These easy lemon biscuits are beautifully buttery and just perfect for afternoon tea with a pot of Earl Grey. Light, soft in the centre and lightly crisp at the edges, they bake to a delicate golden brown finish that makes them simply irresistible.
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A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Lemon Biscuits
🕒 Ready In: Prep Time - 10 minutes (+ chilling time), Cook Time - 15 minutes
👪 Serves: 20
🍽 Calories: 98 per biscuit
🥣 Main Ingredients: Butter, Caster Sugar, Egg, Lemon Juice and Zest, Plain Flour, Baking Powder
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, freezer-friendly
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Only a handful of ingredients are needed and just 15 minutes in the oven (plus a little chilling time in the fridge) before you can tuck into these tasty bite-size lemon biscuits.
Made with fresh lemon zest and juice, these homemade lemon butter biscuits are packed with bright citrus flavour and have a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Whether I'm baking a batch of lemon puff biscuits for a bake sale, popping a few into the kids' lunchboxes, or simply enjoying a relaxed weekend baking session, this easy biscuit recipe is one I find myself coming back to time and time again.
If you love lemon bakes, you'll also love my lemon drizzle muffins, lemon curd loaf cake, and lemon sponge pudding recipes.
Made to bring to a morning tea. Had to make second batch per my family's demands. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Tracy W
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✔️ Why you'll love this lemon biscuits recipe
- Quick and easy lemon biscuits made and baked in under 40 minutes.
- Soft, buttery texture.
- Fresh lemon zest and juice for a bright citrus flavour.
- No fancy equipment needed.
- Perfect for afternoon tea, bake sales, or gifting.
🥘 Ingredients
A full ingredients list along with Metric and US Customary measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Lemons (zest and juice) - fresh lemons give these lemon biscuits their bright citrus flavour; in a pinch, use bottled lemon juice and add a little lemon extract for extra zing.
Butter - softened unsalted butter creates rich, tender lemon butter biscuits, though salted butter or a block-style dairy-free alternative can be used instead.
Caster Sugar (superfine sugar) - helps produce light, delicate lemon puff biscuits, but granulated sugar can also be used.
Egg - a large egg binds the dough and adds softness, or substitute with 2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt or a cornflour (cornstarch) and milk mixture for an egg-free option.
Plain Flour (all-purpose flour) - gives structure while keeping the biscuits tender, and can be swapped for self-raising flour (reduce the baking powder) or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Baking Powder - adds lift for soft, lightly golden brown lemon biscuits, but reduce or omit it if using self-raising (self-rising) flour.
Need to substitute an ingredient?
Have an allergy or dietary preference? Let AI customise the recipe for you.
📖 Variations
- Swap the citrus - use lime or orange zest and juice instead of lemon for a fresh twist.
- Lemon drizzle icing - mix icing sugar with lemon juice and spoon over cooled lemon biscuits.
- Chocolate dipped - dip half of each biscuit in melted dark, milk or white chocolate and leave to set.
- Add nuts - stir chopped pecans or hazelnuts into the dough for extra crunch and texture.
- Sandwich biscuits - fill with lemon buttercream or lemon curd for elegant lemon butter biscuits.
- Extra zing - add more lemon zest or a drop of lemon extract for a stronger citrus flavour.
🔪 How to make lemon biscuits
One: Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan / 375°F / Gas 5) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Two: Cream the softened butter and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale, light and fluffy.
Three: Beat in the egg, lemon zest and lemon juice until fully combined.
Four: Stir in the plain flour and baking powder until a soft dough forms. If the mixture feels dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until smooth.
Five: Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Six: Roll tablespoons of dough into balls (about 20 biscuits) and place them on the prepared tray. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
Seven: Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and gently press down again with the back of a spoon - these biscuits are meant to stay thick, round and bite-sized.
Eight: Let the biscuits cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cool, dust with icing sugar and serve.
Top Tips
- Use fresh lemons - Fresh zest and juice give the best bright, natural citrus flavour.
- Don't overmix - Stir just until the dough comes together to keep biscuits soft and tender.
- Chill the dough - Chilling prevents spreading and helps the biscuits stay thick and bite-sized.
- Watch the bake time - Remove from the oven when edges are lightly golden brown; they will firm as they cool.
🍴 Serving suggestions
These lemon biscuits are perfect served with a cup of tea or coffee for a classic afternoon treat.
They also make a great bite-size snack for children's lunchboxes.
For a more elegant option, pair them with lemon curd, whipped cream, or other small cakes for afternoon tea.
