Our 17 most lemon -like recipes

Yossy Arefi's Lemon Yogurt Cheesecake.Mark Weinberg for the DailyExpertNews. Food stylist: Monica Pierini.

Published April 15, 2025Updated April 15, 2025

Lemon is a miracle. It can transform a rich, creamy dish such as pudding or cheesy pasta into something light and nuanced. And certainly, you can add acid to a dish in many ways – vinegar, yogurt, fermented vegetables – but no perfect balance of adaptability and clear freshness such as lemon offers. Whether you have an abundance of lemons or you are just looking for a main component of a kitchen in new ways, these 18 lemon recipes will not disappoint.

Cookies with deep cracks everywhere and a white topping are on a beige countertop.

This stylish sun -drenched cookies from Eric Kim don't all look good. They also have a transcendent texture. The key to the delicate crumb, he says, is precision in your flower measurement and ensuring that you do not overmix the dry ingredients. They are not too sweet, which makes them an optimal gingerbread – and easy to eat more than one.

Recipe: Citroen Turmeric wrinkle cookies

A fork with a swirl of pasta is on a ceramic plate filled with more pasta.

Cheese -like, peppery pasta is even better if you add lemon to it. Ali Slagle cuts the fat in a very tasty way with its clear, fresh acidity. And don't worry: there is still a touch of herbs here, thanks to ground red pepper and, of course, lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Recipe: Citroen-Karlian linguine

A pile of lemonricotta pancakes clarified with berry compote sitting on a plate. A blue mug is visible in the background.

The Zippy pancakes from Genevieve Ko get their flowers, citrus -like taste of a lot of lemon zest, vanilla extract and sugar. The proposed blueberry syrup complements the lemon flavor, but the real lemon heads know that these pancakes should be covered with lemon curd.

Recipe: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

A Dutch oven filled with rice, chicken, olives and lemon slices.

Caramelization of whole lemon slices in chicken fat, as then Pelosi does here, the bitterness of the skin and the marrow Tames, so they are sweet and soft. They make a perfect compliment for the olives of Briny Castelvetrano and fresh parsley. These herbs add complexity to what would be simple comfort food: warming, savory chicken and rice.

Recipe: Chicken and rice with one pot with caramelized lemon

A slice of strawberry lemonade cake with pink glaze and garnished with sliced strawberries is next to the entire cake.

The medium cake from Yossy Arefi is wonderfully pink (and full of concentrated berry flavor) made of pulverized freeze -dried strawberries mixed in the lemon butter cream. It requires reverse cream, a technique made popular by Rose Levy Beranbaum, in which a fixed fat, such as butter, is mixed in flour before the wet ingredients are added, making the batter virtually impossible to mix.

Recipe: Strawberry Lemonade Cake

Crispy tofu garnished with black -white sesame seeds is on a pink plate surrounded by mint leaves and peas.

Perfect load of meal loading: tofu coated in cornflour, sesame seeds and lots of black pepper crispy in the oven and are ready to serve next to Peas-season knife peas. And the lemon? Ali Slagle uses it to add crucial lightness to a creamy tahini sauce.

Recipe: Citroen-Pepper Tofu and Snap peas

A slice of lemon pudding cake is in a white bowl with a spoon.

You will find a lot of home chefs in the reactions that swear by this recipe, which Julia Moskin has adapted from Ian Knauer, and has served it over the years on countless dinners. Trust their great tips, such as those who suggest that the lemon zest doubles, or mix fresh berries.

Recipe: Lemon pudding cake

Broccoli garnished with sliced garlic and pepper sits on a rectangular dish with a large metal spoon.

This broccoli salad has become iconic in the London restaurants of Yotam Ottolenghi, and not for nothing. Herb vegetables give them a deep taste that is reminiscent of fleshy dishes, so that they can also play well as a side of grilled steak or pork. You also grill the lemons, making them sweet and sour and at the same time add a touch of bitter taste (the good kind, promise).

Recipe: Grilled broccoli and lemon with chili and garlic

A lemon yogurt cheesecake with a slice out and another sliced slice is on a plate. It is garnished with whipped cream.

The combination of Yossy Arefi of a lot of lemon zest and Greek yogurt ensures that this cheesecake is light and spicy, but it also means that this dessert looks great with a lot of whipped cream and thin curls of lemon zest (for lightness and brightness), even when it is cracking. (The trick to prevent this common cheesecake pitfall is, by the way, to allow the cake to cool down in the oven, cracked open with the door).

Recipe: Lemon Yogurt Cheesecake

A pot is filled with creamy potatoes stirred by a spoon.

You may think that you do not need a recipe for mashed potatoes, but this one, which Julia Moskin has adapted from Ina Garten, will teach you a few ways to conclude a classic dish into something transcendent. The secret is of course a lot of lemon (the peel of two whole fruits) to cut the wealth for a jumper version of the dish.

Recipe: Pure potatoes with lemon

Different curled cookies with powders sit on a pink background.

The buttery cookies from Yewande Komolafe are delicate enough to melt in your mouth, but sturdy enough so that you can pipe them or press in any desired shape. The lemon comes in due to both peel and juice, so you get the complexity of citrus and the brightness.

Recipe: Lemon butter curls

A top image of chicken fillets on a baking sheet next to a creamy sauce.

After years of trying, Priya Krishna finally put the recipe for this powerful marinade from the hands of her aunt – and we can take advantage. Lemon juice binds and brings forward the flavors of different herbs and herbs: fresh coriander and mint, earthly coriander, turmeric and amchur.

Recipe: Chicken breasts of garlic rakers with coriander and mint

A square French toast is sitting on a plate next to a lemonwig and berries.

The next time you have overnight guests, don't spend hours on the stove. Instead, make this French toast in casserole shape. Melissa Clark teaches you a cool technique here: if you roast on the Challah slices before they weeks for weeks, they get more warm, buttery taste and they will better suck the custard and, to add even more lemon flavor without increasing the sweetness, the toast with lemon juice instead of syrup.

Recipe: Lemon Souffle Fran Toast

A overhead image of a stir -fry of beef next to rice and circuits in the barrel.

Lemon and beef are a less seen flavor combination, but after making this recipe from Andy Baraghani, you wonder why it is not everywhere, whereby the lemon improves the rich taste of the beef. Celery gives it all a pleasant herb taste and crunch.

Recipe: Pepper steak and celery stir -fry with lemon

A lemon -like olive oil cake is photographed with a slice from the side.

There is something so elegant about this simple cake from Brian Levy – no glaze, no glaze, no fruit topping. Choose an olive oil with citrus -like, flower qualities to really compliment the citrus here and to know that the cake will only become more humid over time.

Recipe: Lemon Olive Oil Cake

Fish covered with herbs and sliced citrus sits on a plate.

Here Andy Baraghani fishing slowly, at a low temperature and in a generous amount of olive oil, for a watertight way to a rich, buttery texture. And because fish generally cooks so quickly, it even slowly takes 25 minutes. Thin sliced citrus – Whole Meyer -Citroen and orange – melts over your favorite fish while it is roasting, becomes soft, sweet and the perfect compliment for fresh dill and floral saffron.

Recipe: Slowly boiled fish with citrus and herbs

Three cruschy yellow cookies are on a beige surface.

These cookies are the best of two continents. The combination of Clare Deboer from Lemon, Polenta and Rosemary will transport you to Italy. But they also have the texture of your favorite American chocolate cookie, thanks to a technique from the cookbook author Sarah Kieffer. By having them come to room temperature before you eat them, the clear lemon and woody rosemary flavors can pull forward.

Recipe: Tough lemon biscuits

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