The Best Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
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This is the best lemon-blueberry muffin recipe: sugar-crusted, lemony crumb, loaded with blueberries: what’s not to love? This is a long-time family favorite recipe and always a crowd-pleaser.
Last Sunday morning while purchasing eggs at the San Clemente farmers’ market, I spotted a flat of blueberries and blackberries I couldn’t resist purchasing. This lemon-blueberry muffin recipe, the best I’ve ever tasted, was on the brain.
The recipe comes from my mother via my aunt via The New York Times. A few notes:
- Make the muffins in a 6-well jumbo muffin pan. (Though, update 2020: a 12-well muffin pan works great, too.)
- Ensure your butter is at room temperature. It will make the creaming process go swiftly and smoothly.
- Don’t skimp on the sugar dusting before baking. It creates an irresistible crusty topping. Turbinado and demerera sugar are great here, too.
- Fresh blueberries are best, but you truly can make this year-round with frozen blueberries — no need to thaw first.
I have safely filed this lemon-blueberry muffin recipe in my search-no-further-for-that-ultimate-recipe folder. I hope you approve. And if you love the lemon-blueberry combo, you must try this lemon-blueberry Dutch baby and these lemon-blueberry scones and this lemon-blueberry quick bread.
PS: Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake
More Delicious Muffin Recipes
- Apple Orchard Muffins
- The Best Bran Muffins Ever
- Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
- Coffeecake Muffins with Streusel
- Millet Muffins
All the muffin recipes right here → Muffins
Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients.
Zest a lemon over 1 stick (8 tablespoons butter).
Cream it with a cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Add an egg and some vanilla, and beat again.
Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, and beat until creamy.
Fold in the blueberries with a spatula.
Transfer batter to a jumbo 6-cup or standard 12-cup muffin pan.
Bake until the tops are golden.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving …
… with butter.
Is there anything better??
The original recipe calls for baking the muffins in a jumbo muffin tin, which I have to say is really fun. But, a 12-cup muffin tin may be more practical if you are entertaining for a larger crowd. Here are a few images of the jumbo muffins:
The Best Lemon-Blueberry Muffins
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 6 or 12 muffins
Description
Adapted from The New York Times
This is a long-time favorite recipe. The original recipe calls for making the muffins in a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin, which is especially fun, but which maybe isn’t the most practical if you are feeding a small crowd. A 12-cup muffin tin works beautifully.
Salt: If using table salt or Morton kosher salt, use 3/4 teaspoon. If you are sensitive to salt altogether, use 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g ) unsalted butter, room temperature
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (214 g) sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose or cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, see notes above
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- ½ cup milk or buttermilk
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 1 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour; then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Fold in the blueberries. Note: Batter will be thick. This is OK.
- Grease a jumbo muffin tin (or a 12-cup muffin tin… though the jumbo is really fun) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Distribute batter among muffin cups. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 30 minutes (or less, roughly 18-25 minutes, if using a 12-cup muffin tin). Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. Let muffins cool in pan for about 7 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
750 Comments on “The Best Lemon-Blueberry Muffins”
So I’m having people over for Sunday breakfast and with tomorrow being Sunday nothing opens until later in the morning… I DON’T HAVE LEMONS! I do have lemon juice can I use that instead?
Hi Liz! Sorry for the delay here. I would either omit it or use just a teaspoon of lemon juice.
I made these on March 20, 2021. I was a little concerned that the batter was so thick, but they came out great. I used 2 cups of frozen blueberries. It almost seemed like too many blueberries (is there such a thing?) These were delicious and my teen boys paid compliments (rarity–they are SO picky) and ate almost all of them. The yield was 1 dozen. They did rise, but not a whole lot. Very good. Do not skimp on the lemon zest–it adds a wonderful brightness.
So nice to hear this, Jill! There’s no better feeling than when the children (especially the picky ones) approve. Thanks so much for writing.
Thank you for this recipe, it’s perfect!! Love it, soooo good.
Great to hear, Sherlyn!
By far and away the very best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made or that my family has ever had! Followed the recipe to a T… Thank you! Delicious!
Great to hear, Barb! Thanks so much for writing 🙂
Hi Ali,
Is there a way to make this the night before and store it in the fridge, similar to your buttermilk cake? Please let me know!
