Greek Yogurt Lemon Cookies with Sweet Lemon Glaze
Sneak Peek: These Greek yogurt lemon cookies bake up soft and cake-like with a bright lemon flavor and a simple glaze. Greek yogurt replaces ricotta for a lighter texture and extra protein. Ready in about 30 minutes.
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If you like the soft texture of lemon ricotta cookies but don’t keep ricotta on hand, Greek yogurt makes a wonderful substitute.
These Greek yogurt lemon cookies are tender, slightly cake-like, and topped with a simple lemon glaze. I first tasted cookies like these at Giada’s restaurant in Las Vegas—and came home determined to recreate them with ingredients I always have in my kitchen.
Why Use Greek Yogurt in Cookies?
- Adds a tangy flavor
- Keeps cookies soft, moist, and cake-like
- Higher protein than regular yogurt
- More economical
- I’m a yogurt maker–you can be too.
• FLOUR: All-purpose flour is best – bleached or unbleached.
• BUTTER: Unsalted butter preferred; decrease the salt by a pinch if using salted butter.
• EGG: Large size (50 g ±).
• LEMONS: Small to medium lemons are ideal; oranges or limes are a good swap.
• GREEK YOGURT: Thick, plain yogurt keeps these cookies soft and cake-like. If using regular yogurt, strain it first to prevent spreading.
How To Make Greek Yogurt Cookies with Lemon Icing
⬇️ Jump to the recipe below for exact amounts and detailed instructions.
Fluffy Lemon Cookies with Greek Yogurt & Sweet Lemon Glaze
Video
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups (160 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter room temperature
- 1 cup (198 g) sugar
- 1 large (50 g) egg
- grated rind of 1 small lemon
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- ¾ cup (170 g) Greek yogurt unflavored and thick
Glaze
- 1 cup (113 g) powdered sugar
- grated rind of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon of heavy cream or milk
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients: Combine 1⅓ cups (160 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, whip ¼ cup (57 g) butter until smooth. Add 1 cup (198 g) sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add 1 large (50 g) egg and mix well.
- Add Lemon and Yogurt: Stir in grated rind of 1 small lemon, 1½ tablespoons lemon juice, and ¾ cup (170 g) Greek yogurt.
- Combine and Chill: Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until smooth with no dry spots. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to prevent excess spreading and help create the soft, cake-like texture.
- Bake the Cookies: Drop spoonfuls (about 1 tablespoon each) onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375˚F (190˚C) for 12–15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden and the edges begin to brown.
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a rack or towel to finish cooling before glazing.
- Make the Glaze: Sift 1 cup (113 g) powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add grated rind of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, and 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice. Combine until smooth. Add another tablespoon of lemon juice if the icing is too thick.
- Glaze the Cookies: Frost warm cookies lightly. Let icing set before serving or storing.
Notes
- Layer cookies with wax paper to prevent sticking.
- Double wrap to maintain freshness.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Final Thoughts
These cookies are a great way to use leftover Greek yogurt when you want something quick, bright, and not overly rich. They freeze well and are especially nice for cookie trays or spring gatherings.
If you enjoy baking with yogurt, try my Greek yogurt waffles next. If you want to create your own cookie assortment, consider adding these Powdered Sugar Lemon Cookies (similar to Mexican Wedding Cookies) or Lemon-Pecan Thumbprint Cookies for a special occasion.
p.s. If you’re a lemon lover, check out this Lemon Posset. It’s an English dessert that’s simple, refreshing, and oh-so-delicious.
— Paula, Home Economist
Homemade Food Worth Sharing
Need help troubleshooting?
Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com — photos help!
so delicious!!
Thank you, Caleigh. How kind of you to come back to say so!
Great recipe, but 160 grams of flour is a lot less than 1 1/3 cups. It’s more like 1 1/6 cups. Clearly such big difference in the amount of flour would yield very different results. Which one should I use – 160 grams or 1 1/3 cups?
Hi H.V.
I’m glad you wrote. You are right that such a big difference in the flour would yield very different results.
There is no gold standard for how many grams are in 1 cup of flour. If you start looking around, you will find many variations. The majority of my weights (especially for baking) come from King Arthur Flour. They are well recognized in the U.S. among most bakers. According to their standards, 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 grams. But here’s the real deal. If you want the same results I got, or the same results from any recipe you choose, it’s best to follow the numbers given by the recipe’s author. 120 grams will be the same no matter who measures, as long as the scales are accurate. However, if you ask 10 people to measure one cup of flour, you will likely get 10 different results.
It would be nice if everybody agreed on how many grams were in 1 cup of flour, but they don’t. You can read more about it in this newsletter I wrote some time ago.
Hope this helps.
I just want to say I made these into cupcakes and used orange ? rind and juice as I didn’t have lemon and they turned out unbelievable! 20 mins on 375
Hi ToriAnn,
Orange sounds fantastic. I must try it, too. Thanks so much for sharing your idea and experience with this recipe.
Hi ?
I’m just wondering if you can substitute the flour in the lemon cookies with gluten free 1:1 flour.
I love lemons ?!
Hi Patti,
Unfortunately, I have never tried these cookies with gluten-free flour. I would think that the cookies would be too dense and compact with gluten-free flour, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you try it. I’m curious.
I made these today using 1:1 GF flour because I am gluten intolerant. It worked great.
Thank you for the recipe!
Hello,
I’m so glad you took the time to write and share your experience. I’m sure this will be helpful to others who are gluten intolerant.
I’ve just tried this recipe, and my mixture looks more like pancake/cake batter. I’ve kept it in the fridge for now hoping it will firm up. Should I have added more flour?
Rebecca,
I wonder if your yogurt was perhaps thinner than mine. Yes, I would go ahead and add a little more flour to firm up the dough a bit. These are so delicious that I do hope they turn out well for you.
Do you think using greek lemon yogurt would be good (not coyingly sweet?). We have an authentic greek shop near our house and I don’t think they add much sugar, it’s pretty lemony.
Hi Kayla,
Seems like a good thing to try. You could always cut back on the sugar in the recipe if you think the sweetened yogurt makes it too sweet.
I would like to make your Frosted Lemon Cookies (with Greek Yogurt). Can I use vanilla greek yogurt?
Hi Maggie,
Good question. Yes, you can. However, vanilla Greek yogurt usually has added sugar. So unless you like your cookies to be really sweet, you might want to cut back on the sugar a little bit. Can’t wait to hear how you like them.
The substitution of the Greek yogurt for the ricotta still made for lighter cake like cookie. The Greek yogurt did give the cookie more tang countering the tartness of the lemon, but I think it was a little too overpowering. Next time less lemon juice in glaze and use water or milk to tone it down.
WOW, I really hope you chatted about your site! She could learn a few from you. I think so many of the food network chefs could learn a lot about reducing the amount of fat, salt, and extras and still keep it delicious. When I watch the shows they don’t count calories, carbs, fat, or sodium. I find it hard to believe that they have ANY concept of the amounts they put into their recipes. By the end, the meal is way over 1000 calories not counting fat, carbs, or sodium.
Looks like you really were star struck. So much fun.
Fun fun!
How exciting! I love the two mega watt smiles together, you both look beautiful.
I will have to make your cookies as I love all things lemon! I just posted a recipe for Greek chicken thighs with yogurt today, and I noticed your post. We both love yogurt!
How exciting for you! You both look very tiny and very lovely and your cookies look wonderful too 🙂
I see two million dollar smiles there! 🙂 Lucky you to meet Giada…that sounds like a fun getaway. Those cookies look perfect- I love lemon. 🙂