32 Lemon Desserts You'll Want to Make This Summer
Enjoy the light and citrusy taste of lemon with these summertime desserts. Pair your lemons with fruits like blueberries, raspberries and coconut to make anything from pies and cupcakes to pavlova. Recipes like our Lemon Frozen Yogurt Ripieno and Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake are bright and tasty treats that pair well with the warm weather.
Lemon Icebox Pie with Coconut-Graham Cracker Crust
Light and delicious, this easy old-fashioned lemon icebox pie takes dessert up a notch thanks to coconut in the crust, which boosts both flavor and texture. For the brightest hit of citrus use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Look for graham crackers made with 100% whole-wheat flour to get the most fiber. Seeing graham flour on the label? Good news—that's coarsely ground whole-wheat.
Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake
This healthy pound cake recipe isn't just delicious—it also only requires one bowl to make. For the best cake texture, be sure to beat the sugar and butter together long enough in Step 2 to look creamy—the time it takes to get there varies according to the type of electric mixer you have. Serve with brunch or alongside a cup of coffee in the afternoon.
Cornmeal-Yogurt-Lemon Cake
Topped with fresh raspberries and lemon zest, this cake is a beautiful dessert you'll be proud to serve at special meals.
Blueberry-Lemon Crumb Muffins
Blueberries and lemon are a natural pairing in these light and airy muffins with a delicate brown sugar crumble. If you like an extra blast of lemon flavor, use lemon extract rather than vanilla. These muffins are best with fresh blueberries, but you can substitute with frozen. Don't thaw them before you stir them into the batter.
Lemon Frozen Yogurt Ripieno
Lemon lovers will enjoy the bright flavor of this creamy, refreshing dessert. To make it extra special, serve it in a frozen lemon cup! You can use the juice from your lemon cups to make the frozen yogurt or keep it on hand to enjoy later.
Lemon Thins
These lemon cookies are made healthier with whole-wheat pastry flour and they get their zippy flavor from fresh lemon zest and juice rather than lemon extract. This lemon cookie recipe would be the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea.
Mini Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecakes
This muffin-tin mini cheesecake recipe is an adorable, healthy dessert that's the perfect cute size. If making 2 dozen seems like overkill, the recipe can easily be cut in half. If you avoid gluten, use gluten-free graham crackers to make the crust.
Lemon-Blueberry Bars
Sweet and tangy, these satisfying bars are great for dessert, a snack on the go, or as a treat tucked into a child's brown-bag lunch. Plus, they're packed with everyone's favorite antioxidant superfood: blueberries.
Lemon Squares
Lemon squares are so delicious, but classic lemon square recipes tip the scales with their calories and saturated fat. Our healthy lemon squares recipe shaves almost 200 calories and more than 5 grams of saturated fat per lemon square. For a variation, use lime juice in place of the lemon juice.
Lemon Brownies
A double dose of lemon juice and zest brings fresh and tangy flavor to these easy brownies. They're the perfect dessert for any holiday or special occasion—or when you just need a little something to brighten your day.
Light Lemon Meringue Pie
Smooth and soothing; a great classic pie right down to the crust, redefined with a generous amount of lemon and fewer egg yolks in the filling.
Whipped Frozen Lemonade
Whipped frozen lemonade combines the creaminess of a milkshake with the thirst-quenching tanginess of freshly squeezed lemonade for an incredibly refreshing treat. And this simple frozen lemonade treat comes together with just four ingredients and a blender. You can use light coconut milk or refrigerated coconut milk in place of full-fat coconut milk, though the end result won't be as rich and creamy.
Mini Muffin-Tin Lemon-Raspberry Cheesecake
Cream cheese and lemon combine with raspberries and a splash of vanilla in these mini muffin-tin cheesecakes. This easy recipe is perfect for brunch or any time you need a cute dessert to feed a crowd.
Lemon-Blueberry Poke Cake
This lemon-blueberry poke cake is tender and light. Holes are poked into the cake after baking to let the tangy-sweet glaze seep in.
Lemon Angel Food Cake with Strawberries & Coconut Cream
Be sure that your tube pan is free from any grease or flour--the batter for this homemade angel food cake needs to be able to climb the sides of the pan as it bakes to hold its structure. Read more about Kristen Hartke's love of baking.
