Lemon Brownies
These lemon brownies are soft, and slightly sweet. This recipe is perfect for someone that prefers a sweet lemon dessert over a sour lemon dessert.
This recipe I have made so many times I have lost count! It is a perfect quick recipe to make for your family and friends.

There are two tips that make this recipe work:
- Use room temperature butter. You can’t use cold butter for this recipe. If you do, the batter will be lumpy. If your butter isn’t room temperature, when its baking, bubbles will form then eventually will burst. The brownie will come out with an uneven top layer. When you put the glaze on top, it will look lumpy and rough.
- One large lemon works much better than one small lemon. If small lemons are the only option, I would use two small lemons. Lemon zest is an important part in this recipe, and you need as much as you can. I have tried this recipe without using zest, and you don’t taste the lemon as much without it.



The hardest part about this recipe is letting it cool after it is baked. It must be completely cooled before the glazed is put on top. If not, the glaze will just run off the brownie. To speed up the cooling process you can put the lemon brownies in the fridge or freezer.

When the lemon brownies are completely cooled, you can put the glaze on top.
I have also done this recipe with limes and oranges in place of the juice and zest. It’s a great take on a Spring dessert!
PrintLemon Brownies
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9–12 1x
Description
These lemon brownies are soft, and slightly sweet. Butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a lemon glaze make these brownies irresistible.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 TBSP lemon juice
- 3/4 c. flour
- 1 stick, (1/2c.) unsalted butter
- 3/4 c. white granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- zest of 1/2 a large lemon (or 1 small lemon)
- zest of 1/2 a large lemon (or 1 small lemon)
- 1 TBSP lemon juice
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 8×8 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (If using aluminum foil, use a cooking spray to spray the foil before the batter goes in.)
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together.
- Next, add in the eggs and lemon juice and mix.
- Finish off by adding in the flour, salt, and zest and mix.
- Add brownie mixture to the 8×8 pan with a rubber spatula and smooth the top as much as possible.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- As the brownies are baking, start by making the glaze.
- For the glaze, combine and mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest together. Pour on the cooled brownies.
- Wait until the lemon brownies have cooled before you cut into them.
Notes
Use room temperature unsalted butter.
To speed up the cooling process of the brownie, place in a freezer/fridge to cool it quicker.
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9-12
- Calories: 118
- Sugar: 18.5g
- Sodium: 61.1mg
- Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 26.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 31mg
Keywords: lemon brownies
Recipe adapted from Alyssa Rivers, The Recipe Critic.
If you love this lemon brownie recipe, try using limes or oranges to replace lemons! You can find the recipe to use oranges here on my orange brownie recipe.

