Lemon is vibrant, acidic and delicious enough to brighten any fish, chicken, pasta, salad or sauce—but its magic is arguably most apparent in desserts. The iconic citrus fruit shines in pies, cakes, cookies and beyond, making it a must for every Easter party, Mother’s Day gathering or spring dinner, if you ask us. Here are 65 lemon desserts to whip up this season, from lemon-raspberry whoopie pies to lemon icebox cookies.
food
65 Lemon Desserts to Indulge in All Spring Long, from Pie to Cookies to Cake
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Published Mar 26, 2022
1. Meyer Lemon Loaf Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
If you can still find Meyer lemons that are in season, you’re one lucky duck. If you can’t (since they’re usually available from November to January), regular lemons will work just fine.
2. Lemon Meringue Cookies
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
It’s like a lemon meringue pie and a sugar cookie had a delicious, tart-sweet baby. The trick is rubbing the sugar with lemon zest before baking for an extra boost of citrus flavor.
3. Lemon-berry Sheet Pan Trifle
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: one-pan, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
This old-school British treat is usually served in a fancy, crystal-cut bowl. But we love this simple sheet pan approach that allows easy access to the airy meringue, cream topping and lemon-kissed berries.
4. Lemon-raspberry Whoopie Pies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Trust us: These blow the store-bought kind way out of the water. Think cakey lemon pies stuffed with raspberry filling and fresh fruit.
5. Lemon Pie With Blueberry Meringue
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
Ah, lemon and blueberry: a match made in baker’s heaven. You can thank freeze-dried blueberries for the meringue’s lilac hue.
6. Easy Lemon-hibiscus Layer Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
This recipe stars homemade lemon cake, but we won’t blame you for saving time with store-bought lemon cake mix. Just be sure not to skip the hibiscus-cream cheese frosting. It’s well worth the effort.
7. Easy Lemon Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
They’re a classic for a reason. You’ll want to add this seven-ingredient rendition (which boasts sugar-cookie crust, BTW) to your arsenal like, right now.
8. Lemon Ginger No-churn Ice Cream
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes plus freezing time
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
The secret to making the creamiest, dreamiest ice cream without an ice cream machine? Starting with a silky Italian meringue base made with ginger-lemon sugar syrup.
9. Lemon-blueberry Poke Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Boxed cake mix + fresh blueberry syrup + lemon whipped cream = spring in a pan.
10. Lemon Icebox Cookies
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Icebox cookies never go out of style, likely because of how damn easy they are to whip up. Just make a batch of lemon dough, roll it into a log and keep it chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to slice and bake.
11. Naked Lemon And Olive Oil Layer Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Fair warning: Your guests will most likely assume you ordered this chic centerpiece from a fancy local bakery. Feel free to set them straight.
12. Muffin-tin Lemon Meringue Tarts
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love it: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Think crisp, golden brown cookie crusts brimming with creamy lemon custard. The torched three-ingredient meringue merely gilds the lily.
13. 4-ingredient Lemon Cookies
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
They’re zingy, light as clouds and only take 15 minutes from start to finish. Need we say more?
14. Gluten-free Vegan Lemon Cake
- Time Commitment: 5 hours and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, dairy free, no bake
Chalk the crispy, sweet crust up to pecans, dates and maple syrup. What’s even more mind-blowing is the filling’s secret ingredient: cauliflower rice.
15. Gluten-free Lemon-raspberry Pavlova
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, crowd-pleaser
Our favorite part about this double-decker beauty is that you can have a slice (or three) without feeling too weighed down. Take that, pie.
16. Parsnip Lemon Loaf Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, dairy free, crowd-pleaser
Meet the Swedish equivalent to zucchini bread. The grated parsnip not only gives the cake some mild earthiness, but it also makes the texture extra moist.
17. Lemon Curd With Whipped Cream
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes plus chilling
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Sometimes, less is more. And this seven-ingredient, 20-minute gem is delicious proof.
18. Pink Lemonade Cake
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Behold, your favorite summer beverage in dessert form. This recipe calls for both lemon extract and frozen pink lemonade concentrate.
19. Lemon-ginger Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
Phew, are these epically spiced. Think ground ginger, crystallized ginger and allspice, plus fresh lemon juice and zest.
20. No-bake Lemon Poppy Seed Donut Holes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: no bake, vegan, gluten free, dairy free
These poppable treats are totally vegan, thanks to dates, walnuts almond flour and coconut flour.
