Oven Baked Tilapia

A tilapia fillet with a lemon slice on top of mashed potatoes on a plate, on a table in front of a baking dish with more tilapia in it.

5 from 1 vote

Lemon Butter Baked Tilapia is quick and easy to make, made with fresh tilapia fillets topped with a garlic lemon butter sauce and baked until tender and flakey, budget-friendly and ready in 20 minutes!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: servings

Calories: 445kcal

Author: Jacqui

Equipment

1 9x13" baking dish
1 small bowl to melt the butter

Ingredients

4 medium tilapia fillets (about 2 pounds)
2 medium lemons (one is for juice and zest, the other is for slices)
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease the baking dish and set aside. In a small bowl, add the butter and microwave in 15 second increments until fully melted (about 1 minute). Once melted, whisk in the minced garlic, juice and zest of one lemon, spices, and parsley.
Pat the tilapia dry with a paper towel and place each piece in the baking dish, leaving room between each one. Pour the lemon butter sauce over the fish.
Use a spoon to make sure each piece is evenly coated with the sauce. Cut the second lemon into slices and place on top of the fish.
Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the tilapia is completely cooked through. Tilapia is done when it turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork.

Notes

Click on the time in the instructions to start a timer!

*The nutrition information is a rough estimate. Some of the butter is left behind in the pan. But the nutrition includes all of the ingredients as-written.*

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months.

Cooking Tips

Tilapia cooks pretty quickly, I recommend checking it around the 10 minute mark and adding more cooking time as-needed.
Try to make sure your tilapia fillets are all around the same size, so they finish cooking at the same time.
If the fillets are on the bigger side, I might overlap the edges of the fish just a little bit so they all fit in one dish. I'm not laying them completely over each other, though.

Nutrition