Lemon Muffins

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Light, airy, and drizzled with a homemade lemony glaze, these Lemon Muffins are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even a snack!

drizzling lemon glaze on lemon muffins

Made with fresh lemon juice and tart lemon zest, these muffins always put me in a springtime mood. However, if you love lemon, they are great anytime! This lemon muffins recipe is super simple and has the perfect base to make other lemon flavored combinations like lemon blueberry, lemon raspberry, lemon poppyseed, and more! Made with basic ingredients that you probably have on hand right now, these muffins are ready in thirty minutes and will store in the freezer for up to three months. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s a versatile base recipe to add other flavors like blueberry, raspberries, or poppy seeds.
  • Great for spring or holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day
  • The combination of lemon juice and zest give it an explosion of flavor!
  • The lemon glaze is the perfect topping.
several lemon muffins ready to serve

How to make Lemon Muffins

Prepare the batter. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Slowly mix the two together until just combined.

Bake the muffins. After you add batter to the prepared muffin tin, bake in a preheated oven until done.

Make the lemon glaze. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over the lemon muffins. 

Tips & Tricks

  • Don’t overmix the lemon muffin batter, or they will become dense. 
  • The key to the perfect lemon flavor is using fresh lemon juice. Skip the pre-packaged juices.
  • Don’t skip the zest because the citrus oil in it really amps up the flavor of the lemon muffins.
  • Gently fold in fruits, nuts, or poppy seeds after you have mixed the batter. 
  • Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes if you aren’t using a muffin liner.
  • Make this lemon muffins recipe as part of your meal prep

Storage

Allow the muffins to cool completely then place in an airtight container. They will last for up to 3 days at room temperature or for 1 week in the refrigerator.

To freeze the muffins, don’t add the glaze and store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw and add glaze before serving. 

ready to serve lemon muffins

HOW DO I MAKE SURE MY MUFFINS ARE THE SAME SIZE?

Use a large cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or measuring cup to put the batter into the muffin tin. Make sure you fill the scoop to the same level every time. 
Not only will the muffins look more professional when they are uniform in size, but they will also cook evenly. 

HOW DO YOU ZEST A LEMON?

1. Wash and dry the lemons. 
2. Use a citrus zester or cheese grater and slightly push on the rind of the fruit going back and forth in a smooth motion. Rotate the lemon as needed until you get all the zest needed.
Note: There is a white layer between the lemon rind and the fruit that is called the pith. When you are zesting the lemon, stop zesting and move to another spot on the lemon before you zest the pith. This will keep your zest from becoming bitter. 

DO I HAVE TO USE THE LEMON GLAZE?

No, the glaze is optional but it really takes the muffins up a notch, and I highly recommend it!

CAN I USE HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK?

Yes, you can make this lemon muffin recipe with homemade buttermilk. Combine 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk.
Give it a little stir and let it stand for 5 minutes. I will say I don’t prefer using this method over real buttermilk but it does work in a pinch.

lemon muffin with a bite out of it

More Delicious Lemon Recipes

These light and airy Lemon Muffins are a great breakfast or snack! They are drizzled with a bright lemon glaze and the muffin has a bright lemon flavor!

Lemon Muffins

Course: Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon muffins
Light, airy, and drizzled with a homemade lemony glaze, these Lemon Muffins are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even a snack!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 260kcal
Author: Malinda Linnebur
Print Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

  • cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup butter melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

LEMON GLAZE:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line a muffin pan with paper cups. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl combine the buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add in combined liquid ingredients with dry and mix just until combined.
  • Scoop into prepared muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool before frosting, if desired.

LEMON GLAZE:

  • Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Notes

  1. STORAGE: Place in an airtight container and store on the counter for up to 3 days or the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  2. FREEZER FRIENDLY: Freeze muffins (without the glaze) for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight before adding optional glaze.
  3. If baking without a muffin liner allow the muffins to sit in the pan 5-10 minutes before removing.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 309IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

35 thoughts on “Lemon Muffins”

    • When you are mixing the wet and dry together add your “extras” before everything is combined. I like to give everything a few stirs then add in poppyseeds or whatever you choose then finish mixing. That way I don’t over mix. If you are adding in raspberries fold in gently at the end so they don’t break up too much.

      Reply
  1. 5 stars
    Wow! These are delicious! They are lemony, light, and luscious. I used a mini muffin tin and dipped the tops in the lemon glaze once they cooled. They look so pretty.

    Reply
  2. 1 star
    These muffins weren’t good, the batter was like cookie dough and they weren’t sweet or lemony, even though I followed the recipe exactly! It tasted like there was no sugar.

    Reply
  3. 2 stars
    I made these, they were not the best I have made. Lots of expensive ingredients, not to mention the extra work in mixing.

    Reply
    • I think it would be fine. I would add about 1 cup of blueberries. However, it may make more than 12 muffins. I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  4. 4 stars
    They were good but almost tasted yeasty. I added more lemon juice to the glaze because without it it was incredibly thick. Overall tasted good.

    Reply
    • You can make homemade buttermilk by pouring 1 teaspoon of white vinegar OR lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Then fill with milk to 1 cup line and let stand for 5 minutes before using. Hope that helps!

      Reply
    • I have not tried subbing in almond milk for the buttermilk so I can’t say for sure how that would work. You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup and adding enough milk to reach 1 cup, let stand for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe. Or you can also thin down yogurt with some milk until it reaches the consistency of buttermilk. Thanks for asking and let me know how you like them! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Hi Malinda! ?
    I am soooo into lemon, it’s my favorite!
    Lemon cupcakes, lemon pie, lemon cookies, lemon breads, you name it I’m eating it! LOL!
    I’m definitely going to give these lil’ beauties a try.
    The lemon glaze really makes them pop for me.
    Thank you for posting an updated version, great pictures too! ?
    Have a nice day Malinda!
    Pinned!

    Reply
  6. I LOVE the looks of these Malinda! Lemon is a favorite around here for all of us (even the kids!) so I know these would be gone in no time!

    Reply

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