• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Pinch of Parsley
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Starters, Sides, & Salads
    • Mains
    • Desserts
    • Smoothies, Drinks, & Cocktails
  • Resources
  • Work with Me
    • Client Inquiry Form
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • Subscribe
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins

    Published: May 30, 2022 · Modified: May 30, 2022 by Pinch of Parsley · This post may contain affiliate links.

    • Yum
    • Share
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    These vegan lemon blueberry muffins are fluffy, moist, and bursting with zesty & fresh flavor! Easily made in one bowl and taking less than 20 minutes to bake, they make for the perfect grab & go breakfast. Take them to the next level by topping them with a streusel crumble topping OR a yummy lemon glaze. Better yet, why not both?!

    vegan lemon blueberry muffins topped with lemon zest on parchment paper.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • Expert Tips
    • Storage Tips
    • FAQ
    • Other recipes you might like!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Muffins are so easy to make, but they are tricky to get just right. It's tricky to get them to have a nice muffin top while not being overcooked and dry on the inside. Well, guess what? These muffins are BOTH fluffy & moist, while being puffy & tall.

    The best thing about these muffins (other than the flavor) is that they stay super moist. These muffins are loaded with flavor, vegan, dairy-free, eggless, made without yogurt or sour cream, and can easily be made gluten-free.

    Ingredients

    lemon blueberry muffin ingredients in bowls and labeled.
    • Blueberries: The first star of the show! I prefer to use fresh blueberries here but you can use frozen if you'd prefer. If you're using fresh, make sure you pick through to ensure there's no nasty ones hidden in the bunch and then give them all a good rinse.
    • Lemons: We'll need lemon juice AND lemon zest! You can use Meyer lemons or regular lemons, whatever is accessible to you - either produce great results. I do not recommend getting store bought/pre-squeeze lemon juice, it's just not the same. The lemon juice and zest add so much vibrance and freshness to these muffins. Plus, they balance out the sweetness of the berries, making it these a perfect combination of sweet & tangy.
    • Flour: I used all-purpose flour, but you can easily use whole wheat flour or 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour instead.
    • Sugar: All you need is good old granulated sugar here! Pssst..refined-sugar free options are in the substitutions & variations section!
    • Baking Powder: To help these muffins rise!
    • Coconut Milk: We'll be using canned full fat coconut milk. It adds a ton of richness here and keeps this recipe dairy-free!
    • Coconut Oil: I used refined coconut oil. You can also use vegan butter or any other mild oil (like vegetable or canola) you like.
    • Flax Eggs: I love using flax eggs for baking muffins! Don't like flax eggs? These are my favorite egg substitutes - feel free to use nearly any of these instead.
    • Vanilla Extract: I would never leave it out. EVER. If there's a baked good recipe on this site that doesn't have vanilla in it, I'll allow you to fire me.
    • Spices: cinnamon and salt to add a touch of flavor and balance.

    Instructions

    I love that this muffin recipe can be easily and quickly made in one bowl!

    First, pick our your blueberries and rinse them! I tried to make sure I had blueberries that were small/medium and were all of similar size. Also, if you're choosing to make the streusel topping, do so now by combining sugar, flour, lemon zest and melted butter in a bowl. Combine until you have a nice crumbly mixture. Place it in the fridge until you're ready to top and bake the muffins.

    lemon zest being mixed into sugar.
    Lemon zest being rubbed into the sugar.
    lemon zest and sugar combined in a bowl.
    Lemon zest + sugar fully combined.

    Start by adding your lemon zest and sugar to the mixing bowl. Using your hands, rub the lemon zest into sugar until combined. This will help release even more of that yummy flavor into the batter.

    dry ingredients for lemon blueberry muffins in a mixing bowl.
    Add all dry ingredients.
    Blueberries coated in flour in a bowl.
    Add blueberries and coat in the dry ingredients.

    Now add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt to the same mixing bowl. Whisk until combined. Pour in the blueberries and, using your hands, toss until they are coated with the dry ingredients. This will help prevent your blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Instead, they'll be evenly distributed throughout the muffin.

    wet ingredients for lemon blueberry muffins added to the dry ingredients.
    Wet ingredients added to dry ingredients
    batter for lemon blueberry muffins.
    Mixed until combined to create the batter

    Pour in the coconut milk*, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, and flax eggs. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold until just combined. The second you no longer see any streaks of flour, stop mixing. Over-mixing will lead to a tough muffin. The batter will be a bit thick rather than runny - that's okay!

    *Because coconut milk naturally separates in the can, I recommend pouring the entire can into a blender and blending for a few seconds. This will get the milk back into one homogenous liquid that you can then easily measure.

    Lemon blueberry muffins topped with streusel in muffin tins.
    Standard muffin pan lined and filled with batter and topped with streusel
    Baked lemon blueberry muffins in a muffin pan.
    Baked lemon blueberry muffins!

    Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups. Using an ice cream scooper, evenly distribute the batter into the liners to bake 12 muffins. If choosing to do so, top each muffin with a hefty amount of the streusel crumble topping.

    Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then lower than temperature to 375F (all while keeping the muffins in the oven) for an additional 10 minutes. This technique allows the muffins to quickly rise, giving you that domed top, while still having a soft, fluffy inside.

    Top with a sprinkle of fresh lemon zest or lemon glaze and enjoy!

    Substitutions & Variations

    Make these lemon blueberry muffins gluten-free by using a 1:1 Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour - I recommend Bob's Red Mill. You could also use almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour! NOTE: be careful with any flours other than all-purpose and 1:1 gluten-free flour, as the others have a tendency to absorb more liquid than regular flour so it's not a simple swap. You may need to add more plant-based milk, another flax egg, or more oil in order to counteract this so the muffins aren't dry.

    Swap out the oil with applesauce to make these oil-free.

    Let's talk sugar!! To make these muffins refined sugar-free, swap the granulated sugar with either coconut sugar, maple syrup or agave, monk fruit sweetener. All can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio. If you're okay with refined sugar, but just want less - feel free to reduce the sugar by ¼ cup, or as much as you want!

    Instead of coconut milk you can use vegan buttermilk, unflavored vegan greek yogurt, or vegan sour cream. Swap these easily at a 1:1 ratio.

    Change up the berries! These muffins are awesome with raspberries (lemon raspberry muffins?! I mean come on, they even sound great), but you can really use any berry you prefer. Strawberries and blackberries would be delicious too.

    Make these into mini lemon blueberry muffins by dividing the batter across a mini muffin pan and baking for 10-13 minutes.

    lemon blueberry muffins with a bite taken out

    Expert Tips

    • Mix the blueberries with the dry ingredients! This coats them in flour and prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Instead, they'll be nicely distributed throughout!
    • Do not over-mix! The moment there are no more streaks of flour in the batter, stop mixing! Over-mixing your batter will lead to a tough, dry muffin rather than a soft, tender and moist muffin.
    • Start high, then go low: Be sure to follow the instructions of starting your oven temperature high at 450F and then lowering it to 375F! Using two temperatures will give you bakery style muffins that have that signature tall, domed muffin top and a pillowy-soft center. The initial 425°F oven temperature promotes a fast rise, allowing the top to puff up and set. When the temperature is lowered, it allows the center to bake through without burning the outside.
    • Use an ice cream scoop to divide your batter across the muffin tin. Not only will this be clean and easy, but it ensures that your muffins will all be the same size and bake evenly.
    • For the best and most accurate results, use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients or use the spoon and level method. This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
    • Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature! The melted coconut oil will harden and solidify when if comes into contact with any cold liquids.
    • Shake the can of coconut milk WELL so that you don't have the separated cream on top. If that doesn't work, dump the entire contents of the can into a blender and blend for 30 seconds before measuring.

    Storage Tips

    Refrigerator: Store these muffins in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can eat them chilled or pop them in the microwave or oven to warm them up.

    Freezer: These lemon blueberry muffins are freezer friendly! Allow the muffins to cool completely first then freeze them in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

    Room temperature: Because they're chock full of blueberries, making them susceptible to mold, I don't recommend storing them at room temperature. But, if you'd like to and know they'll be eaten quickly, store them in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

    lemon blueberry muffins lined up on parchment paper.

    FAQ

    Can I use frozen blueberries?

    Yes! There are just a few things to keep in mind. If you leave them frozen, you'll need to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes. Also, the blueberries may bleed coloring into the batter, tinting your muffins blue. Make sure you coat the frozen blueberries in the dry ingredients or you can thaw and rinse them well to prevent tinting the batter/muffins.

    Can I make the muffin batter in advance?

    Yes, you can make the batter for these lemon blueberry muffins up to 1 day ahead of time! Be sure to cover the bowl that your batter is in with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you're ready to bake.

    Other recipes you might like!

    • One Bowl Double Chocolate Muffins
    • No Bake Breakfast Fruit Tarts
    • Strawberry Pop Tarts

    Be sure to leave a comment and rating down below if you try this recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram for more recipes and updates.

    Print

    📖 Recipe

    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins


    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Lauren Casolaro
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 12 Muffins 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Easily made in one bowl and taking less than 20 minutes to bake, these lemon blueberry muffins make the perfect grab & go breakfast. Take them to the next level by topping them with a streusel crumble topping OR a yummy lemon glaze. 