Yes, absolutely!! Mix the batter, store it in the fridge, scoop and bake in the morning 🙂
So this was absolutely perfect. I’ve been the victim (of my own doing) too many times where I’m sweating the morning of the holiday trying to get everything prepped. For once in my life, I’ve planned ahead, mixed these the night before, scooped and baked them off Easter morning. WOW. Thank you so much for all your wonderful posts!
Oh yay! Wonderful to hear this, Alessia! Thanks so much for writing. I love having muffin batter in the fridge, too — it’s the best feeling in the morning! Happy Easter to you!!
How long do you recommend baking for regular sized muffins?
I would start checking at around 20 to 22 minutes … they might take closer to 25-28 minutes or so, but start checking at the 20 minute mark.
I don’t know if it’s my pan or my oven maybe, but my regular sized muffins were starting to burn at less than 15 minutes so I pulled them out.
The flavor was great even though I used some dried lemon peel I had in the cupboard instead of a fresh lemon. Also used frozen blueberries that worked out fine.
Do not recommend trying these as mini muffins, or watching very carefully if you do – set off the smoke detector, oops!
I’ve always loved lemon, and I’ve always loved blueberries but combining the two just never felt like the flavors would go together. Boy was I wrong! I had some lemons leftover from Easter baking and I always have blueberries in the freezer so I decided to take a leap of faith – and I’m so glad I did! This was a simple recipe that was easy to make and smell like a bit of Heaven when they come out of the oven. Even when they are technically too hot to eat they are delicious (and I have the burnt tongue to prove it lol). Now that I know how good this combination is I can see myself making them fairly often!
Wonderful to hear this, Jane! Thanks so much for writing. And I know: lemon + blueberry = heaven 🙂
Great cake-style muffin recipe. I reduced sugar to 2/3 and subbed 1/2 cup semolina for 1/2 cup of the flour. Turned out really well.
Oh I love the sound of using semolina here! Great to hear less sugar worked well, too. Thanks for writing!
I want to try this recipe. But will the 2 cups of flour make the muffins dense/ heavy? Because I prefer light muffins. Also, should I sift the flour first?
Hi Tara! I don’t find these to be dense or heavy. I also never sift, but that’s because I’m lazy. Sifting might make for a lighter muffin. Cake flour or pastry flour might also make for a lighter muffin.
Super wow!
Much yum!
Yay! Great to hear 🙂
These are THE BEST LEMON MUFFINS!! My kids, husband, and parents devour them every time I make them. I have to hide one for me so they don’t gobble them all before I get a chance haha! Instead of granulated sugar on top before baking I added some white sparkling sugar. Gave it a great crunch! Thank you for the great recipe! P.s. I found this recipe when I made your buttermilk blueberry cake, which is equally delicious!!!!
Oh YAY! So nice to hear this, Alissa! Love the idea of white sparkling sugar — so pretty and such great texture!
I’ve got to say that I am not one to alter a recipe. I made these exactly as instructed and LOVED them. They were perfect. But lately, I’ve been having a love affair with raspberries and thought… why not try it with them? And since I’ve also been craving coconut I thought… why not try it with both? So I did. And man, they are amazing! Your recipe is the best base!! Added chopped, sweetened coconut and coconut extract to the batter. Next time, I may add some chopped coconut on top with the sugar. Do the raspberries break up a little when oh so gently folding in? Yes. Does it matter. No! The sweetness of the coconut and the tartness of the raspberry was divine. Thank you for giving me a recipe I felt confident enough to alter. I can only imagine how they will taste come fall with orange and cranberries.
Oh I love all of this, Lynn! Thanks so much for writing and sharing. I am a coconut lover (a raspberry lover as well) so this combination sounds absolutely divine!
Love these muffins!
Great to hear!
These are fantastic! Made them twice now and my family absolutely love them.
Thank you!
Great to hear this, Emma!
I made the Best Blueberry Muffin recipe tonight and you are correct. These are the best blueberry muffins i’ve ever had. So light and the lemon is just right with all the sweet blueberries! Put a cold pat of butter on a warm muffin 😋 Delicious 💗
These muffins were really soft and lucious. I used the cake flour recommened in recipe. This was a very good suggestion.
This recipe is amazing. I added a streusel on top and let the batter rest in the fridge for an hour before baking, too. My family loved them!