Lemon Pavlova
This show-stopping dessert is a New Zealand (and Australian) classic reportedly created in honor of the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova when she visited the Southern Hemisphere. Our version delivers a wonderful combination of sweet meringue crunch and velvety tart lemon curd. The meringue is somewhat fragile--expect it to crack and crumble a bit as you slice it into individual servings. For the best results, avoid making the meringue on a humid or rainy day. The extra moisture in the air may prevent it from drying and crisping properly.
This High-Protein Lemon-Blueberry Cake Is the Perfect Afternoon Pick-Me-Up
Cottage cheese is the secret star ingredient in this stunning cake. While the cheesy flavor is muted by the fruit, the inclusion of cottage cheese adds protein and keeps the cake moist. The tart flavor of the lemon is balanced by sweet blueberries. Enjoy a slice of this cake for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Or try crumbling it up and stirring into a bowl of cottage cheese or yogurt.
Lemon-Raspberry Dump Cake
This super-easy and fun lemon-raspberry dump cake tastes like a cobbler, but with cake instead of a biscuit topping. Raspberries and lemon work well together, but any berry would work well here.
Lemon-Blueberry Nice Cream
Nice cream is for everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions. This dairy- and lactose-free, no-added-sugar version requires only five ingredients, including cold water, and comes together as fast as the blades in your food processor can spin. It's bright with blueberries and creamy from bananas, making it a simple and easy dessert with a good dose of dietary fiber—how much more can you ask from a delicious frozen summer dessert?
Blueberry-Lemon-Ricotta Cupcakes
These blueberry-lemon cupcakes are so light and delicious, it's hard to eat just one! The blueberries burst in your mouth and the glaze gives an extra boost of sweet-tart lemon flavor. Serve these easy cupcakes at a grown-up birthday party, bridal shower or brunch.
Blueberries with Lemon Cream
Blending vanilla yogurt and reduced-fat cream cheese creates a topping that's as virtuous as it is delicious. Any fresh berry can be used in this recipe.
Lemon Meringue Tart for Two
A mile-high meringue is possible only if the egg white, bowl and beaters are at room temperature.
Pavlova with Meyer Lemon Curd & Citrus Salad
Meringue is very fun to play with and can be spread or piped into many different designs. Here, we like a neat, simple mound with a little bit of natural swoosh. You can draw a circle in the center of your parchment with a pen or marker to use as a guide when shaping; just be sure to flip the parchment over so the pen won't come in contact with the meringue. This pavlova recipe has several components that can be prepared ahead to make serving a breeze.
Vegan Lemon Cake
You don't have to be vegan to enjoy this vegan lemon cake! It's moist, delicious and plenty lemony thanks to a combination of lemon juice and zest. A glaze made with lemon juice, confectioners' sugar and almond milk adds a sweet-tangy finish.
Gluten-Free Blueberry-Lemon Doughnuts
These yummy blueberry-lemon doughnuts use a blend of gluten-free flours making them a perfect treat for anyone with gluten intolerance or sensitivity.
Lemon Curd Pie
If you like lemon bars, you'll love this lemon curd pie. Simple, sweet and tart, thanks to plenty of fresh lemon juice, this pie is the perfect after-dinner palate cleanser.
Lemon Cheesecake Bites
These creamy and lemony cheesecake bites are diabetic-friendly and guilt free!
Lemon-Raspberry Blondies
These blondies, made with whole-wheat flour and the bright and refreshing combination of raspberries and lemon, provide an invigorating snack for any time of day.
Mini Lemon Curd Tarts
Pucker up with these mini lemon curd tarts! A sweet graham cracker crust pressed into a muffin tin holds the sweet and tangy lemon filling. This easy lemony dessert is perfect for brunch or an after-dinner treat.
Blueberry Lemon Curd Ice Cream Cake
For a sweet and easy diabetes-friendly dessert, enjoy this lemony ice cream cake with blueberries.
Lemon-Blueberry Dump Cake
Got an extra box of vanilla cake mix? Use it to make this easy blueberry-lemon dump cake! A layer of blueberries bakes with lemon-infused cake on top. With only 10 minutes of active time, this cake is perfect for busy nights or casual get-togethers.
Lemon-Raspberry Mini Cupcakes
These light and fluffy mini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are flavored with lemon and have a raspberry-tinted frosting. Make these easy cupcakes as a brunch or birthday dessert. Make them extra fruity with a fresh, plump raspberry on top.
