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”
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 💗
That sounds amazing… love! Thanks so much for writing. Great to hear 🙂
I made these last week to send to my daughter who is on a work term from university. They turned out amazing. Easy recipe. Made them exactly as directed and they were gorgeous and delicious. Made a second batch tonight for my husband and I. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear, Catherine! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Wow!!! Such an amazing recipe. It’s been 4 days sand I’ve made 3 batches already for the family… don’t judge me! That’s how delicious these muffins are. I’ll definitely double or triple the recipe next week 😉
Thank you!!!!!
Wonderful to hear this, Sara! Thanks so much for writing. No judgment at all 🙂 🙂 🙂
What is the high altitude
modifications for this recipe?
For the lemon blueberry muffins.
Thank you.
Hi Suzanne! I have never baked at high altitude, so I recommend checking out this great guide from King Arthur Flour.
I’ve made these twice in the last week. Perfect both times. What a keeper.
Great to hear! These are a summer favorite here 🙂 🙂 🙂
Honestly this is the beat blueberry muffin recipe I’ve ever made! The addition of lemon zest to a classic blueberry muffin is a game changer. The muffins were just the right combination of moist & crumbley and just sweet enough. Highly recommend!
So great to hear this, Toni! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂 I love lemon + blueberries 💕
At age 46, I started cooking. During the pandemic, I forced myself to try new cooking experiences-baking being a major one. I made these muffins and they are absolutely delicious! I had never zested a lemon before…so you can imagine how much of a novice I truly am! But I am so glad I tried these and the recipe was easy to follow. Thank you!
So wonderful to hear this, Angie! Thanks so much for writing. Isn’t citrus zest revelatory? It imparts so much flavor. So happy to hear about your pandemic baking foray!
Wonderful muffins. I made them for breakfast this morning and my family loved them. Thanks for taking the time to show this great recipe.
Wonderful to hear this, Sandi! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Ali! How would you use sourdough discard with this recipe?
Hi Rachel! You could use 100 grams of discard and cut the flour by 50 grams and the buttermilk by 50 grams.
Can this be put into a loaf pan? Would I need to change anything? What temperature and timing please? Thanks!
As long as your loaf pan is large enough! I would do a 9×5-inch or larger. Bake it at 350ºF for 35-45 minutes. Good luck!
Can I use margerine instead of butter?
Yes!
Best blueberry muffin recipe ever!! Omg my family can’t get enough of them. I used Almond milk instead and you would never be able to tell a difference.
So wonderful to hear this, Gabby! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂 Great to hear the almond milk worked, too.
I’ve made blueberry muffins a number of times and they were always just ok. These are amazing! A new staple for sure. And easy to make to boot!
Wonderful to hear this, Travis 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing!
This recipe is indeed the best. I’m making our second batch of the week now. I wonder if I can make the batter tonight and bake them in the morning for that perfect warm crust?
Sorry just seeing this! The answer is yes. I often mix muffin and quick bread recipes the night before, stash them in the fridge, and bake in the morning. So great to hear you love these 🙂
Yummmm! This is the best blueberry muffins recipe I have ever had! My husband went crazy over them.
Great to hear, Judith!
Regarding the flour-is it 2 cup PLUS the 1/4 cup for the blueberries? Or do I take that 1/4 cup out of the 2 cup measure?
Hi Mara,
It’s 2 cups of flour total. Take 1/4 cup from the 2 cups to toss with the blueberries.
Hello. I am a novice to baking, so… dumb question… when you use kosher salt, how coarse of salt do you use in your baking? I’ve seen different levels of coarseness in the store, which do I choose?
I absolutely love your content and am hoping to make several recipes from your site this holiday season. And your videos are priceless… watching them is so relaxing.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Gloria
PS. My 14 year old son is “gifting” me your Peasant Bread Kit (cookbook, bowls, scale and bowl cover) for Christmas this year. I’m so excited to open it! 😉
Gloria, hello! And apologies for the delay here … I got lost in the holiday chaos, and I’m just catching up. First: thank you so much for the kind words. Means so much. Second: I hope you love the peasant bread kit!
