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After testing and perfecting muffins recipes for half a year, I am spilling all my secrets to making the absolute best lemon blueberry muffins. Keep reading to learn my secret ingredient that keeps these ultra-moist, plus learn how to make tall, bakery-style muffin tops.
These are by far the best lemon blueberry muffins I have ever made! They were delicious! Recommend weighing flour. Thank you Beth for this recipe!
-Julie
Want to make lemon blueberry muffins that will wow your friends and family? I spent 6 months testing and developing muffin recipes with tall, bakery-style tops, and now I’m teaching you the easy steps I perfected over that time. You won’t have to make any of the baking mistakes that I did along the way when you follow my step-by-step instructions.
I am a sucker for the perfect balance of lemon and blueberry. Something about perfectly tart lemon paired with sweet, juicy blueberries is just irresistible. These moist lemon blueberry muffins are addictive, so don’t say I didn’t warn you! These muffins make a great breakfast, quick snack, and are perfect to grab and go.
Anyone can make an easy muffin recipe, but there are key elements to making the muffins perfectly moist and tall at the same time. That is what you’ll learn when you follow the steps below. The best part is, you don’t have to be a pro baker. Even if it’s your first time baking, I’ll walk you through the steps so your muffins come out bakery perfect!
Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Lemon Muffins Recipe
- Simple ingredients
- Super easy recipe
- Buttermilk makes a perfectly moist texture
- Bakery style muffins that will make you look like a professional baker
- Packed with zesty lemon flavor and plump blueberries
Blueberry Lemon Muffin Recipe Ingredients
Making the best lemon blueberry muffins will be easy for you when you follow my instructions below. Keep scrolling to get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
- All purpose flour: properly measured using the fluff, spoon and level method or by weight on a kitchen scale.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Buttermilk
- Unsalted butter: melted and cooled to room temperature
- Lemons
- Fresh lemon juice
- Blueberries
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Learn how to make bakery-style muffins with the best lemon blueberry muffin recipe by following my easy steps. Get the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card below.
- For best results, rest the batter. This recipe requires a 30 minute rest before baking. If you do not rest the batter, I cannot guarantee the same results.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine the large eggs, buttermilk, melted and cooled butter, fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine with a fork or spatula for 30 seconds.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be very thick!
- Fold in blueberries. Gently mix in the blueberries, doing your best to not smash them.
- Let batter rest. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. I cannot guarantee the same results if the batter doesn’t rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Fill muffin liners. For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other.
- Be sure muffin liners are full. Fill the liners super full with batter. My muffins probably had about 8-10 heaping tablespoons of batter in each muffin liner. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Press extra blueberries on top of each muffin and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Refrigerate batter. While one pan is baking, be sure to refrigerate the other lined muffin tin if it has batter in it. Or refrigerate the remaining batter if still in the bowl.
- Bake muffins. Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing.
- Repeat. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.
How to Create Bakery Style Muffins
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have large, domed tops!
1. The Rest Period
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. Fill Every Other Muffin Cup
This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.
3. Fill Them To The Top
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.
4. Bake at High Temperature Initially
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, setting the outer surface of the muffin, producing a dome shape.
Tips For Making Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Don’t skip resting the batter: Resting the batter for 30 minutes in the refrigerator is an integral part of this lemon blueberry muffins recipe.
- Fresh blueberries are best. These blueberry lemon muffins are best with fresh blueberries. However, you can use frozen blueberries if you need to.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
Storing this Blueberry Lemon Muffins Recipe
To store these muffins, make sure your baked muffins are completely cooled before you store or freeze them! You can store these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 or 4 days.
You can also freeze these in a freezer-safe container. I like to wrap mine two at a time, end to end, in plastic wrap and store my wrapped muffins in a freezer zip-lock bag. You can thaw them individually to satisfy a sweet tooth whenever you want to! To thaw, you can leave them out on your kitchen counter or heat them in the microwave for 15-second intervals until they’re thawed completely.
Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe FAQs
The trick to making moist muffins is using ingredients like buttermilk and melted butter to keep the batter rich and moist. Also, watch the bake time so you don’t overdo it and end up with dry muffins.
It really comes down to personal preference, but I like fresh blueberries for muffins since frozen ones can bleed and turn the batter purple.
To keep blueberries from sinking in muffin batter, some suggest tossing them in flour, but if your muffin batter is thick enough to create a bakery-style top (like my recipe!), you won’t need to coat the blueberries in flour—they’ll stay suspended in the batter on their own.
More Lemon & Blueberry Recipes
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Blueberry Lemon Muffins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, 1 stick
- zest of 2 lemons
- ¼ cup (59ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups (225g) blueberries
Instructions
- This recipe requires a 30 minute rest before baking. If you do not rest the batter, I cannot guarantee the same results.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose flour, 1 ¾ cups (350g) granulated sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, melted and cooled butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine with a fork or spatula for 30 seconds.2 large eggs, 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, zest of 2 lemons, ¼ cup (59ml) fresh lemon juice
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be very thick!
- Gently mix in the blueberries, doing your best to not smash them.1 ½ cups (225g) blueberries
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. I cannot guarantee the same results if the batter doesn’t rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other.
- Fill the liners super full with batter. My muffins probably had about 8-10 heaping tablespoons of batter in each muffin liner. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Press extra blueberries on top of each muffin and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- While one pan is baking, be sure to refrigerate the other pan if it has batter in it. Or refrigerate the remaining batter if still in the bowl. Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 17-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.
Is it possible, for any of your muffin recipes, to swap the regular flour for gluten free (such as King Arthur), or would that require different measurements?
Yes! I test all of my recipes with regular all purpose flour and King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. I’ve been gluten free for 18 years, but don’t label myself in the gluten free niche since almost anything can be made GF these days!