I had so much fun recipe testing chocolate chip muffins last week, I felt inspired to share another muffin recipe! I love blueberries, so I decided to make lemon blueberry muffins with yogurt.

The yogurt gives them a lot of moisture and makes me feel like they’re *almost* healthy.

What is a Muffin?

This might sound like a silly question, but I make loads of cupcakes and cakes. What ratio of ingredients makes this a muffin?

Muffins fall into the quick bread category because they don’t use yeast to rise. They bake up thanks to leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder.

Traditionally they’re also baked in a muffin pan! Some recipes bake them in liners, others have you grease the pan and bake them right in each little muffin cup.

I prefer making them in muffin liners, because it makes for an easier clean up. But if you don’t have liners on hand, you can grease your muffin tin and bake these muffins right in the pan.

The traditional ratio for a quick bread or muffin recipe is 2 parts flour, 2 parts liquid, 1 part egg, 1 part butter.

This recipe is similar to that, but uses a few extra ingredients to give these muffins a tender, fluffy and light texture.

What is the Muffin Method??

Another trademark of a muffin recipe is the way in which the batter is mixed.

The muffin method mixes together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

The dry ingredients are then folded into the wet and mixed until the batter just comes together.

In fact, you should still be able to see a few chunks, and the batter shouldn’t be perfectly smooth. If it is, you have overmixed the batter!!

Do your best to avoid over mixing your muffin batter, as it can lead to dense, tough muffins.

Getting This Recipe Just Right

When working on this recipe, I began with the basic ratio of a muffin. But I wasn’t happy with the texture.

When I eat a muffin, I want it to be just as moist and tender as the giant costco muffins I grew up eating. Yes, that is the benchmark I hold all muffins to!!

Several batches later, I finally was happy with this lemon blueberry muffin recipe.

I played around with the baking temperature, bake time, different amounts of baking powder, butter vs. oil, adding in yogurt, and milk vs buttermilk.

In the end, I found I liked the texture of these lemon blueberry muffins best with a little extra baking powder, full fat yogurt, and oil.

The Ingredients Used in this Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe & Substitutions

While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some people might not have all these ingredients on hand!

Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe.

All Purpose Flour

I prefer these muffins with good ol’ all purpose flour. It gives the muffins the right texture, and helps them bake up properly with the oil used in this recipe.

But don’t worry, these can easily be made into gluten free lemon blueberry muffins! You can use a gluten free flour blend of the AP flour in this recipe (cup for cup).

Just be sure to stir the batter really well to help give it structure. It needs extra help since it doesn’t have any gluten! Also let the batter sit for 30 minutes before baking the muffins (helps the flour absorb moisture from the batter)

If you only have cake flour on hand, you can also use that in place of the AP flour in this recipe too (cup for cup).

Granulated Sugar

A little bit of sugar gives these muffins the perfect touch of sweetness, and helps create that tender texture.

You don’t need a ton because the blueberries are also sweet, and I wouldn’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar in this recipe or it will negatively affect the texture.

Vegetable Oil

I tested this recipe with all oil, all butter, and a mix of the two.

While I usually am a fan of baking with butter, I really feel like muffin recipes taste best with oil! Oil gives these muffins a lighter texture.

You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe, canola, vegetable, sunflower oil, etc.

You also can use butter to replace part or all of the oil if that’s what you have on hand, or if you just prefer your muffins with it.

1 Egg

The egg helps give this recipe structure, and brings the batter together.

If you don’t have any eggs on hand or want to make egg free lemon blueberry muffins, don’t worry! Use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the egg and add an additional 1/4 tsp of baking powder.

You can use a flaxseed egg! Use one tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of water to replace one egg.

Be sure to grind the flax seeds into a fine powder using a coffee or spice grinder, and then whisk in the water until the mixture becomes thick.

Blueberries

This part is up to you! I prefer using fresh, small blueberries when they’re in season. If I can’t get my hands on good blueberries, I like to use frozen blueberries.

The blueberries in this recipe play a huge part in how these muffins end up tasting. Be sure you’re using flavorful, delicious berries.

While you may be tempted to add in more blueberries, I recommend adding the amount the recipe calls for. Otherwise your muffins can turn out a bit soggy from the extra liquid from the berries.

I also recommend using small blueberries if possible! That way you get little bursts of blueberries in every bite, rather than in just a few.

Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest

Using fresh lemon juice and zest in this recipe is a must! Lemon juice from a bottle just isn’t the same.

If you want to make regular blueberry muffins, you can omit the lemon juice and zest and add in an extra two tablespoons of yogurt.

Coarse Sugar or Sanding Sugar

Adding extra sugar to the top of these muffins is also optional, but it gives them the most irresistible crunchy top!!

I am a huge fan of muffin tops, and have been known to rip them right off my muffins. They’re my favorite part of a muffin, and I think they’re best with that sprinkle of sanding sugar.

It also gives them a gorgeous, sparkly look once they’re baked.

Tips for Making the Best Lemon Blueberry Muffins with Yogurt

• Do not over-mix your batter! Mix until the flour has just been incorporated; there should still be some small chunks in the batter, and it shouldn’t be all the way smooth.
• Ingredients at room temp mix together better, so be sure you set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
• Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your muffin liners.
• Sprinkle additional granulated sugar or coarse/sanding sugar on top of your muffins to give them a perfectly crunchy muffin top.
• One batch of batter can be used to make about 18 mini lemon blueberry muffins. Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 3 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 350 F and bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Use your favorite type of dairy free milk and yogurt in this recipe to make dairy free lemon blueberry muffins.
• To make eggless lemon blueberry muffins, use 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce in place of the egg, and add an additional 1/4 tsp of baking powder or use a flax seed egg.
• To make gluten free lemon blueberry muffins, swap in your favorite gluten free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for. Be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.

Making these Lemon Blueberry Muffins in Advance & Storage Tips

Make your muffins in advance! If stored in an airtight container, they can last for 2 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for lemon blueberry muffins with yogurt, I’d love to hear what you think of it!

Please leave a rating and comment below.

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