These no bake lemon brownies are rich, fudgy and full of zesty lemon flavor. They are easy to make and just 3 ingredients. The brownies don’t require any flour, eggs, butter or oil. They take only about ten minutes to prepare and they store well.
These lemon brownies are an easy sweet dessert. They taste best straight out of the fridge which makes them a great dessert in summer.
Ingredients
- Lemons
- Cashew Butter (or Peanut Butter)
- White Chocolate
Lemons: These brownies are flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest. You will need 1-2 lemons for this recipe, depending on how juicy your lemons are.
Cashew butter or peanut butter: I used cashew butter in this recipe but if you don’t have cashew butter on hand, it will also work with peanut butter. You must use natural unsweetened cashew butter/peanut butter. This means there are no added oils. The only ingredient listed should be cashews (or peanut butter and salt). I chose cashew butter because it is lighter in color, is slightly sweeter than peanut butter and has a more mild flavor so you don’t taste it as much. The cashew butter is used to help bind the brownies together and also provides the chewy texture. If you use peanut butter, you will taste the peanut butter in the brownies and the brownies will have a darker color. For a nut-free substitute, you can use natural sunflower seed butter.
White chocolate chips: This recipe also uses white chocolate chips which are melted down to create the base for these brownies. When the white chocolate is mixed with the cashew butter and lemon juice, it stays in a semi-solid soft state which creates a soft and slightly chewy texture for these brownies.
These brownies are quite rich. If you like texture in your brownies, you can also add some quick oats to the batter which will add more chewiness and help break up the richness.
How to Make No Bake Lemon Brownies
The white chocolate is first melted until smooth. The lemon juice, zest and cashew butter are then whisked in. The batter is then poured into your prepared baking loaf pan and placed into the fridge until set. Once brownies are set, you can add frosting. Then slice with a sharp knife. Store uneaten brownies in the fridge.
Brownie Texture
These no bake brownies do not have the same texture as traditional baked brownies. They are very rich, fudgy, and a little bit chewy. If you want a more classic brownie texture, I also have an easy baked lemon brownie recipe.
More No Bake Brownie Recipes
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Brownies
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Banana Brownies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Brownies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Breakfast Brownies
3 Ingredient No Bake Lemon Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (220 g) white chocolate chips
- 4 tbsp (59 ml/2 oz) lemon juice + 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 1/2 tbsp (38 g) natural unsweetened cashew butter or natural unsweetened peanut butter
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add white chocolate chips to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat chocolate in 15-30 second intervals, stirring in between with a spatula until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. You can also melt the chocolate on the stove using the double boiler method.
- Using a whisk, add in lemon juice and cashew butter and whisk until the mixture becomes uniform in color and smooth. Stir in the zest until it is evenly mixed in.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Place into fridge for 30-60 minutes or until set. When brownies are set, the batter should feel solid. Slice brownies with a sharp knife. The brownies are very fudgy and should just hold their shape when cut straight out of the fridge. If left to sit out, they will be less firm and hard to hold so it is best to serve them chilled. Store any uneaten brownies in the fridge.
Notes
- These brownies do not have the texture of regular baked brownies. They are very fudgy, soft, and a little bit chewy. They are also very rich and sweet. If you prefer more texture you can add quick oats (3 tbsp added with the zest) to the batter which will help break up the sweetness and add more chewiness to the brownies.
- Make sure to use natural unsweetened cashew butter or peanut butter. You can also use natural sunflower seed butter if you need a nut-free substitute. Natural means there are no added oils in the spread. The only ingredient listed should be cashews.
- You will need 1-2 large lemons for this recipe, depending on how juicy your lemons are. You will likely not need all the zest or juice produced from the lemons.
- The brownies don't really need any frosting but if you would like to decorate the brownies, I used an easy lemon icing on top. Wait for the brownies to set before adding the frosting.
- Optional Lemon Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Stir until you have a thick icing. If your icing is too thick you can add a little more lemon juice. If it becomes too thin you can add more powdered sugar. When the brownies are set, spread icing over surface of the brownies. Sprinkle about 1 tsp zest over surface. Then place brownies back into fridge until ready to cut and serve.
Nutrition
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.
Hi, Sorry but this recipe seems a little misleading. Reheating 1 1/4 cups of white chocolate chips and adding a nut butter and then a sugary glaze is basically, remelting chocolate chips into a bar form, thus making a chocolate bar. IMO it’s not at all healthy.
These have a soft and chewy texture like brownies – chocolate bars are very different.
Oh God I love this I got kids it so easy ad healthy and cheap thank you
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I made these for thanksgiving. First the batter would have never coated the bottom of an 8×4 pan so I used a small square pan. They came out thin and flat like a piece of white chocolate candy bar. The taste was good. If I were to try this again I’d use a whole bag of white chocolate chips and possibly 1/4 to 1 half a cup of nut butter.
We use an 8×4″ loaf pan and have no problems with the amount of batter – what size square pan did you use? Sounds like it was too big.
I’m always on the lookout for quick-n-easy dessert recipes. Unfortunately I’ve had some major busts lately so I was a bit wary that this would work out. However, I had some white chocolate that I needed to use up and I do love a lemon-flavored treat.
This recipe was great! Super easy and very tasty; definitely would make again. I would say to be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for both the main ingredients and the icing. Note the icing has a tendency to bead up on the lemon bars. Also, the batch is pretty small so you may want to consider doubling the ingredients and use a 9×9 pan if you’re serving more than 3 or 4 people.
thank you for sharing your experience!
Got good reviews
We’re happy to hear that!
They are look yummy ?? and delicious for my tummy
We hope you try them soon!
After reading this, I was wondering a couple of things:
1) For this recipe, you mention adding oats to impart texture. How much do you recommend?
2) This made me think about how much I love chocolate and orange together. Have you tried using orange juice and zest with semi-sweet chocolate chips? And then maybe an optional orange frosting sprinkle with mini chocolate chips?
3 tbsp of quick oats as stated in the recipe notes. I think orange and chocolate are a great combination. I don’t know if you’ll achieve the same results using semisweet chocolate because semisweet chocolate has a higher cocoa content which means it will likely solidify more if you are just using juice and zest. But I haven’t tried. I have made similar no bake brownies using semisweet chocolate but always with a fruit puree and not a juice. Please let me know if you try it out.
3 INGREDIENT NO BAKE LEMON BROWNIES
Yum! Are they like blondies?
They are very rich, fudgy, and a little bit chewy.
Lovely recipe.
Thank you! We’re so glad you liked it.
Wow, this beautiful. Look so delicious.
We hope you try them!