22 Amazing Lemon Desserts

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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! Pick a dessert for Easter or a treat to share with your mom on Mother’s Day! They’re all sure to be a hit for any occasion.

How to Choose the Right Lemons for Lemon Desserts

When choosing lemons at the store, there are some that are better than others and will lend more juice, meaning you need fewer lemons. Try to choose lemons that feel a little 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 that make them not-so-ideal for zesting. Over time, you’ll be able to tell easily by sight and feel which ones are just right.

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.

The Best Lemon Dessert Recipes

image of Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake slice

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.

A Stack of The Best Lemon Bars

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!

A Frosted Lemon Cupcake with One Bite Taken Out

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.

A Tupperware tub filled with lemon sugar cookies and a few fresh lemon slices

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.

A slice of Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with a fork on a white plate and blueberries and cut lemons in the background

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!

A Lemon Curd Layer Cake on a White Stand with a Slice Removed

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 with slice removed

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 Recipe | Easy No Bake Cheesecake

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!

image of Lemon Mascarpone Cream Pie with slice removed

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!

close up image of Lemon Coconut Macaroons

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!

side view of Easy Lemon Strawberry Trifle

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!

image of inside of Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

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!

overhead image of Limoncello Cookie with bite taken out

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!

slice of lemon poppyseed cake

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!

close up image of Lemon Meringue Cheesecake slice

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!

A slice of Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake on a metal colored plate with a fork and cut lemons in the background

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 with lemon icing on a serving platter.

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.

Several bite-sized lemon cheesecakes on a white serving dish topped with whipped cream

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.

A slice of lemon raspberry swirl cheesecake topped with raspberries and lemon

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!

About half of a lemon loaf on a rectangular platter with two slices cut off of it

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!

A slice of lemon poke cake on a dessert plate with another piece on a plate in the background

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.

A lemonade icebox pie with one slice missing and two fresh lemons behind it

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.

Lindsay
About Lindsay

I'm a wife and a mom to twin boys and a baby girl! And I've got a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the treats!

Scripture I’m Loving

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29