Get 25 of the best Lemon Recipes including drinks, salads, main dishes, desserts and more. Whether you’re in the mood for something sweet or savory, there’s an amazing lemon recipe for you!

Lemon recipes are designed to capture the beauty and vibrant flavor of lemons. Lemons can satisfy a sweet tooth, but also liven up an entree or side dish. Try some of these lovely lemon recipes and learn about using lemons in your cooking.

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One of my favorite things about using lemons in my cooking is that they have so much flavor! The recipes come together really quickly and taste amazing without too much effort.

The bright and zesty flavor is a sure winner in desserts. On the other hand, savory dishes also benefit from the citrus and tangy addition of lemon. Don’t forget the ever popular sweet and sour lemonade which is always a favorite!

You can even make your own Lemon Pepper Seasoning to add bright flavor to pasta, vegetables, chicken, shrimp and salmon!

Use the drop down Table of Contents menu to navigate this post with ease.

Easy Lemon Recipes

These easy lemon recipes aim to capture the flavor and beauty of the peel and flesh. The zest, or outer layer, of the lemon contains the oils and a pure lemon flavor.

The juice of lemons is acidic and sour and can easily be incorporated into sauces, batters, and icings, so the flavor is distributed throughout.

A lot of my lemon recipes are perfect for spring and summer cooking when I need them to be easy and light. They’re refreshing and perfect for family dinners and simple entertaining.

A saucepan on a marble surface, lemon pepper sauce inside.

What You’ll Find in This Guide

  • Tools for Cooking With Lemons
  • Tips for Making Lemon Recipes
  • How to Select Lemons
  • Answers to All of Your Lemon Questions
  • Easy Lemon Recipes to Make for Every Course and Occasion

Helpful Tools

  • Zester – A small, handled kitchen tool with a row of small holes at one end. Use by pressing the holes on the lemon skin and pulling toward you. This will scrape the skin and produce little strips of lemon peel.
  • Microplane Zester – Similar to a cheese grater, but with smaller openings. Gently rub the zester across the skin to produce small lemon skin shavings.
  • Citrus Juicer – A small bowl that has an elevated piece in the middle, called a reamer. Cut lemon in half and place cut side down on the reamer. Move lemon around reamer to release juice. Or, in a lemon squeezer, place half of the lemon, cut side down, into the concave side of the squeezer. Press down and squeeze juice into container.
homemade lemon ice cream in a white loaf pan

Tips for Making Lemon Recipes

Juicing and Zesting

  • Zest the lemon while the lemon is whole, before you cut it in half to juice it.
  • Heat the lemon in the microwave for a few seconds to get the juice flowing more easily.
  • Roll the lemon on the counter to break up some of the membrane and more juice come out.

Lemon Basics

In Season – Lemon trees are in their prime fruit production season during the winter. Florida and California produce the most in the US, where lemon trees thrive in the warm weather.

What to Look For – When choosing lemons, look for a bright yellow color, and no dark spots. Also, the lemon should be heavy for its size, be just barely soft, but still have a firm touch.

How to Store Lemons – Store them on the counter for a week or in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, or until they get hard or spotted.

Lemon Substitutes

  • Lemon Extract – 1:2 ratio of extract to lemon zest; 1:1 ratio of extract to lemon liquer;
  • Lemon Juice – 1:1 ratio of lemon juice to lime juice;
  • Lemon Zest – 1 medium size lemon yields 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Replace a teaspoon of lemon zest with a half teaspoon of lemon extract or dried lemon peel. 2 tablespoons of lemon juice can be substituted for 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

You can find a full list of substitutions here!

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I make with lots of lemons?

You can certainly make lemonade, but you can also try baking that lemon flavor into cookies, cakes, sweet breads, and other desserts. Or, take it a more savory direction and add lemon to your pasta dishes, main dishes and salads!

Can you freeze fresh lemons?

Yes! Wash and dry your lemons. Next, place in a freezer bag or container and keep in freezer for up to 4 months. when ready to use, zest the peel and juice the pulp as usual.

