These lemon brownies are sweet and tangy with a soft, moist texture topped with a delicious glaze. This lemon blondie is the best with lemon zest and juice in every bite!
If you love lemon desserts try this lemon meringue pie recipe, these lemon bars and this lemon sugar cookies recipe, too!
Table of Contents
Favorite Lemon Dessert
These lemon brownies may be one of my favorite desserts ever! I love fudgy chocolate caramel brownies or rich brown butter blondies, but there’s something about a lemon brownie that’s light and fresh.
They are moist and buttery, like a soft sugar cookies recipe, with just a hint of light lemon taste like my lemon crinkle cookies. The powdered sugar glaze on top is tart and sweet and makes a perfect compliment to the brownies without being overpowering.
Lemon Brownie Recipe Ingredients
These easy lemon brownies are simple to make with flavors that are light and sweet with a gooey texture. Perfect for lemon lovers!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Salted butter: Butter adds richness and a savory taste to brownies.
- Sugar: Sweetness is needed to balance the lemon flavors.
- Lemon: Both lemon zest and fresh lemon juice will be used in these brownies for that fresh lemon flavor.
- Eggs: This will help combine the lemon brownie batter and give it the color and flavoring.
- All-purpose flour: Thickens the batter and gives it a nice thickness when baking.
- Baking powder: Helps raise the brownies and thickens them while baking in the oven.
Substitutions and Variations
Mix it up with these lemon brownie variations!
- Other citrus. Try orange zest with orange juice or lemon zest with lime juice.
- White chocolate. If you missing the chocolate normally in brownies, add some white chocolate chips.
- Extract. Add up to a teaspoon of vanilla extract or 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract or coconut extract for a little flavor.
- Topping. Try a cream cheese glaze or even just a dusting of powdered sugar. Add a drizzle of white chocolate or top with coconut like these lemon coconut bars.
- Gluten-free. A few followers have had success substituting gluten-free flour cup-for-cup for all-purpose flour to make gluten-free.
How to Make Lemon Brownies
Lemon brownies are easy to make! Simply, mix ingredients together, bake, then make a glaze to frost the brownies.
- Mix. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and zest with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. One at a time, mix in the eggs. Then add in the lemon juice. Mix in the flour and baking powder until just combined.
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment or foil and spray with nonstick spray. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out evenly.
- Combine. Whisk together the ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour on top of the brownies and spread evenly to coat.
- Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Lemon Glaze
The glaze is sweet with a tart lemon flavor and takes these brownies over the top! Add a little more (or less) juice or zest depending on how much citrus flavor you’d like.
- Powdered sugar: This is a sweet and powdery texture sugar that helps build up frostings and glazes.
- Fresh lemon juice: Squeeze the sliced lemon right into the glaze.
- Zest from half a lemon: The zest will add a tart but sweet texture to the glaze. This is an added touch to the top of the homemade lemon brownies.
Tips for the Best Lemon Brownies
Follow these easy tips and modifications to make the best lemon brownies.
- Prepare. Line your pan with parchment or foil for easy cleanup.
- Fresh lemon. If you’re a big lemon lover like me, you can add more zest and juice to the batter and glaze. Learn how to zest a lemon the easy way.
- Double it! Feel free to double the recipe and bake in a 9×13″ pan.
- Cool brownies. Make sure the brownies have cooled completely before slicing them.
Do you love brownie recipes? Try copycat cosmic brownies, marshmallow brownies, or cheesecake brownies next time you are baking!
More Lemon Desserts
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Lemon Brownie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- ½ cup salted butter , softened (1 stick)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon , zested
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8×8" pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Make batter. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together 1/2 cup salted butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and zest of one lemon until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Add 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and mix until just combined.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the brownies comes out clean. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Glaze. For the glaze, whisk together 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1/2 lemon zest, then pour over the brownies, spreading evenly to coat.
- Cool and slice. Let cool completely before slicing. Then slice into 16 squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
Here are the difference between the three and how these came to be lemon brownies (lemonies). For these to be true blondies, they would need brown sugar!
Lemon bars are made with a shortbread crust and a filling that consists of mainly of eggs, sugar and lemon juice. While usually brownies are fudgy from chocolate and butter, they can be different flavors, just like these with lemon or my strawberry brownies!
