These light and fluffy lemon blueberry muffins taste just as good—or better!—than any bakery version. Greek yogurt keeps them extra moist, creamed butter creates a wonderfully soft and fluffy texture, and blueberries and lemon add a burst of flavor. Sprinkle each muffin with a lemony-brown sugar crumb topping for a sweet finishing touch.
One reader, Cathy, commented: “I made these today. They were moist, had a nice crumb, and an excellent balance of flavor. I will definitely make these again. Thanks for an awesome recipe! ★★★★★“
It’s no secret that I have a soft spot in my heart (err… stomach?) for the delightful flavor duo of lemon + blueberry. Desserts like lemon blueberry cheesecake bars, lemony blueberry galette, and lemon blueberry tart are always a refreshing change from rich chocolate. But these light and fruity flavors also make for a wonderful breakfast treat or anytime snack, especially when topped with a zesty-sweet crumble that takes these humble muffins to new heights. They’re also a lovely choice for your Easter brunch recipes and add such a beautiful pop of color to your table!
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Bursting with juicy blueberries and fresh lemon flavor
- Soft, tender, and cakey, like a muffin version of this popular lemon blueberry cake
- Easy to prepare
- Can use fresh or frozen blueberries—so convenient
- Topped with a delicious crumb, like your favorite bakery muffin
Ingredients You Need
Today’s lemon blueberry muffin recipe is a variation of my basic muffin recipe. I slightly reduced the butter because I found the muffins too fragile with the lemon juice and so many blueberries. (You’ll use the rest of the stick of butter in the topping!)
This batter can be used to create endless muffin varieties and you’ll see it again in my classic blueberry muffins, peach muffins, cranberry orange muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, and more.
Here are all of the ingredients you need for the muffin batter, and why each is important:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of these muffins.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Both leaveners help the muffins rise. See my trick below for super-tall bakery-style muffin tops.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Salt and pure vanilla extract add flavor. Try using homemade vanilla extract.
- Butter: We use creamed butter for a lighter, fluffier texture. My orange lemon poppy seed muffins are made with melted butter for a denser, heartier texture.
- Sugar: In my muffin recipe, I swap between brown sugar and granulated sugar. I like to use granulated sugar in today’s muffins so the lemon flavor really shines, but like to use brown sugar in my blueberry muffins for a little extra flavor.
- Eggs: 2 eggs bind everything together.
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds moisture. Use your favorite yogurt—I prefer nonfat or low-fat plain Greek yogurt but regular (not Greek) would be just fine, and any fat content. Sour cream is a great substitute if you don’t have yogurt.
- Milk: You can use dairy or nondairy milk.
- Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest: We’re using both, for lots of zingy lemon flavor. Make sure to zest the lemon before slicing and juicing it—much easier to do it in this order!
- Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen, do not thaw before using.
You could also add poppy seeds, like I do in these blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins.
You’ll need a couple mixing bowls and an electric mixer (either a stand mixer or handheld), because we’re creaming the butter and sugar together. If you need a refresher on this step, here is my tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar. From there, it’s as easy as combining dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet in another, and then mixing them together and folding in the blueberries.
Expect a thick and fluffy batter:
Easy Crumb Topping
Today’s crumb topping doesn’t have cinnamon, unlike many streusel recipes. It’s just brown sugary, lemony, and sweet. I love cinnamon in the crumb topping on these blueberry muffins, but here the cinnamon would take away from the zesty lemon in these muffins. And we want that lemon flavor to really shine through!
The crumb topping comes together quickly and easily in the small bowl—just use a fork to combine the melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and lemon zest.
It doesn’t make a large amount, just enough for a little crumble on top of each muffin. You can double it if you want extra crumb.
Baker’s Tip: Gently press the crumbles down into the muffins’ surface before baking, or they will topple off as the muffins rise in the oven.
How to Create the Perfect Tall Muffin Tops
For big bakery-style muffin tops, there are 3 directions to follow closely:
- Make sure your muffin batter is THICK. (This one is!)
- Fill your muffin cups all the way to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at an initial high temperature, then reduce the temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin tops. Once the temperature is reduced, the centers of the muffins bake. I do this in all my muffin recipes, including zucchini muffins and banana muffins too!
Not only does this trick create beautifully sky-high muffin tops, it also makes the muffins extra fluffy inside because the tops don’t stay flat.