Storage
Make-Ahead - the dough for these lemon butter biscuits can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to bake (the dough can be made up to 48 hours ahead).
Store - once baked the biscuits will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze - the biscuits can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container or freezer bag.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Absolutely - shape the lemon biscuit dough into balls, freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag; bake directly from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer or mix by hand; creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy gives the best texture.
Troubleshooting Guide
Common problems and simple fixes to get your lemon cookies perfect every time.
Problem: Biscuits are dry
Fix: Remove from the oven as soon as the edges are lightly golden brown, as they will continue to firm up while cooling.
Problem: Biscuits are dense
Fix: Mix the dough just until combined and measure the flour carefully without packing it to keep the texture light.
Problem: Dough is sticky and hard to handle
Fix: Chill the dough in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to make it easier to roll and shape.
Problem: Biscuits aren't lemony enough
Fix: Add extra lemon zest or a drop of lemon extract, or finish with a lemon drizzle icing to boost the citrus flavour.
😋Related recipes
More easy biscuit and cookie recipes to try!
Tried it? Let me know what you think and rate it ⭐️ below. Tag me @effortlessf00d-I'd love to see! Don't forget to subscribe for more recipes.
Recipe
Easy Lemon Biscuits Recipe
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Ingredients
- 80 g Butter softened
- 100 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 1 Egg
- 2 Lemons zest from both and juice from one
- 240 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder (Baking Soda)
To decorate
- 25 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan / 375°F / Gas 5) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Cream the softened butter and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale, light and fluffy.80 g Butter, 100 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- Beat in the egg, lemon zest and lemon juice until fully combined.1 Egg, 2 Lemons
- Stir in the plain flour and baking powder until a soft dough forms (you might want to use your hands to bring it together). If the mixture feels dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until smooth.240 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour), 2 teaspoon Baking Powder (Baking Soda)
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Roll tablespoons of dough into balls (about 20 biscuits) and place them on the prepared tray. Flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and gently press down again with the back of a spoon - these biscuits are meant to stay thick, round and bite-sized.
- Let the biscuits cool on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Once completely cool, dust with icing sugar and serve.25 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
Notes
- Variations: Swap lemon for lime or orange, drizzle with lemon icing, dip in chocolate, or add chopped nuts like pecans or hazelnuts.
- Dough ahead: The dough can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Storage: Baked biscuits keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Texture tips: These biscuits are meant to be thick, round, and bite-size; they do not spread.
Tracy W says
Made to bring to a morning tea. Had to make second batch per my family's demands.
Rae says
Even though I messed up the ingredients,(realising my one lemon yielded a lot of juice and had to add extra flour,) the result was a flatter biscuit that still tasted great!
Suzana says
I helped my 6 years old make this today and we all loved it!
We used the warm juice of the second lemon with a bit of honey to drizzle over the cookies when still hot and it added a delicious extra sweet and zing! Lovely 🙂
Valerie says
These are simple and delicious 😋. I put lemon icing on the top.
betty says
So does everyone just use zest full of wax because it is absolutely impossible to get unwaxed lemons these days? Have searched every supermarket, every organic shop and small grocers, none without wax.
Yasmin says
These are great. I made them today and they turned out perfect. My kids loved them also.
Anne says
Recipe calls for 2 lemons but only 1 used in method ?????
Beth Sachs says
Hi Anne
You need the zest of 2 lemons but the juice of only 1. I've re-written the method to make it a little clearer.
P.Barnes says
Lovely light tasty buns
Stear says
Soooo easy to make, lovely flavour. A lovely cross between a biscuit and a bun.
Mike says
These are great, recipe is spot on, thanks.
Natalie says
Simple yet so delicious. Perfect cookies to welcome Spring. I will definitely make this for my family. Thanks for idea!
Laura says
These are so good and I just love how light they turn out. They're perfect as an accompaniment for tea.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this lemon biscuit! It's so easy and quick to do. I love it!
D Lamb says
Easy to make lemon biscuits and tasty
Claudia Lamascolo says
I can just imagine how delicious these biscuits are with lemon we love that fresh citrus test on the list of must trys!!
Danielle Wolter says
I am a sucker for lemon flavored anything. These were just incredible and had the perfect amount of lemony flavor!
Ali says
So easy! I added coconut... About half a cup?... And rolled in baking paper to chill, then sliced into neat little rounds. Cooked evenly... A generous layer of icing sugar... YUM! THANK YOU!!