Regarding kosher salt, I love the texture of the Diamond Crystal brand. It can be hard to find. I actually had to do an Instacart order to get it — I stocked up on 3 boxes. The one that is more readily available is Morton’s and it’s coarser than the Diamond Crystal, and I find whenever I use it, my food is saltier, which doesn’t make sense — I would have thought the finer salt would have made things saltier, but for whatever reason, this is not the case.
In sum: I can’t recommend Diamond Crystal enough — I use it for all baking and cooking. I also have a big tub of Maldon sea salt on hand, which I love for “finishing.”
Hope that helps. Happy New Year!
I used blueberries that I picked fresh then froze, Delicious. I could hardly just eat one. I used a 12 muffin tin and baked for 17 minutes
Great to hear! Thanks for writing 🙂
LOVE the muffins!
The batter is quite thick… which is fine.. but unexpected.. Knowing that ahead of time would have eased my fear that I had somehow messed up the recèpe!
So delicious.. Thank you!
Great to hear this, Rhea! I will add a note to the recipe about the thickness of the batter. Thanks for writing!
I made these using a vegan butter and applesauce instead of eggs and they turned out beautifully. They were so yummy! Definitely going to be my go to muffin recipe!!
Great to hear, LaNel! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Best blueberry lemon muffins ever! Huge hit with the family. My adult kids often request these when they visit. Easy to follow recipe too. The blueberry to lemon ratio is just perfect. Highly recommend these, you won’t be disappointed! Thank you!
Great to hear, Carolina! Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ive tried a lot of blueberry muffin recipes and this one is the absolute best!
So great to hear this 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing.
Overall pretty tasty. I’m not usually sensitive to salt and I did tsp of kosher and it was considerably too salty for me. So, if you lean towards thinking things are salty anyways…I would probably do a 1/2 tsp of salt at most here. I thought the flavor and texture were very nice otherwise.
I have to agree, this is the best blueberry muffins I have every had or made. I followed the recipe and the only thing I did was make my own buttermilk with heavy cream and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Question, could this recipe be used for different flavors of muffins? I was wondering what other fruits I could use and wondered if you have done that.
Great to hear, Patti! And yes, absolutely, I have used fresh cranberries and orange zest in the winter, and I have used fresh diced peaches in the summer. I think you could adapt the recipe in countless ways: apple cinnamon, strawberry, triple berry, etc.
These were the best! High bake temp, room temp butter and egg, get it in the oven quick after mixing, and thick batter leads to a high round top muffin.
So great to hear this, Nancy 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
My husband’s favourite muffin recipe. I have made it six or seven times in the last little while. Thank you for this fabulous recipe
Wonderful to hear this, Kathleen! Thanks so much for writing.
These turned out delicious! I used a cookie scoop to get the batter into the muffin cups and it worked great. Baked for 25 mins in my 12-cup tin.
So great to hear this, Rachel 🙂 🙂 🙂
Delicious. Thank you for making something with plenty of fruit. The sugar on top was just what that.
Great to hear, Lorna! Thanks for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is my new, go-to blueberry muffin recipe. It’s truly outstanding.
My favorite part: After going blueberry picking in June, I freeze them in 2 cup portions specifically for this recipe to use all year. The fact that they can go directly into the batter completely frozen? Dreamy!
So wonderful to hear this, Suzanne! And great tip on freezing your hand-picked blueberries in 2-cup portions. So smart. Thanks for writing!
Hi, Ali. What is that scoop you used to portion these muffins? Thanks.
Hi Cindy! It’s an old thing from my husband’s grandmother. It doesn’t have a release level, but I love it still. It’s similar size-wise to this Kitchen Aid one.
Sorry, I don’t know if i can delete my last comment but I see where to add the milk now!
Deleted! Glad you found it 🙂