Lemon Glaze Icing Recipe

By
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
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Updated on 02/6/24
Tested by
Tracy Wilk
Photo of Tracy Wilk
Tested by Tracy Wilk
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Yield: 1/2 cup

A quick lemon glaze icing recipe is a handy one to have in the kitchen when baking, as it can turn a basic dessert into something special. Easily made with few ingredients, our lemon glaze recipe is perfect to drizzle over a lemon pound cake, sugar cookies, quick bread, scones, or puff pastry treats. Because lemon flavor plays well with so many others, once you start adding this glaze to baked goods, you'll be surprised how versatile this citrus mixture is: Try it on lemon cream cheese cookies, hot cross buns, blueberry-flavored loaves, almond cakes, and even on chocolate candy. Lemon adds its signature sweet-tart taste without the heft of conventional or buttery frostings.

Before you start preparing the lemon icing, take the lemons out of the fridge for a bit until they reach room temperature. Sometimes, lemons require a little coaxing to yield all their juices and being at room temperature makes them a little softer and easier to work with. Using the palm of your hand, roll the whole lemon on a countertop or cutting board, gently pressing down while doing so. Then, zest your lemon and juice it. We found that although there is a tool designated to zest citrus, a Microplane is much easier and more efficient when working with lemons and limes.

When using icing, remember that your baked goods should be cooled off completely before being glazed, or you might encounter a lot of run-off glaze at your work station, or the glaze might be absorbed into the cake. Unless the glaze needs to be spread out on a flat cake, it's always best to work with cool cakes and cupcakes.

Cupcakes covered with lemon glaze icing running down the sides

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What You'll Need To Make This Lemon Glaze Icing Recipe
A Citrus Juicer
A Mixing Bowl
A Good Whisk

"This glaze is an easy way to top your favorite pastry without the labor of making a full frosting. It takes just moments to whip up, and the icing is not too sweet because of the lemon juice and zest. It would be perfect with a lemon, poppyseed, or even a berry cake." —Tracy Wilk

Lemon Glaze Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest, freshly grated

  • 1 tablespoon milk

  • 1 small drop yellow food coloring, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for lemon glaze icing recipe gathered

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  2. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and food coloring, if using.

    Confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and food coloring added to a large bowl

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  3. Vigorously stir until the mixture is smooth.

    Lemon glaze icing stirred smooth with a spoon

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  4. Drizzle over cookies, cakes, and other baked goods. Serve and enjoy.

    Lemon glaze icing being drizzled over cupcakes on a wire cooling rack

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What to Do if the Icing Is Too Thin or Too Thick?

Fixing watery or thick icing takes just a matter of minutes:

  • If your icing is too watery, it means you used too much liquid. Even if it seems like too little, a tablespoon of milk is all you need per cup of powdered sugar. But if you were tempted to add more, then your glaze is going to be really thin and run off easily from cakes and cupcakes. Add 1/4 cup of powdered sugar at a time and mix well until you've achieved a better consistency. Always start with a little sugar and add more as needed. Because the measurements will be off-balance, you also need to add a few drops of lemon juice to offset the sweetness of the added sugar.
  • If your icing is too thick, work in reverse, adding a little milk at a time. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more if needed.

How to Store Lemon Glaze Icing

If you don't use all of this glaze at once, it can be used again as long as you refrigerate it in an airtight container:

  • Bring the glaze to room temperature before you use it.
  • If the glaze seems too thin for your purposes, add a little more powdered sugar, in very small amounts, until you reach the right consistency.
  • If the glaze seems too thick, add in a bit of milk until it thins out to your liking.

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