More Lemon Blueberry Recipes
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These light and fluffy lemon blueberry muffins taste just as good—or better!—than any bakery version. Greek yogurt keeps them extra moist, creamed butter creates a wonderfully soft and fluffy texture, and blueberries and lemon add a burst of flavor. The lemony-brown sugar crumb topping adds a sweet finishing touch, but feel free to skip it if desired.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) milk*
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh or frozen blueberries, tossed in 1 Tbsp flour*
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup (41g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the lemon zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and mostly creamy. (It’s ok if it appears somewhat curdled.) Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients, milk, and lemon juice into the wet ingredients and beat until no flour pockets remain. Gently fold in the blueberries. Avoid over-mixing. Batter is thick and fluffy.
- Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them all the way to the top.
- Make the crumb topping: In a small bowl, use a fork to mix all of the crumb topping ingredients together.
- Spoon topping evenly on top of each filled muffin cup, gently pressing it down onto the surface so it sticks. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 18–19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 23–24 minutes, give or take.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy warm, or at room temperature.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying. Warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- Yogurt: You can use nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular. You can also use sour cream.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy.
- Blueberries: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw.
- For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
Reader Comments and Reviews
On a random search for a blueberry/ lemon muffin, I came across this recipe. Made it to feed a planning meeting for church which included 3 pastors and me! The muffins are delicious. Light and full of flavor. I omitted the crumb crust and just topped them with slivered almonds before baking. They provided just a little bit of crunch.
Is it okay to use vanilla yogurt?
Hi Laurie, we recommend plain Greek yogurt or sour cream in this recipe, but vanilla yogurt could work in a pinch.
Could I use buttermilk instead of milk? If so, should I adjust the yogurt amount?
Hi KC, you could use buttermilk to replace both the yogurt and milk.
First let me say the muffins were delicious, but wonder why you say to fill the batter to the top. Every recipe for muffins or cupcakes says to fill 3/4 full. Against my better judgment I filled to the top as you directed. Wow did I have a mess! They overflowed the pan completely running together. I had to use a knife to cut between and then run the knife under the overflow to even get the muffins out of the pan! Thank goodness I used muffin papers which helped a little. The crumb topping was completely covered over as well. Will make again and fill three quarters full. Also will not melt the butter in the crumb topping so that it is actually crumbly.
Delicious lemony blueberry muffins. These muffins are so moist and delectable and I baked them in a convection oven to decrease the heat in a summer kitchen. Thank you for this recipe, will definitely be one of my favorite muffin to go to recipes.
Does it have to have yogurt in it . and if it does then could it be vanilla yogurt?
Hi Emmaline, we recommend plain Greek yogurt or sour cream in this recipe, but vanilla yogurt could work in a pinch.
I made these muffins today, ( I haven’t tried them yet) but they turned out a sort of green-blue color. Is that because I over-mixed the blueberries into the batter?
Hi AB, that could be the reason, yes. Did you use frozen blueberries by chance?
yes, I did.
Hi AB, that’s likely the culprit. Frozen berries will release more liquid into the batter and can cause some discoloration. An easy fix for next time!
Hi Sally. I made your banana muffins this weekend and they looked and tasted great. I also made your lemon blueberry muffins and although they tasted wonderful, they did not look great. Some of them sunk in the middle and they did not rise like yours. I tested my baking soda and powder and they were okay. Any thoughts on what went wrong?
Hi Carolyn, I’m sorry to hear this, and am happy to help troubleshoot. If you tested your baking powder and soda and they were active, that is very strange. I wonder if perhaps it’s a simple matter of needing a little longer in the oven? Do you have an oven thermometer by any chance? Is it possible your oven is running a little cool? Thank you for trying this recipe, and I hope your next bake turns out better!
I made these delicious lemon blueberry muffins this morning. I used regular 2% Astro yogurt. They came out perfectly.
Thank you for this recipe.
Complete novice baker, my muffins turned out absolutely delicious, the crumb especially was gorgeous! They didn’t taste like blueberry at all though, like I got a big mouthful of blueberries but zero taste. Do you possibly know where I’ve gone wrong?
Hi Rachael, the blueberry flavor will depend on the blueberries you use – make sure to taste them beforehand to make sure they’re sweet!
What are the macros?
