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If you’re looking to enjoy some lemon desserts or have lemons to use up, this list of lemon recipes has something for everyone! From cookies to cakes, cheesecakes and pies, these lemon treats are light, refreshing and delightful!
With spring right around the corner, this is the perfect time of year for lemon. It’s bright yellow color and refreshing taste just scream spring. I love the bite of the tart lemon with the sweetness of a bit of sugar!
My Top Tips for the Best Lemon Desserts
There are two simple things you can do to make sure your desserts have the most lemony flavor:
Choose the Right Lemons
When choosing lemons at the store, there are some that are better than others. This means that some lemons will give you more juice. Try to choose lemons that feel heavy for their size and give a little when you gently squeeze them. You can actually feel which lemons have a slightly softer, thinner skin and will release more juices and which ones have a firmer, thicker skin with less juice. You also want to choose lemons that are bright yellow with no wrinkling or blemishes.
Use Fresh Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
When making lemon dessert recipes, you want to be sure to use fresh lemon juice and zest. Bottled lemon juice just isn’t the same. Fresh lemon juice is much brighter and not bitter, like bottled can be. When juicing lemons, I recommend a citrus juicer to make sure you get all that tasty juice out.
For fresh lemon zest, you’ll need a good zester. You want to be sure to just zest the yellow peel and not the white underneath, which can be bitter. Use your lemon zest pretty quickly, since it can dry out.
22 Easy Lemon Desserts to Try
Ready to get baking? Here are 22 of my favorite lemon recipes:
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
This Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake is thick, creamy and flavored with tangy lemon and blueberries throughout. It sits in a graham cracker crust and is topped with a homemade blueberry sauce.
Easy Lemon Bars Recipe
This Easy Lemon Bars Recipe has the perfect combination of tart and sweet. Made with a vanilla crust and a smooth lemon filling, these are easily the best lemon bars ever!
Lemon Cupcakes
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.
Lemon Sugar Cookies
With just the right amount of citrus flavor, these Easy Lemon Sugar Cookies are amazingly soft and chewy! Made with a fail-proof ingredient lineup including fresh lemon zest and juice, they’re guaranteed to stay moist and tender for days.
Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
This Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake is bursting with fresh blueberries and lemon flavor. Topped with cream cheese frosting, this cake is perfect for Summer!
The Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake
Made with moist and fluffy cake, a velvety buttercream frosting, silky bavarian cream and a zesty curd filling, this is The Ultimate Lemon Layer Cake! You won’t find this much fresh lemon flavor in any other dessert.
Lemon Cheesecake
This Lemon Cheesecake is smooth, thick and creamy! It’s got a light lemon flavor in the cheesecake and big lemon punch from the lemon curd on top! A great combination of sweet and tart!
No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
This No Bake Lemon Cheesecake is creamy, tart and easy to make! It’s full of lemon flavor and such a great dessert for spring and summer!
Lemon Mascarpone Cream Pie
This Lemon Mascarpone Cream Pie is full of lovely lemon flavor! It’s light and perfect for summer, and I love the addition of the smooth and creamy mascarpone cheese!
Lemon Coconut Macaroons
These Lemon Coconut Macaroons are so yummy with their light lemon flavor, chewy coconut and white chocolate bottoms! You’ll want to eat them all!
Easy Lemon Strawberry Trifle
This Easy Lemon Strawberry Trifle is quick and easy to put together with layers of homemade lemon filling, fresh strawberries, mascarpone whipped cream and angel food cake!
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
These Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are made with a light lemon cake, lemon curd filling and lightly toasted meringue frosting! It’s like Lemon Meringue Pie in cupcake form!
Limoncello Cookies
These Limoncello Cookies are soft, with chewy centers and crisp edges. Full of lemon flavor and delicious! The icing on top makes them perfect!
Lemon Poppyseed Cake
This Lemon Poppyseed Cake is a tender, moist cake that’s full of lemon flavor and poppy seeds! It’s covered in a light lemon cream cheese frosting for a cake that’s perfect for lemon lovers!
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
This Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is made with a buttery graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake, tart lemon curd and toasted meringue! The flavors are absolutely amazing and it’s seriously my new favorite cheesecake!
Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
This Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake is made with a moist lemon cake, lemon curd and a smooth and creamy whipped mascarpone frosting!
Lemon Pound Cake
Topped with a homemade lemon icing, this Lemon Pound Cake is every lemon-lovers’ dream dessert. It’s dense but soft and tender, just as a pound cake should be, with a refreshing lemon flavor for summer.
Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
Refreshing lemon flavor infuses every bite of these Mini Lemon Cheesecakes! With a graham cracker crust, lemon cheesecake filling, lemon curd topping and whipped cream, these mini cheesecakes are perfect for summer gatherings.
Lemon Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
This Lemon Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake is perfectly sweet and tart, infused with lemon and raspberry flavors in every bite. The perfect cheesecake for summer!
Lemon Loaf Cake
This easy Lemon Loaf Cake is a moist, fluffy, tender treat that’s jam-packed with natural citrus flavor. A warm loaf of lemon bread is infused with fresh lemon syrup, cooled to room temperature, then drizzled with creamy lemon icing!
Lemon Poke Cake
This incredibly soft and moist Lemon Poke Cake is bursting with fresh lemon flavor! It’s finished off with a light and fluffy mascarpone whipped cream frosting that takes it over the top into utter dessert perfection.
Lemon Icebox Pie
Made with a classic graham cracker crust and plenty of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, this soft and creamy Lemon Icebox Pie is so delightful! It’s not too sweet, not too tart, and super easy to make with minimal ingredients.
Years ago I learned an additional tip for choosing a juicy lemon: “Roundies are juicier than sharpies.” Lemons with pointed ends are usually thicker skinned so have less space for juice than a round & thin-skinned lemon.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!