Top Lemon Desserts

Bright, lemony desserts are the perfect way to end a spring or summer meal; get inspired by our best tangy treats.

Related To:

Photo By: Tara Donne

Photo By: Karl Juengel / Studio D ©Hearst Communications Inc., 2009

©Hearst Communications Inc., 2009 Karl Juengel/Studio D Food Styling: Stephana

©Food Stylist: Stephana Bottom

Photo By: Con Poulos

Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©ShooterStylist LLC

Photo By: Anna Williams

Photo By: Antonis Achilleos

Photo By: Matt Armendariz

Photo By: Matt

Lemon Ricotta Cookies With Lemon Glaze

There's no doubt that Giada's cookies are a smash hit — light and fluffy thanks to the ricotta, and with lemon juice and zest in both the cookies and glaze, they're a perfect balance of sweet and sour!

Get the Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Lemon-Lavender Pie

Cooking with lavender is a treat for all of the senses — stop and take a whiff before adding it to this scrumptious Lemon Lavender Pie.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Lavender Pie

Tiny Lemon Angel Cakes With Lemon Confit

These miniature angel cakes are perfectly bite sized, light and spongy and are topped with a sweet and sour lemon confit.

Get the Recipe: Tiny Lemon Angel Cakes with Lemon Confit

Lemon Ricotta Granita

Giada's Lemon Ricotta Granita is crisp and light, and makes the perfect palate cleanser or refreshing warm-weather dessert.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Granita

Classic Lemon Bars

If you're craving a traditional lemon bar, look no further: Buttery shortbread crust and zesty lemon curd are here in abundance.

Get the Recipe: Classic Lemon Bars

Lemon Volcanoes

For a twist on the classic sugar cookie, try adding a little lemon zest to the dough and mixing up a little lemon sugar to roll the cookies in before baking for extra zip.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Volcanoes

Mini Olive Oil Cakes With Lemon Glaze

Light, fluffy and flavorful, these moist little olive oil cakes get their refreshing flavor from just a hint of thyme and lots of fresh lemon zest.

Get the Recipe: Mini Olive Oil Cakes with Lemon Glaze

Lemon Shortbread Squares

It doesn't get much easier than these squares of shortbread with sweet lemon filling and a sprinkle of yellow decorating sugar.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Shortbread Squares

Lemon Cake With Lemon Meringue Frosting

This cake makes a perfect spring dessert, with crushed raspberries sandwiched between layers of sweetly sharp lemon cake, all covered with an airy meringue frosting.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Cake with Lemon Meringue Frosting

Raspberry-Lemon Easter Cake

A whimsical masterpiece, this dessert is sure to be a big hit at any Easter celebration and is perfect for getting the kids involved — try decorating with candied almonds.

Get the Recipe: Raspberry-Lemon Easter Cake

Meyer Lemon-Cranberry Bundt Cake

Meyer lemons give this bundt cake a sweeter tang than average lemons would, and the cranberry filling makes for a fun surprise.

Get the Recipe: Meyer Lemon-Cranberry Bundt Cake

Lemon Curd Trifle With Fresh Berries

Tyler freshens up this traditional English dessert, layering lemon pound cake (drizzled with limoncello) with lemon curd and mixed berries.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

Lemon Pudding Cake With Fresh Mixed Berries

Addictive lemony custard is baked until golden brown and just barely firm, then served with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Pudding Cake with Fresh Mixed Berries

Frozen Lemonade Pie

This pie from the Neelys has a rich and tangy filling inside a crumbly graham cracker crust.

Get the Recipe: Frozen Lemonade Pie

Lemon Hazelnut Tiramisu

Giada updates a classic Italian dessert by adding crunchy hazelnuts and tangy lemon syrup to the layers of ladyfingers and whipped mascarpone.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Hazelnut Tiramisu

Frozen Lemon Whip With Blueberry Sauce

With only five ingredients these frozen treats are a breeze to make. All you'll need are eggs, cream, lemons, blueberries and a little bit of sugar.

Get the Recipe: Frozen Lemon Whip with Blueberry Sauce

Lemon Icebox Bars

These handheld treats from Ellie Krieger have only 155 calories a square. With their crisp graham cracker crust and chilled, creamy topping they still pack in a ton of flavor.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Icebox Bars

Lemon Bars

Ina has the basics covered with these classic, delicious bars: the shortbread crust holds up perfectly to the creamy, lemony top.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Bars

Lemon and Almond Rice Pudding

Ordinary rice pudding gets a major flavor upgrade with fresh lemon juice and amaretto liqueur.

Get the Recipe: Lemon and Almond Rice Pudding

Lemon Bundt Cake With Berry Rhubarb Glaze

Look for brightly hued stalks of rhubarb for this dessert as they appear in farmers' markets and grocery stores during the spring.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Bundt Cake with Berry Rhubarb Glaze

Limoncello Raspberry Torte

Dessert in minutes: Fancy up a brick of cream cheese with Limoncello-spiked raspberries and serve with shortbread cookies.