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Lemon Blueberry Muffins

    • ¾ cup (160g) granulated sugar
    • 2 tablespoons (8g) fresh lemon zest (~2 large lemons)
    • 1 ¾ cups (225g) all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
    • 2 ½ teaspoons (9g) baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ cup (50g) coconut oil, melted
    • ½ cup (117mL) canned full fat coconut milk
    • 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons (14g) flax seed meal + 6 tablespoons (70mL) water)
    • 2 tablespoons (24g) fresh lemon juice (~1 large lemon)
    • 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups (250g) fresh blueberries

    Streusel Topping, optional

    • ½ cup (110g) granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup (33g) all-purpose flour
    • 3 tablespoons vegan butter
    • 1-2 tablespoons (4-8g) fresh lemon zest

    Lemon Glaze, optional

    • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
    • 1 ½ tablespoons (18g) lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon (2g) lemon zest

    Instructions

    Streusel Topping, optional but highly recommended

    1. Combine the sugar, flour, lemon zest, and melted butter until crumbly. Place in the fridge until you're ready to top and bake the muffins. 

    Lemon Blueberry Muffins

    1. Preheat the oven to 450F and line a standard muffin tin with 12 liners. 
    2. To a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Using your hands, press the lemon zest into the sugar until fully combined.
    3. Add the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder to the mixing bowl and whisk until combined. 
    4. Pour in the blueberries and toss until fully coated. 
    5. Create a small well in the dry ingredients and pour in the coconut milk* (see notes!), melted coconut oil, lemon juice, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold together all of the ingredients until just combined. 
    6. Using an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute the batter across the lined muffin tin. Take the crumble out of the fridge and sprinkle a hefty amount on top of each muffin. 
    7. Bake for 10 minutes then, while keeping the muffins in the oven, drop the temperature to 375F and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
    8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Optional: while they muffins are cooling, feel free to make the lemon glaze. 
    9. Top with lemon zest or the lemon glaze and serve! Enjoy while warm, at room temperature, or chilled. 

    Notes

    Because coconut milk naturally separates in the can, I recommend pouring the entire can into a blender and blending for a few seconds. This will get the milk back into one homogenous liquid that you can then easily measure.

    Leftover muffins can be stored at room temperature for 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer (after they've cooled) for up to 3 months. 

    Nutritional values are estimates only. Please see our full disclosure here.

    • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 Minutes
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 Muffin
    • Calories: 163
    • Sugar: 12.6g
    • Sodium: 100mg
    • Fat: 3.6mg
    • Saturated Fat: 3g
    • Carbohydrates: 30g
    • Fiber: 1.4g
    • Protein: 2.6g
    • Cholesterol: 0mg

    Keywords: vegan lemon blueberry muffins, lemon blueberry muffins, vegan blueberry muffins

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @pinchofparsley_ on Instagram! We can't wait to see it!

    « Vegan Mac and Cheese without Cashews

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jess

      May 30, 2022 at 7:26 pm

      Immediately made these and they were PERFECT. I used vegan butter instead of coconut oil and Bob Red Mills replacement egg instead of flax egg and they were great.






      Reply
      • Pinch of Parsley

        May 30, 2022 at 8:22 pm

        JESS!! You are quick! So glad you liked these!

        Reply
    2. Bianca

      May 30, 2022 at 4:17 pm

      OBSESSED. I had the privilege of taste testing these and they are superb! Will definitely be making these often.






      Reply
      • Pinch of Parsley

        May 30, 2022 at 4:21 pm

        Yay!!! So glad you love them 🙂

        Reply

    Did you make this recipe? Leave any questions or thoughts below: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    Primary Sidebar

    hi there!

    Welcome to Pinch of Parsley, thank you so so much for being here! On my page you'll find a wide range of delicious vegan recipes that are suitable for both beginners and long-time home cooks. I can't wait for you to start cooking with me! Read more about me here!

    connect with me!

    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok

    Healthy Spring Recipes

    • No-Bake Breakfast Fruit Tarts
    • Blueberry Chickpea Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette
    • Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls
    • Healthy Mango Spinach Smoothie

    subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

      Built with ConvertKit

      Trending Recipes

      • Grapefruit Gin Spritz
      • Vegan Mac and Cheese without Cashews
      • Vegan Chickpea 'Tuna' Salad Sandwich without Mayo
      • One Pot Creamy Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      More

      • About
      • Resources
      • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
      • Subscribe

      Recipe Index

      • Starters, Sides & Salads
      • Breakfast
      • Main Dishes
      • Desserts

      Contact

      • Please reach out with any
        questions or concerns!
      • Contact Us
      • Client Inquiry Form

      Copyright © 2022 Pinch of Parsley LLC. All Rights Reserved.

      We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
      Cookie SettingsAccept All
      Manage consent

      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
      Necessary
      Always Enabled
      Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
      CookieDurationDescription
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
      cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
      viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
      Functional
      Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
      Performance
      Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
      Analytics
      Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
      Advertisement
      Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
      Others
      Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
      SAVE & ACCEPT