Simply cover the room temperature lemon brownies pan in an airtight container or using plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for four to five days depending on how long they still stay moist and chewy.
Yes! You can easily freeze if desired. Just wrap it in plastic wrap and then again with foil. To thaw, set out at room temperature.
Categorized as: American, Bars, Brownies, Desserts, Fruit Desserts
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Hi thanks for putting this on but what is 350 in gas mark looking at ingredients it don’t say what sugar like caster granulated or what flour
Granulated sugar and all purpose flour. :)
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Hi! I haven’t tried substituting oil in this recipe but I think it would change the texture quite a bit.
Has anyone happened to try these with gluten free flour? Thanks
The recipe doesn’t match the instructions.
The salt in the video is supposed to be baking powder! Glad you noticed, I will change that in the future. :)
How much salt and when do I add the baking soda? Only kidding, great easy recipe.
Found out the answer from our guest poster. There is no salt in the recipe, just baking powder. :) Hope you enjoy!
You omitted the quantity of salt in the list of ingredients but mention to add it in the directions.
This was a guest post so I am not sure. I have made the recipe with just baking soda and it turned out great! If you would like to add salt, I would recommend adding 1/4 tsp salt. :)
You keep going from soda to powder…….One post I see you say soda…..the recipe says powder….which is it?? Going to try this in a couple of days……….
It’s 1/2 tsp of baking powder. :)
Video shows adding salt and no baking powder, recipe says 1/2 tsp. Baking powder and no amount of salt? What is right?
The salt in the video is supposed to be labeled as baking soda. Sorry for the confusion! If you would like to add salt to the brownies, I would recommend adding 1/4 tsp, but it doesn’t need it. :)
What kind of flour ?? Self rising or all purpose .
All purpose. :)
ORGANIC all purpose…never conventional.
In the recipe video and the instructions it calls for salt, but in the ingredients listing it says baking powder, can you tell me which one it is, I would love to try this recipe!
Hi Kathy! The salt listed in the video was actually supposed to say baking soda, sorry for the confusion! This recipe does not have any salt, but if you would like to add salt I would recommend adding 1/4 tsp. :)
Baking soda, or baking powder? You just said soda, but the recipe above says powder…
Baking powder. :)
WOW I never heard of lemon brownies before. These sound delicious. I can’t wait to make them.
Thanks for sharing!!
I followed the recipe exactly and they were delicious! I might add a little baking soda next time to see if they rise up a little, but they are very good as-is.
Hi! Am making these for my book club at work and agree with Jane, I think that baking soda is missing. So, I added 1/2 tsp. Am hoping for the best. Will let you know!
Did yoi add the baking soda? How did it turn out?
These brownies look amazing, I am defiantly going to try experimenting with this recipe. I have never tried a lemon brownie before. I usually stick to the usual chocolate, I tried a new spin on the original old fashioned brownie by adding a praline fudge topping to it. So yummy a must try, here’s the recipe! http://happywifehappy.life/praline-brownies/
Your lemon brownies sounded so yummy!
After putting them in the oven, I noticed they did not have any baking soda/powder. They ended up like a lemon pancake. Was an ingredient missing?
I’m dying to do this recipe this weekend since I’ll have free time between exams and All that but…
This must be a really dumb question. But when you put 350, do you mean Celsius or Fahrenheit? Where I live we use Celsius so… I don’t really want to ruin it.
Hi Asagi! In the United States we use Fahrenheit! So it would be 177 degrees C! :)
My family loved the lemon brownies today. My mother in law plans 2 eat a couple with her morning coffee tomorrow.
So glad you enjoyed these Willena! Thanks for sharing! :)
I’ve never tried Lemon Brownies – these I must try! Funny enough, I just posted a lemon cake recipe on Friday – I must try these though as my husband would LOVE them!
Wow, that title scared me! I thought you were actually going to mix cocoa and lemon! These look delicious. I’m going to use different flours to make them gluten-free. I always get such a hankering for lemon anything this time of year. Thanks for the recipe. I suppose ‘Lemon Yellowies’ doesn’t have the same ring?? ;-)
we call them Blondies here when they dont have a dark chocolate/ cocoa base
Lemonies!