Amazing Lemon Brownies . . . soft and chewy lemon squares topped with lemon glaze. We like them better than traditional lemon bars, and they are easier to make!
I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of lemon desserts, especially during the spring and summer months. Surprisingly, I don’t love traditional lemon bars. I will eat them, but they are far from my favorite.
These lemon brownies on the other hand, I simply adore!
I know some of you are thinking, “these shouldn’t be called brownies, they aren’t brown!” I know, I know. But of course you can’t call them lemon bars, because they aren’t the lemon bars that everyone is familiar with.
They have the soft and chewy texture of brownies, and they are made just like brownies. So lemon brownies they are!
Whatever you call them, they are out of this world delicious! I don’t think I’ll ever make regular lemon bars ever again because I like these so much better. So did my family. In fact, most of them won’t touch lemon bars, but they gobbled these lemon brownies right up.
Making these lemon brownies is super simple, just like regular chocolate brownies. The key to the best lemon flavor is the lemon zest. Without lemon zest, all of your lemon baked goods will be bland. It’s totally worth it to invest in a good lemon zester!
To skip my tips and just see the printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of the post.
How to make Lemon Brownies
Ingredients:
- butter (I use salted butter.)
- sugar
- lemon zest (This is what adds the amazing lemon flavor, don’t leave it out!)
- fresh lemon juice
- large eggs
- all purpose flour
- salt
- powdered sugar
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till creamy. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs. Stir in flour and salt till well combined.
Spread the batter evenly into a 9×13″ pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or till edges are starting to lightly brown and middle is set.
For glaze, whisk together all ingredients, adding enough lemon juice to make a pourable consistency. Spread evenly over hot bars. Cool and cut into squares.
Tips for making this Lemon Brownie Recipe
– Use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for the best flavor.
-To change things up, you could add blueberries, raspberries, or white chocolate chips to the batter.
-For an extra decadent treat, serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lemon sherbet.
You can serve these lemon brownies warm or at room temperature. The flavor actually intensifies over time, so they are even more lemony the next day. If you are a lemon lover, they are sure to become a new favorite!
How to store Lemon Brownies
You can store these lemon bars in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last for 3-4 days.
You can freeze them if you need to, just wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container. They will last for 2-3 months.
Handy tools for making this recipe:
Lemon Zester – A good zester is a must for baking citrus recipes so you can get that fresh lemon flavor. I like one with a cover and a handle.
Lemon Juicer – There are fancy electronic juicers on the market, but I do just fine with my basic citrus juicer. And I like that it is totally dishwasher safe.
Hand Mixer – I’ve had this mixer for over six years, and it still works like a charm.
Crazy for lemon like I am? Here are a few more tasty recipes to try:
- Lemon Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cookies
- Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread
MORE TASTY DESSERT BARS AND BROWNIES:
- Cherry Sugar Cookie Bars
- Zucchini Blondies
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Oreo Rice Krispie Treats
- Caramel Peanut Butter Bars
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
- Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Snickerdoodle Bars
- Easy Toffee Bars
EASY LEMON BROWNIES RECIPE
Lemon Brownies
Equipment
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl till creamy. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and eggs.
- Stir in flour and salt till well combined.
- Spread the batter evenly into a 9x13" pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or till edges are starting to lightly brown and middle is set.
- For glaze, whisk together all ingredients, adding enough lemon juice to make a pourable consistency. Spread evenly over hot bars.
- Cool and cut into squares.
Nutrition
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Hi Kara! I just wanted to say your lemon brownies are so amazing! My family, coworkers and friends have fallen in love with your recipe. We all love everything lemon, so thank you so much!! I wanted to try adding passionfruit to the recipe, do you have any tips?
I’m so happy to hear that they are such a hit at your house! I’ve never actually baked with passionfruit, so I don’t have any idea how it would work. So sorry. 🙁
Hi Kara,
Your lemon brownies are so tasteful!! 🙂
Made them already 3 times. But I haven’t read the comments below before making it and I just use ” my cup” as measurement. Now I read that 1 cup is 227 gr. But just to be sure that I get it right. So you put 227 gr butter and 340 gr sugar. Is it right?
I don’t measure in grams, I just use my cup as well. So you’re good! 🙂
Can they be made in a traditional 8×8 brownie pan
I think they might work in a 9″ square pan, but they would probably overflow in a smaller pan. You would have to increase the baking time because they would be thicker. If you do try it in a 9″ pan, I’d bake them on a cookie sheet just in case the batter spills over the side.
How the heck do you get 20 bars out of this recipe. I only got 16 out of the recipe. They are so delicious! I am going to freeze them, for a bake sale beginning of March.