Hi Sonya, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
This is the 2nd muffin recipe that I try from this blog. I have to say both this recipe and the banana muffin one replace any recipe i’ve done before. So moist and flavorful, theyre like little clouds. Not overly sweet or oily. I’ve tried a couple of recipes from another popular blog and not only they flopped but my comment was blocked. So i’m posting this so that users know this recipe is utter perfection!
I made these for the first time and they were fantastic! Light, refreshing and bursting with blueberries and lemon. The whole family loved them.
I made raspberry lime versions of this and it worked out great: replaced the lemon with the lime (zest and juice; took 2 small ones), 1 clamshell of raspberries pushed into the tops of the muffins and no crumb topping. Could have squeezed out at least a 13th muffin from the mix. Also my normal yogurt had developed ~colonies~ and so I used a key lime greek yogurt instead; worked really well. Also didn’t bother faffing about premixing the dry ingredients; just measured and dumped into the mixing bowl. Everything rose fine, would agree that my lime flavour was not as strong as I’d like it to be but flavour was still good.
Can you add lavender extract to wither the muffin mix or crumb topping? If so, how much?
Hi Norma, we haven’t tried adding lavender extract here, but let us know how it turns out if you do!
very fluffy, not dense at all and they have equal lemon and blueberry taste! super delicious. also very easy to make considering the fact that i only cook and i dont bake, didnt have to leave them in for any extra time which is appreciated.
I have not made these yet but would like to make this as a loaf. What would be the correct baking time?
Hi Cara, this recipe would work well in a 9×5-inch loaf pan. You can use the baking time and directions from blueberry muffin bread as a guide.
Can I substitute the lemon for lime, and blueberries for cherries? I love this recipe but would like to mix the flavor up, and am curious if the change of ingredients will effect anything.
Hi Carson, that should work! You may want to chop your cherries into halves and/or quarters, depending on their size.
Muffins came out very moist and fluffy with good lemon flavour. I used frozen blueberries and they didn’t sink. I doubled the crumb as suggested, some baked in but the biggest chunks added a nice look and crunch on top.
I also put a small spoon of lemon curd into the middle between layers of batter but unfortunately it disappeared into the muffin whilst baking. Any suggestions on adding it next time? Should I freeze spoonfuls on a tray maybe? Thanks for a good recipe as usual!
Hi Rachael! We would add lemon curd to the baked cupcakes as a filling, here’s more on how to fill cupcakes (or muffins!). Lemon curd is also lovely spread on top of baked and cooled muffins!
I’ve been exploring healthier recipes lately, and I love how easy and delicious this one looks! If anyone’s looking for quick and tasty ideas, I recently found a great site that shares simple healthy meals — worth checking out: https://quickyumtasty.com. It really helped me plan better weekday dinners!
I made these and the liners were super greasy, I think from the butter. Could I replace with oil or replace part of butter for oil?
Hi Mo, these muffins are best with butter. We recommend using a high quality liner to avoid greasiness – we like Paper Chef parchment liners.
Can I reduce the amount of sugar, It seems excessive I prefer no more than 1/2C
Hi Kristi, Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Hi! I’m looking to make this recipe tonight and wondering if anyone has made these in a mini-muffin version and if so, the cook temp and times used.
Hi Megan, For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
I made these muffins today and they spread a lot, as did my last batch of muffins. I am wondering if I need to replace my baking soda or baking powder?
This has never happened except the last two times I made muffins.
Hi Natalie, that could certainly be the culprit! We would try again with fresh.
Texture was great but needed way more lemon – could barely taste it. Also, the blueberries dropped to the bottom. I’ve tried making a slightly different version of these in the past and dredged them in flour, sank a little less. If I make again, I’ll add white chocolate chips and see if they taste better.
Wonderful recipe! I was heavy handed in the lemon zest and used vanilla Greek yogurt! My coworkers loved them!! Thank you!
This recipe was great! Followed it exactly, but I may have been a bit shy on the lemon zest. I’ll put more next time.
Hi Sally,
Recently tried this recipe and it came out great…my clients loved these.
Thanks so much for sharing
I’ve made these twice and they are delicious. Would it be ok to use honey vanilla Greek yogurt? Thank you
Hi Nora, yes, same amount. Taste may be slightly different. Enjoy!
How long do you bake if I make this into mini muffins?
Hi Shelley, The bake time will be between 12-14 minutes at 350°F (the whole time).