25 Recipes To Make With Lemons

Our favorite recipes always contain lemon.

You know the saying: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

The sentiment is that lemons are bad things, but with a can-do attitude, you can turn them into something good. Who decided lemons are a bad thing? Lemons are a shining star in the citrus world, full of mouth-puckering, tart, refreshing goodness.

Sure, they're great for lemonade and other beverages, but they also add brightness and tons of flavor to baked goods and main dishes such as chicken or fish. Lemons are so versatile—they're even good for cleaning in the kitchen—that there's no reason for a drop of lemon juice or a single grating of powerful zest to go to waste. And with these 25 recipes, you'll never waste any lemony goodness again.

Lemon Scones

These scones use zest in the batter and juice in the glaze in just a few minutes, with just one bowl. Make them as-is to highlight the lemon flavor or add blueberries or poppy seeds. Since you'll need to juice all the lemons after zesting or risk drying out the juice inside, why not use the remaining juice for French 75 cocktails to enjoy with the scones?

Get Recipe: Lemon Scones

Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts

Smother these simple pan-fried chicken breasts that take just about 25 minutes from start to finish in a garlicky lemon pepper sauce. Steam broccoli in the microwave as a side, and don't be afraid to let the sauce touch the broccoli on your plate. The flavors will work together.

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Lemon Macarons

These airy cookies are bursting with lemon flavor in the buttercream filling. They're not difficult to make but a bit time consuming, though so worth the time. Next time you have a cup of tea, you'll be glad you have one or two (okay, maybe three) to nibble on, too.

Get Recipe: Lemon Macarons

Angel Hair Pasta with Salmon and Creamy Lemon Sauce

Cook salmon in a pan, transfer it to a warm oven, and then make the sauce with lemon, garlic, cream, and white wine right in the same pan. Boil the pasta while you're making the sauce and then add it and the salmon back into the pan. It looks fancy, but it takes just over 30 minutes from start to finish.

Get Recipe: Angel Hair Pasta with Salmon, Arugula, and Creamy Lemon-Parmesan Sauce

Lemon Za’atar Potatoes

Infuse za'atar-seasoned potatoes with lemon by mixing lemon and water and pouring it over the potatoes before roasting them. The water will evaporate, creating steam that yields crispy potatoes with creamy, soft centers.

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Blended Whole Lemon Lemonade

If you've never used whole lemons—skins but not seeds—to make lemonade, you'll be surprised at how complex and refreshing the end result is. Add the prepared lemons, water, and sugar to a blender then run through a fine-mesh sieve. Add more water and pour over ice. Enjoy.

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Lemon Yogurt Cake

If you love lemon, this is the cake for you. Lemon juice and zest are in both the batter and the glaze. Yogurt ups the tang and the result is a moist cake that stays fresh for up to five days at room temperature.

Get Recipe: Lemon Yogurt Cake

Classic Lemon Bars

A slightly sweet, buttery, and crisp shortbread crust tames the beautiful tart pucker of the rich, creamy lemony insides of these bars. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar and watch the bars disappear.

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N/A Sangria With Pomegranate and Citrus

Need a batched non-alcoholic cocktail (that doesn't seem like a kids' drink)? This is the one. Lemon, grapefruit, and orange juice bring the citrus to a base of pomegranate juice. Chai and English breakfast tea provide spice and soft tannins. Club soda brings some effervescence. It's complex enough that no one will miss the alcohol.

Get Recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/virgin_pomegranate_citrus_sangria_cookbook_recipe/

Grilled Dukkah-Crusted Chicken with Lemon Hummus

Dukkah—a blend of coriander, cumin, fennel seeds, and nuts—pairs well with chicken. And a homemade lemon hummus spread under the chicken adds extra flavor to the chicken and a side of greens.

Get Recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_dukkah_crusted_chicken_with_lemon_hummus/

Lemon Pound Cake

If you could capture sunshine and happiness in a slice of pound cake, this is the slice that would do it. There's lemon in the pound cake. There's lemon in the syrup that soaks the cake after baking. And there's lemon in the frosting. Want to make it a little fancier as a dessert? Serve it with homemade strawberry ice cream.

