Lemon Brownies
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Lemon Brownies are super fudgy, with a mouthwatering tang that pairs just perfectly with the sweet lemon icing. Mix up a few simple ingredients, pop them in the oven, and you’ll have a tray of decadent, lemon brownies with lemon glaze in less than an hour!
When you’re craving really fudgy brownies without all the heaviness that comes with chocolate, it’s time to whip up lemon brownies with lemon glaze!!
Lemon Brownies
Lemon desserts like this one are as refreshing as they come, satisfying all sweetness cravings without sitting like a rock in your stomach.
Chewy citrus squares topped with a sweet, homemade lemon glaze are the perfect spring or summer dessert.
Although, they go over just as well for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!
Without the chocolate, they might technically be considered lemon blondies, but calling them brownies really describes the fudgy texture best.
Make these easy cake mix brownies with a handful of simple ingredients and less than an hour of your time — no one will be able to tell that you used a boxed mix!
You can also try more of my lemon cake mix recipes like these iced cookies or a delicious poke cake dotted with fresh blueberries.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lemon Juice and Zest – Can’t have lemon brownies without lemons. Can you replace the lemons with limes or oranges? Absolutely! Any citrus, any time.
- Lemon Pudding Mix and Yellow Cake Mix – Cake mix brownies are SO moist! Any brand will do — I like to use Betty Crocker cake mix.
- Eggs – Preferably, your eggs should be room temperature, just like the rest of the ingredients. This makes it easier to incorporate everything together.
- Powdered Sugar – You definitely need powdered (not granulated) sugar. This is to make the lemon glaze for your brownies!
Trust me, you’ll have a hard time avoiding a grainy texture otherwise.
Lemon Brownies Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Zest first!
Wash your fruit and remove the bright yellow rind with a microplane grater, stopping when you see the bitter white pith.
Be sure to reserve extra for garnish if desired.
- Use room-temperature fruit.
Before you juice the lemons, bring them to room temperature or pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
This way, they will release a lot more juice!
- Make a larger batch.
You can easily double this lemon brownies recipe for larger gatherings or bake sales. Use a 9×13 pan and increase the baking time until they are fully set.
The squares will also come out a bit thicker this way.
Cake Mix Brownies FAQ
Insert a toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out clean, they’re done!
It’s okay if there are a few moist crumbs on the toothpick, but if there’s any wet batter, they need more time in the oven.
Nope! Not for this lemon brownies recipe, at least. We’re going for a fudgy (not cakey) texture, so we don’t want them to rise too much.
And that’s exactly what baking powder does!
Alternatively, if you like a cakier texture, feel free to add just a bit of baking powder.
Using fatty ingredients guarantees soft brownies! In many recipes, this means using milk rather than water, and/or oil instead of butter.
For this cake mix brownies recipe, the egg yolk is used as the fatty ingredient.
Slicing Lemon Brownies with Lemon Glaze
If you struggle with cutting brownies and other bar desserts into clean slices, this will be helpful!
- Line your pan with parchment before spraying it with cooking spray. Leave some parchment paper overhanging the edges, so you will have something to hold on to later.
- Once baked, grab the parchment and lift the dessert straight up and out of the pan!
- Press down into the lemon brownies with a sharp, warm knife to create clean slices.
I use a tall glass filled with warm water to dip the knife into between each slice I cut.
Serving, Storing, and Freezing Instructions
You can serve lemon blondies warm or after chilling in the fridge for a couple of hours. They’re scrumptious either way!
Because the lemon glaze is made without dairy — just powdered sugar and lemon juice — it keeps well at room temperature.