Serving Suggestions

  • Garnish with a Lemon Slice or Wedge
  • Make Gremolata to Garnish Pasta
  • Sprinkle Zest on Top of a Dish or Dessert
  • Add a Layer of Lemon Slices to the Top of a Cake

The Best Lemon Recipes

Lemon Drinks

two glasses of frose by flowers

Frosé

Enjoy your favorite blush wine turned into a refreshingly easy to sip two ingredient Frosé Recipe.

It’s a pink wine Frozen Rosé slushy, perfect for any brunches, showers or parties. 


The best spring or summer drink, perfect for a shower or brunch | refreshing sparkling lemonade

Sparkling Lemonade

Next, the simplest cocktail of all! This easy champagne cocktail is a perfect way to start the festivities and it’s also fancy enough to serve at ladies’ brunches and Mother’s Day.


naturally sweetened refined sugar free honey lemonade in just 60 seconds

Honey Lemonade

A 60-second honey lemonade recipe that’s naturally refined sugar-free and made with just 2 ingredients! A perfect easy lemonade recipe for hot summer days.


A strawberry summer mimosa, garnished with a lemon on a set table.

Strawberry Lemon Mimosa

This strawberry and lemon mimosa is a wonderfully light and refreshing champagne cocktail that you can make in a matter of minutes.

Made with fresh strawberries, this wonderful spring cocktail is perfect for a Mother’s Day and Easter brunch.

Lemon Salads and Sides

Refreshing spring and summer salad | arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette

Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Next up, this is an easy and refreshing recipe for an arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. This simple salad is so perfect for the warmer weather, and is perfect to serve as a simple side or appetizer.


pasta salad with basil in white bowl

Basil Lemon Pasta Salad

This pasta salad with lemon and basil is a light and refreshing alternative to classic pasta salads.

It’s full of fresh flavor and is made in minutes with a few simple ingredients.

Entrées with Lemon

A round plate full of cooked lemon pepper shrimp.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp

Use this recipe for lemon pepper shrimp on pasta, alongside a fresh green salad, or with a side of roasted veggies.

It’s a fresh, healthy take on a classic favorite that works on the grill or stovetop!


A white oval platter featuring a fillet of lemon pepper salmon, sliced lemons on the side.

Lemon Pepper Salmon

This Lemon Pepper Salmon recipe is absolutely foolproof. In fact, it’s the most delicious and easiest way to add all the goodness that salmon offers into your dinner rotation. 


lemon pepper chicken in white casserole dish

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Lemon Pepper Chicken is juicy and loaded with flavor. It’s high in protein and low in fat and calories, and ready to serve in less than 30 minutes.

Make it in the oven, stovetop or on the grill!


piccata milanese covered in piccata sauce

Easy Piccata Milanese with Piccata Sauce

Piccata Milanese is such a simple, flavorful chicken dish. The easy and amazing Piccata Sauce is made with olive oil, butter, lemon juice, wine and capers.


A white plate with skewers of lemon garlic shrimp kabobs.

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Kabobs

They’re so easy to throw together for the grill, and your hands-on prep and grilling time is under 15 minutes with the easiest shrimp kabob marinade.


lemon chicken recipe on platter with knife

Lemon Chicken

This Lemon Chicken Recipe is naturally low carb, gluten free, keto friendly and also fits a low fat low calorie diet!

But diet or not you’re going to love this amazing lemon sauce for chicken and make it again and again!

Lemon Pasta Dishes

A silver pot filled with ravioli in a white wine lemon caper sauce on a marble surface.

Lemon Caper Sauce

Next on this list, don’t skip this is a white wine lemon caper sauce that’s ready in 10 minutes and works with a variety of protein and pasta dishes.

Crisp, citrusy, creamy and fragrant, you’ll want to serve it all summer long!


pasta tossed with lemon pepper sauce on white plate with gold fork

Lemon Pepper Sauce

This sauce creates a fast and easy lemon pepper pasta that is truly unforgettable- filled with perfectly balanced soft essence of lemon flavor.


