Best Citrus Dessert Recipes

Citrus desserts are popular for their bright, zingy flavours and refreshing taste. I have put together a collection of the best citrus dessert recipes for you to try. From lemon and lime to orange and grapefruit – this collection has cakes, sauces, preserves, slices and more! Some healthier sweet treats are also included.

Why we love these recipes:

To me, there is something truly refreshing about citrus. I love it in both sweet and savoury preparations. Rarely a day goes by where I do not enjoy citrus in some form, even if just add a wedge of lime to my glass of water.

Citrus can cut through the sweetness and richness of a recipe, and provide a more balanced flavour. Aside from the delicious taste it can add to a recipe, citrus contains a number of nutritional benefits, perhaps most famous for its Vitamin C content.

Given that it is an ingredient I use in so many of my recipes, I decided to put together a collection of the ones I love the most and use frequently, along with some of my favourites from my fellow food bloggers.

I have grouped the recipes under the citrus type, being:

• Lemon
• Lime
• Orange
• Grapefruit

I hope to build on this list overtime, and add in a complete guide to all citrus. For now, enjoy these delicious recipes!

Best Lemon Dessert Recipes:

Of all the citrus varieties, I use lemons the most in my cooking and baking. Delicious in both sweet and savoury preparations, they really are so useful. Below you’ll find some of the best ways to enjoy lemons in a sweet preparation.

These delicious treats feature baked goods, condiments and more. If you’re a fan of lemon, you’ll find some great options to try!

Belgian Lemon Tea Cake

This lovely tea cake looks as if it is difficult to make, yet it is really quite easy. Present it on a lovely platter and share it with family and friends. They will be impressed.

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Gluten-Free Lemon Madeleines

Just like the classic little French tea cake, these gluten-free madeleines are tender, golden, shell-shaped and fragrant with the scent of lemons. These little delicacies are beautifully light and spongey, easily made and delicious to eat, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

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Gluten-Free Lemon Blondies

These Gluten-Free Lemon Blondies are the perfect balance of sweet, with a slight tang from the addition of lemon. The crisp exterior with a perfectly moist and slightly gooey centre is sheer perfection.

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Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

These Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes are one of my all-time favourite cupcakes. Lovers of lemon will be delighted with them. They are intensely lemony with a moist and tender texture.

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Individual Lemon Curd Meringues

This is one of the loveliest and lightest desserts, one which will be enjoyed by family and friends. These sweet delights of crispy, airy perfection are delicious. Here’s a dessert that looks impressive but is easily and quickly made.

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Quick and Easy Lemon Ice Cream

A show stopper dessert – homemade ice cream!

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Creamy Lemon Pie

My Creamy Lemon Pie is a luscious dessert; the perfect combination of citrus and sweet. The delicious creamy texture is complemented by the crisp, biscuit crumb crust. So simple to make, and even easier to eat!

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Classic Lemon Curd

This Lemon Curd is so easy to make. Made from just 4 simple ingredients, it comes together quickly on the stove. However, you will need to exercise your patience whilst waiting for it to cool! (In fact, there will be no judgement if you can’t resist a little taste). During this time you will be able to ponder which of many ways you will enjoy it. This delicious condiment, which is smooth, creamy and sweet, yet tangy, will delight all lovers of lemon.

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Three Ingredient Lemon Marmalade

This tart, zesty spread provides a much-needed wake-up call in the morning when spread on toast. Set some time aside to make the marmalade and enjoy it in the months to come.  You will enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes with making your preserves.

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Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

With a soft cupcake base, sweet-tangy lemon filling and fluffy meringue, these lemon curd cupcakes are everything you love about lemon meringue pie, in cake form! These pretty cupcakes are so easy to make and perfect for entertaining, parties, or the perfect afternoon tea.

Check out this recipe

Best Lime Dessert Recipes:

This is a small, green citrus fruit which has a refreshing, tart, acidic flavour. Their peel and juice is useful in drinks as well as sweet or savoury dishes. They are often used interchangeably with lemons but their flavour is stronger so generally less is required. Adding some of their zest or juice will really lift the flavours of many dishes.

Although popular throughout the world, they are an important ingredient in many Asian and South American recipes. Our favourite recipes featuring lime can be found below!

Classic Key Lime Pie

One of my favourite desserts is Key Lime Pie. There is a reason that this beloved American classic is so popular. There is nothing quite like a slice of this luscious dessert; the filling is tart and not too sweet with an irresistible creaminess which is offset by the crisp, biscuit crumb crust. This pie will become a family favourite and you will love that it is so easy to make.

Check out this recipe

Peach and Mint Smoothie

A quick, versatile, nutritious fruit and yoghurt drink, this Peach and Mint Smoothie is ideal for breakfast, as an after-school snack or a post-workout refreshment. This recipe serves 2 people but if making it for 1 person, simply halve the ingredients.

