Lemon Ricotta Muffins

You’ll love these lemon ricotta muffins! They’re simple to make, beautifully moist, light, and bursting with lemon flavor.

A bright, citrusy treat that everyone will adore! 

We’re impatiently waiting for spring here in London, and I wanted to bring you an easy, seasonal dessert recipe perfect for any celebration, including Easter and Mother’s Day!

My lemon ricotta cake usually gets very popular this time of year, but why not lemon ricotta muffins, too?

Here they are! Ultra moist and fluffy ricotta lemon muffins glazed with a lovely lemon icing. They’re easy to make, full of flavor, not overly sweet, and guaranteed to make your home smell amazing.

And even more importantly, they taste INCREDIBLE!

For a tender, moist crumb, I use vegetable oil and ricotta cheese like in my raspberry cake and almond ricotta cake, which I LOVE. For the best and brightest flavor, I add plenty of lemon juice, zest, and lemon icing to pack a burst of lemon goodness.

These lemon ricotta muffins are as pretty as they are delicious, a real treat for lemon lovers.

I can’t wait for you to try them!

List of the ingredients

• Ricotta cheese
• Lemons
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Vegetable oil
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder & soda
• Vanilla extract
• Ground ginger (optional)
• Salt

How to make lemon ricotta muffins

(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

• Beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until pale. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and juice, and oil. For the best fluffiness, I recommend using a stand mixer or electric beater. Alternatively, a hand whisk will work, too.

• Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Divide the batter into 12 lined muffin cases.
• Bake for the first 3-4 minutes at high temperature to get nice, domed tops, then reduce to a standard 355°F/180°C.

• To make the lemon icing glaze, add lemon juice and powdered sugar to a small bowl and stir until smooth. This is optional, but it’s great for adding more lemon flavor and making your muffins pretty!

• Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes.
• Finally, top each muffin with lemon icing glaze and extra lemon zest. Done!

Recipe Notes

Lemon ricotta muffin ingredients

Whole-milk ricotta cheese: Either standard ricotta sealed in containers or fresh ricotta from the deli counter is fine. If you have ricotta leftovers, these ricotta recipes will give you more ideas for making pasta, dips, sweet treats, chocolate cake and more!

Lemon: The recipe uses juice and zest of two lemons to maximize flavor. 

Eggs: For the right texture and structure, you need only two eggs. They need to be at room temperature, not fridge-cold.

Flour + baking powder + baking soda: All-purpose, self-raising, or cake flour gives great results.

Vanilla + ginger: Vanilla extract is a must; it adds so much flavor. I also use ground ginger, which pairs so well with vanilla and lemon, but feel free to skip it if you wish.

Sugar: regular granulated sugar (or caster sugar if you are in the UK), superfine, or brown sugar work just fine.

Vegetable oil: It keeps the crumbs moist. It’s also flavorless and easy to stir into the batter. Vegetable, light olive, rice bran, or canola oil work well.

Salt: It enhances the overall flavor; don’t skip it.

Lemon glaze: It’s made with lemon juice and powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar). It adds flavor and coats the muffins with a thin layer of crispy sugar. Reduce the powdered sugar if you prefer a thinner icing with less sugar and a tart flavor.

PRO TIPS

• Measuring is crucial! Whether you measure in cups using the “spoon & level” method (check notes in the recipe card) or use a kitchen scale to measure by weight, measure dry and wet ingredients correctly.
• Do not overmix the batter – The muffin batter should not be completely smooth, but make sure the flour is fully incorporated.
• Do not overbake: Check your lemon ricotta muffins and test for doneness with a toothpick. Once the toothpick comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached, it’s time to remove them from the oven. 

Storage instructions

• To store: Lemon ricotta muffins are best the same day they are made, but they keep well for 3-4 days in an airtight container on the countertop. 
• To freeze: Let the muffins cool completely, then put them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

More MUFFINS RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!

• Cream cheese muffins
• Mini pumpkin muffins
• Cream cheese blueberry muffins
• Ricotta muffins
• Orange muffins
• Easter muffins

If you make these lemon ricotta muffins, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you! x

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