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! You can make them with frozen or fresh raspberries and kefir or buttermilk!
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!
I originally made this recipe for Lifeway using their lemon whole milk kefir, but it's just as delicious with regular kefir or buttermilk! (This post isn't sponsored, these muffins were just so good I wanted to share them with you!) If you want a stronger citrus flavor, feel free to add a bit extra lemon zest. These are perfect for Valentine's Day or summertime! Or really, any time of year since you can make them with frozen raspberries too! And if you love these, you'll love my Lemon Zucchini Cupcakes!
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Looking for more kefir or muffin recipes?
- Blueberry Muffin in a Mug (Healthy-ish! Eggless and diary-free - made with whole wheat flour and fresh or frozen blueberries)
- Cinnamon Streusel Muffins (Like sour cream coffee cake with cinnamon layers)
- Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Blueberry Cream Pie Jars
- Orange Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- Raspberries: you can use frozen berries, but I recommend using fresh ones!
- Lemon zest: this is where the subtle lemon flavor comes from - there's no lemon juice or lemon extract involved! Just grate the outside layer of a lemon and lightly pack it into a teaspoon to measure.
- Unsalted butter & sugar: cream these together until they're light and airy for the most fluffy muffins!
- Eggs: necessary for the muffin's moist texture!
- Vanilla extract: a little extra flavor enhancement.
- Flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda: whisk these dry ingredients together for the muffin's structure.
- Kefir or buttermilk: I recommend using whole milk kefir or buttermilk and even trying lemon flavored kefir!
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
Instead of using raspberries, you can use a similar fruit that you like! 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!
This lemon and raspberry muffin recipe has not been tested with any substitutions. If you made these and used any ingredient substitutions, please let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
Equipment
You don't need much more than your basic baking tools for these raspberry muffins. It's a very quick and simple recipe!
- Muffin tin: this recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins.
- Muffin liners: if you don't have parchment liners, spraying the pan with oil also works!
- Microplane: you'll need this to grate the outer layer of the lemon!
Step by Step Instructions
Step One (Picture 1 above) - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently toss in the raspberries so they're lightly coated in the dry ingredients.
Step Two (Picture 2 above) - Cream together the butter and sugar until they're light and fluffy. Then mix in the lemon zest, eggs and vanilla extract.
Step Three (Picture 3 above) - Alternately stir in the kefir (or buttermilk) and the flour mixture until everything is combined.
Step Four (Picture 4 above) - Fill the liners about ¾ full with muffin batter. Bake the raspberry lemon muffins at 375°F for 5 minutes and then, without opening the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F and continue baking until a toothpick comes out clean (about 15-18 minutes).
Expert Tips
Use room temperature ingredients: this helps the ingredients combine better so the muffins are soft and fluffy!
Use a food scale: it's really important to measure the flour correctly so the muffins don't end up too dry. You can switch to "metric" measurements to view the ingredients in grams in the recipe card below. I got my scale on Amazon for about $20 USD a few years ago and it works great! However, if you don't have one or want to buy one, carefully use the scoop and level method with measuring cups.
Don't over-mix the batter: another important step to yielding fluffy muffins! Overmixing can deflate the batter and make the muffins dense.
Frozen raspberries: if you're using frozen instead of fresh berries, you do not need to thaw them beforehand.
Recipe FAQs
This can happen if the raspberries aren't tossed in the the flour mixture before adding them to the wet ingredients. Coating them in the dry ingredients helps them stick in place while baking!
Making your own buttermilk is super easy! It actually works great with this recipe because you'll get to use up the juice from the lemons you zested! All you have to do is add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice to ½ cup of whole milk.
I haven't tested them in my jumbo muffin pan yet, but I would think it'd be fine! I'd love to hear how they turn out if you try them this way.
I haven't tested them with gluten free ingredients, but please let me know if you do!
Storage
Room temperature: these raspberry muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freezing Instructions: wrap the completely cooled muffins tightly with plastic wrap and then store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 1 month. I like to write on the bag "Lemon Raspberry Muffins" with the date they were made in permanent marker.
Did you try this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
The Best Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- Muffin liners
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Hand mixer
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups raspberries fresh or frozen*
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons lemon zest slightly packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk kefir or buttermilk* room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12-well pan with muffin liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Fold the raspberries in so that they're coated in the flour mixture.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the lemon zest, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
- Alternately stir in the flour mixture and kefir (or buttermilk), ⅓ at a time. Scrape the sides and fold the batter until there are no flour streaks left.
- Fill muffin liners ¾ full and bake for 5 minutes. Then while keeping the oven closed, turn the temperature down to 350°F and bake for another 15-18 minutes. 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.
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!