemon juice, zest, and a tangy lemon frosting, it’s soft, zesty, and perfect for any occasion.
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Lemon Mug Cake
A 7-minute mug cake recipe that’s perfect for satisfying your springtime sugar cravings! This lemon mug cake is zesty and sweet and so easy to make.
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Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt Cake
This Greek Yogurt Lemon Bundt Cake is so moist and packed with lemon flavor! It’s made healthier with greek yogurt and is perfect topped with whipped cream and fresh berries. Includes how to recipe video
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Glazed Lemon Monkey Bread
This Glazed Lemon Monkey Bread is made with homemade bun dough rolled in lemon sugar, baked, and covered in a thick lemon glaze. The perfect make ahead breakfast, brunch or dessert!
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Lemon Pudding Cake
Light and fluffy cake gets layered with creamy pudding in this easy lemon dessert recipe! It’s a celebration of lemon flavor, with the most amazing texture. You’re going to be licking the bowl that this pudding cake comes in!
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Lemon Blueberry Angel Food Cake Roll
This Lemon Blueberry Angel Food Cake Roll looks fancy but is so incredibly easy to make! It's made with angel food cake mix, a lemon cream cheese filling, and topped off with homemade whip!
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Cream Cheese Filled Blueberry Lemon Bread
This Blueberry Lemon Bread is sweet, tangy, loaded with juicy blueberries and a decadent cream cheese swirl! It's the perfect quick bread recipe for Spring!
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Lemon Rice Krispie Treats
The kids are going to love these lemony Rice Krispie treats! A citrusy spin on a classic childhood dessert, this version is dotted with mini marshmallows and super easy to make.
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Lemon Berry Trifle Recipe
This Lemon Berry Trifle is made with super moist homemade lemon cake, layered with vanilla pudding and tons of fresh berries! Perfect for summer.
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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
This is the best recipe for fresh and bright lemon blueberry cheesecake that’s so creamy! Fully loaded with a sweet and juicy blueberry topping, this dessert is a fruity and tangy sensation!
Get the recipe here
No Bake Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake
Lemon Raspberry Icebox Cake is the perfect no-bake dessert, layering crisp graham crackers with fluffy lemon-infused whipped cream and juicy raspberries. It’s easy to make, refreshingly light, and the perfect sweet treat for warm days!
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Lemon Lush Dessert
This Lemon Lush Dessert is light, fresh, and decadent. It's made up of buttery shortbread crust that's layered with a lemon cream cheese filling, homemade lemon pudding, and whipped cream. Just 20 minutes to prep!
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Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
This Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe is the perfect addition to brunch! It's made up of a soft, moist lemon coffee cake filled with cream cheese and blueberries, then topped with a crumbly streusel topping.
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Strawberry Lemon Blondies
Strawberry Lemon Blondies ~ this easy strawberry dessert is moist and dense, (like soft shortbread) with lots of fresh strawberries and tangy lemon.
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Best Lemon Cookies Recipe (Bakery Style) – Cooking With Karli
Lemon Bar Cookies are loaded with a sweet lemon flavor, white chocolate chips and dusted in powdered sugar.
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Easy Lemon Cookie Cake – A Summer-Ready Lemon Dessert
Love lemon dessert? You’ve got to try this lemon cookie cake! Loaded with white chocolate chips and topped with lemon cream cheese frosting, it’s soft and chewy with a lovely light lemon flavor.
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Lemon Snowball Cookies
Lemon Snowball Cookies – an easy wedding cookie recipe filled with lemon zest, juice, and extract. These are the perfect tea cake cookies for the holidays!
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Lemon Cake
Luscious lemon cake layers, homemade lemon curd, with light and fluffy frosting make this Lemon Cake an instant classic that you need in your repertoire!
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Should you use bottled or fresh lemon juice?
Fresh lemon juice, always and forever!
There’s just something about the sensory experience of freshly squeezed lemons that can’t be captured in a bottle. The scent, the taste, the freshness – magical. Plus, fresh lemon juice contains much higher concentrations of vitamin C than the stuff that comes in bottles.
What’s the best way to juice a lemon?
The simplest way to juice a lemon is to roll it on the counter or a cutting board to loosen the juices. Then, slice it in half and squeeze it with your hand to get all the juices out. Make sure to strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve to remove any seeds.
You can also use a handheld lemon squeezer or an electric or manual citrus juicer. These tools are especially helpful if you’re juicing a lot of lemons!
How do you zest a lemon?
Zesting a lemon is made easy by using a microplane grater for finely grated zest or a citrus zester for longer strands. Both of these kitchen tools are quick and easy to use and worth investing in (IMO)! Here are some other suggestions for zesting lemons:
- Potato peeler. A good alternative to quickly zest a lemon if the above tools aren’t available.
- Cheese grater. Many boxed cheese graters nowadays have a side with small holes, which works well as a lemon zester.
- Knife. A sharp paring knife is best to use when peeling or zesting a lemon.
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