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Coconut Lime Popsicles

Mostly tart with a touch of sweet, these coconut lime popsicles are the perfect summer treat. Perfect for warm days to cool off from the summer sun and made using only 3 ingredients!

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Mini Lime Cheesecakes

Easy to make and just 8 ingredients, these mini no-bake lime cheesecakes are creamy, tangy and totally delicious. With a buttery, crumbly crust and a surprise lime curd centre, this simple no-bake dessert recipe can be made ahead of time too.

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Lime Popsicles

These homemade lime popsicles are super refreshing and full of fresh, zingy lime juice. Perfect for a summer’s day when you need to beat the heat.

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Best Orange Dessert Recipes:

This baseball size fruit generally has orange skin and flesh which is juicy and sweet, making it ideal to be enjoyed raw. Their bright colour and flavour adds much needed sunshine to dull winter days. There are many ways to enjoy them, in either sweet or savoury applications, either raw or cooked. Serve freshly squeezed juice for breakfast as a bright start to the day.

One of the most popular varieties these days is the blood orange. They are slightly smaller with peel and flesh which ranges from pink through to red. They have a unique, almost berry-like flavour and they produce delicious juice as well as adding zesty flavour to baked goods, desserts or savoury dishes.

There are several varieties of oranges, such as Seville, which have a bitter flavour and do not lend themselves to eating raw but which make excellent marmalade.

Chocolate Orange Bliss Balls

These delicious Chocolate Orange Bliss Balls are incredibly easy to make and make for a healthy, satisfying sweet treat. These delicious sweet bites are also refined sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan.

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Blood Orange Curd

My Blood Orange Curd is smooth, creamy and so easy to make. The simple method of making this curd produces rich, silky-smoothcurd.

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Brandied Oranges

An elegant dessert that will have your guests coming back for more!

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Upside Down Blood Orange Cake

This easy Upside Down Blood Orange Cake, packed with Citrus Fruits, is the perfect winter dessert. The slightly caramelised Blood Oranges are baked under a light and fluffy Butter Cake, making it a deliciously fresh yet comforting winter cake or afternoon tea slice!

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Mimosa Popsicles

Turn leftover champagne into delicious and refreshing mimosa popsicles! Perfect for summer parties or an after-work treat during summer.

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Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake

This Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake is an easy egg-free chocolate cake with orange drizzle, studded with chocolate chunks.

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Orange Pound Cake

Our very best recipe for orange pound cake is rich, buttery, and moist! It’s full of orange flavour from orange zest, orange segments, and juice! To finish, it’s covered in a citrusy orange glaze!

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Best Grapefruit Dessert Recipes:

This lovely citrus fruit may sometimes be overshadowed by its very versatile cousins, oranges, lemons and limes. Grapefruit are large, sub-tropical citrus fruit with many varieties which range from those with yellow skin through to pink or ruby red varieties. The red varieties are generally sweeter than the others. 

A half grapefruit is well known as a tangy breakfast ingredient but there are many more ways to enjoy it. As well, it makes excellent marmalade. However, it’s not just for breakfast. Use it in drinks, sweet or savoury dishes. Unlike lemons or limes, some of the sweeter varieties are excellent additions to salads served with poultry or fish.

Cinnamon Grilled Grapefruit

My Cinnamon Grilled Grapefruit will add warmth and vibrant flavours to your breakfast. It contains just 3 ingredients and is quickly and easily made. Grilling/broiling the grapefruit caramelises the brown sugar and enhances their natural juiciness.

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Grapefruit Marmalade

If you enjoy making your own condiments from seasonal produce, this soft set Grapefruit Marmalade is for you. Marmalade is a favoured preserve on many breakfast tables. It is easy to appreciate that this zesty, tangy preserve is a great way to start the day.

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Pink Grapefruit Bars

These gooey pink grapefruit bars are sweet, tangy and irresistible. Use ruby red or pink grapefruit and a drop of food colouring to give that subtle hue.

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Grapefruit, Chia and Poppyseed Cookies

Grapefruit, chia and poppyseed cookies delicious in lunchboxes, these special treat cookies are yum! Kid-friendly and freezable before baking.

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Glazed Grapefruit Scones

Take advantage of grapefruit season with these sweet, flaky glazed grapefruit scones! Looking for other uses for grapefruit? These citrus scones are it!

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More delicious recipes for you to try:

Although citrus may not be the star of these sweet treats, it still plays an important part in the overall delicious taste of the recipe and balance of flavours.

Some of our favourites include:

• Gluten-Free Blueberry Cake
• Peach and Raspberry Muffins
• Baked Cheesecake
• Spiced Poached Plums

I hope you have enjoyed this delicious collection of the Best Citrus Dessert Recipes. Let me know in the comments when you have given them a try, or if there’s anything else you’d like to see added to the list!

Alex xx

It’s not what happens to you, but how you handle it. If Life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If the lemons are rotten, take out the seeds and plant them in order to grow new lemons.   

Louise Hay