Haha, serving sizes are just a suggestion, right? I’m a sucker for lemon treats, so there have been times when my bar was a fourth of the pan. 😉
350 Grad? Kann ich mir nicht vorstellen. Stimmt das wirklich?
Das Rezept sieht 350 Grad FAHRENHEIT vor. Das wären etwa 177 Grad Celsius..
Hello Kara,
Love everything with lemons 😛😛
I want to try these, but i can’t find how much to use of everything?
Can you tell me please 😃😃
Sorry!!! Found it 🙈😃😃😃
Glad you found the recipe; hope you loved them!
You write that a cup butter is 225g, will that be the same for flour 225 g ?
I ask because I never use cup.
350° ? Mein Backofen schafft 275° . Reicht das aus?
Marlene: Sie müssen 450 Grad Farhenheit i in Celsius umrechnen, was ungefähr 177 Grad C entspricht.
I would like to make these for a vegan friend , I understand to substitute margarine for butter. But what do use instead of eggs. I’m new to trying to make vegan friendly brownies. Thank you..
I’ve never cooked vegan, so I’m not sure what to use to replace eggs. So sorry.
Love this fuss-free recipe. I cut the sugar back by 1/2 cup and added another 1 tbsp lemon juice. What would the amount of butter be in grams? Think I may have used a bit much but otherwise, OMG, delicious!
One cup of butter is 227 grams. Thanks for sharing your adaptation! Happy to hear they were still tasty with less sugar. 🙂
The absolute best treat ever. I’ve made them many times now and I can’t get over how delicious they are. Perfectly chewy yet not too much so. Flavorful and down right my top favorite lemony dessert. I hate sharing the recipe because I want them to be all mine but that’s craziness. I guess I should share. If it wasn’t for sharing, I would never have found them. Thank you!!
Hooray, I’m so glad you love them so much! Haha, yes, sometime sharing is hard when it comes to food. But I share so that people are more likely to share back with me. 😉
Delicious flavour but the texture was more fluffy and cakey than I would expect from a “brownie”. I’ll come back to these when I want a tasty cake-like lemon square but I’ll keep looking elsewhere for a fudgy-textured “lemonie” recipe.
You could try using less eggs, that would make them more dense.
wie viel fast die Tassengrösse im Rezept 240 oder 284ml ?
danke
Why don’t we jus call them *lemonies* 😉
I love that idea! Now we just need a plan to convince everyone else. 😉
“Lemonies”
That’s one amazing idea. I am totally convinced 😃
Now we just need to get everyone else on board! 😉
I’m so confused as to how these are ‘brownies’ – they don’t contain any chocolate, and in fact, they aren’t even brown!
Haha, you’re right! But they can’t be called lemon bars, because everyone knows those as the ones with shortbread crust. They have a similar texture to brownies, and since everyone else refers to them as lemon brownies, that’s what I call them as well. Whatever you call them, they are darn tasty! 🙂
Can the butter be substituted with canola oil? Or applesauce? My daughter has an aversion to butter but loves lemons. Thanks!
I would try margarine, it has a more similar taste and texture to butter, so the results would probably be the closest.
Wondering if these lemon brownies freeze well I would like to make ahead
They should freeze just fine. I recommend freezing them in the pan so that the icing doesn’t get smudged. Wrap them tightly with two layers of plastic wrap and they should last for up to 2 months or so. Let me know how it works if you try it!
Sounds marvelous, will make them this weekwnd!! How about calling them Lemonblondies?
I hope you love them! I thought of calling them that, but the texture is more like a brownie than a blondie, and I didn’t want people to be confused. But you can call them whatever you want! Haha.
I would like to know if I stack these brownies if the glaze on the bottom brownie gets funny, I need to make a lot of them and would need to stack, they look yummy.
When they are completely cool, the glaze does harden up a bit. But if I need to stack them, I place waxed paper between the layers. Works like a charm!
I’d like to make these gluten free. Has anyone used Cup4Cup GF flour in this recipe?
I haven’t tried it, but I think the cup for cup gluten free flour should work great for this recipe. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out! You could even try a half batch and cook it in a square pan, just in case it’s not awesome. 😉
I made these
For Easter for my family gathering. What I tasted from making them is amazing. Will let you know how the family liked them.
Hope you had a wonderful Easter and that the lemon brownies were a hit! 🙂
Does the butter need to be at room temperature or melted? I didn’t find any info regarding butter.
