185 lemon dessert recipes

Blended dried fruit pudding made with peaches, apricots, dates, and pineapple soaked in lemon juice. A naturally sweet no-cook dessert with no added sugar.

Deep-fried fruit fritters made with apples, pears, and bananas in a light vanilla batter, served with a warm lemon-bourbon sauce. A Creole-inspired dessert.

Paradise salad: a molded lemon Jello salad with sour cream, cottage cheese, and crushed pineapple. A retro gelatin dessert-salad that chills into a creamy, tangy mold.

Cherry filling for pierogies takes pitted dark sweet cherries and a squeeze of lemon for a fresh fruit filling. Polish dessert dumpling stuffing that comes together in 20 minutes.

Eggnog parfait pies with lemon gelatin, vanilla ice cream, nutmeg, rum flavoring, and whipped egg whites in baked tart shells. A fluffy no-bake holiday dessert topped with whipped cream.

Ricotta souffles with raspberry sauce are light, puffed individual desserts baked in a water bath with lemon zest, vanilla, and cinnamon. Slashed open at the table and filled with bright raspberry sauce.

Sugar-free strawberry ice made with pureed strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar replacement. A light, diabetic-friendly frozen dessert with almost no calories.

Citrus soup frappe: a chilled, lightly jellied dessert soup of orange, raspberry, and lemon juices laced with red wine, Sauterne, and kirsch. A vintage Continental starter or palate-cleansing finale.

Fluffy vanilla meringue tops a tangy lemon-spiked applesauce custard for a light, elegant dessert that's equally good hot or cold.

Grapefruit segments in lemon sugar syrup with a splash of gin or orange juice. An elegant, refreshing citrus dessert that can be prepped ahead.

Strawberries Italian style macerate ripe berries with sugar, lemon, orange juice, port, and white wine. Boozy fragole al vino dessert that needs nothing more than a chilled glass.

Syrup-soaked semolina cake made with yogurt, toasted almonds, and butter, drenched in chilled lemon syrup while still hot. A beloved Middle Eastern dessert that serves 20.

Revani semolina cake soaked in chilled lemon syrup with almond extract. This Greek dessert uses olive oil instead of butter and gets its lift from whipped egg whites.

Crispy deep-fried dessert wontons with three tropical fillings: coconut-lemon, macadamia-ginger, and banana-honey. Hand-rolled dough twisted like candy wrappers and dusted in powdered sugar.

Cranberry sauce for holiday meringues: a glossy, ruby-red dessert sauce made from cranberry juice, sugar, lemon, and a touch of cornstarch. Perfect spooned over crisp meringues, ice cream, or pavlova.

Raspberry sorbet spiked with Beaujolais wine, lemon juice, and a touch of cream. A jewel-toned grown-up dessert with a smooth, scoopable texture. No ice cream maker required.