21. Coeur Au Choux Meyer Lemon Cream Puffs
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Psst: The fresh lemon curd can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to fill the pastry.
22. Lemon Strawberry Dutch Baby With Ricotta Cream
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: one pan, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Aka the most epic breakfast of all time. The strawberries are tossed in lemon sugar before topping off the giant skillet pancake.
23. Lemon Pudding Cakes
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Everything looks better in a jar or ramekin, no? These cuties are filled halfway with lemon pudding, then topped with fluffy lemon cake.
24. Easy Lemon Mousse
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free, beginner-friendly
There’s truly no such thing as too many five-minute dessert recipes. (It’s as simple as combining vanilla Greek yogurt, whipped topping and a few pantry staples in the blender until smooth.)
25. Lemon Berry Yogurt Cake
- Time Commitment: 4 hours and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
The unglazed cake can be kept in the freezer for up to three months, meaning you can savor summer berries all through the fall.
26. White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: vegan, gluten free, dairy free, no bake
This beauty is vegan and gluten-free, from the date-walnut crust to the cashew-rice milk filling.
27. Lemon Brookies
- Time Commitment: 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Think of ’em like chewy lemon brownies complete with sugar cookie crusts. (P.S.: Odds are you have almost every ingredient you need in your kitchen right now.)
28. Lemon Berry Petit Fours
- Time Commitment: 4 hours and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy
File this one under World’s Cutest Birthday Cake Ideas. Did we mention they’re topped with pure white chocolate instead of frosting?
29. No-fuss Lemon Tart
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Want to make it dairy-free? Substitute heavy cream with coconut cream—just be sure to boil it for ten minutes before using it so it’s extra thick.
30. Easy Lemon Sorbet
- Time Commitment: 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, dairy free, gluten free, beginner-friendly
Not only does this refreshing summer staple call for lemon juice and lemon zest, but it also gets a few dashes of limoncello.
31. Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: one bowl, beginner-friendly
We can’t decide what we love more, the two-ingredient lemon glaze or the additions of oil and sour cream for an extra-moist treat.
32. Lemon Cupcakes With Mojito Frosting
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
Helloooo, summer. These uber-fluffy cupcakes (thanks, cake flour!) are topped with mojito cream cheese frosting that’s spiked with rum, lime zest and fresh mint.
33. Raspberry Lemon Brioche Rolls With Whipped Ricotta Cream
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
If you’re not digging into these alfresco with a caffeinated beverage, you’re doing it wrong. Might we suggest washing them down with gorgeous pink quartz lattes?
34. Lemon Meltaways
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Careful: These half-hour wonders are scary poppable, and one batch makes a whopping 36 cookies.
35. Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why We Love it: one bowl, beginner-friendly
It’s so moist, lemony and light that all it needs for its big debut is a modest dusting of powdered sugar.
36. Layered Lemon Dessert
- Time Commitment: 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
The hardy pecan crust can hold its own against layers of zippy lemon curd, cream cheese filling and whipped topping.
37. Creamy Lemon Pie
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser
This pie has spring picnic written all over it. The sweet-and-salty crust made with graham crackers and roasted almonds really takes it to the next level.
38. Lemon Cupcakes With Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Time Commitment: 3 hours
- Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Pressing blackberries through a strainer to make fresh purée might be time consuming, but we promise it’s worth it.
39. Raspberry Lemon Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Picture a brown sugar crust slathered with tart raspberry jam. Now imagine sprinkling fresh raspberries over it before coating it in rich lemon filling.
40. Lemon Chia Chews
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, dairy free
If you’re in search of a lemon dessert on the healthy side, look no further than these oat- and cashew-studded bites that come together in the food processor.
41. Vegan Lemon Curd
- Time Commitment: 5 hours and 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: gluten free, dairy free, vegan, <10 ingredients
Spread this plant-based sweet on everything from waffles and pancakes to muffins and cakes.
42. Chewy Lemon Coconut Cookies With Lemon Icing
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: vegan, dairy free, beginner-friendly
We recommend serving them alongside a piping-hot cup of tea. (Bonus points for using a homemade tea bomb.)
43. Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Time Commitment: 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Don’t the slices of sweet, candied lemon make the most elegant finishing touch?