When creaming butter and sugar, you want the butter at room temperature. I have updated the recipe card to make that more clear. 🙂
I haven’t made them yet but if I added blueberries (frozen ) when would I add them.
I would set aside a tablespoon or two of the flour to toss them with, then fold them into the batter right before spreading in the pan. Use a light touch, frozen berries tend to turn the batter blue if you stir them too much! You will also need to increase the baking time because the frozen berries make the batter cold. Let me know how they turn out!
Wow, these are absolutely delicious! My husband does not like cake – he loves these and asked me to make them again. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I also added raspberry and white chocolate chips and they are amazing.
Happy you found something your husband loved! And it sounds amazing with raspberries and white chocolate, I’ll definitely have to try that!
Can I substitute lemon curd in place of lemon juice and lemon zest?
No, that would change the flavor and texture considerably.
Love these! Easy to make…made them 3 times already! Doesn’t have that brownie like consistency, but still delicious. Far easier than lemon bars.
Yes, they are much easier than lemon bars. So glad you love them like I do!
I made these and took them to work. They were gone by the end of the day.😊
Co-workers wanted the recipe but I would not give it to them..lol
One question though..Has anyone used this recipe with a lime instead of a lemon? Thought I might give it a try.
I haven’t tried it with lime, but I bet it would be tasty. Lime is a little more potent, so you might want to use a little less of it. Unless you really like a tart lime flavor of course. 🙂
We absolutely love these. We’ve made them several times and they are a go to desert. Thank you!
So glad they have become a favorite at your house Rose! That always makes my day! 🙂
Made these for my sister’s birthday who loves lemon. Was very disappointed as the pictures look so good and chewy. Would not make again.
Sorry they didn’t turn out for you Teresia.
My husband is not a huge fan of chocolate so I decided to make these for our Easter dessert. I halved the recipe because there are only two of us and used a small square pan. They were a hit! Rich and delicious, I’ll definitely be making these again.
Glad they were such a hit. I know I can’t resist them. 🙂
Quick Question:
The lemon zest is listed under the Glaze ingredients but, in the instructions it says to mix with the butter and sugar.
Do I need zest for both the base and the glaze?
Yes, there is lemon zest in both the base and the glaze. 🙂
Delicious and do easy to make. Thank you😌
You’re welcome! Glad you loved them! 🙂
Ah! I’m out of all purpose flour, has anyone tried making these with coconut flour?
Can I refrigerate these to last for tomorrow?
They will last for 3-4 days just at room temperature, but you can store them in the refrigerator if you prefer.
I came to your site for a dinner recipe and got tempted by these,But since we didn’t have any lemon juice in our house and I’m not going to the store much during isolation I decided to try orange zest and orange juice instead and these are delicious even without the topping on them! So I ate dessert before trying your Skillet lasagna that is cooking for tonight’s dinner.
I came to your site for a dinner recipe and got tempted by these,But since we didn’t have any lemon juice in our house and I’m not going to the store much during isolation I decided to try orange zest and orange juice instead and these are delicious even without the topping on them! So I are dessert before trying your Skillet lasagna that is cooking for tonight’s dinner.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I made these today and they turned out AMAZING! These might just be my new favorite lemon treat:) I did add just a pinch of baking powder and they turned out light and fluffy. DELICIOUS ????
I am so happy that you loved them so much! They are definitely in my top three favorite lemon treat recipes. And of course it’s a bonus that they are so easy to make! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I tried them last weekend and they were really good!
Thanks for stopping by Marijke! I’m so glad that you tried them and loved them!
The recipe doesn’t call for baking powder or baking soda, is it not necessary? Thank you.
Nope, they aren’t necessary. That’s what gives them the chewy texture of a brownie. You could of course try adding some baking powder if you want them more light and fluffy.
This is really a great dish with simple recipe and quick process
We made these a couple weeks ago (I actually think on your birthday haha) and am making them again today for our family reunion. They were delicious and perfect for family that don’t eat chocolate! I love all things lemon, so they are amazing! Thanks for another winner Kara!
Definitely will have to try this one. I love lemon.
Thanks for sharing! They look less messy than lemon bars !
I can’t tell you in words just how much I love lemon bars. Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome! Hope you like these just as much. 🙂
YIKES, these look Danger-licious!!! I will make them this weekend to take to the ball game on Sunday. Thanks Kara for another Yum-Yum!!!!
I definitely need to make them when I have somewhere to take them, they are dangerous for sure!
Wow!! I made these and they were great! I have been looking for something lemony that I could serve guests in my home. These fit the bill so nicely and are so quick to make. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
I am so glad that you made them and that they were a hit. That just makes my day!