These easy fudgy lemon brownies are packed full of tangy lemon flavor. They have the rich texture of chocolate brownies but no actual chocolate. They're topped with an easy tangy lemon glaze. The brownies come together in one bowl without an electric mixer. They’re the perfect summer quick and easy dessert!
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🍋 Why you will LOVE this recipe
- Tangy lemon: They have a tangy, zesty flavor - like a lemon bar.
- Fudgy: The fudgy, rich texture is similar to a brownie texture.
- One bowl: The batter and glaze come together in one bowl each, without needing an electric mixer.
- Glaze: The two ingredient glaze is so flavorful and makes the perfect tangy topping.
These blueberry brownies are also super tangy and don't actually have any chocolate in them.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Lemons: You will need about 2-3 lemons, the zest and juice. The perfect way to use up any lemons if you have them. If you have even more lemons, consider making these lemon raspberry bars.
- Butter: Melted and cooled to room temperature. Substitute with dairy free butter for dairy free lemon brownies.
- Eggs: Two whole eggs and two yolks give the brownie structure and yellow color.
- Baking powder: The baking powder gives the lemon brownie just enough lift that it's not overly dense. Don't substitute with baking soda.
- All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
For an equally easy summer dessert, you need to try my lemon zucchini bread! The lemon drizzle gives it loads of lemon flavor. Or make these lemon bars with graham cracker crust!
✔️ Flavor variations
Just like a regular brownie, you can add all of your favorite mix ins:
- unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
- white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- chopped, lightly toasted nuts
👩🍳 How to make lemon brownies
Brownie batter step by step
Step 1: Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9" square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang at the edges to lift the brownies out later.
Step 2: In a large glass bowl, rub grated lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers until fragrant, yellow, and moist.
Step 3: Add eggs, egg yolks, and salt. Whisk well to combine until the mixture falls of the whisk in ribbons. Don't whisk until light in color.
Step 4: Add melted room temperature butter and lemon juice, whisk to combine. Optional: add yellow gel food coloring if your eggs aren't yellow enough.
Step 5: Sift flour and baking powder right into the same bowl and fold until a thick batter forms. Transfer into lined baking pan and smooth the top.
Step 6: Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle is puffed and slightly jiggly. If you want a less fudgy texture, cook for an additional 5-10 minutes (the center should not be jiggly). Let cool completely in the pan.
Lemon glaze step by step
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix together with a spoon until combined. Add more lemon juice or water if needed. Mix vigorously to remove any lumps. The glaze needs to be very thick and fall off the spoon in thick ribbons or it will just run off the top.
Step 2: Spread glaze over the brownies. Let set for 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Slice and serve - use a sharp knife and wipe it every time you make a cut.
The brownies are soft when served at room temperature and become more chewy when cold.
📝 Expert brownie tips
- Room temperature ingredients create all the difference. It helps create an evenly mixed batter.
- Don't overmix the batter when adding flour. Stop folding as soon as no more dry streaks of flour remain. If a few lumps of flour remain, that's ok. Overmixing the batter creates a dense, tough brownie.
- Don't overbake - if you're going for a fudgy texture, the edges should be set and the middle slightly jiggly. For a cakey texture, the middle shouldn't be jiggly.
- Let cool completely to room temperature. The longer you let them cool, the better it will hold itself together.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
You can make the brownies ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to use. For the best presentation, top the brownie with the glaze and slice right before serving.
These brownies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
They freeze really well. Place the brownies into an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to two months.
✔️ How to get a fudgy texture without chocolate
I've tested these lemon brownies so many times to really nail the texture. It's soft, buttery, chewy, and rich - exactly like how a chocolate brownie should be but with lemons instead!
The secret ingredient is a tiny amount of baking powder to prevent the brownies from being too dense - but not enough to make it cake-like.
And don't overbake them! If you've made chocolate brownies before, like these cherry brownies, then you know that they are done when the edges are set and the middle is puffed up but not fully baked. If you press down in the middle with your finger it won't spring back and will feel very soft. This will give you the perfect fudgy texture. If you prefer a more cakey brownie, add 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
✔️ How to get maximum lemon flavor
I needed these brownies to have all of the zesty, tangy flavor lemons have without the help of lemon extract.
The first step is to rub the zest and sugar together until fragrant. The sugar helps release the natural occurring oils inside the lemon zest, giving the brownies lots of sharp, zesty flavor.
The tang comes from the quarter cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice. To balance out all of the extra moisture the lemon juice added, I added two egg yolks. This also helps add a natural yellow tint to the lemon brownies. If your yolks are yellow enough, you don't need to add food coloring.
Check out these lemon white chocolate cookies for another easy lemon dessert.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Bake the brownies a little longer, until the middle is cooked through. This will add about 5-10 more minutes onto the baking time. The middle shouldn't be jiggly when coming out of the oven.
In the case of these tangy lemon brownies, yes. These brownies were too dense without the baking powder. Baking powder doesn't make them less tangy so the flavor still stays the same. Don't substitute with baking soda.
Yes, replace the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour.
