Indulge in the vibrant flavors of lemon with these bakery-style lemon muffins topped with a delightful crumb topping and a lemon glaze. These muffins are perfectly sweet and lemony, making them an ideal treat for breakfast, brunch, or any time you crave a citrusy pick-me-up.

A bakery-style lemon muffins with crumb topping and glaze on a wooden board.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • Bright Citrus Flavor: The use of both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest in the batter ensures a vibrant citrus flavor that is both refreshing and uplifting.
  • Perfect Texture: These muffins strike the ideal balance between moist and fluffy, thanks to the combination of whole milk, vegetable oil, and leavening agents. The crumb topping adds a delightful crunch that contrasts beautifully with the soft interior.
  • Simple Ingredients: This lemon muffin recipe calls for basic pantry staples like flour, sugar, eggs, oil, and lemons, making it easy to whip up a batch whenever the craving strikes. There’s no need for any fancy or hard-to-find ingredients.
  • Homemade Bakery-Style Goodness: With this recipe, you can recreate the experience of biting into a freshly baked muffin from your favorite bakery right in your own kitchen. The large muffin top, crumb topping, and drizzle of glaze elevate these muffins to bakery-quality status.
Lemon crumb muffins on a gold cooling rack with one muffin broken in half.

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder & baking soda
  • granulated sugar & powdered sugar
  • fresh lemon juice and zest
  • vegetable oil (or any kind of neutral-tasting cooking oil)
  • eggs
  • whole milk
  • vanilla extract
  • unsalted butter

How to make lemon muffins:

(The ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below.)

process shots of how to make lemon muffins
  1. Mix the flour and sugar for the streusel in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter until all is moistened and looks like wet sand. Set aside.
  2. Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk in the vegetable oil, eggs, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
  3. Toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  5. Divide the batter evenly into a paper-lined muffin pan, filling all the way to the top.
  6. Evenly sprinkle the streusel on top of each muffin. Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes.
lemon muffin batter in a muffin pan and topped with steusel

Expert tips:

  • Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar helps release the lemon oil from the zest and makes the muffins much more flavorful.
  • Make buttermilk by combining the milk and lemon juice before adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients for a more tender muffin.
  • Sprinkle the streusel by hand for a more evenly distributed crumb topping.

FAQ:

Can I make these lemon muffins ahead of time?

Absolutely! These muffins can be baked ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Note: It’s best to glaze them just before serving, as the glaze tends to melt when stored in an airtight container for more than a day.

Can I omit the crumb topping?

Yes, if you prefer muffins without the crumb topping, you can simply leave it out. The muffins will still be delicious!

Can I add blueberries or other mix-ins to the batter?

Absolutely! Feel free to customize these muffins by adding blueberries or other mix-ins like poppy seeds, dried coconut, or raspberries to the batter for extra flavor and texture. Just fold them in gently before scooping the batter into the muffin cups.

Two lemon muffins stack on top of one another with a bite taken out of the top one.

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Bakery-Style Lemon Muffins

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Lily Ernst
  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins
  • Category: breakfast, snack
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Indulge in the vibrant flavors of lemon with these bakery-style lemon muffins topped with a delightful crumb topping and a lemon glaze

Ingredients

streusel crumb topping:

  • 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

muffin batter:

  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • zest of 2 large lemons
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
  • 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
  • 2 & 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp (13g) baking powder
  • 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp (2g) salt

lemon glaze:

  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
  • 1–2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
  2. Mix the flour and sugar for the streusel in a small bowl. Stir in the melted butter until all is moistened and looks like wet sand. Set aside.
  3. Combine the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant. Whisk in the vegetable oil, eggs, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
  4. Toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  5. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling all the way to the top. Give the streusel a quick stir, breaking up any large clumps, then evenly sprinkle the streusel on top of each muffin.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
  7. In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar with 1 tbsp at a time of lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins and enjoy.

Notes

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.