3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (2024)

An easy, refreshing Lemon Glaze made with just 3 ingredients! You can whip up this amazing Lemon Glaze recipe in 5 minutes. Lemon Glaze Icing is perfect for breads, pound cakes, angel food cakes and so much more!

3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (1)

You know spring is here when lemons have become a staple. In our home you’ll find a large bowl of them on the counter, one in just about every glass of water, and infused into many of my favorite recipes (listed below).

This three ingredient lemon glaze recipe is the perfect addition to breakfast rolls, pound cakes, sweet breads, abundt cake, angel food cake, donuts, scones, cookies, cheesecake and so much more!

This Lemon glaze icing turns even the most basic pastries into something special!Don’t skip our complete guide to the BEST Lemon Desserts too.

When life gives you lemons, make glaze.

It has a fresh lemon flavor you’ll crave again and again! It’s slightly tart, slightly sweet – perfect for all lemon lovers!

3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (2)

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

I’d like to think aglaze is icing without all the guilt, wouldn’t you agree? Just a little touch of lemon glaze to quench your spring or summer sweet tooth without all the calories of a pile of icing.

There’s so much flavor in each bite. This lemon glaze is soft, yet hardens just enough for a beautiful slice, every time.

If that’s not enough, glaze creates the prettiest drizzle that enhances any basic dessert, making it feel more like a centerpiece. No cake decorating skills required, which is always an added bonus!

I still long to take cake decorating classes, but until I find the time, this glaze will suit me just fine.

Lemon Glaze Icing is made with just three staple ingredients which is perfect to mix up on a whim!

What is in Lemon Glaze?

  • Butter – at room temperature is the base for this delicious glaze. I always use salted in my recipes, but unsalted works as well. It’s truly your personal preference.
  • Powdered Sugar– You can make it with granulated sugar, however it won’t have the same amazing consistency. Confectioner’s sugar gives this glaze the most incredible texture and soft bite. You can make your own powdered sugar by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor until fine. Organic powdered sugar is not a suitable substitute.
  • Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed or store bought lemon juice adds just the right amount of refreshing flavor to this lemon glaze icing. You can add a little lemon zest to garnish if you’d like but this glaze is delightfully sweet and the perfect compliment to desserts.

Lemon Glaze is so quick and simple! It truly is the best way to elevate a dessert or breakfast treat – even if it’s store bought! To see just how easy it is, watch the video in this recipe!

3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (3)

The Easiest Lemon Glaze Recipe

  1. Combine – Combine butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth.
  2. Warm and Drizzle – Once your cake, cookies or bread have cool completely, warm the glaze and drizzle over the top of the cake or bread!

You can also use a bowl to dip the top of muffins in the sweet glaze. This glaze recipe is so flexible, because you can thin it out or leave it a little thicker depending on the look and consistency you’re after.

3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (4)

Tips

  • Warm the glaze in the microwave (you can use a measuring cup).
  • Whisk until smooth to remove any lumps.
  • Pour over your baked goods.

This method ensures a beautiful drizzle. This glaze hardens just enough to set, but still offers a soft, supple bite. It’s thick, yet translucent, This way you get a pretty slice and unbelievable flavor and texture!

How to Thicken Glaze

Add additional powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time.

How to Thin Glaze

Warm or add more lemon juice (for classic glaze add milk to thin).

Do you put glaze on warm cake?

It’s best to bring cake to room temperature before adding a glaze to prevent it from melting off.

3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (5)

How to Store Glaze

Refrigerate – You can make glaze ahead of time and store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before warming. Freezing glazes is not recommended.

There’s a glaze for everything! Don’t forget to try these amazing glazes as well: Cream Cheese Glaze,Cinnamon Roll Glaze,Apple Pie Glaze,Basic Glaze, and Orange Glaze!

Serving Suggestions

  • Blueberry Bread
  • Blueberry Muffin
  • Honey Lemon Cake
  • Lemon Shortbread Cookies
  • Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
  • Lemon Loaf
  • Scones
  • Breads
  • Muffins
  • Cakes
  • Pound Cakes
  • Cookies

More Lemon Recipes

Cakes Cupcakes & Bars

Honey Lemon Cake

27 mins

Ice Cream

Lemon Ice Cream

5 mins

Cakes Cupcakes & Bars

Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

1 hr 28 mins

Pastries, Pies, Tarts & Crusts

Frozen Lemon Dessert

10 mins

Lemon Desserts

3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (10)

4.92 from 144 votes

Lemon Glaze

By Julie Blanner

This 3 ingredient lemon glaze recipe is the perfect addition to breakfast rolls, pound cakes, sweet breads, honey lemon cake, angel food cake and so much more! Just a little touch of lemon glaze to quench your sweet tooth without all the calories of a pile of icing.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small microwave safe mixing bowl or large measuring cup, combine butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

  • Warm 15 seconds and whisk to remove any clumps. Pour over scones, cookies, cakes, pound cake and more!

