These easy lemon brownies are tangy and refreshing, boast a delightfully chewy and fudgy base, and are topped with a sweet lemon glaze for the finishing touch. Say hello to the best lemon brownies ever!
Why this recipe works
Lemon bars meet fudge brownies for a combination you didn’t know you needed! These lemon brownies are fudgy and chewy like a brownie and bursting with refreshing citrus flavor, you really can’t go wrong with this one.
Give me anything lemon and you have my heart, but I could say the same thing about brownies. This mash-up is a real winner in my book! Plus, the prep is quick and easy which is always a welcome bonus.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
LEMON – I highly recommend using fresh lemon for this recipe, it will make all the difference. You’ll need about 2 large lemons to yield enough juice and zest for both the brownie and glaze portion of this recipe. Sometimes it’s safest to grab an extra lemon just in case. Choose lemons that give a little when gently squeezed, these usually have the juiciest insides.
How to Make Lemon Brownies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease any exposed sides. Arrange the parchment paper so that the sides hang off the pan, which will make it easier to lift the brownies once baked.
- In a medium bowl add the melted butter and sugar. Mix with a spatula or whisk until well combined.
- Beat in two eggs just until combined.
- Pour in ¼ cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon (or more if desired) of fresh lemon zest and mix.
- Add 1 cup of all-purpose flour, mixing well.
- Pour batter into the prepared 8×8 pan.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, the top should start to get hard. Remove from oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before making glaze (you can leave them in the pan for the entire cooling process).
- Place powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk well until no lumps are left. The glaze should be easily pourable.
- Remove the brownies from the pan and pour glaze over top. Evenly spread the glaze out with a knife or spatula. Sprinkle with as much zest as desired and cut into squares.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, to freeze, wrap the lemon brownies a few times with plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Store the brownies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Lemon bars have a curd-like interior, are baked on a shortbread crust, and are dusted with powdered sugar on top. Their texture is soft and almost gooey. Lemon brownies do not have a crust, are fudgy and chewy just like a regular brownie would be, and are typically topped with a sweet glaze. You can compare their texture to a lemon cookie bar. They both share the star ingredient, lemon, but differ largely in texture.
Yes, you can double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan. Do note that baking the doubled recipe in a 9×13 pan will likely yield thicker lemon brownies, which may call for additional time in the oven. Use the toothpick method to check for doneness. A small amount of moist crumbs is fine, so long as there is no wet batter on the toothpick.
Serving Suggestions
Our favorite way to serve these lemon brownies is topped with fresh lemon glaze, but you can omit the glaze and opt for a dusting of powdered sugar, or rather just enjoy them plain if desired.
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Lush
- Lemon Baked Donuts
- Lemon Streusel Squares
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
- Lemon Meringue Pie Bars
- Lemon Pound Cake
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Lemon Brownies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 12 Tablespoons salted butter melted and slightly cooled. 3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- 1 Tablespoons lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar PLUS 2 Tablespoons
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon zest for garnish
Things You’ll Need
- Whisk or rubber spatula
Before You Begin
- You’ll need about 2 large lemons to yield enough juice and zest for both the brownie and glaze portion of this recipe. Sometimes its safest to grab an extra lemon just in case. Choose lemons that give a little when gently squeezed, these usually have the juiciest insides.
- You can double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 pan. Do note that baking the doubled recipe in a 9×13 pan will likely yield thicker lemon brownies, which may call for additional time in the oven. Use the toothpick method to check for doneness. A small amount of moist crumbs is fine, so long as there is no wet batter on the toothpick.
- Store the brownies in an air-tight container kept at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- To freeze, wrap the brownies a few times with plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease any exposed sides.
- In a medium bowl add the melted butter and sugar. Mix with a spatula or whisk until well combined.
- Beat in two eggs just until combined.
- Pour in ¼ cup lemon juice and 1 tablespoon (or more if desired) of fresh lemon zest and mix.
- Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, mix well, then pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, the top should start to get hard. Remove from oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before making glaze (you can leave them in the pan for the entire cooling process).
- Place powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk well until no lumps are left. The glaze should be easily pourable.
- Remove the brownies from the pan and pour glaze over top. Evenly spread the glaze out with a knife or spatula. Sprinkle with as much zest as desired.I put them back in the fridge after my glaze went on to harden up before cutting to get nicer edges, and so they were not dripping.
- Cut into 9 or 12 squares.
Nutrition
Lindsay Formaro
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Nancy says
I followed the recipe exactly. My hubby loves anything lemon, so I was looking forward to surprising him with these “brownies”. However, after mixing the ingredients exactly and baking for 22 minutes, the result was more like lemon soup. I baked it for 15 minutes more, which finally reached the point of hardening some on top. The result was a small island of congealed substance on top of lemon soup. After several hours in the fridge, it did harden up some, but it wasn’t very thick, only about 3/8 inch thick, maybe 1/2 inch. When I cut it into squares I found the congealed portion was only the top half. The bottom was still soft and runny. I did notice that the batter seemed to cuddle with the addition of the lemon juice. It just seems there’s something missing somewhere. The best my hubby could come up with was that they tasted good. I doubtt I’ll try this one again.
Amanda Davis says
We had a reader with a similar problem to you and we think that she may have used too much butter. As it states in the recipe it should be “1 1/2 sticks salted butter melted and slightly cooled. 3/4 cup or 12 Tablespoons” and we think she may have misread that as 1 1/2 CUPS. We’ve tested this recipe and they were perfect, I tested personally myself. Here were my notes from my test :
“The batter was very similar to cake batter just a little thicker. But it was very easy to make and came together well. I baked them for 21 minutes.”
Anna says
Mine came out extremely flat. The flavor is great but they seem much flatter than the picture. Would adding baking powder (not soda!) help?
Amanda Formaro says
I’ve made these twice without issue. Can you take a look at the ingredient list again and make sure you followed it exactly?
Fae says
These are really good, but because there’s no baking soda or baking powder, they’re more oof a bar and not a brownie.. still good though.
DeAnna says
These turned out to be a huge hit
TNMama says
My son and I made these for his 8th Birthday, as we both love lemon. They were very flavorful and a wonderful texture. Will save this recipe. Thank you.
Angelo Bonito says
I made these tonight. My wife said she liked them better than brownies. I’m not crazy about the texture, but they have a great lemon flavor. It might be because they weren’t fully cooled.
Ramona says
Made it just now exactly according to Recipe. Came out very well. Waiting till it cools to top with the Glaze. Very easy to make. My kids will be very happy as they love Lemon Bars/Brownies.
Thank you
Amanda Formaro says
Glad to hear that, thank you!
Kayla cappiello says
I wanted to love this recipe! I love anything lemon. After living together all the ingredients it was way too liquidy. I wanted to trust the recipe but even after baking it was not right. The liquid to flour ratio is off. I didn’t make and changed or adjustments. Maybe there’s just a typo somewhere? Please let me know. Id love to make them.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Kayla. I’m so sorry you had that experience with one of our recipes. Especially this one, as it was tested three times to get it right. I am wondering though, after reviewing the list of ingredients, is it at all possible that you read the butter as “cups” instead of sticks? It’s currently listed in the recipe card as 1 1/2 sticks, which would be 3/4 cup. If you happened to read it as cups, that would have been twice the amount of butter, which would have resulted in what you described. As a side note, our assistant editor made these the other day and said they came out fine. I hope we can find the solution here.
Amanda Formaro says
Just a follow up. I just tested this recipe again and it came out perfectly. The only thing I can think of is like I said before, maybe you mistook sticks for cups and used double the amount of butter.
Em says
Hi
How much weight is 1 & a half sticks of butter?
Amanda Formaro says
That would be 6 ounces