Lemon Blueberry Muffins

By Genevieve Ko

Updated January 4, 2026

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,455)
Comments
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Fluffy with big tops, these treats have the airiness of a lemon cupcake, but they’re not too sweet, making them ideal for breakfast. Lemon zest and juice bring the floral fragrance and tartness of citrus to the batter, which is creamy and light from yogurt. Melted butter will make the muffins even richer, while oil will keep them from drying out quickly. To make these muffins extra moist and to boost their lemony taste, mix ¼ cup lemon juice with ¼ cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Brush this syrup over the muffins as soon as they come out of the oven.

Featured in: The Trick to the Fluffiest Muffins May Already Be in Your Kitchen

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Ingredients

Yield:12 muffins

  • 1 ¾ cups/247 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon fine salt

  • ⅔ cup/137 grams granulated sugar

  • 1 lemon

  • 1 cup/241 grams plain whole-milk yogurt

  • ¼ cup/60 grams neutral-flavored oil, olive oil or melted butter

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries (see Tip)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

31 grams carbs; 34 milligrams cholesterol; 197 calories; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 199 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 14 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or generously grease. Either way, be sure to coat the top of the tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray to easily remove the muffin tops.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

  3. Step 3

    Add sugar to a medium bowl, and zest the lemon directly into the sugar. Rub together until the sugar is pale yellow. Squeeze in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then add the yogurt, oil and eggs. Whisk until very smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Toss the blueberries into the dry mixture until evenly coated, then add the wet ingredients and stir gently just until no traces of flour remain. It’s OK if the batter is lumpy.

  5. Step 5

    Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

  6. Step 6

    Bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes. When you press the top of a muffin, it should almost feel like a soft pillow.

  7. Step 7

    Cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the tin. Completely cooled muffins can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw fully, then reheat in a toaster oven before enjoying.

Tip

  • You can use one 6-ounce container of fresh berries, which taste tangier and juicier, or a cup of frozen berries (4¾ ounces). Thaw frozen berries between sheets of paper towels to absorb excess water.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,455 user ratings
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Comments

Golem

Try them now with Wyman's Maine frozen blueberries. They're the small Maine blueberries which are superior to the larger blueberries found on produce shelves. Definitely a superior flavor and texture.

Elizabeth

Why does "Cook time" say "45 minutes" when they bake for 20 and cool for 5?

Ron

Since 1 cup of granulated sugar is 200 grams, shouldn't 2/3 cup be 133 grams, not 167 grams? (Some of us use a scale.)

Ngrimmick

Great lemony muffins! I took the suggestion to beat the egg whites until stiff. When all ingredients came together the batter was pretty stiff! Difficult to maneuver into muffin tins but the muffins were very good. I used greek full fat yogurt ‘cause that’s what I had on hand. Next time I’ll dilute it a little with milk or cream. I doubled the recipe & had 32 muffins. I make muffins like a normal sized cupcake. Those huge muffins are just too big for a lot of people. Anyway - very good

Molly

Yum! Easy to put together and turned out great! I used vegan coconut yogurt because that’s all I had on hand and it worked fine. The muffins were light and fluffy and not too sweet, just right. Will definitely keep this recipe on hand to make again when I have extra blueberries.

Eliz.

Favorite hack in this recipe is the instruction to rub sugar together with zest. Truly infuses the lemon flavor so you don't need a douse of lemon syrup at end should you wish to minimize sugar content. I replaced 3/4 of AP flour with superfine almond flour to make 6 large muffins. Roughly 27 minutes for clean toothpick test. Fragile. Domes dissipated. But not dense. So perfectly (tiny, fresh) blueberry & moist! Rest 12 in tins, then tip out upside down till narrow bottoms cool.

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