Quick and easy healthy lemon blueberry muffins! This muffin recipe is kid friendly and made with honey and applesauce. It can be made vegan or dairy free.
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With years of baking experience under my belt, I love a good healthy recipe for breakfast items. With no refined sugar, a nutritional boost from whole wheat flour and no oil, this made from scratch muffin recipe fits that bill.
These lemon blueberry muffins also got rave reviews from little e so you know they are a winner!
For more healthier muffin recipes be sure to try peanut butter muffins and whole wheat blueberry oat muffins.
why you will love this healthier muffin recipe
- Easy and quick ~ it takes about 10 minutes of prep time before these muffins go in the oven.
- Moist ~ thanks to the kefir and applesauce.
- Flavorful ~ made with lemon juice and lemon zest, which compliments the blueberries and adds tons of flavor.
- Healthy recipe ~ made with white whole wheat flour, honey and applesauce.
ingredients and substitutions
Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.
- Whole wheat flour ~ I used white whole wheat flour, but traditional whole wheat flour also works. Whole wheat offers more nutritional value and extra fiber to our healthy muffins.
- Baking powder and baking soda ~ both ingredients help the muffins to rise.
- Kosher salt ~ balances all the flavors.
- Honey ~ brings sweetness to the muffins. You can substitute with light or dark brown sugar or maple syrup for a vegan muffin.
- Applesauce ~ adds moisture. I use an unsweetened applesauce and I also tested with a cinnamon applesauce.
- Lemon zest and juice ~ you need two small lemons and their zest and one of those lemons is needed for juice. Be sure to zest your lemon before juicing it!
- Eggs ~ provide structure to the lemon blueberry muffins. If you need a vegan muffin; see the recipe card notes for how to substitute flax eggs. The eggs should preferably be at room temperature.
- Kefir ~ I love the moisture and nutrition that kefir adds to baked goods! It also adds a nice tang {like in strawberry crumb cake}. The kefir can be substituted with buttermilk or a vegan buttermilk for a dairy free option; see the recipe card for how to substitute.
- Blueberries ~ either frozen blueberries or fresh blueberries work. DO NOT thaw frozen blueberries. Wash and completely dry fresh blueberries before using.
- Turbinado sugar ~ also known as raw sugar. This gets mixed with lemon zest to make a crunchy sweet lemon topping for each muffin. You can find raw sugar in most baking aisles. I typically buy mine at Trader Joe's, but many bulk sections also have it.
Pro tip ~ to quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm tap water for 5-10 minutes.
how to make lemon blueberry muffins
Start by preheating oven to 425°F and line a standard 12 well muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
Then place the turbinado sugar in a bowl and add the zest of one small lemon. Use your {clean} fingers to work the zest into the sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the white whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Move 1 tablespoon of the mixture to a small bowl and set both bowls aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together the honey, applesauce, lemon zest and 1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Then whisk in the eggs followed by the kefir.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until combined. Now mix the blueberries {do not thaw frozen berries} with the reserved tablespoon of the flour mixture and gently mix them into the muffin batter.
Divide the healthy lemon blueberry muffin batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin liners, I use a #16 scoop, which is about a ¼ cup. Top each muffin with about 1 teaspoon of the turbinado sugar and lemon zest mixture.
tips for success with this muffin recipe
- Use good liners for your muffin pan or use a quality non stick pan {I can't say enough good things about my USA muffin pan}!
- Don't over mix the batter! With muffin recipes we aren't going for a super smooth batter, you should stir just until the dry ingredients are fully moistened. Over mixing can result in tough muffins.
- Save aside 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients to toss with blueberries before mixing them into the batter. This helps to evenly distribute the blueberries and keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- Allow the healthy lemon blueberry muffins to cool completely before serving. This recipe tastes best after they have cooled. The muffins will also stick to the muffin liners when they are still warm.
frequently asked questions
are blueberry muffins healthy?
Anytime someone asks if a recipe is healthy, I like to clarify that healthy is a very subjective term. With that being said, I do consider this lemon blueberry muffin recipe to be healthier.
