Kirbie's Cravings

3 Ingredient Lemon Brownies (No Flour or Butter)

These lemon brownies are sweet, fudgy, chewy and a little tart. They only need 3 ingredients and don’t require any flour or butter. They taste like lemon bars in brownie form. These brownies store well so they can be made ahead of time.
a stack of 5 lemon brownies.

These lemon brownies are a little different than the typical lemon dessert offerings. They taste like the filling of a lemon bar except they have chewier edges and a fudgy center.

Ingredients

  • White Chocolate Chips
  • Eggs
  • Lemon

White Chocolate Chips: These brownies are made with white chocolate instead of cocoa powder or regular chocolate, which allows the lemon flavor and color to really shine through. You can use white chocolate chips or a white chocolate bar (roughly chopped).

Eggs: Eggs are key to this recipe as they create the structure for these brownies since they don’t contain any flour.

Lemon: You will need one large lemon for this recipe. The brownies use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.

Lemon Brownie Texture

These brownies have chewy edges and a soft, fudgy-like center. They are a little delicate, so definitely wait until they are fully cooled before cutting and eating.
close-up shot of a stack of brownies.

How to Make Lemon Brownies

I used a similar technique as my 2 Ingredient Nutella Brownies to make these lemon brownies. The eggs play a very important role in this recipe. The eggs need to be beaten until they are very thick and pale. When you lift the beaters, the batter that falls down into your bowl should be able to stay on top for several seconds before sinking back in.
whipped eggs in a mixing bowl.
Once the eggs are ready, they need to be gently folded into your melted chocolate with a spatula. Using a whisk or stirring vigorously will deflate your eggs too much.

The lemon juice and zest are then added at the very end, gently stirred in until just incorporated. The brownies are then ready to be baked.
lemon brownies.

More Lemon Recipes

3 Ingredient Lemon Brownies

Servings: 12 brownies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
These lemon brownies are a unique dessert. They are fudgy, chewy, sweet and a little tart. They don't require any flour or butter!
4.67 from 24 votes

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs straight from fridge
  • 1 ¼ cups (232 g) white chocolate chips
  • 3 tbsp (1.5 oz) lemon juice + 1 heaping tsp lemon zest from one large lemon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • Add eggs to a stand mixer with wire whisk attachment. Beat at highest speed for 8 minutes or until eggs turn thick and pale yellow. When you lift the beater, the mixture that drips off should be able to stay on top of your egg batter for several seconds before sinking back in. See photo in post for reference. You can do this with a hand mixer but it may take more time. See notes for more details.
  • While your eggs are beating, melt your chocolate. You can do this over the stove using the double boiler method or do this in the microwave. If you are using a microwave, add chocolate to a large microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute. Then stir with spatula. Heat again for 30 seconds. Stir again until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. If chocolate is not completely smooth and melted, you can heat for another 20-30 seconds and stir again. You do need to be careful to not heat the full time all at once because you can overcook or burn your chocolate.
  • Once eggs are finished, fold them into the chocolate in 3 batches. First add in 1/3 of the egg mixture. Use your spatula to gently fold in the egg mixture. Make sure to scoop the chocolate from the bottom of the bowl so that all the chocolate gets incorporated. It's okay if your chocolate starts to get a little chunky. Fold until no egg streaks remain. Repeat with second third of egg mixture and then final third of egg mixture. It's okay if you have some small chunks of chocolate in your batter. Finally, gently stir in the lemon juice and zest until just incorporated.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until surface is dark golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let brownies cool completely to set. Wait until brownies are cooled and set before slicing into squares with a sharp knife. The bottom of the brownies may be very sticky so you may need to use a thin spatula to release the brownies from the parchment paper.

Notes

  • Do not add lemon juice until the end. If you add it early, it will cause your chocolate to seize up and you won't be able to fold in your egg mixture.
  • You want to use your egg mixture very soon after it is done, otherwise it will deflate and lose air. If you are beating with a hand mixer, I recommend doing it after your chocolate is melted, so that your egg mixture can be used right away. You may need a few more minutes of beating when using a hand mixer to reach the right consistency.
  • This batter also needs to be baked right away.
  • The brownies are thin. I don't recommend baking them in a smaller pan or doubling the recipe for thicker brownies. I tested making them thicker but it cause them to fall apart too much and it changed the texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie, Calories: 152kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 34mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, NET CARBS: 18

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

Subscribe to receive new post updates via email

don’t miss a thing!

Get new post updates via email:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




134 comments on “3 Ingredient Lemon Brownies (No Flour or Butter)”

  1. Would sugar-free chocolate chips work?

  2. These sound AMAZING! I prefer my lemon bars on the tart side; can you suggest a way to increase the intensity of the lemon’s tanginess? Thanks so much!

  3. Very good!! And so easy to make!!

    • We’re glad you loved them!

    • I need to make these for a crowd, how do you recommend increasing the ingredients?

