Bake a batch of these healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins for a family breakfast that’s bursting with flavor. They’re packed with berries and are so simple to stir together!
It’s no secret that I make a lot of muffins for kids. As a busy mom who needs to feed both the kids and myself, muffins are in constant rotation in my house because they are so easy to make, they’re endlessly versatile, and they’re easy to eat for kids and us parents.
These Lemon Blueberry Muffins are packed with berries—which is how I love them!—and have a nice bright flavor from fresh lemon zest. They have extra protein from Greek yogurt and store nicely in the fridge.
We love these for breakfast, though including muffins in a no-cook lunch also makes my kids very happy. They’d be a great option for a holiday breakfast or Mother’s Day brunch, too!
(Find my full list of healthy muffins for kids and my favorite mixed Berry Muffin, too. And if you prefer mini muffin recipes, these Mini Blueberry Muffins are great, or my Blueberry Banana Muffins.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at what you’ll need to make this lemon blueberry muffin recipe so you know what to pick up at the store.
- All purpose flour and whole wheat flour: The combo of flours here helps the muffins be light and fluffy, but still have extra fiber and whole grains.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Using a mix of these ensures that the muffins bake through properly and rise nicely.
- Unsalted butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter in my baking recipes so I can control the salt.
- Plain Greek yogurt: This adds moisture and protein. You can also use regular yogurt if that’s what you have.
- Honey (or maple syrup): For sweetness. (Avoid honey for babies under age 1.)
- Eggs: Or an egg substitute such as the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Vanilla extract: You can use pure or artificial vanilla extract in this recipe.
- Blueberries: You can make these with fresh or frozen berries, regular ones or frozen wild ones which are smaller.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon adds a nice burst of flavor to this recipe.
TIP: See the Notes under the recipe at the bottom of the post for all of the allergy substitutions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make these lemon blueberry muffins. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe, including the amounts and the timing.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl. Mix.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Add the lemon zest.
- Stir in the blueberries gently.
- Divide among a muffin tin and bake.
TIP: You can also bake these as mini muffins if you prefer. You’ll just bake them for a slightly shorter time period.
Frequently Asked Questions
These muffins are made with less added sugars than most regular muffins and they are loaded with fresh fruit and protein. Everyone seems to have their own definition of healthy, but they fit my definition.
You can store them, once fully cooled, in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 3-5. You can warm them briefly before serving if you’d like in the microwave. Or slice in half and toast slightly in a toaster oven or regular oven.
They’re great with flavored milk or a kids green smoothie. Or as a side with quick scrambled eggs in the microwave. You can also top one with a little almond or cashew butter if you’d like.
Sure! Just reduce the baking time. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for the information.
How to Store
Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Freeze cooled muffins in a zip top storage bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in 15 second increments in the microwave, or at room temperature.’
Best Tips for Success
- Use fresh or frozen berries. (If using frozen berries, know that the batter will be stiff!)
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk in place of the yogurt and neutral oil in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free cup for cup flour in place of the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Add ½ cup milk and increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon.
- Mini muffins: Use a 24-cup mini muffin pan and reduce the baking time to 12-14 minutes.
- My Lemon Yogurt Muffins are another yummy lemon muffin option!
Related Recipes
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Blueberry Banana Muffins
Smoothie Recipes
Blueberry Constipation Smoothie
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Favorite Raspberry Muffins
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below and rate the recipe!
Favorite Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup honey (or maple syrup)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 cups blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray (or parchment liners).
- Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl. Stir.
- Stir in the yogurt, honey, butter, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Gently stir in the blueberries. (The batter will be thick.)
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, using about ¼ cup batter in each cup.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Let cool in the pan for a minute or two, then run a paring knife around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool fully.
Video
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freeze cooled muffins in a zip top storage bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in 15 second increments in the microwave, or at room temperature.’
- Use fresh or frozen berries. (If using frozen berries, know that the batter will be stiff!)
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk in place of the yogurt and neutral oil in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free cup for cup flour in place of the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Add ½ cup milk and increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon.
- Mini muffins: Use a 24-cup mini muffin pan and reduce the baking time to 12-14 minutes.
Nutrition
This post was first published March 2021.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Sure
Awesome muffins with lots of feel good ingredients. I subbed coconut oil for the butter and they came out great.
Holy WOW these are delicious, and this is coming from someone who is usually not a muffin fan! My 2-year-old and 1-year-old have devoured four of the twelve already, and I only pulled them out of the oven about half an hour ago! I substituted oat flour for the whole wheat flour since that’s what I had on hand, and the texture is just dreamy. 10/10 all around and next time we will definitely be doing a bigger batch to freeze some!
These taste so good! I pulled them out of the oven, ate one, and went back for another. The flavor of these is amazing. I will be making these again soon.
AMAZING! I did half plain half spelt flour and they came out so so good!
Can I substitute rye flour for the whole wheat flour?
Unfortunately they did not go well for me, they didn’t cook in the middle, I think there was far too many blueberries and that’s why. A real shame as the flavour is lovely
I would also check that your baking soda is active as that could have been the cause.
Can I make this without baking Soda?
They won’t bake through properly unless you adjust the baking powder so you might be able to just use a little more baking powder.
These are AMAZING. Easy to make, great to pop in the freezer! Had to double the recipe because the adults loved them as much as the baby.
My toddler has a mild egg allergy and making muffins is part of the Rx, so we’ve tried many YTF recipes. This is our favorite so far, I’ve made several batches and they’re always a hit. Rarely do we have enough left to freeze, but they do freeze great. We tend to make them mini muffins, and find that the amount of blueberries added can be anything from 1-2 cups and they’re still great. If you use frozen, they will turn your batter purple! I always intend to add a full 2 lemons’ worth of zest, but end up zesting them toward other YTF recipes… I love that there’s so much mix and match with the ingredients on this site.
I’m so glad to hear that!
We’re working through an egg allergy and making muffins is part of the Rx! These are so easy and delicious, the whole family loves them. We tend to make them into mini-muffins and often use less blueberries than the recipe calls for. If you’re using frozen like us, stir them sparingly or you’ll get purple muffins! (Which isn’t bad, just facts.)
These look great!
If I were to use lemon juice instead of lemon zest (I dont have any lemons), how much would you suggest to use?
Thanks!
About 1 tablespoon. Enjoy!