Great to hear this, Gab! Love a streusel topping. Thanks for writing 🙂
Oh. My. Goodness! I wish I could figure how to add photo, but for some reason it’s not working today. These are wonderful! HAD to make a double batch, my error. SO when doubling everything I threw in 1/2 banana..less sugar & almond extract. Thinking I had lemons🙄, had to add lemon peel instead. There were limes instead so saving those for drinks😉 Who cares? This is such a great recipe and a keeper forever. Thank you so much. And can I say my house smells terrific 😁
Wonderful to hear this, Mary Ellen! Love the idea of using banana and less sugar. Smart!
Holy smoke these are good! With blueberry muffin recipes I typically think yeah ok, what will make a difference in the 5,000 other recipes out there. This one is the difference.
So great to hear this, Catherine! Thanks so much for writing!
I had contemplated adding lemon juice as well as zest, but decided against it since I was using frozen blueberries and didn’t want to risk adding too much liquid. WOW, this is an absolutely delicious muffin. So moist and the perfect amount of lemon coming through. I followed the recipe as written with frozen blueberries and 30 minutes was perfect. Will make again!
Wonderful to hear this, Anna! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Used cream instead of milk. It’s a great creamy smooth cake bursting with blueberry flavor.
Great to hear, Scott!
Made this recipe, in the cake form today before I realized there was a muffin recipe as well! Have you ever frozen these muffins after baking? I am trying to prep some breakfasts that I can defrost over night after we have a new baby… do you have any suggestions?
Yes! They freeze beautifully. Thaw at room temp overnight.
Great thank you!!
My Moms birthday is coming up and she has Celiac. Would this work with Gluten Free flour? Please let me know soon! Thanks!
Yes, definitely! I like Cup4Cup and King Arthur Flour’s gluten-free mix.
The flavor of these muffins was great! However, I think I made a couple errors because I had to scoop the muffins out with a knife and serve them in a bowl. I think my blueberries were too big. They were gigantic fresh picked, some of the biggest I’ve seen. When I tossed them in flour and then folded them into the nix, I did not fold in all the flour that did not stick to the berries. I think that resulted in not enough flour and when the muffins came out of the oven they were not puffed up much, quite flat. My husband ate two in a bowl and liked them a lot. Do you think the size of the berries, and less flour was the issue? Definitely want to try them again.
Hi Heather! Yes, I think that is definitely a possibility. Next time, I might reference the video before transferring the batter to the muffin tin — you can add more flour to eye until it looks like the consistency of the batter in the video.
Bummer you ended up having to scoop them out, though I’m happy to hear they were enjoyed nonetheless. Keep me posted if you give them another go!
I used huckleberries and they were fantastic!
Great to hear!
My best friend and I took her girls on a girls camping trip and I had promised to bring muffins for breakfasts. Her two oldest are pretty good eaters but the youngest? If it’s not cookies or cake or candy she puts up a heck of a fight – but these muffins? She practically inhaled them! We sat there with our jaws hitting the ground watching her eat them without a single complaint lol. I would say that is a HUGE win! They didn’t rise a lot, I used buttermilk so the next time I make them I might add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda as well as the baking powder. I got 12 decent size muffins out of the batch. Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh Yay! So nice to hear this, Jane. Nothing better than the feeling of getting a picky eater to eat. Smart to add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda the next time around… that will definitely help with the rise!
OMG Ali. Just made these again this morning…12 large and YES these are best in a 6-muffin pan. I’m now known.as he Muffin Queen in my community. This recipe is the BEST and has made many people happy 😊 love your recipes,
Awwwww yay 🙂 🙂 🙂 I would LOVE to be known as the Muffin Queen. Best title ever. Thanks so much for writing and thank you for your kind words.
Yum so delicious I added extra lemon and extra zest of a lemon they turned out delicious!
Great to hear, Danielle!
Thank you for this! I have a celiac in my house, so I made this with GF all purpose flour and added in 1 tbsp of tapioca flour. GF things just tend to turn out drier, so I also added in 1/4 cup of sour cream. Otherwise, kept it the same. They are so good! My kids are gobbling them up.
Wonderful to hear this, Holly! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your GF notes — so helpful for others!
I’ve been making the breakfast cake for the past year! Always with rave reviews. I am making the muffins for my Granddaughters bridal shower brunch this weekend. I’m attempting mini muffins. Thank you for the best recipe ever!
Wonderful to hear this, Linda! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Beautiful! Moist & delicious w the right amount of flavours … highly recommend
Great to hear, Jody! Thanks so much for writing 🙂