Store the frosted lemon brownies in an airtight container and enjoy within 3 days. Or tightly wrap them and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw on the counter before serving, or let them thaw in the fridge for a day or so in advance and serve them cold.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Fantastic Lemon Desserts
Lemon Brownies
Ingredients
Brownies:
- 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix, I used Betty Crocker
- 3.4 ounces lemon instant pudding mix
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, more if needed for desired consistency
- lemon zest, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
For the Brownies
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and also use non-stick cooking spray so that the brownies lift out easily.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Using an electric hand mixer, combine the dry cake mix, dry pudding mix, lemon juice, eggs, and lemon zest together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and use a spatula to spread evenly.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs (no wet batter).
- Remove lemon brownies from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Holding both sides of parchment paper, lift the brownies up out of the pan and allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the glaze.
For the Glaze
- Whisk the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a mixing bowl until smooth. If needed, thin the glaze by adding a few more drops of lemon juice to reach desired consistency.
- Slice brownies into squares, then drizzle glaze over the top and sprinkle with lemon zest.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published July 2022, updated and republished June 2023
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Would be nice to actually see the recipe
I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble, Susan. The recipe card is located at the bottom of the post. When you arrive on the page, simply scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see it.
Just skip down to the bottom the recipe is there ❤️
Thanks for the help, Brandie! 🙂
Hi
Anyone try using gluten free cake mix with this recipe. That’s my plan
You do mix the cake mix with the ingredients and instructions on the box right? Also what about the pudding mix??
Hi Carol, thanks for your comment. No, the dry cake mix and pudding mix are combined together in step #4 of the instructions, as shown in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
“Using an electric hand mixer, combine the cake mix, pudding mix, lemon juice, eggs, and lemon zest together in a medium sized mixing bowl.”
Hope this is helpful!
TSRI Team member,
Becca
Can you poke holes in the brownies and pour the glaze over them and let it soak in before serving? Has anyone tried it?
Hi Natalie-
Although I haven’t tried making this recipe as “lemon poke cake brownies”, it’s a neat idea! Please come back and let us know how it goes! In the meantime, we do have a scrumptious lemon poke cake recipe that you may like 🙂
TSRI Team member,
Becca
I did and WOW! We love it! However, I am a lemon freak, the more lemon the better. I doubled the glaze recipe to make sure I could fill my pokes and entire brownie batch. EXCELLENT!
should a yellow cake or a lemon cake mix be used? Both are referenced in the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Theresa,
The recipe calls for yellow cake mix and lemon pudding mix.
TSRI Team member,
Becca
Can you substitute lemon cake mix for vanilla?
Hi Sherri,
I imagine that the brownies will taste very lemony, but you can definitely substitute lemon cake mix for yellow cake mix!
TSRI Team member,
Becca
This recipe makes cookie dough !!! Not brownie batter ! How am I supposed to pour this thick dough into my brownie pan ?
Hi Mary,
Sorry to hear you are having issues with this recipe. It is easy to pour the batter into the pan and smooth it out with a rubber spatula. These Lemon Brownies are have fudgy texture and are absolutely amazing!
TSRI team member,
Holli
Spread the batter by buttering up your hands and pressing batter in your pan.
Hi Mary,
Mines came out very thick as well and it took awhile to spread out in the pan. In the end the texture and everything came out very well after I baked it. I’m hoping yours came out good despite the initial thickness/texture.
Does it half to be “instant” pudding?
Hi Nina,
We have only tested this recipe with instant pudding, although the only difference in the cook-and-serve pudding mix is the starch used, it should work just fine. Hope this helps!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
Has this been tested or made with sugar free cake mix & sugar free instant pudding?
Hi Kim,
We have not tested it like this but if you do please let us know how it goes.
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
I’m doing sugar free right now and the dough is very crumbly not coming together at all. I’m going to press in the pan and bake it. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Up-date on sugar free ingredients. The dough started crumbly put I kept mixing it, for a while and it came together. The dough was still very thick and extremely sticky, but I pressed it into the pan, and they turned out great. I used Truvia powdered sugar for the glaze and it required a lot of lemon juice to get it to a great glaze consistency. They taste lemony and make a great summer dessert. However, I still like my lemon blueberry Easter cake more.