      • We haven’t tried doubling the recipe, but you could double the amounts and bake the brownies in a 9×13 pan. They baking time will need to be adjusted, too. Without testing it we don’t know by how much. Let us know if you try it.

  4. I’m going to try this with Lily’s stevia sweetened white chocolate chips to make it keto.
    I’m also going to try it with lime juice.

  5. Can you make these with a thin shortbread cookie crust?

  6. How would you adjust the recipe to make a larger amount. Having a party and would like to make a large pan of them.

    • You can try doubling the recipe and use a 9×13″ baking pan. We haven’t tried this ourselves so can’t say how it will work for sure. You can also just make two separate batches using the 8×8″ pan.

  7. Enaaaakkkkk!!!!!!!!

  8. Haven’t tried the recipe yet but wanted to suggest Jenn try the flaxseed “egg” used in vegan recipes. She should be able to find it in a web search. 

    Your recipe is on this week’s shopping list. 

  9. Love the no flour part, but too sweet for my taste and not tarte enough

  10. These are so amazing that after one bite my husband asked me if I could make another batch!

    • So glad the brownies were a hit!

      • I made this recipe three (3) different flavors, lemon, lime & orange. They all came out beautifully. I’ll be making them again on Sunday morning for our Mothers Day barbecue. I’ll definitely be doing bar cookies this year instead of pies & cakes. Thanks for this wonderful recipe Idea.  ?? 

      • I’m so happy they turned out well with all the different flavors!

  11. ILOVE LEMONS and will DEFINITELY make this. CANT WAIT will go to Publix in AM

  12. Gone in a flash. I made the mistake of giving my family a tester brownie. Everyone kept coming back for “just a little piece”. It’s all gone, they didn’t even last a few hours.

  13. I am going to use quail eggs. How many is equivalent to 3 large eggs?

  14. Can you use an egg substitute (JUST egg substitute)? I cook for special peeps that cant have eggs or nuts.

  15. I followed the recipe exactly and cooked 35 minutes. Very dark in top and toothpick came out clean.. I let it cool and the realized it didn’t cook all the way through when I took it off the parchment. It was almost black in top. We are at about 5500 feet elevation – would that matter? If so how do I adjust? I did take a small bite and it was delicious and was super bummed to throw it out.

  16. Blown away by this, how awesome! So appreciate you creating these, especially as budgets, etc. tighten. I’m not sure I’d survive if I can’t still meet some of my sweet cravings, and this looks sincerely viable!!

  17. Delicious!!! Very easy to make.

  18. I didn’t love these, but I didn’t quite do the recipe as written, so I understood that was a possibility. I made my own white chocolate with cocoa butter, whole milk powder, confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla powder as I needed Kosher for Passover white chocolate, and the commercial stuff was hard to find and made with palm oil (no cocoa butter!) and rice starch (rice isn’t Kosher for Passover for my family). I used lime juice and lime zest. I thought it would be close enough to work, but nope (in case anyone else was going to try the same thing)! Very grainy and not sweet end product. Maybe I’ll try again after Passover when I can use regular white chocolate chips. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Trying to make your own white chocolate substitute was likely the problem. Hope you can try again soon with the recommended ingredients!

  19. Would it be ok to substitute limes for lemons? Thank you for posting this! Citrus and simple desserts are wonderful

  20. That’s good

  21. Awesome.
    Such good idea. No flour No butter

  22. Hi! I love lemon anything and I live white chocolate even more, so this recipe raised my dander enough to try it. I’ve just put my square pan of batter into the oven and am (no lie) sitting in my kitchen floor so I can watch it bubble and bake into the tasty confection I know it will become! I’ve followed your instructions to the letter; I beat the eggs until they pretty near were standing on their own, zested and juiced my lemon and slowly melted my white chocolate chips so I would be sure not to malign them in any way… Anyway, I know these lemon brownies won’t turn out very thick, BUT… I was wondering what would happen if you DID incorporate a little flour into the batter? Would it make them a bit more like tall cake brownies? And if so, how much flour do you think would be adequate if you added it to this recipe as is? Thanks! My lemon brownies have about ten more minutes to bake before I let them cool.  I’ll “insty” my results with photos and tag you (if they come out right). Thank you again!

    Russ

    • Adding some flour would make them thicker. It would also likely change the texture. Without testing it out, I don’t know how much you would need to add. Also, other ingredients might need to be adjusted as well.

  23. Tasty! I used sugar free white chocolate chips and they came out pretty good. Definitely thin. Almost as if you took off the top layer of lemon bars from the shortbread crust. 

  24. Awesome, no need to say more except l now need a good lemon tree

  25. Great Recipe!

  26. Perfect recipes

  27. Can you use chocolate chips instead of white chips?

    • You might be able to but I don’t think the texture will be the same. Also, regular chocolate has a very strong flavor so it may overpower the lemon.

      • My daughter does not like white chocolate at all. Does the end result taste different enough to be enjoyed by someone who doesn’t like white chocolate by itself?

