In search of a super moist and fluffy raspberry muffin flavored with lemon? Look no further! These Lemon Raspberry Muffins are so tasty and perfect for sharing. Every bite is bursting with juicy raspberries! They make a great breakfast on-the-go, fruity snack, or easy dessert that can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less!
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This lemon raspberry muffin recipe has been tested and approved by the woman who taught me how to bake as a child! My grandma made them with my little cousin and immediately made another batch to share with the rest of our family! If that doesn't convince you that you'll love them, you'll just have to taste them for yourself! Another great raspberry breakfast recipe to try is this simple Raspberry Cream Cheese Danish.
Want to try lemon muffins with zucchini instead of raspberries? I have an easy lemon zucchini muffin recipe that you'll love!
Note: This recipe has been re-tested and improved to address concerns shared in the comments. It used to call for the raspberries to be mixed in with the flour, baking powder, and salt in order to prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom. However, this caused a blue tint in the muffins due to the (totally safe) chemical reaction between the raspberries and aluminum-containing baking powder. This step also caused flour to get stuck inside the raspberries and make it harder to mix the raspberries in. I appreciate your feedback and hope you enjoy this recipe even more now!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The combination of tangy lemons and sweet raspberries makes these muffins irresistible!
- They're light and fluffy with a tender crumb.
- They make a great breakfast on-the-go, quick snack, or tasty dessert!
- This recipe is the best way to put fresh summer raspberries to use.
Ingredients
- Raspberries can be fresh or frozen, but I recommend using fresh raspberries for the best results.
- Lemon zest and juice add a subtle, natural lemon flavor. Just grate the outside layer of a lemon and lightly pack it into a tablespoon to measure the zest, and then squeeze the juice out of the zested lemon.
- Unsalted butter and granulated sugar are creamed together until they're light and airy for the fluffiest muffins!
- Vanilla extract adds a little extra flavor enhancement.
- Baking powder gives the muffins the perfect amount of rise.
- Whole milk gets mixed with the lemon juice to create a DIY buttermilk, making them extra moist and fluffy! I don't recommend using a low-fat or plant-based milk alternative.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Feel free to use your favorite berries in place of the raspberries! My grandma tried them with cut up strawberries and said they were just as delicious. I've also tested these as lemon blueberry muffins and they were so good!
- To make them extra fluffy and tangy, substitute the whole milk with plain or lemon-flavored whole milk kefir or regular buttermilk.
- For extra citrus flavor, add even more lemon zest.
- Try a cupcake version of these muffins by using raspberries instead of strawberries in my Strawberry-filled Lemon Cupcakes recipe!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Step 1: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Step 2: Cream together the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy (electric mixer recommended).
Step 3: Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract really well.
Step 4: Add the lemon juice to the milk, then alternately stir the dry ingredients and milk mixture into the wet ingredients.
Step 5: Gently fold the raspberries into the batter to distribute them evenly.
Step 6: Fill about 12 muffin liners with batter and bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until a toothpick comes out clean (about 13-22 more minutes).
Expert Baking Tips
- If using fresh raspberries, try to make sure all of them are firm. If they're super soft and juicy, they may bleed into the batter and add too much extra moisture.
- If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw them ahead of time.
- Don't over-mix the batter! This can lead to dense, chewy muffins.
- Weigh your flour in grams using a food scale for the most accurate results. Over-measuring flour with measuring cups is a common error that can yield dry muffins.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Having all of your ingredients at the same temperature helps them mix together better.
Recipe FAQs
This could be from the batter being too moist. Try coating the raspberries in a little bit of flour before folding them into the batter.
While I haven't tested this, they should bake into large muffins just fine! In this case, I would recommend starting the oven at 425°F and lowering it to 375°F after 5 minutes.
I have not tested this, but would love to hear how it went if you give it a try!
Storage
Room Temperature
These lemon raspberry muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions
Store the fully cooled muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
More Muffin Recipes You'll Love
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Thank you!
-Kayla
📖 Recipe
The Best Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan with liners
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Hand mixer recommended
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups (281.25 g) all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest slightly packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup (118.29 ml) whole milk room temperature
- 1½ cups raspberries fresh or frozen*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a 12-well pan with muffin liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until combined well.
- Add the lemon juice to the milk. Alternately stir the dry ingredients and milk mixture into the wet ingredients, just until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries.
- Fill muffin liners ¾ full and bake for 5 minutes at 400°F. Then, while keeping the oven closed, turn the temperature down to 350°F and bake for another 13-18 minutes (about 18-23 minutes total). A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove them and let them cool on a wire rack.
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Geneviève says
Hi,
Would it still come out nicely if I used canola oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of whole milk? Thoughts? Thanks!
Kayla Burton says
Hi! I haven't tried this but I'm guessing the flavor and texture would be a bit different. Would love to hear how it goes if you try it!
Pam Bush says
I wish the recipe stated to use baking powder without aluminium. I was stunned to see bluish gray (unappealing) muffins. Also, the need to gently fold everything together until there are no streaks of flour caused the raspberries to break apart. What a mess. The flavor was average. Won’t be making these again.
Kayla Burton says
Hi Pam! I appreciate your feedback and will use this information to improve this recipe!
Brianna says
They tasted amazing! One concern I have was that they turned blue for me… Guessing this came from the raspberry juice? How can this be better prevented? Also, in the step that tells us to, “coat the raspberries in the dry ingredients”, how do we ensure that the flour that gets stuck inside the raspberry is mixed? I baked it and bit into a raspberry that had flour stuck in the inside😭
Kayla Burton says
I'm glad you like how they taste! The blue is likely from your baking powder - if it contains aluminum it can cause a reaction but it's totally safe and can usually be prevented by using baking powder without aluminum. Coating the raspberries is to help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pan while they bake but you're welcome to skip the step, chop the berries so they don't have any deep holes, or coat them super lightly and make sure the flour isn't stuck in them while mixing the batter. I hope this helps! Thank you for trying my recipe and providing your feedback 🙂
Cheryl says
I have a wonderful raspberry harvest this year so I was anxious to put them to good use! This recipe was a great way to do that! They turned out great with a wonderful, lemony flavor and juicy pieces of raspberry.
The "batter" was much more like a soft biscuit dough. I was very nervous about it and was hoping it was meant to be that way because of all the raspberries and the juices they would produce while baking. Turns out I was right! They baked up just fine.
Will definitely make again!