If you love the citrusy goodness of fresh lemon sweets, then you've just found your new favorite. These super easy lemon muffins are bursting with zesty flavor, moist, and effortless to make. Topped with the most delicious fresh lemon glaze, they are a lemon lover's dream come true.
You can enjoy them for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack. So what are you waiting for? Go grab yourself some fresh lemons today and bake up a batch of these amazing tart and tangy muffins!
Why this is the best Lemon Muffin recipe
- It is a very easy recipe and requires no fancy ingredients or equipment. You likely have everything you need already in your pantry.
- It is the most delicious. These muffins are made with fresh lemon and the optional lemon glaze kicks up the lemony flavor even more!
- It is a versatile muffin recipe that you can easily customize with mixins and other toppings to suit your taste.
- These homemade muffins are easy to store. You can easily make them in advance and store them in the refrigerator or freezer, which makes them perfect for batch cooking!
- It uses the best pro pastry chef muffin-making technique. Unlike other recipes, I combine oil and butter to make these muffins super light and fluffy. I also use a simple vinegar and baking soda hack to make these muffins spongy and moist.
Ingredients needed
For more detailed information on the ingredients visit the original Lemon Muffins recipe at Spatula Desserts.
For the lemon muffins:
1 cup Granulated sugar
½ cup Unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup Oil
2 Eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Zest of 1 Lemon
2½ cups All purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
1 cup Whole milk at room temperature
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
For the lemon glaze:
1½ tablespoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Powdered sugar, sifted
Also, check out How to Soften Butter Quickly and Salted Butter vs Unsalted Butter in Baking.
How to make the batter
- Lightly grease a muffin tin with butter or prepare it with muffin liners. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 347F (no fan).
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to cream the room-temperature butter and sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in each egg one by one. Then, add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Slowly pour in the oil while continuing to whip the mixture. Next, slowly pour in the room-temperature milk while whipping the batter.
- Sift in the dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the batter, taking care not to overmix.
- In a small bowl, mix vinegar with baking soda. The mixture will be very bubbly. Immediately fold the vinegar mixture into the muffin batter just until combined.
Top Tip: When pouring the eggs, oil, and milk into the batter, do so very slowly. Pouring them in too quickly can cause the batter to break and curdle.
How to bake
- Pour the muffin batter into the muffin tin cavities with a spoon or piping bag until each is approximately ¾ full.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake for about 20-22 minutes.
- Wait until the muffins have cooled to room temperature before adding the lemon glaze.
Top Tip: When checking for doneness, it is best to focus on the texture of the muffins versus the amount of time they are in the oven. Use the "toothpick test". If the toothpick comes out clean after you insert a toothpick into the center, they are done.
Visit the original Lemon Muffins recipe at Spatula Desserts for even more baking tips and to learn how to customize the recipe.
How to make the lemon glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and the fresh lemon juice.
- Lightly drizzle the glaze over the muffins with the help of a teaspoon or piping bag drizzle. Sprinkle lemon zest on top of the muffins to finish.
- Serve fresh, or store the muffins in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Top Tip: To thin the glaze, add more lemon juice. To thicken it, add more powdered sugar.
Also read: How to Store Muffins to Keep Them Fresh
Expert Tips
- Always bring the butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature before starting the recipe. Otherwise, the batter will break and won´t emulsify properly.
- Set the eggs in a bowl of warm water for five minutes to help them reach room temperature quickly.
- Use only the equipment noted in the recipe to prevent overmixing the batter.
- To ensure the even distribution of the dry ingredients (flour, powder, baking soda, and salt), whisk them together in a small bowl before adding them to the batter.
- A small cookie scoop or piping bag is helpful for a mess-free and even distribution of the batter into the muffin tin cavities.
- Sift the powdered sugar before mixing it with the lemon juice to avoid clumping.
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This article was originally published as Lemon Muffins at Spatula Desserts.
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