Lemon Blueberry Muffins (Wholesome + One-Bowl)
Lemon Blueberry Muffins are wholesome, tender, and delicious, made with whole wheat flour and bursting with fresh lemon and juicy blueberries for a wholesome breakfast or snack!
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If you enjoy berry-laden goodies, you'll also love Blueberry Crisp, Easy Blackberry Cake, Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake, and Homemade Blackberry Cobbler!
Homemade blueberry muffins are a perennial breakfast favorite at our house. But when springtime rolls around, I often like to transform them into Lemon Blueberry Muffins!
This recipe is easy to make in one bowl. It's made with wholesome, straightforward ingredients. And it tastes like sunshine and blueberries! 🙂
Ingredients
The ingredients for these Lemon Blueberry Muffins are pretty simple and standard:
- Flour. I prefer making this Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe with whole wheat pastry flour, one of my favorite pantry staples when it comes to making baked goods more healthy. It's 100% whole wheat, but it lends baked goods a lighter taste and texture than regular whole wheat flour, more akin to baking with all-purpose white flour. That being said, you may substitute all-purpose flour in this recipe if you prefer. (In the comments, others have also reported success making these muffins using regular whole wheat flour. However, I haven't tried doing so and it's possible that such muffins may turn out a bit denser, heavier, and more wheat-y tasting.)
- Granulated sugar, baking powder, + salt. The remaining dry ingredients.
- Butter. At room temperature. These muffins rely on butter instead of oil for a technique called reverse creaming, which blends the butter into the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients. As a result, the batter is decidedly thick and the muffins are soft and tender yet sturdy. I typically use unsalted butter, but salted will work just fine if that's all you've got.
- Eggs + milk. At room temperature. You can use regular whole milk, low-fat milk, or a plant-based milk.
- Lemons. Needed for both fresh lemon juice and zest. It's hard to beat fresh-squeezed citrus juice, but I've also been known to keep a bottle of real, all-natural lemon juice (AKA, the only ingredient is lemon juice) in my fridge for when I don't happen to have any fresh lemons on hand.
- Pure vanilla extract + lemon extract. The lemon extract is optional but recommended for a boost of lemon flavor. That being said, if you make your Lemon Blueberry Muffins with bottled lemon juice and end up leaving out the zest, I would increase the amount of lemon extract to ¾ teaspoon.
- Blueberries. Fresh blueberries are great, but you can use frozen blueberries just as well. Just be sure not to thaw them first so that they don't get mushy and break up/turn the batter gray when you stir them in.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Muffins
This Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe is quick and easy to make and, best of all, it dirties just one bowl!
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Work in the softened butter using a fork or an electric mixer.
- Blend in the remaining ingredients, and then fold in the blueberries.
- Divide the batter between 18 lined muffin pans, bake until they just test done, and remove to a wire rack to cool.
These Lemon Blueberry Muffins rise nicely and their tops turn golden. They're wholesome yet light with a tender crumb. The fresh lemon juice and zest add lovely flavor and the plump berries pop, oozing their sweet juices through the muffins.
In other words? You're going to love them!
So does the imminent arrival of April have you feeling inspired to add a taste of spring to some of your favorite treats? If so, I think these Lemon Blueberry Muffins will be right up your alley.
They're simple to make. They're bursting with goodness. And they're absolutely delectable!
I hope they have a chance to bring you a smile soon. 🙂
More Yummy Muffins
- Banana Bread & Chocolate Muffins
- Oatmeal Spice Muffins
- Savory Cheesy Zucchini Muffins
- Carrot Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Healthy Banana Muffins
Lemon Blueberry Muffins (Wholesome + One-Bowl)
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup milk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract, optional
- 1 pint fresh OR frozen blueberries, about 2 cups
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Work in the softened butter with an electric mixer or fork. Blend in the eggs, milk, lemon juice, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon extract (if using) until all ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Gently fold in the blueberries. Evenly divide the batter between the 18 prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the muffins just test done with a toothpick, taking care not to overbake. After a few minutes, remove the muffins from the pans and cool on a wire rack, or eat them warm out of the oven with a pat of salted butter.
Notes
- You may use frozen blueberries in these muffins, but don't thaw them first. Doing so will just make them mushy and will turn your muffin batter gray.
- This recipe comes together quickly in the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, but you can also mix it in a bowl by hand if you prefer. Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry mixture.
- For an extra special touch, sprinkle the muffins with coarse sparkling sugar before baking.
Nutrition
Post originally published on July 13, 2017, and updated on April 9, 2021, August 27, 2022, and March 27, 2025.
Could I make a 9x5 loaf pan
With this recipe?
Hi Nancy! I haven't tried making this recipe as a loaf myself, but muffin recipes can generally be converted to quick breads. If you decide to give it a try, you will probably need to lower the oven temperature to 350°F and plan on baking for around 45 to 60 minutes, checking frequently and using a toothpick to check for doneness.
That being said, 12 muffins are typically equivalent to a standard loaf pan. So this recipe would be a bit too large for a standard loaf pan...you'd probably still need to make around 6 muffins with the leftover batter.
Hope this helps and good luck if you decide to give it a try! 🙂
When you mention muffin pan, is that cupcake size or larger?
Hi Jane! This recipe requires just a standard sized muffin pan. If you'd like to see examples, there is a section in the recipe card that says "Equipment Needed" (right under the Instructions) and there are links to some standard muffin pans there. Hope that helps! 🙂
Can I substitute white whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour. Thanks. They look delicious.
Hi Carol! I haven't tried that, but I'm sure it would work. Your muffins might just be a bit denser than if they'd been made with the whole wheat pastry flour. 🙂
Big thumbs up, this recipe is a keeper! I did increase the lemon zest, cut the sugar by half, and used 2 cups white whole wheat flour plus one cup rolled oats. Moist, tender, full of flavor, and delicious.
I am not a baker, but this recipe was easy enough even for me!😀 I made no changes, the muffins came out delicious! Than you, I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
This was great! I made a few changes. Instead of doing 3 cups of the pastry flour, i did 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup whole oats, 1/4 cup flax seed meal. I also cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup, and added 3/4 teaspoon of lemon extract instead of 1/2! I also added another 1/2 cup of blueberries since we love them! This turned out so light and awesome!
These are delicious! Mine didn’t rise but I may have over beat the batter. I use wheat flour and they look more rustic than yours, they are brown so you don’t get that yellow color which is fine. There are super easy to make, and taste great.
Wow, this recipe is incredible, easy to make and the muffins come well raised and delicious.
I changed 1 cup of flour for 3/4 cup of oat bran to make the even more healthy.
Thanks for share this recipe.
Thanks for sharing your oat bran swap! I'll have to try that sometime. 🙂
Loved these muffins. Thanks for the great recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed them, Maxine! 🙂
I made these muffins tonight and they turned out delicious.
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed these muffins, Eliza! 🙂
This is looks very delicious!
These look amazing!