Get Recipe: Lemon Pound Cake

Lemon Curd

You'll want to eat this lemon curd right out of the jar with a spoon, but try to resist. Because this curd, which uses the juice and zest from four lemons, is perfect for topping lemon cheesecake, spooning into yogurt, and folding into freshly whipped cream to dollop on fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries.

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Artichoke Lemon Dip

This dip with artichoke hearts, lemon juice and zest, parsley, Parmesan, and cream cheese comes together in just 10 minutes. Serve the cold dip with raw veggies, tortilla chips, or toasted pita.

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Lemon Pudding

Four ingredients go into this pudding: whipping cream, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. It's so simple to make but creates an elegant dessert (go ahead and put it in individual fancy cocktail glasses) when you top it with fresh berries.

Get Recipe: Easy Lemon Pudding

Glazed Lemon Bread

Touches of cardamom, honey, and lemon run through this quick bread that's sort of like a tea cake. Cover the bread with a honey and lemon glaze, then break out the tea kettle and make yourself a cup of hot tea to enjoy with a slice.

Get Recipe: Glazed Lemon Bread

Lemon Icebox Pie

Old fashioned lemon iced box pie is a refreshing treat on a hot day. Prepare a graham cracker crust for the creamy filling. Bake. Cool. Add a layer of barely sweetened sour cream on top, bake for a short while longer, then cool completely. Most of the time from the start to the first forkful is in the chilling, but one bite and you'll know the wait was worth it.

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Lemon Chicken

Marinate chicken thighs in lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper for an hour then roast in the oven for 45 minutes, basting the thighs as they cook. This similar skillet lemon rosemary chicken recipe has the same vibe, just made on top of the stove. You can't go wrong with either.

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Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Except for this one recipe that calls specifically for Meyer lemons, the rest of the recipes on this list use the common lemons you'll find in the grocery store bins. You must use Meyer lemons—a lemon/orange cross—for this marmalade that you process in a hot water bath in sterilized canning jars.

Get Recipe: Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Crema di Limoncello

Traditional limoncello doesn't contain milk, but this version adds milk and vanilla beans to the sugar syrup that you add to the lemon-infused alcohol. Because it contains milk, the bottled aperitif or digestif must go in the freezer once it's made. The alcohol keeps it from getting frozen.

Get Recipe: Crema di Limoncello

Lemon Tart

Bring out this buttery-crusted tart with a zingy lemon filling at the end of a meal, and the meal suddenly becomes extra special. A freshly-made lemon curd filling sits inside the homemade tart crust. Top it all with candied lemon peel. It's divine.

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Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzer

First, you make a rosemary/lemon/rhubarb simple syrup. Then, you add equal parts of the syrup and soda water into a glass to create a refreshing spritzer. The syrup should last for several days in the refrigerator, so you can have this bright drink at a moment's notice.

Get Recipe: Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzer

Lemon Mascarpone Blondies

Mascarpone cheese—that lovely cheese used in tiramisu—joins lemon juice and lemon zest in this special version of blondies. They're rich, creamy, sweet, and soft with a zing from the lemon.

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Lemon Ginger Muffins

There's fresh lemon and ginger in the muffins and a lemon glaze on top of the muffins. And the secret to keeping these delicious muffins light and fluffy? Yogurt in the batter.

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Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons are common in Moroccan and Middle Eastern recipes. You can make the simple version with just lemon juice and salt, or you can experiment with spices such as cloves, vanilla, or peppercorns. They have to sit for about three weeks before they're ready to use, but once they are, add them to dishes such as grilled whole salmon with preserved lemon relish.

Get Recipe: How to Make Preserved Lemons

Homemade Pink Lemonade

The pink in this homemade lemonade comes from unsweetened cranberry juice, not food coloring. Using tart cranberry juice and lemon juice together makes a lot of sense. The flavors complement each other and once you add the simple syrup, it's all beautiful refreshingly sweet and tart treat.

Get Recipe: Homemade Pink Lemonade