Easy Lemon Dessert Recipes

Last Updated on August 25, 2022 by Jennifer Osborn

Easy lemon dessert recipes are crowd pleasers. Get recipes for lemon posset, mini lemon cheesecakes, lemon truffles, donuts and more in this roundup from your favorite food bloggers.

If you're after a lemon bar recipe, no need to scroll through the roundup.

Get Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust or regular Lemon Bars.

Or a Lemon Blackberry Cake?

Or, maybe a cookie instead like Copycat Panera Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe or Lemon Shortbread Heart Cookies Recipe

Or, a Lemon Drop Martini (3-Ingredient Recipe with Limoncello)?

lemon bars on a wire rack — Lemon bars can be made in a one bowl with a spatula, no mixer required. Plus the crust can be patted into place--not fussing with a rolling pin.

Tips for Easy Lemon Dessert Recipes

I implore you, no matter which recipe you try, use fresh lemon juice.

The difference in taste between fresh lemon juice and a bottle of pasteurized lemon juice that's been sitting on a grocery store shelf for who knows how long is incomparable.

The Saticoy Lemon Association says the key to choosing a good lemon is to pick one heavy for its size with a thin skin, which has a light shine. The fruit, technically a berry, should yield slightly to the touch.

Cookware choice for baking lemon desserts.

Some people say that baking a dessert, such as lemon bars, should be done in a glass or ceramic baking dish because a metal pan made of iron, copper or aluminum can give your baked goods a metallic taste.

However, I have never noticed this and my taste buds are pretty sensitive. I can't remember the last time I made a lemon dessert in a glass pan.

I usually use an aluminum pan lined with parchment paper.

Maybe because I'm lining the pan with parchment I don't notice?

Did you know you can freeze lemon zest?

You can even freeze lemon bars.

Get Lemon Facts from Sunkist

How Do I Get Zest from a Lemon?

A microplane grater is the best way to remove zest or the colored part of a lemon or another citrus fruit. Put a piece of wax paper or parchment on your counter or workspace. Hold the lemon with your dominant hand and run it repeatedly over the sharp teeth of the microplane until you have a nice shower of lemon zest on the paper.

Pro tip: once you've zested the lemon, immediately scrub the Microplane grater with hot, soapy water. Citrus zest, once it's dried, is tough to remove.

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