This easy lemon glaze works for cake, pound cake, sweet breads, muffins, and more! It adds a burst of pure sweet, tangy flavor.

Here’s an essential kitchen trick using just 2 ingredients: this Easy Lemon Glaze! It’s pure magic watching these two ingredients form a thick, drizzle-able icing. Take one lick of the spoon, and your eyes will pop out in wonder. The flavor is pure zingy, lemony goodness: just the right balance of sweet and tart. It’s endlessly versatile: this lemon glaze is for cake, pound cake, sweet breads, lemon loaves, muffins, cupcakes…and even donuts. Here’s how to do it!
How to make lemon glaze
This lemon glaze is actually that easy: it takes 2 ingredients and 2 minutes. (In fact, 1 minute is more like it!) Here’s what to do:
- Squeeze 2 tablespoons lemon juice into a bowl. Fresh squeezed lemon juice is key! Avoid the bottled store-bought stuff, which has a dull, acidic flavor. The best tool for squeezing? We like this press juicer.
- Mix it with 1 cup powdered sugar until a thick icing forms. That’s it! Easy as pie. Or glaze? It’s got a nice, medium-bodied consistency and a zesty, punchy flavor.

Lemon glaze for cake, muffins, donuts, and more
This lemon glaze recipe makes ½ cup glaze, which is enough for a variety of baked goods. Here’s what we like to use it on, and how to apply it!
- Lemon glaze for cake: Use on pound cake or loaf cake; also works on angel food cake. If you think you’ll need more glaze, make 1.5 or 2 times the recipe.
- For muffins or cupcakes: Use a fork to drizzle over muffins; it should be enough for 12.
- For loaves or sweet breads: Try it on Strawberry Bread, Banana Bread or a Lemon Loaf. For a light drizzle, you can get away with half the recipe (see the Strawberry Bread below).

More lemon recipes
The lemon is one of our top flavors to use in cooking: it adds a pop of brightness to anything it touches! Here are a few favorite lemon recipes:
- Try lemonades: Strawberry Lemonade, Mint Lemonade, Cucumber Lemonade or Ginger Lemonade
- Go for bright and brilliant Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Try Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Opt for Lemon Soda or Lemon Tea
This lemon glaze recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
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Easy Lemon Glaze
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
Description
This easy lemon glaze works for cake, pound cake, sweet breads, muffins, and more! It adds a burst of pure sweet, tangy flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the lemon juice until a thick icing forms. If the texture is not drizzlable, add a few more drops lemon juice and continue stirring until it comes together.
- Drizzle with a fork across cookies, sweet breads, or muffins, pour over a sweet bread or pound cake, or dip donuts. Makes enough for one pound cake or sweet bread loaf, a drizzle for 12 muffins or cupcakes, or a dip for 12 donuts.
- Category: Essentials
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Dessert
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Lemon glaze