Lemon Brownies
If you love bright citrus desserts, these Lemon Brownies are a must-make. They're soft, chewy, and packed with fresh lemon flavor, then finished with a sweet lemon glaze for the perfect bakery-style treat. These easy lemon dessert bars are perfect for spring, summer gatherings, bake sales, or anytime you want something fresh and sunny.
If you enjoy easy bar desserts, you may also like Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars or Lemon Russian Tea Cakes.
Quick Look: Lemon Brownies
- 🍋 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🔥 Bake Time: 23-25 minutes
- ⏱ Total Time: about 40 minutes, plus cooling
- 🍽 Servings: 9 brownies
- ⚡ Calories: 247 calories per brownie
- 💛 Flavor Profile: bright, sweet, buttery, and lemony
- 👌 Difficulty: easy
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Lemon Brownies
- They feel like a fun twist on classic brownies for lemon lovers
- They have a soft, chewy texture with lots of fresh lemon flavor
- The sweet lemon glaze makes them extra pretty and delicious
- They're easy to make with simple pantry ingredients
- They're perfect for spring brunches, showers, holidays, and potlucks
Key Ingredients
Some of the ingredients you will need for Lemon Brownies:
- All-purpose flour - gives the brownies structure
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the bars and helps create a tender texture
- Butter, softened - adds richness and helps create that soft, dense brownie texture
- Eggs - bind the batter and keep the brownies moist
- Fresh lemon juice - adds bright citrus flavor
- Lemon zest - gives the brownies their best fresh lemon taste
How to Make Lemon Brownies
Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
Add the butter. Add the softened butter to the flour mixture. Using a hand mixer on low speed, or a sturdy spoon, mix until no large pieces of butter remain and the mixture looks evenly combined.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
Combine the batter. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until smooth and fully combined. Do not overmix.
Spread into the pan. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Bake. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center no longer looks wet. Be careful not to overbake.
Cool completely. Let the brownies cool fully in the pan before adding the glaze.
How to Make the Lemon Glaze
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more lemon juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a thick but spreadable consistency.
Spread the glaze over the completely cooled brownies. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving.
Expert Tips
- Use softened butter, not melted butter, for the best dense brownie texture.
- Don't overmix the batter or the brownies can turn out tougher than you want.
- For the best lemon flavor, use fresh zest and juice.
- Let the brownies cool completely before glazing so the glaze stays on top instead of melting into the bars.
- For clean slices, chill the brownies for a little while after the glaze sets.
FAQs
They should be soft, dense, and moist, but not underbaked. The center should be set before you remove them from the oven.
Fresh lemon juice is best for this recipe. It gives the brownies a brighter, fresher flavor.
A hand mixer helps combine the softened butter into the flour mixture easily, but you can also use a spoon if your butter is softened well.
Yes. These lemon brownies are a great make-ahead dessert since the glaze sets nicely and the flavor holds up well.
Storage
Store lemon brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you like a firmer texture, store them in the fridge. If you prefer them softer, let them come to room temperature before serving.
If you tried these Lemon Brownies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments! Thanks for visiting, and come back again!
Lemon Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
For the Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line an 8x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add the softened butter to the flour mixture. Using a hand mixer on low speed, or a sturdy spoon, mix until no large pieces of butter remain and the mixture looks evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until smooth and fully combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center no longer looks wet. Do not overbake.
- Let the brownies cool completely in the pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Add more lemon juice, a little at a time, until the glaze is thick but spreadable.
- Spread the glaze over the cooled brownies. Let the glaze set before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Softened butter works best in this recipe. Do not melt it.
- Let the brownies cool completely before adding glaze.
- For clean slices, chill briefly after glazing.
Lemon Fudge bars
Saw a post on Facebook while on a road trip. Stopping to the closest grocery store for all ingredients!?
Doubled the recipe and used a loaf pan at 350 for one hour and ten minuets then cooled and glazed. My intention was a lemon cake loaf and that is exactly what I got. Way better than Starbucks!
Yummy!! Made them on Valentines Day. Cut out 2" hearts and glazed them completely. Beautiful and delicious. They were a big hit.
I always make these in the late fall/winter time when my meyer lemon tree produces lemons and this is a great recipe for a lemon dessert. I always follow the directions exactly and they always turn out perfect. Chocolate brownies don’t rise and either do these so I’m not sure why everyone is getting so weird about this recipe not having any baking soda or baking powder! Thanks for a great Lemon dessert.
I have just made this recipe. It tastes awesome. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe with us.everyone should try this.
I made these on Saturday they were so delicious. They were just a tiny bit dense. So next time I will add a little baking powder. Overall very simple to make and taste great. Will do them again.
I thought I read no baking powder or baking soda, does adding baking soda make it less dense?
How much butter we don't do sticks in Britain
One stick equals 1/2 cup. I hope this helps!
OMgssss These sound totally fab! I copied the recipe I can't wait to try it..
tasty and just like brownies! soft and chewy!
They taste amazing! But they are really flat and I was wondering if we needed to add anything else to them?
Hi,I'm going to try these today and after reading about them being flat by so many people I think I will add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda after seeing baking powder in a lot of other brownie recipes.
These brownies were very tasty, but I should've followed the "doubling" recipe - I didn't realize how small amount this recipe makes - At any rate, they turned out great and were delicious! Just need to double the recipe next time for when I have guests....Thanks for sharing!
I made these for a coworker's birthday today and they were delicious! Looked just like the picture, dense like a brownie. I made a blueberry compote to top them with. Everybody loved them! Had many requests for the recipe. Yummy!
how many does it make?
I had the same problem as others. Great flavor but they did not rise at all. Help please! Lee
Ever since I pinned this recipe, I have made these at least 5 times and they have turned out delightful. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe.