Lemon Blueberry Muffins

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These juicy lemon blueberry muffins are the perfect way to start your mornings! They make a wonderful treat packed with juicy blueberries, and keep moist and fresh for days.

I always love having a fresh batch of muffins to kick off the weekend, and this is one of my staple recipes: easy, quick to make from scratch, and loaded with fruit.

Half lemon blueberry muffin with a glass of milk in the background.

Plus, these babies are a bit healthier than your average muffins. They are made with whole-grain flour and they contain a small amount of unrefined cane sugar, which makes them delicious but not overly sweet.

However, you can swap whole grain flour with all-purpose flour or you can use white sugar instead of cane sugar, they will turn out delicious anyway!

What ingredients you need

  • Whole grain flour or all-purpose flour
  • Frozen or fresh blueberries
  • Sugar
  • Egg
  • Lemons
  • Vegetable oil
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
The ingredients for this blueberry muffins are arranged on a white marble surface.

How to make these lemon blueberry muffins

(Note: the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

  • Preheat the oven
  • Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest
  • Mix well
A glass bowl containing the dry ingredients and a fork.
  • In a mixing bowl combine oil, milk, and egg
  • Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix with a fork just until combined
A jug with the wet ingredients and then a jug pouring the liquids into a bowl containing the dry ingredients.
  • Gently fold the blueberries into the batter (they release some of their juice, but it’s fine)
  • Divide the batter evenly between 6 muffin cases
  • Bake and enjoy!
A spatula mixing the muffin batter in a glass bowl and then six muffins into a muffin tray.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

Can you put fresh blueberries in muffins?

Of course, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries, whatever comes handy.
I used frozen blueberries, cheaper than fresh blueberries, and available in the freezer aisle year-round.

Both fresh and frozen blueberries hold the shape nicely, and the right amount of liquid in this recipe prevents them from sinking to the bottom. Plus, the color of the batter doesn’t turn green.

A hand holds a piece of lemon blueberry muffins showing the fluffy inside.

How do you make your blueberry muffins fluffy?

  • Use eggs and milk at room temperature
  • Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, a lumpy and sticky batter is fine
  • Don’t overmix the batter, that would ruin that lovely fluffy texture
  • Make sure the baking powder is fresh and not expired
  • Measure liquid, baking powder, and flour accurately

How do you store fresh lemon blueberry muffins?

In case you have leftover muffins, you can store them at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Two halves of blueberry muffins on a white plate show the moist inside.Recipe updated: originally posted in August 2019, I’ve tweaked the post adding new pictures, notes, and nutritional values.

Lemon blueberry muffins variations

Berries and lemon zest are my absolute favorites, they make these muffins lemony and moist.
However, you could easily play around with this recipe swapping blueberries for the same amount of raspberries, or adding 1/4 cup of nuts, seeds, chocolate chips or dried fruit for a different taste and texture.

More easy treats?

If you love these delicious and moist lemon blueberry muffins, you’ll love these healthy and easy recipes:

If you make this recipe, let me know: leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram.

I would love to hear from you!

Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

LEMON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

These fluffy and juicy lemon blueberry muffins are the perfect way to start your mornings, they make a delicious healthy treat and they're easy to make from scratch.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Lemon blueberry muffins
Servings: 6
Calories: 263kcal
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup (190 grams) whole-grain flour or all-purpose flour (I used white spelt flour)
  • 1 cup (130 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen (I used frozen blueberries)
  • 1/2 scant cup (90 grams) unrefined cane sugar or white sugar*
  • 1/2 cup (120 grams) milk
  • 1/3 cup (70 grams) vegetable oil (I use expeller pressed canola oil)
  • 2 lemons, zest
  • 1 egg, possibly at room temperature
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp fine salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 F°/230C°
  • Grease with butter or line the muffin pan with paper cases.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, salt, sugar and lemon zest. Mix them together with a whisk.
  • In a jug or in a bowl, combine the oil, the egg and the milk and mix well.
    Note: If you use a large egg, reduce the amount of milk (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp of milk should be fine). 
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a fork, just until combined.
  • Pat dry the blueberries with kitchen paper, and using a spatula gently fold them into the batter
  • Divide the batter evenly between the 6 muffin cases and bake for 5 minutes at 450F°, then reduce the oven temperature at 400F°/200C° and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
  • Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool and serve them dusted with icing sugar if you like.
    Note: if you have leftover muffins, store them at room temperature, in an airtight container for 2-3 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Frozen blueberries do not need to be thawed before you add them to your muffin batter. If they are already thawed like the ones I used for this recipe, gently pat them dry with kitchen paper. Frozen and fresh blueberries have similar weight.
  • You can reduce the amount of sugar a little bit further, 1/3 cup sugar (about 75 grams) works just fine if you prefer less sweet muffins.
  • White spelt flour is one of my favorite whole grain flours, it’s a light and doesn’t weight down your cakes and muffins. It tastes delicious and it’s easier to digest than wheat flour.
  • If you use a large egg, reduce the amount of milk (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp of milk should be fine).
  • It is very important not to open the oven for at least the first 15 minutes until the rising is finished. 
  • NOTE: nutritional values are estimates only.

Nutrition

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 84IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg

14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made these for my family yesterday morning and everyone loved it! My family had eaten all of them by the time I went for seconds! I’m going to make them again today or tomorrow, and was wondering if I made a double batch if I could freeze some of the batter? These are definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!

    1. I’m so glad to hear that, Sonya!
      Re the batter, honestly I’ve never tried to freeze it, sorry if I can’t be more precise here, I think I will run a few tests soon.
      Usually I double the batch, then I bake and freeze the extra muffins using freezer bags.

      Thanks so much for sharing! x

  2. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I added some lemon juice For a more lemony taste 🙂 any idea on the calories in one muffin? I like to track on my fitness pal!

    1. I’m glad you loved this recipe, Amanda! I’ve just added the nutrional values 😉

    2. How much lemon juice? I’d like to add the lemon juice! Nice suggestion!

  3. 5 stars
    Only took 15 total minutes for my muffins to be done! I used applesauce instead of oil, coconut sugar and whole wheat flour.

    1. Thanks for sharing your feedback, Rachel, I hope you’ll enjoy them! x

  4. 5 stars
    These muffins are so good, and the recipe is VERY easy to follow! Thank you sooo much for sharing!!

  5. These muffins are so good, and the recipe is VERY easy to follow! I made these with spelt flour, but they still turned out amazing! Thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe!!

    1. I love spelt flour and I’m so pleased you liked them 🙂 Thank you for your lovely comment, Camille x

    2. Can you use avocado oil instead?

    3. Hi Cindy, personally I’ve never baked them using avocado oil. But since avocado oil is a popular substitute for vegetable oil, I guess you can use it in equal measure x

  6. Can this be made as a bread loaf?

    1. I’ve never tried it, but I’m pretty sure you can bake it in a loaf tin (adjusting the baking time, obviously). If you do, pls let me know how it turns out 🙂

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