These Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins are like a warm sunny day in the middle of winter. Into clean eating or just looking for a new breakfast idea to make your mornings easier?
Yogurt and honey make these healthier than traditional muffins, and we have tips for how to keep ingredient costs down!
Somehow, in the depths of winter, one of the things I crave most of all is citrus! Lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges! Don’t they sound so refreshing and invigorating and lovely? Like a breath of fresh air.
I think I get stifled by being indoors so much, by heavy food and by short, dark days.
Boo winter.
Spring is a long way off where I live, but in the meantime, I’ll be over here munching on these lemon blueberry muffins, and enjoying the lemony smell in my kitchen. They’re healthy muffins, so I can much on a bunch of them without worrying about it. Right?
How to save money on groceries when you make these muffins
Price-wise, here’s some good news about winter. Winter is actually citrus season! It’s the cheapest time of the year to buy glorious, ripe lemons, limes, oranges, whatever.
I like to stock up and when I have time I buy a bunch, juice and zest them (after washing well – or better yet buying organic) and then freeze the juice in ice cube trays and the zest in a little baggie. That way, even if I don’t have fresh lemons and limes on hand, I can still make delicious things, like these lemon blueberry muffins.
I also used plain yogurt in this recipe (which you might know, is one of my secret weapons for both our health and our budget!), and honey instead of sugar (and if you’re finding honey expensive, here’s a quick tip to make it more affordable!).
Also, find out how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract here!
We are lucky enough to live somewhere with amazing wild blueberries that we can stock up on for free! But on years when blueberries don’t do well or we don’t get many, Costco has a great price on big bags of unsprayed blueberries that we buy.
These muffins still use white flour and I haven’t tested them any other way, so I can’t vouch for whole wheat flour, but somehow I feel like a lemon muffin has to be made with white flour to be perfect.
I also used butter, but you could try olive oil or a healthy oil if you want (please let me know how that works out for you if you do!).
By the way, these freeze great, so you can always make a double batch and pop some in your freezer for those dark winter mornings when you want a splash of sunshine with your coffee 🙂
Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins (with yogurt!) – Step-By-Step Instructions
Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins (with yogurt!) – Ingredients
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Zest your lemon – you’ll need around 2 teaspoons of lemon zest. If you like things really lemony you can add more!
Tip: Then microwave your lemon for 15 seconds before you juice it. This will help you get more juice from it!
You’ll need 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1 cup of plain yogurt, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of melted butter, 2 room temperature eggs , 1 tablespoon of vanilla and lemon juice.
Tip: If your eggs are cold, just warm them up in a bowl of warm/hot water for a few minutes before using them.
In a larger bowl, whisk together 2.5 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the 2 teaspoons of lemon zest from earlier.
Mix well then add 1.5 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries and stir to combine.
Tip: If you’re using frozen blueberries to make these muffins, leave them in the freezer until the moment you add them – this will reduce how much they colour your batter.
Dump the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir them until they are *just* combined. Batter will be fairly thick.
Tip: If you overmix muffins you will make them tough, because too much gluten forms in the process.
Use a tablespoon to scoop the batter into muffin cups or greased muffin tins. I like big muffins, so I used the entire batch for a dozen muffins.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F and bake for 15 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
Start checking a minute or two before the end of the bake time.
Remove muffins from muffin tin and let them cool on a wire rack so they don’t sweat.
Enjoy! 🙂
Common Questions / Answers:
Can I use fresh blueberries / frozen blueberries for these muffins?
Yes, to both! Fresh blueberries will work great, and are ideal in the summertime, but you can also use frozen berries, which are cheaper in the winter time. Just keep the berries frozen until the moment you add them, so that they won’t stain your batter too much.
Is this batter supposed to be thick?
Yes, this is a thick muffin batter (see photos above).
Can I freeze these lemon blueberry muffins?
Yes, these muffins will freeze very well in an airtight container or zip-top bag – if you don’t eat them all first 🙂
Can I use bottled lemon juice?
Yes, in a pinch, I think you could. But I would also recommend stocking your freezer with fresh lemon juice and zest for times like this! 🙂
Did you make these Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins (with Yogurt)?
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Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins (with yogurt!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup melted butter* (or olive oil - see note)
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)** - I use extra large eggs
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (or more if you like it extra lemony)
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 2.5 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp lemon zest (or more, if you like extra lemon flavour)
- 1.5 cups blueberries fresh or frozen***
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wash and zest your lemon(s). My lemons were large and juicy so I only needed one.****
- In a medium sized bowl, combine yogurt, honey, melted butter, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice. Stir well to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and salt. Whisk together. Add blueberries and stir them in.
- Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir only until just combined*****. (You don't want to overmix muffins because you'll make them tough.)
- Spoon into muffin cups or greased muffin tins. Bake for 5 minutes in preheated 400 degree F oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake for about 15 more minutes - until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Start checking a minute or two before time is up (ovens vary).
- Remove muffins from tins and let them cool on a wire rack so they don't sweat.
- Enjoy! 🙂
Notes
* I have also tested these with olive oil and they were equally delicious!
**To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl and cover with warm-hot water. Let them sit a few minutes, then drain the water and refill with warm-hot water again. They should have warmed up.
