Lemon Crumb Muffins

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Calling all lemon lovers – this citrusy flavored Lemon Muffin Recipe will win your heart! Made with yogurt for a moist, fluffy crumb and fresh lemon juice and zest for a burst of bright, tart flavors; along with a tender, sweet streusel topping and rich glaze – these incredibly delicious lemon crumb muffins are perfect for breakfast, brunch, snack-time, and dessert!

Update: This post was originally published in March 2017. I made updates to the post below to include more information about lemon muffins. I also added step by step photos, plus a recipe video to show you how quick and easy this bakery-style muffin recipe is to make!

Hi, friends! Happy first day of spring! To celebrate the season synonymous with new beginnings and sunshine I’m bringing you magically delicious lemony muffins. Trust, these bakery-style muffins with crumb topping and lemon glaze will have you starting off your spring and summer mornings RIGHT!

About this lemon muffin recipe

Lemon because spring! Glazed because life is too short not to. And, a delicate crumb topping because, quite frankly, streusel is everything!

These muffins are moist, tender and fluffy from the addition of Greek yogurt and bursting with tangy, tart lemon flavor!! Topped with crisp, crumbly, sweet streusel and generously drizzled with a rich, sticky, sweet lemony glaze, these muffins are insanely addictive!

Words really can’t do justice to just how delicious these lemon crumb muffins taste, you guys! Honestly, they are just beyond words, so so good!! Seriously, you need to stop what you are doing and make these yogurt muffins immediately! Both your belly and your mood will thank you!

If you’re a lover of bakery style muffins, be sure to try these reader-favorite recipes next: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins, Egg Stuffing Muffins, and Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins.

Why you will love this recipe

• Bursting with lemon flavor: These muffins have a triple dose of aromatic lemon flavor that just can’t be beat!
• Fluffy, moist texture: Greek yogurt keeps these muffins tender, fluffy and ultra moist!
• Streusel topping: The crumbly streusel makes these lemon muffins totally irresistible!
• Lemon Glaze: As if these muffins weren’t tempting enough, the glossy, rich lemon glaze takes them over the top!
• Easy to prepare: Just two bowls and a handheld mixer is required!
• Perfect for every occasion: These handheld, lemony beauties are perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert and every single snack in between!

Ingredients in a lemon muffin

These homemade lemon muffins only require a few simple-to-find ingredients plus a few pantry staples to create incredibly moist yogurt muffins with tons of lemon flavor!

• Flour:All-purpose flour is the foundation of this muffin recipe. Flour helps the batter remain sturdy and thick.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda adds lift to a muffin recipe when paired with an acidic ingredient (greek yogurt, lemon juice and lemon zest).
• Kosher Salt: A touch of salt is necessary to enhance all the flavors!
• Room Temperature Butter: Room temperature ingredients bond more easily than cold ingredients. Warmer ingredients produce an evenly textured and smooth batter.
• Sugars: Both granulated and light brown sugar are used to add a dynamic sweetness to the muffins
• Eggs: Eggs add structure plus help bind the muffins.
• Yogurt: Greek yogurt helps prevent a dry, dense muffin! It is the secret ingredient that adds moisture, and incredible tenderness to the muffin. Plus, it provides a touch of tangy flavor
• Extract: Both lemon and vanilla extract add tons of flavor!
• Fresh Lemon: Both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are what makes these muffins full of fresh, zippy lemon flavor!
• Crumb Topping: A quick and simple combination of flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar and butter creates an utterly delicious, sweet and crumbly streusel topping that gets baked right on top of the muffins
• Glaze: A fast, whisk-together blend of confectioners’ sugar and fresh lemon juice produces a sticky, lemony finishing glaze for the muffins.

Recipe variations

Want to make some changes to this recipe? Excellent! I encourage you to get creative in the kitchen to create a batch of glazed lemon muffins you and your family love! Below are a few ideas to get you started!

