This homemade lemon icing is perfect for drizzling over cookies, quick breads, bundt cakes, scones, and more! It's ready in minutes with just a few simple ingredients, and sets into a firm glaze that's dry to the touch.
A quick lemon glaze is my favorite way to add a bakery-quality finish to homemade desserts.
This thin, ultra-drizzle-able frosting adds a layer of bright lemon flavor to a wide range of baked goods. You might recognize this simple recipe from our chewy lemon cookies or lemon zucchini bread, but its a versatile topping all on its own!
Like our fan-favorite cinnamon glaze recipe, this lemon icing dries into a firm topping that's dry to the touch, which makes it easy to stack baked goods for storage or transportation.
Ingredients
Find a full ingredients list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.
- Lemon juice is the backbone of this glaze. We recommend using fresh lemon juice if you can (it has a brighter, more pronounced flavor), although bottled lemon juice works in a pinch.
- A small pinch of kosher salt helps the flavors pop.
- Melted butter solidifies as it cools, which helps our glaze set into a thin, crackly finish that's dry to the touch.
- Hot water keeps the glaze soft while stirring and drizzling. We heat our water to near-boiling with an electric tea kettle.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add lemon zest. It lends a pop of color and additional brightness to this glaze (we use this technique in our lemon zucchini bread!)
- Use lime juice instead of lemon juice.
- Add toppings! Sprinkle chopped, toasted nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, pistachios), white chocolate chips, or sprinkles over the glaze just after drizzling for extra texture. Toppings will stick to the glaze; as it cools it will "grab" them and hold them in place.
Step by step instructions
Add powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, lemon juice, and melted butter to a small bowl. Stir until the butter begins to clump. (It will look odd here, but that's ok: Trust the process!)
Add hot water a teaspoon at a time, whisking or stirring well between each addition to work out any clumps, until you have a thin, smooth glaze.
Pro Tip: You likely won't need all the hot water here! Use just enough to bring the glaze to your preferred consistency. A thinner glaze is easier to drizzle; thicker icing is easier to spread with a spatula. Keep in mind the glaze will also thicken slightly as it cools.
The glaze will start to set and thicken fairly quickly, so we recommend using it immediately after mixing.
Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over your baked goods and desserts. Let it sit for an hour or two to firm up, then enjoy!
Pro Tip: Make sure baked goods are fully cooled before adding lemon glaze (otherwise it will melt and slide right off the dessert).
FAQs
Yes! Make this lemon icing recipe a day or two ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. When you're ready to use it, microwave in 5 second intervals, stirring well in between, until it returns to a drizzle-able consistency.
You can freeze leftover glaze for up to 6 months, although the lemon flavor tends to dull the longer it's frozen.
Yes - as this powdered sugar glaze sits, it will dry a bit and develop a very slight crunch along the outer surfaces. The melted butter is what makes this possible: It sets as it cools to room temperature, giving you a more solid texture.
Once set, this easy lemon glaze recipe will hold its shape fairly well: It's great if you need to stack a bunch of scones or cookies in a container, because those pretty glaze drizzles will stay fairly intact! (You can also see this technique in action in our funfetti baked donuts recipe!)
If your glaze is too thin, add another spoonful or two of powdered sugar to create a thicker glaze.
If your glaze is too thick, add another splash of hot water or lemon juice.
Keep in mind that the glaze will also thicken a bit as it cools!
This recipe makes about ¼ cup of icing. In our testing, this was plenty of glaze for back-and-forth drizzles over a batch of sugar cookies, muffins, or lemon scones.
This recipe also makes enough to pour a thin layer over the top of a pound cake or quick bread (like a zucchini banana bread or blackberry banana bread).
Feel free to double or triple the recipe if you'd like extra icing!
No. This icing is a very thin consistency meant for drizzling. If you'd like to pipe decorations onto a cake or other baked goods, we recommend using a buttercream or another frosting recipe specifically developed for use with a piping bag.
📖 Recipe
Simple Lemon Glaze
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ¼ cup 1x
- Category: Baking, Dessert, Frosting
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy lemon glaze is ready in minutes! Sets into a firm glaze that holds its shape and is dry to the touch. Perfect for drizzling over cookies, loaf cakes or quick breads, muffins, and more.
Ingredients
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- small pinch kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon very hot water (you may not need it all)
Instructions
- Add powdered sugar, melted butter, and lemon juice to a medium bowl with a small pinch of kosher salt. Mix or whisk until the butter begins to form clumps with the dry ingredients. It will look a bit clumpy and weird here - that's ok!
- Add the hot water a teaspoon at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you reach your desired consistency. You may not need all of the water.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled baked goods. Let sit for about an hour to let the glaze firm up, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Additions and Substitutions. Use melted coconut oil instead of butter for a dairy-free/vegan version (the coconut oil will act similarly to butter and help the glaze firm up as it dries). Add lemon zest to the icing for an extra pop of color and additional lemon flavor.
How hot should my water be? We heat our water in an electric kettle just like if we're making tea! You can also heat water in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop, or just use very hot water from the tap.
How much glaze does this make? This recipe makes about ¼ cup of glaze. In our testing, this was plenty for drizzling a few ribbons over a batch of scones, cookies, or muffins. It's also the perfect amount for pouring a thin, uniform layer of glaze over a quick bread. Feel free to scale this recipe up if you'd like more glaze!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 teaspoon
- Calories: 28
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 103.6 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 2.5 mg
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