My Lemon Muffins are bright and cheery bundles of sunshine. They’re so soft and fluffy, and they’re topped with an easy sweet-tart two-ingredient glaze. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best & Brightest Lemon Muffins
Today I’m refreshing an old recipe on the blog. My original (previously streusel-laden) laden muffins get a makeover that allows the tart lemon flavor to really shine. Feel free to skip the glaze and use my easy streusel topping instead, if that is what you prefer, but I love the lemon glaze instead here!
These are super soft, tender, and fluffy lemon muffins. They’ve got tall muffin tops and a bright, fresh lemon flavor from real lemons. The glaze I mentioned earlier is beautifully tart and super simple (just two ingredients!), and it makes the perfect citrus crown.
Just as with my bakery-style chocolate chip muffins and banana muffins, we’ll start baking these muffins at a higher temperature and then reduce it about halfway through (without opening the oven!). This trick helps the muffins get those fluffy, sky high tops that bakery muffins have.
Why you’ll love my recipe:
- No mixer required: this batter needs to be mixed by hand.
- Comes together quickly: just 15 minutes of prep!
- Produces big, beautiful muffin tops: thanks to a two-temperature baking method.
- So soft and fluffy: I’ve updated my old recipe for even better results!
What You Need
Just a few simple ingredients come together to make these brightly flavored lemon muffins. Here are the stars of today’s recipe:
- Cornstarch. This keeps our muffins soft and tender without making them dense.
- Melted butter. Melted butter gives these muffins such a great flavor. I use unsalted butter and recommend you do the same for best results; however, if you only have salted on hand, you can use that and reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon.
- Lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice is best, and remember to always zest your lemon before juicing it!
- Sour cream. A key ingredient in so many of my recipes (remember the difference it makes in the crumb of my sour cream pound cake?), this adds moisture, tenderness, and depth of flavor without making the our lemon muffins taste like sour cream. It compliments the lemon so well!
- Lemon extract. If you have lemon extract on hand, feel free to add it (it will give the muffins a more lemony flavor), but they’ll still taste great without it.
SAM’S TIP: Always zest your lemon before squeezing, and when zesting, don’t go into the papery white layer (pith) below the yellow exterior. That part is bitter (not sour/citrus-flavored) and could make your lemon muffins bitter.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Lemon Muffins
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then add them to the dry ingredients.
- Use a spatula to gently stir together the wet and dry ingredients; the batter will be thick.
- Portion the batter between 10-12 muffin liners (more on this odd-ish range of muffins below) and bake for 8 minutes before reducing the temperature and baking for an additional 5-6 minutes.
- Combine the glaze ingredients until it reaches the proper consistency.
- Dip or drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins.
SAM’S TIP: You may notice that this recipe makes an odd number of cupcakes. While you can divide your batter between an entire standard muffin pan (12 liners), I’ve found that dividing the batter between just 10-11 liners yields much taller, prettier muffins. If that doesn’t matter to you, feel free to fill your pan entirely. Check out the photo below for a visual example.
Frequently Asked Questions
While this could be a result of over-baking, over-mixing is the most likely culprit. Muffins are a quick bread (like pancakes or chocolate banana bread), and they need a gentle hand when combining wet and dry ingredients. Don’t be too aggressive when mixing, and do NOT use an electric mixer for this recipe!
Yes! You can add about a cup of blueberries to your lemon muffins. You may use fresh or frozen berries (no need to thaw first if using frozen). To avoid overmixing, fold the berries in when your wet and dry ingredients are about 50% combined.
When followed correctly, my lemon muffin recipe should yield moist, flavorful muffins. Using sour cream helps, but my best tips for moist muffins are to measure your flour properly and avoid over-baking. Even a minute too long can dry out your muffins. Check them a few minutes before they should be done–some ovens run hotter than they say!
Don’t have cupcake liners? These lemon muffins would look so pretty in my parchment paper muffin liners!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Lemon Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract optional, but will give your muffins a stronger lemon flavor
Lemon Glaze
- 1 ¼ cup (160 g) powdered sugar
- 1 ½ – 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F (220C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, melted butter, egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract (if using) until well-combined.¾ cup (180 g) sour cream, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 3 Tablespoons lemon zest, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently combine until you have a uniform batter (don’t over-mix or your muffins will be dense!). This is a very thick muffin batter.
- Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin – for larger, taller muffins only divide the batter into 10 cavities rather than all 12.
- Bake in center rack of 425F (220C) for 8 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, reduce temperature to 350F and continue to bake for another 5-6 minutes (may need a minute longer if only baking 10-12 muffins), unti a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow muffins to cool in their pan for about 5-10 minutes before carefully removing from pan and allowing to cool on cooling rack before adding glaze.
Lemon Glaze
- Whisk together powdered sugar and 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice. If glaze is too thick to whisk easily, add more lemon juice, a splash at a time, until a smooth consistency is reached that drizzles off the whisk in a ribbon.1 ¼ cup (160 g) powdered sugar, 1 ½ – 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- Drizzle over muffins or dip completely cooled muffin tops in the glaze.
- If you’re the patient type, allow glaze to sit and become firm before serving.