• Gluten-free: You can substitute gluten-free flour if you would like, just make sure you look for brands that can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio for regular flour.
• Yogurt substitution: Not a fan of tangy Greek yogurt? Try substituting full-fat sour cream instead!
• Poppy seeds: Lemon and poppy seeds go together hand in hand! Try adding a tablespoon of poppy seeds to make lemon poppy seed muffins!
• Nuts: Prefer a bit of crunchy texture in your muffins? Try adding a handful of walnuts to your batter! For the best flavor, I recommend toasting your nuts before adding them to the muffin batter.
• Orange: Can’t get your hands on good-looking fresh lemons? Use oranges and make tart orange muffins instead!
• Jumbo Muffins: Do you think bigger is better? Yeah, me too! Turn these standard muffins into jumbo muffins! Follow the recipe instructions below, baking for 5 minutes at 425°F Reduce oven to 350°F and bake for 21-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

How to make this lemon muffins recipe

While these bakery style lemon glazed muffin aren’t a one bowl type of situation, they are 100% worth dirtying the extra bowl!

1. Prepare the Crumb Topping: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, both sugars and  salt. Slowly add the butter and use a fork to blend together until small crumbs form. Set aside
2. Prepare the Muffins – dry ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. Prepare the Muffins – wet ingredients: In a large bowl using a handheld, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat on high speed until paste-like. Add the eggs, yogurt and extracts. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase speed to high until mixture is creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the dry to the wet ingredients: Add the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and use a spatula to fold until almost combined. Add in the lemon juice and zest, and continue to gently fold until JUST combined and no pockets of flour remain. The batter should be thick.
5. Portion batter in muffin tins:  Divide the batter among muffin tins, filling each up almost all the way to the top. Sprinkle with the crumb topping, gently pressing it into the batter, and filling each tin all the way to the top.
6. Bake Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F. Keeping the oven door closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 13-15 minutes for regular muffins, or 21-24 minutes for jumbo muffins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine).
7. Meanwhile, make the glaze:  Whisk together the powdered sugar with fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice if you prefer tarter and thinner glaze.
8. Cool and serve:  Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and drizzle with the glaze. Enjoy!

Expert tips for the best success!

Below are a few easy tips to creating the best bakery-style crumb muffins at home!

1. Flour: Properly measuring your flour is key to moist lemon muffins! If you add too much flour, the muffins will come out too dense and dry. To properly measure flour, use a large spoon to lightly ladle the flour into your measuring cup. Next, use the flat, straight edge of a butter knife (or similar object) to level off the top of the flour. Never pack the flour into your measuring cup!
2. Use the right flour: The type of flour you use in your muffins matters! All-purpose flour will yield light and fluffy muffins, while whole grain flour will yield denser, heavier muffins. If you are looking for super soft and fluffy muffins, you can substitute cake or pastry flour for part of the all-purpose flour.
3. Yogurt: Make sure you use Greek Yogurt (strained yogurt) in these muffins. I used low-fat, but you can use non-fat or full fat Greek yogurt. You can also strain yogurt yourself. To do so, simply suspend a fine wire mesh strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with cheesecloth. Dump the yogurt on top of the cheesecloth and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and allow the yogurt to strain for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight for best results.
4. Lemon: The amount of lemon juice in the muffin glaze will depend on how thick or thin of a glaze is desired. I used 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in my glaze and I found it to be perfect, but if you want a thinner, tarter glaze, use all 3 tablespoons.
5. Do not over mix: Don’t over-mix the batter when combining the wet and dry ingredients – mix them until they are just combined – the batter should be a bit lumpy!
6. Muffin Size: You can use this recipe to make regular sized muffins or jumbo muffins. The baking times for both are included in the recipe below.

Step-by-step photos: making this muffin recipe at home

(Scroll down for the detailed measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.)

FAQs: frequently asked questions

Before you bust out your mixing bowls and crank up your oven, read the easy tips and tricks below to ensure your lemon muffins turn out perfectly moist and fluffy every single time!

How can I make my lemon muffin lighter and fluffier?

Do your muffins always seem to come out dense and dry? Follow the simple tips below for baking up light and fluffy muffins with an extravagant crumb top every single time!

