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.
Fresh and Easy. I’ve made these many times and they never fail to wow.
What size pan if you double recipe?
I would use 9×13 pan when doubling the recipe.
I make these all the time. They come out great. I always double the recipe if I can. This week I made a double batch and put it in a Bundt pan. Came out just as moist and held up well. So versatile!
WOW! So good! I swapped out the 3/4 cup sugar for 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup of the flour for 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder, and they were AMAZING! 🤩
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed the brownies Annalies!
These are so amazingly tasty, moist, and easy to make! Make yourself some and pretend like you’re going to share them. You won’t regret it.
I haven’t tasted it but the ingredients to goooooodu!!!!
These brownies are Delicious.!! A new family favorite..
So delicious. Added more lemon juice to the icing. Very lemony. Love them.
Easy to make.
Took them while visiting my Son and Daughter In Law in their new home.
She loved them and finished them over several days without him even knowing they were there.
I’ll have to take them again next time but save a couple for him. LOL
Hi Jill! That makes soo happy. So glad you all enjoyed the lemon brownies :)
Not a Blondie texture at all. But I do understand everyone has their own tastes. Has a snack cake texture. Still edible, just not what I was looking for at the time. Thanks for the recipe! Lemon was delicious.
Absolutely Delicious -Only problem is I can’t stop eating them👍❤️👍
Haha I have that problem too! So glad you enjoy them Laura!
So delicious! We really enjoyed it and needed to make more! Thanks a ton!
This makes me so happy to hear you love the lemon brownies Alissa! Thanks for stopping by :)
This scrumptious dessert taste like lemon meringue pie with a rich and moist texture. I highly recommend it.
Thank you Joyce! So glad you enjoyed the brownies!
Amazing. Absolutely delicious.
Love the taste. I love lemon anything. However the” brownie” lacked a nice lemon taste alone but once the icing is on it popped. I would def not call these brownies as the texture is no where near brownie. It’s def a thin cake consistency. Followed recipe to a T and I am a cook and a baker so just to clarify. All in all I would make again. Just not a brownie.
Made these today but doubled recipe and increased cooking time because I wanted to add them to my brownie with dividers pan to get 18 fat delicious brownies. Will be making them again for my lemon-loving friends and family. Thank you so much for sharing recipe.
I’m so glad you loved the lemon brownies Delia :)
Very easy and very delicious! Tastes like a softer, denser lemon loaf. Will definitely be making again.
So glad you loved them Megan!
Long story but… I had a recipe for a hot fudge sundae cheesecake with a chocolate brownie crust, but I wanted to convert it to a lemon cheesecake. I found this and it worked really well. I didn’t use the glaze. When I made it, I thought, this is a cake, not a brownie, it’ll never survive being baked again with the cheesecake batter ..but it did. The whole thing came out excellent.
I love hearing this Peter! Sounds like it came out delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!