I recommend adding white chocolate (chopped or chips). White chocolate and lemon is a match made in heaven!
🍋 More related recipes
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📖 Recipe
Tangy Lemon Brownies
Equipment
- 8 inch or 9 inch square baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 lemons zested
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- ¼ cup lemon juice use the juice from the zested lemons
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (270 g)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Line the bottom and edges of an 8” or 9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, grated lemon zest, and salt. Rub the sugar and zest with your fingers until fragrant and moist.1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 2 lemons
- Add two whole eggs and two large egg yolks, whisking by hand until smooth and slightly thickened.2 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks
- Pour melted butter into the mixture and whisk well to combine. Add lemon juice ad whisk well. If you want the brownies to be brighter yellow, add food coloring (optional). I didn't add any because the egg yolks were so bright yellow already.1 cup butter, ¼ cup lemon juice
- Sift the flour and baking powder right into the same bowl. Fold with a spatula, just until no more dry streaks of flour remain. Some lumps and bubbles are ok.2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Transfer to the prepared baking pan and push the batter into all of the corners. Smooth the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are set and the middle is puffed and slightly jiggly. If you want a less fudgy texture, cook for another 5-10 minutes (the center should not be jiggly). Let brownies cool to room temperature directly in the pan.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix together with a spoon until combined. Add more lemon juice or water if needed. Mix vigorously to remove any lumps. The glaze needs to be very thick and fall off the spoon in thick ribbons or it will just run off the top.2 cups powdered sugar, 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice
- Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting up the handles. Pour glaze over cooled brownies. Spread to the edges.
- Let the glaze set for about 10-15 minutes before cutting into squares. Wipe the knife every time you cut for clean slices. Slice and serve! The brownies are soft when served at room temperature and become chewy when cold.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients make an evenly mixed batter.
- Don't overmix the batter when adding flour. Stop folding as soon as no more dry streaks of flour remain. Overmixing the batter creates a dense, tough brownie.
- Don't overbake - For a fudgy texture, the edges should be set and the middle slightly jiggly. For a cakey texture, the middle shouldn't be jiggly.
- Let cool completely to room temperature. The longer you let them cool, the better it will hold itself together.
Nicole
I can’t say enough good things about these brownies !! I brought them with me to a family bbq and came home with none! thankfully I kept one at home for later I’m a huge fan of lemon and these did not disappoint ! They are tangy and delicious everyone was wanting the recipe so I made sure to give them your website I love that they are so easy to put together and my son had a blast helping in the kitchen thanks for the great recipe !
Aidan
Great very good recipe
Aidan
Great
Julia Kolaszynska
I love this recipe thank you!! I used a dash of turmeric to make it yellow!
Fran G
Ok the edges dried out a little and I was so disappointed BUT when I got to the fudgy middle, it was everything I had hoped it would be. Delicious and fresh. Would recommend checking the dessert at the 20 minute mark and making sure the sides have not cooked up too much.
Lynne
Been searching for the best lemon brownie. This is it. It is incomparable!
Lia
Omg! I just made this - it’s the perfect dessert for summer!! The Fudgy texture, lemon-ey flavour - so so refreshing!! 🍋🍋🍋 this is the second time I tried your recipe, both have been perfect!! Love love your recipe!! Thanks for sharing it with us!! ❤️❤️❤️
Mary
I'm so happy you loved them! Thank you for making them 🙂
Jack
One of the best dessert recipes I have found! I made these exactly according to this recipe and they were moist, tart, sweet, and easy! I love the brownie texture, the lemon bar flavor, and the very few dishes I had to wash afterward. (The only rime consuming parts were cooling the butter and cooling the bars - I cheated and used the fridge.)
For the lemon-counters, my three, very regular, grocery store lemons gave me exactly 1/4 cub + 5 tablespoons of juice. Since the bars only called for the zest of two lemons, I mixed the zest of the third with about a tablespoon of raw sugar and sprinkled on top of the bars - really nice looking and a funky crunch. My glaze was a tad runny but the amount that set on top of the bars was perfect (and I wouldn't want to use less lemon juice - the tartness was perfect).
Anyway, I have never left a comment on a recipe before but this was just great and I highly recommend it. Yum!
Mary
So happy you loved them, thank you! 😀
Pansie Manners
I love these. Every Christmas I used to make them for my boys
Nancy
Delicious!! Mine came out a little dry. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I wonder if I should have measured my flour after it was shifted?
Mary
So happy you liked them! Yes they shouldn't be dry at all. I recommend using a scale to measure the flour - that way you get the best results every time! If you don't have a scale, fluff up your flour by mixing with a spoon and gently spoon it into a measuring cup without packing it in. Use a knife to scrape off the excess flour. A few more tips would be to not overmix when adding the flour (stop mixing as soon as no more dry streaks of flour remain, a few lumps are ok) and to not overbake. The brownies are ready when the middle is still a little wiggly and the edges are set. Hope this helps!
Donna
I made these using coconut flour and almond flour, in silicone baking cups. Sprinkled a little sugar on top before baking. 2 Die 4!! I don't share these!!
Thanks for the recipe!