Tips for baking light and fluffy muffins

• Sift your flour: If you are looking for truly fluffy muffins, make sure you sift your flour (after measuring and before adding to the mixing bowl). Sifting the flour will help ensure you don’t end up with dense spots in your muffins.
• Cream the butter: One key to muffins with a light texture is creaming the butter and then creaming the butter with the sugar. Creaming helps aerate the ingredients and fills the batter with bubbles that will capture the gasses released by your leavening agent. Those bubbles will help produce muffins that are light with a fine crumb.
• Use yogurt: Using Greek yogurt in your batter will help your muffins on a few different levels! Not only does it impart creamy, tangy flavor and keep the muffins moist, but the acidity helps activate the baking soda, ensuring you bake up soft and fluffy muffins!
• Leavening Agents: Muffins need baking powder, baking soda or both to “rise” and become fluffy! Make sure you are using the correct type and amount of leavening agent in your muffin batter.
• Oven Temperature: Your baking technique and oven temperature is a crucial factor for baking light, fluffy lemon muffins! During the first 15 minutes of baking, the leavening agents react to heat which causes your muffins to puff up. For the fluffiest muffins, bake for 5 minutes at a heat of 425°F. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 13-15 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps lift the tops of the muffins quickly, while reducing the temperature allows the insides of the muffins to bake without drying out. Read: Fluffy, sky high muffins, just like your favorite bakery!

Can you make this recipe in advance?

You can make Lemon streusel muffins ahead of time! In fact, they are the perfect treat to have on hand for grab-and-go breakfasts, brunch for a crowd, quick snacks or easy desserts!

I recommend making a double batch of muffins and storing them in them in a bread box, refrigerator or freezer. (More on storing and freezing muffins below.)

Storing leftovers

Proper storage is just as important as the baking itself! Follow the simple tips below for storing and freezing your crumb lemon muffins with glaze!

How to store lemon yogurt muffins

Proper food storage is just as important and the baking itself!

You do not need to store lemon muffins in th refrigerator. You can store the muffins at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, you can store the muffins in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or freeze them to extend their shelf life.

To store muffins: Before storing, make sure you allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack. Transfer the muffins to an airtight container lined with a sheet of paper towel. Arrange the cooled lemon zest muffins in a single layer and cover the top with another sheet of paper towel before sealing the container with a tight-fitting lid. Pro-tip: The paper towels will absorb the excess moisture from the muffins and allow them to stay fresher for longer.

Lining your storage container: Since the lemon muffins will release moisture during storage, it is important to line both the bottom of the container and the top of the muffins with paper towels. The paper will absorb the excess moisture from the muffins and allow them to stay fresher for longer!

Using an airtight container: If you leave this lemon muffin recipe out on the counter, uncovered they will dry out. However, if you store them in an airtight container without any paper towels, they will get soggy. I have found the paper towel plus airtight container storage to be the best!

Can I freeze leftover muffins?

These lemon crumb muffins freeze beautifully, making them the perfect treat to have on hand for rainy days or easy breakfasts on the go!

To freeze muffins: Do not drizzle the muffins with glaze prior to freezing. Make sure you allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before wrapping them individually in plastic wrap. Transfer the wrapped muffins to a freezer-safe resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months.

When ready to eat: Thaw muffins at room temperature on the counter. For the best taste and texture, I recommend reheating the muffins before drizzling them with lemon glaze(see below for details)!

Reheating muffins

There is nothing better than a slightly toasted, warm muffin smeared with plenty of butter! Thankfully, these lemon muffins are incredibly easy to reheat!

Thaw:  If your muffins with lemon are frozen, allow them to thaw at room temperature on the counter, or you can gently thaw them in the oven. You can also microwave them at 50% power until slightly defrosted, but make sure you do not over-microwave the muffins or they will become extremely hard!

To reheat:  There are two different ways you can reheat this lemon muffin recipe, depending upon how much time you have and what kitchen equipment you have readily available (oven versus microwave).

• Oven (recommended method): Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Reheat muffins until warm throughout or slightly toasted, about 5 minutes.
• Microwave (quick method): Alternatively, you can reheat muffins in the microwave (one at a time). Microwave at 50% power until slightly warm throughout, about 45 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds depending on the strength of your microwave. I recommend microwaving the muffins in 30 second intervals, this way you can avoid over-microwaving the muffins which will cause them to become hard and unappetizing!

These fluffy, bakery-style Lemon Crumb Muffins are the perfect way to start your day! So, what are you waiting for? Make these muffins and celebrate the spring season in delicious style, my friends.

Cheyanne

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More delicious recipes for muffins with fresh fruit!

• Banana Walnut Muffins
• Big Blueberry Muffins
• Fresh Cranberry Muffins
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

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