30+ Lemon Dessert Recipes Perfect for Easter & Spring

updated Aug 2, 2023
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As we inch closer and closer to spring, we’re dreaming of the warmer weather to come, and days spent outdoors. While we know that we might not be able to celebrate in all the ways that we normally would, we can still welcome the lighter, brighter days in smaller ways — perhaps by baking something so full of lemons and sunshine that you can’t help but feel a bit cheerier.

Is there anything that screams spring more than lemon-y sweet treats? With Easter just around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of the perfect lemon desserts to help you celebrate. From tangy lemon bars and lemon cookies to moist and zippy bundt cakes and pound cakes to ultra-creamy puddings and pies, here are 32 lemon desserts to make right now.

Easy Lemon Desserts

From cookies to simple cakes to pies, and of course lemon bars, these sweet treats don’t require too much heavy lifting.

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Lemon Cookies
These sunny, sweet-tart cookies start with a box of cake mix for a shortcut that makes them super simple to pull off. Add a touch of fresh lemon zest to really boost the flavor.
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Lemon Cheesecake
For a zesty, hearty dessert, look to lemon cheesecake.
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Lemon Meringue Pie
The hardest part of making this lemon meringue pie is not the tender-crisp crust, the tangy-rich filling, or the light-as-air topping. It’s letting the thing cool completely before slicing into it.
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Lemon Blueberry Bread
This tall loaf is full of plump blueberries and lemon zest, and crowned with lemon icing.
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Lemon Swirl Cheesecake Bars
A buttery graham cracker crust joins forces with a lemon curd-swirled cheesecake layer in this sweet and tangy spring treat.
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Lemon Ricotta Stuffed French Toast
Cloud-like slices of brioche or challah filled with creamy ricotta cheese flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest and cooked until golden brown.
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The Best Lemon Bars
This is the platonic ideal of a lemon bar, with a buttery shortbread crust that’s sturdy but tender enough to bite through, and a thick but luscious filling that evenly balances the sweetness and the tart lemon flavor.
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Limoncello Bars
Spiked with limoncello liqueur, this twist on classic lemon bars is packed with bright, citrusy flavor.
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Simple Elderflower Lemon Cake with Elderflower Whipped Cream
Elderflower cordial is generally known as a mixer for refreshing spring and summer drinks, though you’ll never regret using it for an elderflower syrup to flavor cake.
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Lemon Curd Sandwich Cookies
This lemon curd sandwich cookie starts off with just-sweet-enough cookies, made rich and tender by a simple cream cheese dough. If you’re not game to make your own lemon curd, grab a jar of your favorite kind from the store. It will work just fine.
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Lemon Chess Pie
A classic chess pie with a bright and tart lemon butter filling.
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Meyer Lemon Shaker Pie
The filling in this Meyer lemon pie has only five ingredients, and yet it spills out in a glorious jammy gush of sunny lemon flavor. It’s surprisingly good: sweet, tart, and a little bitter.
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Heavenly Lemon Bars with Almond Shortbread Crust
Lemon bars are a springtime staple. This version has a sweet, nutty undertone that comes from mixing almond flour into the shortbread crust.
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Lemon Cheesecake Cookies
What better way to welcome spring than with a simple, sweet, and tangy cookie that tastes like creamy cheesecake?
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Lemon Blueberry Muffins
For a bright morning muffin, whip up this batch in less than an hour.
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Ultra-Chewy Lemon Coconut Cookies
There’s a lot to love about the sweet flavor of lemon in these cookies, but the best part is the chewy bits of candied lemon peel buried in the dough.
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Flourless Lemon Almond Cake
When the cake itself is a standout, there’s no need for fancy swirls of frosting or decorations. That’s exactly the case with this lemon almond cake: It’s lightly sweetened and full of bright lemon flavor.
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Sticky Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
Almond flour and polenta form the base of this gluten-free cake that gets a double dose of flavor from lemon zest and lemon syrup.
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Copycat Starbucks Lemon Loaf Cake
From the warm lemon flavor to the impossibly moist, pillowy texture to the ultra-luxe lemon icing, this version is even better than the one from Starbucks.
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Lemon Rice Pudding

If you like rice pudding, this is the ultimate comfort food, scented with lemon, and not very sweet, so perfectly acceptable for breakfast.

