Lemon Blueberry Muffins – The Almond Eater

There comes a time every year—usually when the sun starts sticking around longer, and the birds are chirping again—when I become absolutely obsessed with the lemon-blueberry combo. Finally, spring has arrived!

My favorite way to celebrate spring is by adding lemons and blueberries to almost everything, including my lemon blueberry cake, a stack of blueberry chia seed pancakes, and these Lemon Blueberry Muffins. They’re a bakery-style treat bursting with jammy berries and finished with a crackly lemon-sugar topping that I genuinely can’t stop eating.

Blueberry Lemon Muffin Ingredients

Blueberries – You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. Personally, I prefer frozen berries because they don’t burst or leave blue streaks in the muffins. However, fresh blueberries are incredible when they’re in season.

Sugar – I like using granulated cane sugar for baking, but white sugar is great, too. I don’t recommend swapping the granulated sugar for liquid sweeteners because your muffins won’t be as lemony or have the right structure.

Lemon zest & juice – Taking the time to massage lemon zest into the sugar granules is the secret to bright, lemony muffins! For the best results, zest your lemons before you juice them (it’s pretty tricky to do it the other way around).

Yogurt – It keeps the muffins moist and makes them extra fluffy. Regular yogurt and Greek yogurt both work well. If you need a substitute, use sour cream instead.

This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list. 

Variations

• Gluten-free option – I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but it should work (make sure you use a brand that includes xanthan gum). I’d recommend adding an extra 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil per cup of flour and letting the batter rest for 5 to 10 minutes before portioning it into the muffin cups.
• Instead of blueberries – Make the muffins with raspberries, blackberries, cherries, diced strawberries, or a frozen berry medley.
• More add-in ideas – Make lemon poppy seed blueberry muffins by folding 2 to 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds into the batter. 1/4 cup of slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, or white chocolate chips would be nice here, too!
• Add a sweet topping – Decorate the cooled muffins with a drizzle of the cream cheese frosting from my gluten-free blueberry cake or the sweet lemon glaze from my almond flour blueberry scones.

How to Make Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Step 1: Make the lemon sugar. Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl, and use your fingers to massage the zest into the sugar granules. It should smell very lemony and fresh! Set 1 tablespoon of the lemon sugar aside.

Step 2: Beat the wet ingredients. Add the butter to the same bowl and beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Next, stir in the eggs, lemon juice, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.

Step 3: Coat the blueberries. Add the blueberries to a small bowl and dust them with some flour.

Step 4: Mix dry ingredients. Whisk the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.

Step 5: Finish the batter. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Finish by folding in the blueberries.

Step 6: Bake. Pour the batter into a muffin tin, sprinkle the reserved lemon sugar on top of each muffin, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Step 7: Cool, then serve. Let the muffins cool in the tin, then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve and enjoy!

Erin’s Tips and Tricks

• Do not thaw your frozen blueberries! They’ll definitely burst and turn the batter blue if you don’t leave them in the freezer right up until it’s time to use them.
• Always dust frozen blueberries with a sprinkle of flour. Without the flour coating, your blueberries will sink to the bottom of the muffins.
• Do not overmix the muffin batter, or else the muffins will be dry or dense. Gently stir the dry mixture into the wet batter until a few streaks of flour remain, then very gently fold in your berries. 
• The two-temp trick is the secret to tall, domed muffin tops. The initial blast of heat at 425°F activates the leavening agents and creates air bubbles inside the muffins. After, the temperature drops to 375°F to finish baking the muffins.

Muffin FAQs