Notes
Muffin count
You can divide the batter into all 12 muffin cavities, but for large muffins with tall, fluffy muffin tops, I like to divide the batter into just 10 or 11 liners instead. See the photo in the post for a visual on the difference between baking as 10 or 12 muffins.Storing
These muffins are best enjoyed fresh, but they may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You may also tightly wrap them and freeze for several months.Original Recipe
I have updated this recipe from the original (which was published in 2017) and prefer this version. However, if you are looking for the original recipe, you can find my original lemon muffin recipe here.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Val Solis
Can we make this into loaf bread instead of muffins? I’m assuming we would have to adjust baking degrees and time? I ABSOLUTELY love this recipe!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy the recipe is such a hit for you, Val! We haven’t tried making this recipe as a loaf, so we can’t say for sure how it would go. Let us know how it does go if you do try it 🙂
Alina
This muffins are sooooo tender and flavorful. For whoever said they are dry or didn’t turn out well, they need to go back and actually follow the recipe properly.
This is an amazing recipe! I’m going to triple it and make a bunch of mini loaves for gifting.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Alina! 🙂
Barb
Appearance was good- nice crown on the muffin, color was good. But the muffin was dry. Flavor was as okay but nothing to brag about, and used freshly grated lemon rind, squeezed lemon juice and additional lemon extract. Will be searching for a new recipe.
Sam
Hi Barb! If they were dry they were likely over-mixed or over baked. 🙁
Brittany
These are perfect! Moist, just the right amount of sweetness, and they came out of my liners so easily.
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Brittany! 🙂
Alessia
Sono secchi perche sono stati cotti troppo
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Alessia! I would check them just a few minutes earlier next time. 🙁
Alessia
Oh no scusa i miei erano perfetti, dicevo a chi scrive che erano secchi o duri 🤗 super ricetta!
April Beaudry
Good recipe. I used 2 eggs and an icecream scoop to make 11 equal muffins. They came out perfectly moist and fluffy!
Debbie
I am excited to try this recipe as I love lemon. Do you think adding fresh raspberries to the batter would change the texture too much?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Debbie! We haven’t tried it, but we think it will work just fine. Let us know how it goes for you!
Mia
I baked this recipe 3 times in 1 week, thats how my family enjoyed it, and evrytime it’s moist and the texture is so soft and fluffy, I suggest u measure ur flour properly, and also don’t have heavy hand when mixing, the key is to fold in the ingredients, also don’t use beaters or hand mixers.
Sam
I’m so glad they have been such a hit! 🙂
Alli-K
I wasn’t sure about these the first time I made them because they came out a little more dense than I anticipated. Two of my family members liked them so much, however, they asked me to make them again, and said that they like the denser texture. Be warned that the amount of zest required uses more lemon skins than you will need for the number of lemons to get the juice. (When I have the reverse situation, I zest all of the lemons and keep any extra zest in the freezer for later use).
Jessica Juden
I made these cupcakes and totally forgot to come back and leave a comment. I was a little worried after reading all the other comments but I am sure glad I also read all the suggestions and followed the recipe. These turned out amazing!! They were fluffy and moist plus they were beautiful coming out of the oven! My family enjoyed them so much. Thank you for posting!!
Sam
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, Jessica! I’m so glad they were such a hit! 🙂
Ysabet
Wheeeeow… these were DELICIOUS! I’m fond of strongly-flavored things, and the lemon element came through beautifully (especially in the glaze, which was great.) I ran a little short in my sour cream (I only had about 2/3 of a cup) so I think my next batch will be moister, but they’re still plenty moist; my fault, not the recipe’s. The only variation I made was to dab some very soft butter on the tops while they were just a little warm, as I like a soft top rather than a harder one; that made them just a bit more tender and harmonized with the flavor very well. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for the review, Ysabet! We’re so happy you enjoyed the muffins 🥰
Abbi Casper
I have tried recipes like this several times before but this one was by far the best one I did! I love these muffins so much and so do my parents and siblings! These are perfect for summer! Thank you so much!
vanessa johnson
Flavor is great, but the muffins were very dry. I did substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, which has worked well in other baking recipes, and I avoided the glaze (already enough sugar), but there were SO many dry ingredients in this recipe, which made me even raise my eyebrows before starting. I will keep looking for an ideal lemon muffin recipe. Still tasty, and none of these are going to waste. I’ll enjoy each with a big glass of milk.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Vanessa! Is it possible they were slightly over-baked? 🙁
Teresa
These look delicious! If I don’t have cornstarch, is there something I can sub? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Teresa! You can substitute flour for the cornstarch. 🙂
Kathy
These lemon muffins were a huge hit with my friends who gave me fresh lemons. I added a cup of blueberries, and they made 12 nice large muffins.The lemon glaze on top was perfect.
Ash
Subbed vanilla yogurt for the sour cream. These didn’t last and hour out of the oven!
Thanks!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Ash! 🙂
Serena
I am a horrible baker/cook. This recipe was so simple! I really appreciate the note about the batter being dense (I probably would have tried to thin it if that wasn’t stated). This made exactly 12 muffins and mine came out identical to the picture. They were fluffy yet dense, didn’t crumble into a mess. Such an awesome recipe. I will absolutely be making these again and sticking around for other recipes!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Serena! I hope you love everything you try! 🙂
Serena
We are going to try the Garlic Knots recipe and home made Pizza using the pizza dough recipe tonight. We will let you know <3
Miriam Rose Blanar
I’m excited to try this recipe. if I wanted to make these in to mini muffins, how much time would it need?
Sam
Hi Miriam! You can make them as mini muffins. It will take about 11-13 minutes. 🙂
Miriam Rose Blanar
Thank you! 11 minutes was the golden time for me. These muffins were magical!