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No-Bake Lemon Desserts

You can’t go wrong with any of the desserts in this line up. Just know that the sheet pan lemon tart is a favorite of just about the entire Kitchn team.

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Lemon Posset
A creamy no-bake pudding that bursts with bright notes of zesty lemon.
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No-Bake Sheet Pan Lemon Yogurt Tart
This no-bake sheet pan lemon tart is big enough for all your get-togethers. And if it doesn’t win you over with its sweet bite, the supreme ease of it sure will. Take your pick between topping with Cool Whip or fresh whipped cream.
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Lemon Rice Pudding

If you like rice pudding, this is the ultimate comfort food, scented with lemon, and not very sweet, so perfectly acceptable for breakfast.

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Lemon Icebox Pie
No-bake lemon icebox pie has a creamy bite from cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice and zest — topped with Cool Whip or whipped cream.
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Lemon Cream Icebox Cake

This big-batch cake is intensely lemon-flavored, with lots of pucker to balance the sweetness.

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Lemon-Yogurt Icebox Tart

This chilled tart is even better when made a day in advance.

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Lemon Sorbet

You olnly need two ingredients to make this cool treat.

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Lemon Cakes (and Beyond)

Whether you’re game for a layer cake, bundt cake, loaf cake, chiffon cake, or an impressive tart – we’ve got them all.

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Triple Lemon Cake
Inspired by Malinda Russell's cream cake, this triple lemon cake has a delicate crumb and is bursting with flavor.
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Lemon-Coconut Cake
Luscious bright lemon and creamy coconut are perfectly paired in this decadent layer cake.
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Copycat Costco Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
With a toasty graham cracker crust, rich cheesecake filling, lemon custard, and an airy meringue crown, this stunner rivals the viral dessert from Costco.
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Easy Lemon Bundt Cake with Fresh Lemon Glaze
A gentle lemon undertone sweeps through the cake, which is subtly sweet, making way for the tart two-ingredient glaze that blankets the top. And in classic Bundt fashion, the texture is sturdy, with the lightness and tender crumb we love and expect in a lemon cake.
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Easy Lemon Cake with Whipped Raspberry Frosting
If you need a fast-and-fancy dessert, this sunny lemon cake fits the bill. It won’t look out of place at most special occasions, but it’s simple enough you can put it together on a weeknight.
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Simple Elderflower Lemon Cake with Elderflower Whipped Cream
Elderflower cordial is generally known as a mixer for refreshing spring and summer drinks, though you’ll never regret using it for an elderflower syrup to flavor cake.
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Lemon Drizzle Cake
This British bake is similar to a Victoria sponge, but substitutes almond flour for some of the all-purpose flour and gets a handful of poppy seeds.
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Meyer Lemon-Olive Oil Chiffon Cake
Light and fluffy, sky-high chiffon cakes are simple to pull off and always look very impressive. A basic lemon glaze is all you need for a topping, though it can also be cut in half and filled with flavored whipped cream, mascarpone, or custard.
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Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
This pretty cake gets an extra rich flavor and tender texture from a generous scoop of ricotta.
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Lemon Pound Cake
This recipe will reward you with two soft and tender lemony loaves. While you could halve the recipe, I urge you not to. It freezes extremely well. Just hold off on adding the glaze until serving, if you plan to freeze.
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German-Style Lemony Cheesecake
Forget the dense cheesecake that you’re familiar with. This German-style dessert is more like a lofty lemon soufflé crossed with a Dutch baby.
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Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Each layer of this cheesecake is delicious in its own right — creamy cheesecake, tart lemon curd, and toasted meringue — but combining them into one creates nothing short of a masterpiece.
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Fluffy Lemon–Lime Cake
Bright lemon and lime flavor are baked into a tender cake and topped with a cloud of sweetened whipped cream.
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Classic Lemon Tart
This is one showstopping lemon tart with a buttery crust and a sunny lemon curd filling.
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Lemon Supreme Cake

With three layers of lemon-soaked cake blanketed in satiny vanilla buttercream, this little cake makes for an exceptional dessert for anything from a bridal brunch to afternoon tea to a birthday party.

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Lemon Marshmallow Cake

This light lemon cake gets topped with a melted marshmallow layer than makes it super fun to pull together.

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