These lemon shortbread cookies are tender, buttery, and filled with bright lemon flavor. They're easy to make in one bowl with 7 simple ingredients!

Jeanine
Donofrio

Phoebe
Moore

Updated: Sep 14, 2026

These lemon shortbread cookies have a buttery, zesty lemon flavor and delicious melt-in-your-mouth texture. Just like my classic shortbread cookies, they have a simple dough made from flour, butter, sugar, and salt. Fresh lemon juice and zest give them a lovely citrusy pop.

I love how easy this recipe is. These lemon shortbread cookies come together in one bowl, and most of the time, chilling the dough isn’t necessary.

If you like, you can make a quick lemon glaze to give the cookies an extra burst of lemon flavor, but they’re also perfect plain—tender, bright, and lightly sweet. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Lemon Shortbread Cookies Ingredients

When I was testing this recipe, I made a ton of lemon shortbread cookies. I tried vegan and gluten-free shortbread cookie recipes with different oils and flours, all sorts of things. During the process, I was stressing out. Some cookies were dry, some were burned, and some flattened out like pancakes (not the good kind). I’m just lucky that Jack, being the kind taste tester that he is, made sure not a crumb went to waste.

So what did I end up with? A straightforward, delightful lemon shortbread cookie recipe. Here’s what’s in it:

All-purpose flour – Sometimes complicated problems demand simple solutions. I tried all sorts of flours in this recipe, but good old all-purpose yielded the best results every time. Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
Butter – It gives these lemon shortbread cookies a delicious buttery flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Sugar – For sweetness. I typically use natural cane sugar, but regular granulated sugar works well too.
Fresh lemon juice and zest – They fill these cookies with bright lemon flavor. I especially love these cookies with Meyer lemon juice and zest, which add a sweeter, almost floral note to the dough.
Fresh thyme – My twist. 🙂 I adore the combination of lemon and thyme in these cookies. It’s so surprising and refreshing. I think you’re going to love it too, but you can also skip the thyme if you prefer a classic lemon shortbread.
And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies

The recipe is simple and straightforward. Here’s how it goes:

First, make the dough. Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, followed by the fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, and thyme. Mix again. Then, add the dry ingredients—the flour and salt—and mix until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten it into a 1″ disk. If it’s sticky, wrap it up and chill it for 15 to 30 minutes, or until it’s firm, but still pliable.

Next, roll out the dough and cut out the cookies. My favorite part! Aim for the dough to be about 1/4″ thick. Then, use cookie cutters to cut out any shapes you like. Like in my cut-out Christmas sugar cookie recipe, I recommend starting at the edges of the dough and working inwards, puzzling together the cutters to cut out as many cookies as you can. Transfer the cut-outs to parchment-lined baking sheets, and re-roll the scraps to make more cookies.

Then, bake! Transfer the cookies to a 350°F preheated oven, and bake until the edges are starting to turn light brown. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Soften the butter at room temperature. Creaming the butter gives these cookies a perfect light texture, and it makes it possible to roll out the dough to make cut-outs. In order to cream the butter, it needs to be soft, but not melted. To soften your butter, you’ll need to plan ahead. Remove it from the fridge, set it on the counter, and let it sit for an hour while it comes to room temperature. I don’t recommend softening it in the microwave—it’s easy to accidentally go too far and partially melt it in the process.
Bake one sheet at a time. Temperatures vary throughout an oven, so baking one sheet at a time is the best way to ensure that your cookies bake evenly. You don’t want ones on the bottom rack to burn before the top rack starts to brown! Pop any cut-outs that don’t make it onto the first sheet in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them.
Add a lemon glaze, if you like. To give these cookies an extra pop of citrus flavor, top them with my quick lemon glaze once they cool. It’s easy to make with 2 ingredients—lemon juice and powdered sugar. You could even sprinkle a little extra lemon zest on top.
Use a different citrus. I love the lemon flavor in these shortbread cookies, but they work just as nicely with other citrus too! Try using orange zest and juice (see these orange shortbread cookies) or lime zest and juice instead.

How to Store Lemon Shortbread Cookies

The lemon shortbread cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

They also freeze well. Allow them to cool completely, then seal them in an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. They thaw in around 30 minutes at room temp!

More Cookie Recipes to Try

If you love these lemon shortbread cookies, try one of these cookies next:

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

rate this recipe:

4.74 from 83 votes

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 55

Serves 30

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These lemon shortbread cookies are tender, buttery, and filled with bright lemon flavor. Enjoy them plain, or top the cooled cookies with my quick lemon glaze for an extra citrusy pop. These cookies are perfect for the holidays or any time of year.

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
▢ ⅓ cup cane sugar
▢ Zest of 1 medium lemon
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (optional)
▢ 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and thyme, if using, and mix again. Finally, add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flatten into a 1” disk. If the dough is sticky, wrap and chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm but still pliable.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about ¼“ thick. If desired, you can roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Use 2” cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Keep any extra cut-out cookies in the fridge until ready to bake.
Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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Nutrition Facts

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories 55 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 8mg3%

Sodium 20mg1%

Potassium 8mg0%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 0.2g1%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 106IU2%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 3mg0%

Iron 0.3mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

162 comments

4.74 from 83 votes (39 ratings without comment)

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Shortbread Cookies Ingredients

How to Make Lemon Shortbread Cookies

Recipe Tips and Variations

How to Store Lemon Shortbread Cookies

More Cookie Recipes to Try