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for the update, we are happy you enjoyed it!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
How thick are these brownies? Seems an 8×8 pan with a whole box of cake mix will create THICK brownies. The pictures do not indicate that.
I so look forward to trying them.
Hi Kim,
They actually come out the same as a regular brownie and are absolutely amazing! Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
I have a question. You said in the narrative that lime or orange could be used instead of lemon. What kind of pudding mix would you suggest for each of them, as there are no pudding mixes available in either of these flavors to my knowledge?
Thanks!
I would still use lemon and it would be a little more ‘citrusy’. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
I’m giving this recipe 5⭐️ because in the end it was very good and a big hit. Had I left a review while making it, which I was so tempted to do, I wouldn’t have been so generous. I knew I was using boxed ingredients which I’m not too keen on, but I followed the recipe exactly. Others should know that the dough was so think it was almost impossible to work with- but I kept on, telling myself”maybe that’s what make it fudgy. And I guess it was! Knowing this I will make a single batch next time. Icing measurements were also spot on too. So this is a keeper.
Hi Chris,
We are happy you enjoyed the lemon brownies! The batter is thick but yes, it is what makes them “fudgy” and absolutely delicious! Thank you for rating our recipe.
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
Something missing from receipe? Batter not even close to “pouring” into pan. No spreading whatsoever.. consistency like sticky sticky glue, very thick. Two eggs, and small amount of lemon juice just not even close to brownies. Baked to at correct amount of time they turned out gooey and rubbery. What ingredient did I miss?
Hi Shelia,
Without being there when you made the recipe, it’s impossible to know for sure what, if anything, you might have missed in the instructions. We have had many readers successfully make the recipe without any problems. We hope you’ll give it another try. 🙂
TSRI Team member,
Becca
Sheila if you look again at the recipe it calls for 3 eggs not 2 as you noted. It’ll make a huge difference. It’s very clear in the recipe.
I mixed lime and lemon juice and used cheesecake pudding with lemon cake….. agree – batter is very thick and hard to do with a hand mixer… came out more like a cake but very good!!!
Use a Lemon Cake Mix instead of a Yellow Cake Mix. Brownies are made with cocoa, and Blondies are made w/ other flavors.
Has anyone added blueberries to the recipe?
I want to add blueberries to mine also…
Would I be able to use the gf cake mix to do this ? Or will I have to revamp the eggs and such ? It sounds so good and would love to try it.
Hi June!
We haven’t tested this recipe using gluten free cake mix, so I’m uncertain how to help you with ingredient adjustments. If you try it, please come back and let us know how it worked for you!
TSRI Team member,
Becca
June, did you try the gluten free yet? I was going to try it also, just wondering how it came out
Okay, i was very skeptical because the batter was sooo thick it crawled up the beaters. Had to use spatula to remove from beaters to get in pan. No ‘pouring’ was happening here, but I added another egg to compensate. They turned out DELICIOUS!!!
I think the reason some may be having difficulty with the thickness of the batter is that you are using the 2 egg instructions on the box but this recipe calls for 3 eggs. Just sayin’.
Has anyone tried using limoncello instead of lemon juice? I have a bottle I am trying to use up. Wonder if it would work to substitute part or all of the lemon juice with lemoncello?
loved them ! lemon was just right in the brownie and the lemony topper was just the punch of lemon it needed to finish! thank you!
If I made these with oranges, what kind of instant pudding do you recommend?
I would use french vanilla with the orange cake mix. IMO it would taste like the creamsicles that I used to get as a child. I think I might try that myself!
Needed more time to cook but tasted and looked incredible. It’s a keeper recipe.
DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS…sums up the perfect brownie. Since I can eat chocolate this allows me to have brownie…yummy
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I cook/bake for a crowd. If I triple the recipe, can you please tell me what size pan to bake them in? Thank you !
Yummmo! These are delicious! Easy to make and so worth it! Chewy (fudgy) and tang!