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Lemon Pudding Cookies are soft and chewy with tons of lemon flavor thanks to using lemon pudding mix. The pudding mix also keeps the cookies soft for days – these are the perfect cookie with a citrus burst in every bite.

stacked lemon cookies with sliced lemons in the background.

Soft Lemon Cookies Recipe

These cookies are super fun because they are pudding cookies, meaning they use instant pudding mix. The secret to these cookies is using instant lemon pudding mix for tons of lemon flavor and lemon zest to add a fresh, from scratch flavor.

I’ve been making cookies using pudding mix in cookies for years. It’s one of my favorite methods because it keeps the cookies soft for a while and gives the cookies an unbeatable texture and adds so much flavor!

ingredients in lemon pudding cookies.

Ingredient in Lemon Pudding Cookies

  • Unsalted butter: Make sure it’s been softened.
  • Granulated sugar: My normal pudding cookie recipe has brown sugar, but this one uses granulated to keep it lighter to embrace all the lemon flavor.
  • Instant lemon pudding mix: The key ingredient for the lemon flavor and softness of the cookie.
  • Lemon zest: From 1 lemon – a bit of lemon zest adds a freshness to the lemon flavor. Be sure to only zest the outer yellow part of the lemon (the white pith will make your cookies bitter).
stacked lemon cookies with sliced lemons in the background.

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  • Make sure that when scooping the dough onto the pan that they are 2-3 inches apart. This is important so the cookies don’t run together in the oven.
  • Once baked and cooled, you can freeze cookies for up to three months in an airtight container. You can also freeze cookie dough balls in a single layer, then stack once frozen. To bake cookies from frozen, add 2-3 min bake time.
5 from 16 votes

Lemon Pudding Cookies

By: Dorothy Kern
Easy Lemon Cookies with tons of lemon flavor because they're pudding cookies – they stay soft for days!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
stacked lemon cookies with sliced lemons in the background.
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Ingredients

For the Cookies

  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 (3.4 oz) package instant lemon pudding mix
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, (from 1 lemon)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ cups (155g) all-purpose flour

Instructions 

  • Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
  • Cream together butter and sugar. Add the pudding mix and beat until well blended.
  • Add egg, lemon zest, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.
  • Slowly add the flour and mix until just combined.
  • Scoop 1 or 2 tablespoon size balls onto cookie sheets (2-3 inches apart depending on size). Chill dough 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake 10-15 minutes or until cookies are light golden around the edges and have lost their glossy sheen. If you notice the cookies aren't spreading during baking, press them lightly with the palm of your hand to get them going.

Notes

  • Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze cookies for up to 3 months.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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process shot of making lemon pudding cookies.
process shot of making lemon pudding cookies.
process shot of making lemon pudding cookies.
process shot of making lemon pudding cookies.

How to make lemon pudding cookies

  1. Once creamed, the butter and sugar will be light and fluffy.
  2. Once the eggs, vanilla, and zest are added, the mixture will be loose and yellow.
  3. The pudding mix and flour will create a dark yellow cookie dough that’s perfect for scooping and baking immediately (no chilling needed).
  4. Using a silicone baking mat will help the cookies not spread too much.

Variations

Other Lemon Recipes

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 16 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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74 Comments

  1. Ooh, you make me LOL!!! You may not like your voice (I HATE mine, too), but you sure have a way with the written word!! And yes, I agree, Giada is way to skinny!! Your lemon cream cookies look awesome, BTW.

    Reply

  3. LOVE the cookies, Giada is TOO skinny (not fair), and I agree: video BAD for SO many reasons:)

    Reply

    1. Thanks Heather! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that about Giada. And videoing!

      Reply

  4. Hahahaha! I have the same feeling about the Next FN Star. I could never be in front of a camera myself, but that being said, some of the contestants are just painful to watch. And I totally agree about Giada – she is definitely too thin! Just found your blog a couple of weeks ago and have been really enjoying it! Thanks for fun posts and good recipes too!

    Reply

  5. OOOH BABY THAT IS IT!! I AM SERIOUSLY IN LOVE WITH YOU!! LEMON PUDDING COOKIES, I AM IN LOTTERY SHARING LOVE!! THAT’S SERIOUS!! AND BTW EVEN BEFORE THE LEMON COOKIES, I’D HAVE WATCHED YOUR VIDEO, HEY THEY LET MARTHA STEWART PRETEND SHE KNOWS ALL, AT LEAST YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR AND ARE CUTE!!

    Reply