      • Sorry, but we’re not sure.

  28. Have you tried this with sugar free white chocolate chips? Because my mouth is watering and I’m dying to try this but I need to be careful about sugar

  29. Have you stored these? Think they can be frozen? I’m excited to try these for Passover (making my own white chocolate without soy or rice). Also making the awesome chocolate pumpkin brownie cookies. Thanks so much for these recipes!

  30. 5 stars!!! These were incredibly easy to make, I’m not much of a cook, so loved this was actually in my wheelhouse and they tasted GREAT!!!!

  31. It’s easy and so cheap I will try this like right now thank you

  32. Great job on nailing this sweet treat!!

  33. The word you’re looking for is Blondie. Brownies are made with brown chocolate, thus the color and the name. Blondies are made with white chocolate and are as such not Brown.

    • Thanks for your input but I don’t agree. There are two distinguishing features of blondies: they are made without chocolate and they are made with brown sugar. These lemon brownies don’t contain any brown sugar. Brown sugar plays a major role in a blondie’s texture, which is why blondies have a different texture than brownies. While these lemon brownies don’t contain chocolate, their texture is much more similar to a regular brownie. I think calling them lemon brownies is a more accurate description than calling them lemon blondies.

  34. Fantastic great recipe. Can’t stop.
    Eating
    Abby 
    I

  35. So easy, so lemony good. I’m so happy I found this site.

  36. Do you have any replacement options for the eggs? These sound great but I can’t eat eggs.

  37. Can these be bajed in microwave?

  38. Awesome.

  39. I love this easy baking my granddaughter is not yet 4 years and she bake with me, because that is so easy.

    Thank you Kirbi

  40. Why can I not print your recipes???  Is there some issue?? If so—don’t put a print button on the recipe, PLEASE!!

    • Sorry, but we’re not having an issue printing it. If you click the “print” button on the recipe card the print page opens in a separate tab.

  41. I just tried these and they are fun to make and came out fantastic! Everything worked as described in the recipe. I’m extra thrilled because with no flour, they will be kosher for Passover and so can bring them to my relatives and friends who will be celebrating. Thank you for this excellent recipe!

  42. Has anyone tried this with Lily’s white chocolate chips!?

    • yes! works just as well as regular – maybe better? I think I prefer the look and texture after using Lily’s but delicious with Lily’s or regular white chocolate chips.

  43. I absolutely love anything lemon or chocolate!

  44. My Grandbabies are going to love make these with me,. And eating them most of all!!

  45. Looks delisious and easy, wish the Temp had berm included with the baking instructions

  46. I subscribed but now I need the ingredients for the lemon 3 ingredient bars. It says q Lemmon and white chocolate and eggs but doesn’t say how much

  47. Hey I work in a professional kitchen and am thinking of trying this out would you say a similar thickness could be achieved by doubling this recipe and baking in a half sheet tray. I saw your tips about thickness and was unsure if this pan could bridge the gap.

  48. There is no weight for the chocolate

  49. Easy and delicious!

  50. Very nice ?
    I didn’t see how many eggs
    Or chips…
    I love the simplicity!!!??????

  51. I would give it high points the simplicity, the flavor and the appearance  Top Spot

  52. Looks absolutely Devine,I cannot wait to make them.

  53. My rating is based on the bland taste. However – these were easy to make. Instead of dirtying more bowls, I added the melted white chocolate gradually into the beaten eggs in the mixer. This created a really fluffy batter that was not thin at all. I dont know if my lemon was not acidic enough, but the zest and juice from one lemon alone did not produce quite enough lemon flavor. If I make again, I would increase the lemon juice and add 1/4 teaspoon of salt for more flavor.
    My husband thought they were not as good as my lemon bar recipe.
    The fact they are GLUTEN FREE is helpful for those with allergies to gluten.

  54. No quantities for the ingredients!

    • Please see the recipe card at the end of the post before the comments – everything is listed there.

  55. For the white chocolate brownie recipe is it just the eggs whites or the the whole eggs?

  56. Love love love the recipes.  

  57. Loved the Lemom brownies. Real hit with my husband. Making a couple of batches (frozen) for trip to MN for family members.

  58. Do you have any gluten free recipes as l am celiac l am also allergic to eggs, l use an egg replacement to bake with, many thanks Shaz

  59. Do you have an opinion on using keto white chocolate chips? Have you tried it with any success?

  60. I really appreciate the way you tell us EXACTLY what to do, then explain WHY to to it that way, then explain the CONSEQUENCES if it is not done that way! It’s very clear and easy to follow your instructions! Thank you!!!

  61. Lemon ? chocolate ? brownies ( no flour) ?????

  62. I love it

  63. Oi love anything with lemon.

  64. Will let you know afterwards

  65. I’m going to try this. Thank you

  66. Can this recipe also be done with limes? My husband loves lime bars and this looks much easier than his recipe. Thank you for all the yummy yet simple recipes,