Get the Recipe: Limoncello Raspberry Torte

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Ina makes her lemon cake with whole-milk yogurt and vegetable oil to keep it moist.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Yogurt Cake

Lemon Meringue Pie

A flaky crust, tangy lemon filling and sweet, golden meringue top make for one irresistible pie from Alton.

Lemon Nut Cookies

These cookies get their crunch from toasted pine nuts and their subtle lemon flavor from fresh lemon zest.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Nut Cookies

Lemon-Currant Macaroons

For a fun twist on coconut macaroons, add lemon zest and currants, then dip the finished cookies in melted chocolate.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Currant Macaroons

Lemon Crepes

No need to make your own crepes here. Buy premade crepes and lemon curd for this quick-fix dessert.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Crepes

Limoncello Granita

Giada uses limoncello, a traditional Italian liqueur, to give a kick to this lemony granita.

Get the Recipe: Limoncello Granita

Lemon Raspberry S'mores

These s'mores are so tangy and tasty — like a bite of lemon meringue pie with fresh raspberries — that you won't even miss the chocolate.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Raspberry S'mores

Lemon Tiramisu Trifle

Creamy, lemony layers are brightened by berries in this no-bake cross between tiramisu and trifle. Kids can assemble this treat with very little help.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Tiramisu Trifle

Lemon Ice Cream Meringue Pie

Fill a homemade pie shell with lemon ice cream and freeze until firm before topping with a thick, glossy meringue.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Ice Cream Meringue Pie

Lemon-Filled Coconut Cupcakes

Sandra's simple cupcakes feature a secret ingredient that's a nice complement to the lemon flavor: coconut milk.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Filled Coconut Cupcakes

Lemon Cake

Ina drizzles this moist lemon cake with a simple glaze made from confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Pour over the top of the cake and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides for an elegant presentation.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Cake

Almond and Lemon Biscotti Dipped in White Chocolate

Chopped almonds speckle the inside of Giada's biscotti and enhance the zest of the citrus and nutty white chocolate coating.

Get the Recipe: Almond and Lemon Biscotti Dipped in White Chocolate

Lemon Squares

Prepare a zesty lemon mixture to pour over the baked, buttery crust. Then give the squares a special touch by sprinkling the tops with confectioners' sugar right before serving.

Lemon Pound Cake

Prepare a sweet, thin glaze using sugar and lemon juice. Using a turkey baster or a pastry brush, apply the glaze to the top and sides of the cake while still warm to achieve a glossy finish.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Pound Cake

Lemon-Yogurt Mousse

Turn low-fat Greek yogurt into a simple dessert by adding lemon zest, lemon juice and sweetened whipped egg whites. Serve with crumbled shortbread cookies.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Yogurt Mousse

Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

Trisha fills a graham cracker crust with a lemony filling and tops it with an easier-than-it-looks layer of meringue.

Get the Recipe: Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Ice Cream Bars

This no-cook crowd-pleasing dessert comes together in three simple layers: a buttery shortbread-crumb crust, vanilla ice cream and fresh homemade lemon curd.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Ice Cream Bars

Cherry-Lemon Meringue Mini Pies

Sandra's simple mini pies are the perfect kid-size dessert, or you can pair two of them for an impressive bake sale treat. The kids will love pressing the crust into the pans and spooning in the filling.

Get the Recipe: Cherry-Lemon Meringue Mini Pies

Lemon Cream Squares

Sandra makes a quick base layer for these bars by using store-bought lemon cake mix. Then she tops it with a cream cheese mixture that uses lemon gelatin to cut down prep time even further. The result is a beautifully layered and creamy bar.

Get the Recipe: Lemon Cream Squares

Lemony Yogurt Pound Cake

Heart-healthy olive oil and protein-rich Greek yogurt take the place of butter in this lemony pound cake, without sacrificing any flavor.

Get the Recipe: Lemony Yogurt Pound Cake

Pink Lemonade Cake

This pretty-in-pink lemonade cake is ideal for your next summer party, thanks to the sweet lemony flavor in both the tender cake and fluffy, meringue-style frosting. The ombre pink layers are easy to achieve and sure to impress. If you love tangy pink lemonade and a slice of moist cake, then this recipe is for you!

Get the Recipe: Pink Lemonade Cake

Lemon-Blueberry Sunshine Tart

This sunshiny tart looks super-impressive but doesn't require any special equipment or pans. Folded foil helps hold up the buttery star-shaped shortbread. The yellow filling is a tangy lemon curd and plump blueberries fill in the edges.

Get the Recipe: Lemon-Blueberry Sunshine Tart

Vegan Lemon Bars

Like our favorite traditional lemon bars, these vegan ones are tangy, not too sweet and super lemony. But as the topping—a combination of vegan sugar, flour, cornstarch and cashew milk—is egg-free, it’s boiled rather than baked on the shortbread base. The sunny color comes from a pinch of turmeric in lieu of egg yolks (don’t worry, you won’t taste it). Using a virgin coconut oil in the base lends a lovely coconut note.

Get the Recipe: Vegan Lemon Bars