These lemon blueberry muffins have just the right sweet and citrusy kick! Drizzle with a lemon glaze and they’re irresistible.
What’s better than the combination of zingy lemon and pure sweet blueberry? These Lemon Blueberry Muffins are the epitome of the pairing, with a bright citrusy kick from the lemon and studded with pops of purple berries. Heighten the flavor with a lemon drizzle, which takes these muffins from good to wow. This spin on our classic blueberry muffins is a new favorite over here. Here’s how it’s done!
Ingredients for lemon blueberry muffins
Our Classic Blueberry Muffins are a favorite around here, and we designed those to not require lemon for ease of the recipe. But if you’ve got a lemon around or if you’re craving this tasty combo: blueberry lemon muffins are where it’s at. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon, baking powder, and salt
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Greek yogurt
- Milk
- Lemon juice and lemon zest
- Blueberries
For the lemon glaze
In our opinion, these lemon blueberry muffins aren’t complete without the lemon glaze. Of course, you can make them without: and it actually simplifies storage (see below). But the glaze adds just the right pop of sweet citrusy lemon: it’s like adding a few more pinches of salt to a savory dish to bring out the flavor even more.
All you need are powdered sugar and lemon juice, which you’ll mix into a thick icing. Make sure to let the muffins cool completely before drizzling the icing. A tip? A fork makes the best drizzle (not a spoon!).
Can you use frozen blueberries?
Got frozen blueberries on hand? Frozen blueberries can bleed into the batter of muffins and breads, making them turn purple in color! If you’d like to use frozen berries, we recommend rinsing them well and patting them dry with paper towels per these instructions from King Arthur Baking.
Tips for lemon blueberry muffins
Ready to bake up your lemon blueberry muffins? Here are a few tips to what makes this recipe work:
- Add a hefty amount of lemon zest. 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest might seem like a lot, but it’s crucial for the lemon flavor. This is the amount you can get from 1 large or 2 small lemons.
- Resist the urge to overmix. Overmixing muffin batter causes holes in the crumb and a denser texture. Mix just until the streaks of flour disappear.
- Baking at 400 degrees makes a taller muffin. After experimenting for years, our favorite temperature for baking muffins is 400 degrees Fahrenheit (versus 350 which is standard). It makes a taller and fluffier muffin: and it’s quicker to bake!
Storage info
The lemon glaze adds a little complication to the storage info for these lemon blueberry muffins. Here are best practices:
- Room temperature: Store at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture. Iced muffins last about 2 days and un-iced last about 4 days.
- Refrigerator: Store refrigerated without glaze for up to 1 week or more (allow to come to room temperature before serving).
- Frozen: Freeze un-iced muffins in a sealable container and store up to 3 months. Add the glaze once they are defrosted.
More muffin recipes
Love to bake? Here are a few more of our favorite muffin recipes:
This lemon blueberry muffins recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Description
These lemon blueberry muffins have just the right sweet and citrusy kick! Drizzle with a lemon glaze and they’re irresistible.
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries*
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, divided
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest (1 large or 2 small lemons)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for the glaze)
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or add muffin cup papers.
- Wash and dry the blueberries.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the vegetable oil, yogurt, milk, the 1 teaspoon lemon juice and the lemon zest until smooth. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula until a thick dough forms. Fold the blueberries into the batter with a spatula.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups: the cups will be full to the top, using about a heaping ¼ cup per muffin. Sprinkle the tops with a pinch of granulated sugar.
- Bake: Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool fully, about 1 hour.
- When ready to glaze, in a medium bowl mix together the 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the powdered sugar until a thick icing forms. If the texture is not drizzlable, add a few more drops lemon juice and continue stirring until it comes together. Drizzle a small amount with a fork over each of the muffins. (If you like a large quantity of icing, make it with 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice and ¾ cup powdered sugar.)
- Eat the muffins immediately. Store at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture, about 2 days if iced or 4 days if un-iced. Store refrigerated without glaze for up to 1 week or more (allow to come to room temperature before serving), or frozen without glaze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Frozen blueberries can bleed into the batter and make it turn purple in color! If you’d like to use frozen berries, we recommend rinsing them well and patting them dry with paper towels per these instructions from King Arthur Baking.
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Muffins
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Lemon blueberry muffins, blueberry lemon muffins