***You can use frozen berries for this recipe - just keep them frozen right up until you use them.
**** Microwave your lemon for 15 seconds before cutting it and it will yield more juice.
*****Be careful not to overmix your batter - it will make your muffins tough.
Nutrition
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Tonja Hagy-Valdine says
These are a great option for a healthier muffin! I doubled the batch and did half oil and half no sugar added applesauce to reduce the fat a little. I also really like lemon, so I tripled the amount of zest. My whole family loves them.
Myra says
Thank you so much! So glad you guys enjoy them! 🙂
Lyndsey says
I made these but wanted them even healthier so I swapped the AP flour for 3 1/3 cups of oat flour. I also only had large eggs so I used two of those and added a teaspoon of applesauce. I also didn’t have enough honey so I ended up doing 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup maple syrup. They still turned out great! I’m definitely saving this recipe and it’s healthy enough I feel comfortable adding it to my regular breakfast menu. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Myra says
Hi Lyndsey! Thanks for letting us know how your swaps worked out! 🙂
dorid says
Just made these! I used plain Greek yogurt, and date syrup in place of the honey, and ithink my muffins still turned out pretty good! I wish I had used two lemons instead of one, but unfortunately only had one on hand, so they’re not as lemony as I would have liked them to be. The batter was also super sticky, but that may be because I used frozen blueberries. My muffins were still done in 20 minutes, and I somehow ended up with 22, which I’m not mad about!
Myra says
So glad you liked the recipe Dorid!
Amy says
These are delicious! Very easy to make and mine were perfectly done in the exact time you had in the directions.
Myra says
That’s fantastic Amy! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Annie D says
where do.you recommendstoring these after they are all baked up if you dont want
Laurier Samson says
Hi Annie! I find these can be stored on an airtight container on the counter for a couple of days and any longer than that I’d freeze them. Hope that helps! 🙂
Marnie says
My oven is calibrated and the baking time is WAY off. I did the 400 degrees for 5 minutes then it took 30 minutes to bake. Love the ingredients but wondering if coconut palm sugar instead of honey will make it less wet and easier to bake.
Myra says
Hi Marnie! I’m sorry the baking time didn’t work out for you. I’m not really sure what the issue could be – no one else has mentioned having this issue. I’m glad that you seem to be an experienced baker and were able to adjust the time so that the muffins were cooked until done. Hope you enjoyed them!
Alyssa Manuel says
I just had the same issue!
Myra says
Hi Alyssa! I’m sorry this happened to your muffins! I’d like to try to help you troubleshoot. Did you make any substitutions?
Princess Marina says
Every time I try a new recipe my teenagers say things like, “this must be a healthy recipe, or trying a new recipe?”Which always means they don’t like it. I received two out of three text messages ( we all know kids these days prefer communicating through text 😊) saying, “Mom, these muffins are bomb and smacking!” Meaning, they loved them!! 😄
Thank you for sharing your recipe with my family!
Myra says
Hi Marina! That is fantastic! Thank you so much for the lovely comment! It made my day 🙂
Selven96 says
Loved these! I also made some lemon glaze to go with them. They are sooo good! Thank you for sharing
Myra says
Yum! Lemon glaze sounds delicious! Thanks for the idea and glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Mary-Danielle says
Hi there could I substitute Sugar instead of Honey, if so, about how much would I use?
I use Cane sugar normally.
Myra says
Hi Mary-Danielle! To be honest I’ve never tried using sugar in these muffins and I don’t think I’ve ever used cane sugar (is that like raw sugar?) You could try equal amounts but I truly have no idea if the amount would be ideal. If you do end up trying it please let us know!
Annie says
These were delicious! My whole family loved them. We will definitely be making them again soon!
Myra says
Thanks you for letting us know Annie! I’m so glad you all liked them!! 🙂
Jillian L says
Loooove this recipe!! Love there isn’t cups and cups of sugar! And oil, and they taste amazing just made a large batch and freezing some like you suggested. Thank you!
Myra says
Thanks Jillian! I’m so glad you like them!!! 🙂
Crystal says
Have made this a few times now.. and we LOVE them…. wondering if raspberries would work?
Myra says
Hi Crystal! I’m so glad you enjoy the muffins! Raspberries… hmmmm. I’ve never tried them. They are a bit mushier than blueberries. I think they would work best if they are frozen. If they’re fresh and very soft I think you would have to be very gentle when folding them into the batter, otherwise they might spread all over the place. Which would still be delicious, of course 🙂 If you give it a try can you let us know how it goes?
Geri says
Do you think I could use almond flour instead of white flour? I just started the clean eating rather than going keto and I keep reading how much better it is than white flour.
Myra says
Hi Geri! Sorry I’m only seeing this now! To be honest with you, I’m not sure how well that would work out. I’ve only used almond flour a few times and I feel like the consistency is a bit more dense than regular flour. However, if you give it a try I’d love to know how it turns out!
Brenda says
Always looking for healthier recipe versions. Love the combination of the lemon and the blueberries and the added yogurt.
Myra says
Thanks! I’m a huge fan of lemon and blueberry together! It’s so fresh!
Gina aka East Coast Mommy says
Those look delicious! I love the combination of lemon and blueberries.
Myra says
Thanks Gina! Yes, that combination is one of my favourites too! 🙂