A bowl of spaghetti pasta in white bowl with gold spoon

Lemon Basil Pasta

This easy Lemon Basil Pasta recipe is quick enough for a weeknight dinner, but tastes special for date night!


lemon spaghetti in sauté pan

Lemon Spaghetti with Artichokes

This easy vegetarian weeknight meal comes together in 20 minutes using a handful of simple ingredients.

The creamy lemon pasta sauce is light and fresh and the fried artichokes are to die for!

Baked Lemon Desserts

lemon loaf on a platter

Lemon Loaf

This easy Lemon Bread Recipe takes just 5 minutes hands on time and makes a beautiful breakfast or gift!


summer dessert recipe - honey lemon cake

Honey Lemon Cake

A delightfully sweet Honey Lemon Cake with a tender crumb topped in a delicious glaze. Make into adorable beehive cakes or in a muffin tin!


A marble surface with three small loaves of lemon poppy seed bread.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread is a delightfully moist bread with a touch of tart lemon flavor, bursting with delicate, nutty poppy seeds!

It takes just five minutes hands on time and a few simple ingredients to make 6 miniature loaves for gifting or two large loaves.


The best lemon pound cake recipe - so easy, too!

Lemon Pound Cake

pound cake is a simple cake recipe originally made with 4 staple ingredients – a pound of butter, pound of sugar, pound of eggs and a pound of flour.

No Bake Lemon Recipes

Easy lemon glaze recipe - prefect for cakes and doughnuts

Lemon Glaze

You can whip up this amazing Lemon Glaze recipe with three ingredients in just five minutes.

Lemon Glaze Icing is perfect for breads, pound cakes, angel food cakes and so much more!


No Bake Lemon Pie

This is a light and flavorful easy no bake lemon pie. However effortless it might be, it’s a gorgeous dessert that is loaded with beautiful berries.


lemon ice cream in a bowl

Lemon Ice Cream

Lemon Ice Cream is a rich, creamy taste of spring. Make this refreshing no-churn Lemon Ice Cream Recipe for a memorable sweet and tart treat you’ll love! 


On a blue and white striped towel is a tart topped with berries in a white pie dish.

Lemon Berry Tart

Refreshing Lemon Berry Tart – this delightful dessert is on a sugar cookie crust! It’s the best fruit tart to add a touch of sweetness to any day or night.


Lemon Meringue Pie in a Jar recipe

Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie

These make ahead desserts come together quickly and are wonderfully sweet with just the right amount of tang. This will be your new favorite treat!

Lemon Cookies

Tiny flower shaped lemon frosted cookies on a white platter.

Frosted Lemon Cookies

These frosted lemon cookies are bursting with fresh citrus flavor! Easy and quick to make, they are the perfect Springtime treat that the whole family will love.

Lemon Berry Pie - refreshing summer dessert recipe

Frozen Lemon Dessert

This is the simplest frozen lemon dessert – it’s so easy and refreshing! Serve refrigerated or frozen to make it one of the summer dessert recipes you’ll want on any hot summer night.

With a simple graham cracker crust, this frozen lemon pie recipe can be served individually as shown or in a traditional pie pan.


honey comb stamped lemon shortbread cookie recipe

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Finally, we have these easy, light and refreshing Lemon Shortbread Cookies offer a little crunch, a hint of lemon and that buttery flavor we all love!

They’re made with just five ingredients and are so simple to make!

I can’t wait to hear which lemon recipe is your favorite!

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4 Comments

  1. Julie, Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. The instructions are so easy to follow and I have tried ‘Lemon Chicken’ which was so delicious. All the best to you!

    1. Thank you, Sharon! I work hard to develop easy recipes and write them so they’re simple to follow. It means the world to me to hear your feedback!

  2. Julie, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog. I love anything “lemon” and I’m looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
    Thank you!