44. Strawberry Lemonade Cake
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Pound cakes have high moisture content, so they begin to dry out as soon as they’re cut. Preserve this baby by covering the leftovers tightly with foil or plastic and popping them in the fridge for up to a week.
45. Baked Lemon Donuts With Lemon Glaze
- Time Commitment: 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly
Just as fluffy, citrusy and moist as Starbucks lemon loaf—only ten times cuter.
46. Lemon Ricotta Cookies
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
The easiest way to make a cookie look fancy? Top it off with two-ingredient glaze and slivered almonds. It’s just a fact.
47. The Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly
The recipe calls for all the usual suspects, like cake flour, lemon zest and sugar. But there’s a secret ingredient that makes all the difference in flavor and texture: instant lemon pudding mix.
48. Lemon Crème Brûlée
- Time Commitment: 5 hours and 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, special occasion-worthy
Aromatic lemon zest and bright lemon extract are just the ticket for perking up the traditional vanilla custard base.
49. Almond Lemon Blueberry Pie Bars
- Time Commitment: 3 hours and 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, dairy free
There’s no better way to show off your farmers market haul than with this juicy number. (The filling gets a hit of fresh lemon juice, of course.)
50. Lemon Raspberry Poke Cake
- Time Commitment: 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, <30 minutes, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Thanks to Otis Spunkmeyer, this dessert doesn’t require a second of baking. Just look for pre-baked lemon cakes at the supermarket and drizzle them with the easiest raspberry sauce of all time.
51. Blueberry Puff Pastry Tarts
- Time Commitment: 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Finished with decadent lemon cream made from mascarpone, whipped cream, powdered sugar and lemon curd.
52. Earl Grey Blueberry Lemon Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
We seriously wouldn’t mind getting out of bed for a slice of *this* on a Sunday morning.
53. Blackberry Lemon Bars
- Time Commitment: 55 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly
The vibrant filling gets a full cup of fresh lemon juice, some lime juice and a whole lot of blackberries.
54. Blueberry Lemon Icebox Cake
- Time Commitment: 5 hours (includes chilling)
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Layers of lemon whipped cream and homemade blueberry sauce chill in the freezer between graham crackers for a cool spring indulgence.
55. No-bake Lemon Cookie Fruit Tarts
- Time commitment: 2 hours and 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: vegan, gluten free, no bake
We don’t know which part we love more: the dairy-free tofu lemon filling or the date-walnut crust. It’s tangy, it’s creamy, it’s sweet, it’s crunchy—you really can have it all.
56. Creamy Lemon Bars With Brown Butter Raspberries
- Time Commitment: 2 hours and 50 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
The Ritz cracker crust gives these bars a salty edge, while the brown-buttered raspberries offer pleasant nuttiness.
57. Berry Tart With Lemon Curd Mascarpone
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
Go ahead, let your guests think you picked it up at a local patisserie. (Or brag and tell them the truth.)
58. Healthy Lemon Poppyseed Muffins With Lemon-blueberry Glaze
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Whole wheat flour? Check. Protein-rich Greek yogurt? Check. Low-sugar blueberry preserves? You bet.
59. Lemon-thyme Pie Bars
- Time Commitment: 2 hours
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
The crispy oat crust has fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest baked inside. Swoon.
60. Sweet And Sticky Glazed Lemon Buns
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Just bake, toss them in melted butter, sprinkle them with sugar and lemon zest and devour to your lemon-loving heart’s content.
61. Almond, Ricotta, Olive Oil And Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Finish the simple lemon glaze with lemon and lime zests and edible flowers for extra spring flair.
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
62. Upside-down Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
- Time Commitment: 4 hours
- Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Don't let the long prep time deter you: Most of that is waiting for the lemon curd to thicken and chill.
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
63. Pink Lemonade Bars
- Time Commitment: 1 hour
- Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
These bars are extra tart (and a pretty shade of pink), thanks to fresh raspberries in the filling.
64. Aran Goyoaga’s Fig, Honey And Lemon Tea Cakes
- Time Commitment: 30 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, gluten free, special occasion-worthy
You can easily substitute summer peaches, nectarines, apricots or berries for figs, since they're more popular in the winter.
65. Aran Goyoaga’s Glazed Lemon, Yogurt And Olive Oil Pound Cake
- Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, gluten free, dairy free
The recipe calls for making homemade cashew-coconut yogurt. But if you aren't avoiding dairy, save yourself some time and effort by using store-bought, whole-milk yogurt instead.
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
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