Fudge is a lovely homemade candy, perfect for gifting or treating yourself and this creamy and smooth lemon fudge is a real winner. It’s so quick and easy to make, with just 10 minutes and 3 ingredients required!
This lemon fudge has the perfect texture – firm enough to cut and hold it’s shape but soft enough to bite into like fudge should be. It just melts away in your mouth and has a super creamy lemon taste.
This is an updated recipe, and if you have tried the old one, I urge you to give this one a go. Previously, my lemon fudge used a lemon simple syrup for the lemon flavour. It was super delicious but many readers had issues getting the right texture. This updated recipe is now far easier to make and tastes just as lovely.
This recipe was first published here in November, 2016 and has been updated with new images and an easier recipe.
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Is this traditional fudge?
If you’re looking for a traditional fudge recipe, this is not it, however, it does have the classic fudge texture and richness. This is a cheats version, and I’m ok with that since traditional fudge takes time and patience that I just don’t have.
Ingredients
With only 3 required ingredients, this lemon fudge truly is so simple to make. There’s a few other ingredients you can add to make it extra special.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Sweetened condensed milk makes your fudge super creamy and adds sweetness too.
- White chocolate: Another part of what makes lemon fudge creamy, white chocolate also helps it to set firm enough to slice and gives it a melt in the mouth texture. I use a baking white chocolate block and break it up into pieces. Though they can work, steer away from chocolate chips, purely because they’re designed to hold their shape which means you need to heat them more to melt them which in turn affects how well the fudge sets.
- Lemon extract is a genuine lemon flavouring and it’s super tangy. You can make this fudge using my lemon simply syrup but be aware you need to get it really thick so the fudge will set.
- Yellow food colouring is optional ingredient number 1. The fudge will be the colour of white chocolate if you don’t add it but it will still taste lovely and lemony. Use gel food colouring for the best colour.
- Lemon zest is optional ingredient number 2. Fresh lemon zest adds a great extra lemony kick but it will reduce the shelf-life of your lemon fudge.
- Sprinkles are the final optional ingredient. They just add some sparkle and fun but are not necessary at all.
How to make lemon fudge
After testing a number of different methods – including a jelly crystals (jello) version like my strawberry fudge and the closer-to-traditional recipe I use for my salted caramel fudge – I’ve landed on this as my favourite.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Add ingredients to a pan
In a heavy based medium pot, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and lemon extract (plus some yellow food colouring if you want it).
Add white chocolate and melt it all together on the stove over low-medium heat until smooth.
You can stir in a tbsp lemon zest at this point if you like for an even stronger lemon flavour.
2. Chill
Once the fudge mixture is smooth and combined, pour it into an 8 inch square pan lined with baking paper. Optionally, scatter over some sprinkles then chill it for at least 4 hours until firm – overnight is even better.
Variations
- Lemon meringue fudge: You can turn this easy lemon fudge into lemon meringue fudge, just by crumbling up some shop-bought meringue and scattering in the baking tin before or after you pour the fudge in.
- Orange fudge: If you can get hold of orange extract (I find it in smaller franchises, not the big chains), you can use that and some orange zest to make orange fudge.
- Jelly crystals: If you can’t find lemon extract, you can use jelly crystals in their place. The details are in the recipe card notes at the bottom of the post. For that matter, you can use any flavour jelly crystals the same way.
Storage
This bright and zesty fudge sets firmly so you can slice it easily into little cubes and holds it’s shape at room temperature. This makes it perfect for parties or for wrapping up in little gift boxes and giving away to family and friends.
If at any point you find it a bit tacky on the outside (sometimes this will happen if you’ve overheated the chocolate or if you’re using the lemon zest), just leave it uncovered for a few hours either in the fridge or at room temp and it just dries out the exterior a little so it’s not sticky.
It’s best stored in the fridge in an airtight container and has a great shelf-life of 2-3 weeks, sans lemon zest (store it right at the back of the fridge for the longest lead time). If you add the lemon zest, the shelf life will only be about 1 week.
It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months, again in an airtight container. It can be eaten straight from the freezer as it never freezes rock hard due to the sugar content.
After my Salted Caramel Fudge, this is definitely my favourite fudge recipe. Since fudge is very sweet, the lemon tang is a lovely contrast. I don’t know about you but I have a lot of lemon lovers in my life, so being able to give these little easy lemon fudge squares as a gift is so fun.
More Easy Fudge Recipes
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Did you try this lemon fudge recipe? Show it some love in the comments below.
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Ingredients
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (395g/14oz)
- 3-4 teaspoons lemon extract (notes 5)
- 540 g white chocolate roughly chopped (19oz)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest finely grated (notes 4)
- drop yellow gel food colouring
- sprinkles or decorations
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
- Line an 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper and set aside. Have sprinkles at the ready if using.
- To a medium saucepan, add the sweetened condensed milk, 3 teaspoons of lemon extract and yellow food colouring (if using). Stir to combine.
- Add the chopped white chocolate and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate as fully melted and the mixture is smooth. Make sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
- If you're using the lemon zest, stir that in now, then taste the fudge. If you want a stronger flavour stir in a little more lemon extract.
- Tip the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out as much as possible.
- Immediately sprinkle over any sprinkles and give the pan a tap on the worktop to settle them in a little.
- Chill until firm, 4 hours or overnight even better, before cutting into squares.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Chocolate: I use a baking white chocolate block. It’s best not to use white chocolate chips as they are designed to hold their shape, hence take more heat before they melt.
- Shelf-life: The 3 ingredient lemon fudge will keep for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Lemon zest: Adding lemon zest will reduce the shelf-life to about 1 week in the fridge.
- Lemon extract: Different brands have different strengths of flavour, so start with the 3 teaspoons. Taste the fudge once everything including the chocolate is combined, then add another teaspoon if you want.
- Jelly crystal version: If you can’t find lemon extract, you can make this recipe using jelly (jello) crystals too.
- 1 tin condensed milk
- 540g white chocolate
- 85g lemon jelly crystals (jello crystals) (3oz)
- Add the jelly crystals and 2 tablespoons of water to a heavy based saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly just until the jelly crystals have dissolved – don’t let it boil. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk then add the chocolate and stir constantly until melted. Continue from step 4 above.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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9 Comments on “Lemon Fudge”
This did not work out well for me. I regret using lemon extract. It was so bitter and artificial tasting unfortunately. I think it would have been better with using just lemon zest and maybe much much less extract. I only used 3 teaspoons of the extract but I think it would have been better with just 1 or even half. It’s setting up now in the fridge but I don’t think it will turn out for me. I will just have to adjust what I do next time.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Michelle. It might be a brand thing. This works lovely with the extract brand I have. I’ll try a few types to see what results I get.
Can you use white chocolate chips? Is this fudge soft, cherry and sticky?
Chewy not cherry haha
Chocolate chips are generally made to hold their shape so don’t melt as easily neaning you have to heat it more, takes longer etc. It sets firm but soft enough to easily bite into and it practically melts in your mouth. It should be stored in the fridge for 2-3 weeks but will be fine at room temperature for a while too.
It looks so yummy! Thank you
Thank you Cheryl
Hi, can I use white compound for this..?
You could but the flavour won’t be as good