Greek Yogurt Lemon Muffins: Amazingly Delicious
These Greek Yogurt Lemon Muffins are slightly sweet, flavored with real lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and have a moist and crumbly texture. They’re perfect to serve at a spring brunch or for afternoon tea. Ready in just 30 minutes, they’re perfect for last minute entertaining and easy to serve fresh from the oven.
If you love lemons… you’ll love these lemon muffins.
Perfect for breakfast, of course… they’re muffins… but also for brunches, lunches, showers, and tea parties. That’s how I’ve come to serve them so regularly. They’re a real crowd pleaser and bound to be a hit at any gathering!
I really, really try to keep myself from nibbling those cute little mini summer sunshine muffins. It’s how I feel when I pop one in my mouth. Like a taste of sunshine. I know lemons are available all year around, but there is something about their brightness that makes them just perfect for spring when we have said goodbye to winter and we’re waiting for summer to arrive! But, if you’re reading this in say November, or August, I promise you they are delicious at any time of year.
What size tin do I need to make these muffins?
The recipe is written for a standard 12-cup muffin tin. But I’ve also been making them in mini muffin form, which makes about 36 muffins. And bakes in about 10 minutes. The best way to check your muffins are done is to insert the tip of a sharp knife, wooden skewer or cake tester into the middle of a muffin. If it comes out clean, they’re ready to take out of the oven!
Can I freeze these muffins?
Yes! These muffins are easy to freeze and defrost really well. This is how to freeze muffins to defrost for later. However, I would recommend not icing the muffins until after you have thawed them and they are at room temperature.
Can I use plain yogurt in these muffins instead?
Of course! Plain or natural yogurt also works really well, but I’d recommend the thicker the yogurt the more tender your lemon muffins will be. Feel free to experiment with your favorite brands.
Are these muffins suitable for any other add-ins?
Readers have told me that these muffins are delicious with a handful of fresh blueberries added into the batter, and I know some people have sprinkled a little coconut on top as well as the fresh lemon zest to add a little bit of a tropical feel.
If you enjoyed this recipe on 31 Daily, you might also enjoy:
- Mixed Berry Yogurt Muffins
- Moist Banana Bran Muffins
- Best Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Greek Yogurt
- Easy Lemon Bundt Cake
- Easy Classic Spinach Quiche
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Greek Yogurt Lemon Muffins with Vanilla
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins 1x
Description
Lemon Muffins are slightly sweet, flavored with real lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and have a moist and crumbly texture. They’re perfect to serve at a spring brunch or for afternoon tea.
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (1 large lemon, reserve 1–2 tsp to sprinkle on top)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or plain yogurt)
- 1/2 cup milk
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 to 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with muffin cups.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl combine egg, yogurt, milk, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened. The batter will be lumpy. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cups – I like to use a large cookie scoop (affiliate link) — and fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 17 to 19 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the muffin tin about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
- To make the glaze, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and reserved lemon juice until your glaze is easily drizzled. Over warm muffins, drizzle the glaze and serve warm.
Notes
For tea parties, brunches, or even snacks, I like to make these in mini-muffin tins. Reduce the baking time to around 10 minutes. This recipe will yield about 36 mini muffins. And… they’re easy to freeze!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 18 Minutes
- Category: Bread
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 200 calories / Standard Muffin; 71 calories / Mini Muffin
- Protein: 4 grams
Keywords: muffins, breakfast, lemon
Can I use almond milk instead of regular milk
Hi Lynsie! You can substitute almond milk for the dairy milk with the same measurement. Watch the baking time though as almond milk contains more moisture than dairy milk, which causes the muffins to rise and set more quickly.
Just made these muffins Amazing light and lemony . Great recipe! Wondering how to store, that’s if they last lol.
Hi Patti! Thank you so much for trying the muffin recipe. I’m SO glad you enjoyed them. I like to store them in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days. Refrigerating them gives you more time, or freeze them for up to 2 months!
These muffins are fabulous….like a little lemon flavored cloud in your mouth!!! I added blueberries as I had just bought some….very yum!!!
Thank you for a great recipe
Hi Sue! Well described! I love those lemon muffins too. Adding blueberries is genius.
Loved this recipe!! I actually forgot to add the juice of the lemon to the mix (even though I had it sitting there!) but I had probably doubled the zest and also made a bit more glaze so they still tasted great. I sprinkled a bit of coconut on top… nom nom nom!
Thanks!
I’m in the process of making these but haven’t taste-tested yet. I’m wondering if perhaps the recipe should say to reserve 1-2 teaspoons of lemon *juice*, rather than the zest? Unfortunately I didn’t realise that may be the case until the muffins were in the oven and I started reading the glaze recipe, but I will try to incorprate the extra zest into the glaze. (There’s also a missing carriage return and a stray “q” in the ingredients list.) 🙂
Thank you, Anna, for your input! I recently updated the recipe card function for the website and there have been a couple of “carriage return” errors in that update. Also, thank you for your comment on the lemon zest in the glaze. I have reworded that to hopefully make it more clear! The intention is to sprinkle the reserved lemon zest over the muffins and on top of the glaze. And that is optional!
Awesome recipe! Moist and so easy to make
I LOVE those too, Jenni! Thank you for trying them and letting us know!
We loved the recipe! It’s a keeper! thank you!
I’m so glad!! Thanks for letting me know!
Thanks so much! I love them too!!
Great recipe!! My kids would love to have these.
Thank you, Kim! We really love them — in fact, on repeat in the kitchen as we speak. Another round for this weekend.