This muffin recipe uses white whole wheat flour, which gives a nutritional boost over all-purpose flour. The recipe also uses honey, so we are only adding a teaspoon of a lightly refined sugar with the turbinado sugar topping. They are also low fat due to the use of applesauce and kefir {more protein!} over oil or butter.
how do you create a bakery style dome on muffins?
Using a higher oven temperature to start gives the muffins an inital burst of heat, which helps them to get more of a domed top. See the recipe card for specific baking instructions.
Some people also swear by leaving every other muffin well empty, which allows more heat to get around each muffin. I've tested this and noticed a slight difference in the height of the lemon blueberry muffins.
can I use fresh or frozen blueberries?
Yes! I typically use frozen blueberries in muffins, but fresh blueberries also work.
Tips ~ DO NOT thaw frozen blueberries before adding them to this muffin batter. Fresh blueberries should be washed and completely dry before adding to the batter.
can I use bottled lemon juice?
I don't recommend bottled juice because the flavor is typically less bright and pronounced than when squeezed fresh. Plus, for these lemon blueberry muffins you are already zesting a fresh lemon, so squeezing it for the juice is easy to do!
Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.
how to store
You can store any leftover muffins at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The lemon blueberry muffins also freeze well in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to three months. Allow them to defrost before serving. I like to warm mine slightly in my Breville countertop oven {3 minutes at 350°F}.
Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!
more healthy breakfast recipes
- Peanut Butter Donuts
- Birthday Cake Protein Bars
- Healthy Breakfast Cookies
- Whole Wheat Cranberry Zucchini Bread
- Snickerdoodle Banana Bread
If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!
Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins
recipe created and tested by:
I highly recommend using weight (metric) measurements when available for more accuracy and the best results.
Please note
When using 2x or 3x ingredients, the grams DO NOT adjust, you will have to manually do that.
Ingredients
sugar topping
- ¼ cup Turbinado raw cane sugar 55g
- 1 small lemon zested
lemon blueberry muffins
- 1 ¾ cup white whole wheat flour 210g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons honey* 120g
- 2 large eggs** room temperature
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce 113g
- 1 small lemon zested then juiced
- ⅔ cup kefir*** 160mL
- 1 cup blueberries frozen or fresh**** 140g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line a standard 12 well muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
- Place the Turbinado sugar (¼ cup/55g) in a bowl and add the zest of one small lemon. Use your (clean) fingers to work the zest into the sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the white whole wheat flour (1 ¾ cups/210g), baking powder (1 teaspoon), baking soda (½ teaspoon) and kosher salt (½ teaspoon). Move 1 tablespoon of the mixture to a small bowl and set both bowls aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the honey (6 tablespoons/120g), applesauce (½ cup/113g), lemon zest (from one small lemon) and 1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Then whisk in the eggs (2 large) followed by the kefir (⅔ cup/160mL).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until combined. Now mix the blueberries (1 cup/140g) {do not thaw frozen berries} with the reserved tablespoon of the flour mixture and gently mix them into the muffin batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin liners, I use a #16 scoop, which is about a ¼ cup. Top each muffin batter with about 1 teaspoon of the Turbinado sugar mixture.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then drop the oven temperature to 350°F (leave the muffins in the oven) and bake for another 12-15 minutes more or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the muffins to rest in the pan for about 1 minute and then move to a wire rack to cool completely. (the muffins will stick to the liners when they are still warm)
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information is based on third-party calculations, is an estimate only and may not be entirely accurate. Actual nutritional values will vary based on brands used and portion sizes.
Michelle says
What a great snack for the kids! Love that classic pairing of blueberry and lemon -- thanks for providing so many substitutions too, super helpful!
Tasia says
Thank you Michelle! Happy to hear you found the post helpful.
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
These look so so good. Applesauce is also one of my favorite baking hacks... and I loved your idea to use Kefir. Brilliant!
Tasia says
Thank you Heidi! I always love sneaking in more nutrition in breakfast items and the applesauce and kefir both do that!;-)
jill says
The whole family loved them!
Tasia says
Hi Jill, so happy to hear that! Thank you for making them.