  • Allow to set before slicing.

Julie’s Tips

Tips

  • Avoid organic powdered sugar. It doesn’t achieve a desirable consistency.
  • Warm the glaze in the microwave (you can use a measuring cup).
  • Whisk until smooth to remove any lumps.
  • Pour over your baked goods rather than spread for a beautiful finish.

To Store

Refrigerate – Refrigerate covered for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before warming.

Note: Freezing is not recommended.

Recipes to Enjoy With

  • Cakes
  • Cookies
  • Pound Cakes
  • Breads
  • Scones
  • Muffins

Video

Serving: 1g | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 5mg | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 2mg

Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.

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3 Ingredient Lemon Glaze Recipe | Julie Blanner (2024)

FAQs

What is lemon glaze made of? ›

Lemon glaze requires only two ingredients: powdered sugar and lemon juice. Some recipes call for milk, but such a small amount of milk dilutes the lemony punch without adding much in return.

Why is my lemon glaze grainy? ›

A grainy lemon glaze usually occurs when the powdered sugar isn't fully dissolved in the liquid. I recommend sifting your powdered sugar before adding it to the lemon juice to prevent this. This will help eliminate any clumps, allowing for smoother mixing.

What is glaze in cooking? ›

A glaze is a sauce that is cooked onto a protein or vegetable so that the sugars caramelize, get slightly sticky, and adhere to whatever it is that you're cooking. Perfecting a glaze, like most cooking, is a matter of formula.

What are the 3 basic ingredients in glaze? ›

A BASE GLAZE is a mixture of these three basic groups: SILICA, FLUX AND ALUMINA.

What are the 3 main ingredients in glaze and what do they do? ›

Glazes need a balance of the 3 main ingredients: Silica, Alumina and Flux. Too much flux causes a glaze to run, and tends to create variable texture on the surface. The texture may vary from shiny, where the glass is balanced, to matte where the excessive flux oxides may form visible, possibly lumpy, crystals.

Can I use regular sugar for a glaze? ›

Combine granulated sugar, water and salt in 1-quart saucepan. Stir over heat until sugar dissolves. boil, without stirring to 230 degrees F or thread stage. Remove from heat.

Is there a way to make glaze without powdered sugar? ›

Heat the flour and milk together.

Stir constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of pudding or thick batter. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. The flour icing technique can be used to make either flour buttercream icing or cooked cream cheese icing.

What is a common ingredient in glaze? ›

Glaze: there are more than 3 basic components in glaze, these are: silica, alumina, flux, colourants and modifiers. The common ingredients in glaze colours are, “ copper oxide", “copper carbonate", “cobalt oxide" and “ iron oxide.”

What are the 4 main ingredients in glaze? ›

A basic understanding of glaze application and firing yields consistent and desirable results, as the key components of different glazes each have their own function.
  • 01 of 04. Silica: The Glass-Former. ...
  • 02 of 04. Alumina: The Refractory. ...
  • 03 of 04. Flux: The Melting Agent. ...
  • 04 of 04. Colorant: The Beautifier.
Nov 13, 2019

What is the main ingredient in glaze? ›

Silica (or industrial sand) is the key ingredient in glass, raw clay, and ceramic glazes. Silica can be obtained naturally from quartz, sandstone, sand, or flint, or it can be manufactured as silica oxide. When making your own glazes, products like quartz, flint, and pure silica can be added as the glass-former.

What is glaze and what is it made of? ›

Glazes consist of silica, fluxes and aluminum oxide. Silica is the structural material for the glaze and if you heat it high enough it can turn to glass. Its melting temperature is too high for ceramic kilns, so silica is combined with fluxes, substances that prevent oxidation, to lower the melting point.

What's the difference between frosting and glazing? ›

Frosting typically has a butter or cream cheese base, while icing and glaze are made from powdered sugar and water, juice, or milk. So if the taste is fattier or creamier, it's probably frosting.

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