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Lemon Blueberry Blondies are soft and chewy with homemade blueberry sauce swirled into each bite. Dress them with a simple glaze made with lemon juice and powdered sugar for an extra pop of freshness. They’re the perfect summery option for brunches, baby showers, and more, or anytime you need a sweet treat!
Blondies are the perfect alternative to brownies with a similarly chewy texture and sweet flavor, but without the chocolate.
This version swirls a blueberry compote into the blondies for that jammy, berry flavor we all know and love. Best of all, you can make them with fresh or frozen berries, so it’s a great way to use up your stash of frozen berries any time of year!
Pro Tip: After testing this recipe several times, I find it’s best to cook the berries into a sauce instead of adding them whole. Whole blueberries can create pockets of moisture that make the blondies soggy.
I prefer to cook down the berries into a quick jam-like sauce, which adds a major pop of berry flavor in each one. For the best of both worlds, swirl the sauce into the batter and you’ll have plenty of little juicy blueberries and that delicious sauce in every bite.
(See more notes about what worked and what didn’t below.)
Why you’ll love these Easy Blueberry Lemon Blondies
- Quick to throw together and no fancy equipment
- Can be made with fresh or frozen blueberries
- The simple lemon glaze adds a pop of citrus that really works with the blueberry flavor
- Crowd pleaser that tends to disappear quickly!
- Fun alternative to blueberry muffins or scones
Ingredients
For the Blondie Batter
- Unsalted butter – Similar to making brownies, you want to use melted butter.
- White sugar & light brown sugar – For the perfect chewy texture and sweetness
- Egg
- Lemon extract – For extra lemon flavor. Feel free to use vanilla extract instead.
- Lemon zest
- All purpose flour – Be sure to spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it flat.
- Salt
- Baking powder
For the Blueberry Sauce
- Frozen or fresh blueberries – I used frozen blueberries in almost every recipe trial and they worked incredibly well. If you have fresh berries, feel free to use those instead, but you don’t have to!
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Cornstarch – To help thicken the sauce.
For a little contrast, top these bars with this easy three-ingredient lemon glaze.
How to Make Blueberry Blondies
- Preheat an oven to 350 F. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper or cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the berries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch for the blueberry sauce. Heat over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the berries soften. Press the berries with the side of the spoon to help pop them open. Set aside and let it cool down slightly.
- Add melted butter, sugars, lemon zest, and extract to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the egg. Whisk to combine.
- Fold in the flour, salt and baking powder with a rubber spatula. Stir until combined but without overmixing.
- Pour the blondie batter into the pan, spreading an even layer.
- Pour the blueberry sauce over top of the batter and use a kitchen knife to swirl it in for that feathered look.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over top. Let the glaze set, then slice and serve!
Storing Suggestions
Since these bars contain cooked berries, it’s best to refrigerate them after baking. Let them cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Tips & Variations
- Try a different berry. This recipe is a great way to use berries that can become soggy when baked whole, like blackberries or strawberries.
- Add texture. I’ve also tried this recipe with added white chocolate chips. They can add a nice little bite and extra sweetness, but they’re not essential.
Recipe Testing Notes
I made about 5 different variations of this recipe to get them just right. I’ve been working on mastering my base recipe for blondies, but I also wanted to find the best way to add the blueberries. This is what I noticed:
Swirl it in. For the perfect balance of blueberry flavor and a less messy presentation, you need to swirl the blueberry sauce over the dessert bars before baking. This will concentrate the berry flavor, layer it throughout, and add a gorgeous presentation. If you want even more berry flavor, consider adding halved or even quartered berries to the batter. Just remember that large, whole berries equal mess and minimal flavor.
Whole berries are too big. As the berries cook, they create these large pockets of moisture, which can cause issues with sogginess. Also, the whole berries don’t tend to develop their flavor as much, so you actually get less of a blueberry flavor. Bummer.
Adding sauce and berries is too much. I actually shot this recipe and was ready to publish it with a mixture of the blueberry sauce and whole berries, but although they tasted good, they were so wet and messy. Most home cooks would probably end up having issues with them and I wanted something a little more beginner-friendly.
You need to add lemon to the berry sauce. If you want a strong blueberry flavor, you need to cook down the berries, similar to making a jam, and add some lemon juice. It’s amazing how much the lemon blooms that berry flavor, and it makes a big difference. Feel free to use bottled lemon juice, if needed.
More Blondie Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Blondies
- Raspberry White Chocolate Blondies
- Lemon Blondies with White Chocolate
- Strawberry Blondies
- Cardamom Blondies
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Lemon Blueberry Blondies
Ingredients
Blueberry Sauce
- 1.5 cups blueberries
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Blueberry Blondies
- 4 oz unsalted butter, melted; one stick
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- lemon zest, from 2 lemons
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt; use less if using fine or table salt
- 1 tsp lemon extract, or vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup fresh blueberries, optional; sliced in half and folded in right at the end before adding the berry sauce
Lemon Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 F. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper or cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the berries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch for the blueberry sauce. Heat over medium low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the berries soften. Press the berries with the side of the spoon to help pop them open. Set aside and let it cool down slightly.1.5 cups blueberries, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp cornstarch
- Add melted butter, sugars, lemon zest, and extract to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.4 oz unsalted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, lemon zest, 1 tsp lemon extract
- Add the egg. Whisk to combine.1 egg
- Fold in the flour, salt and baking powder with a rubber spatula. Stir until combined but without overmixing. (If adding extra fresh blueberries, fold them in now.)1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp kosher salt; use less if using fine or table salt, 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
- Pour the blondie batter into the pan, spreading in an even layer.
- Pour the blueberry sauce over top of the batter and use a kitchen knife to swirl it in for that feathered look.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze and drizzle over top. Let the glaze set, then slice and serve!1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice
Nutrition
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