These Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins bake up soft and fluffy with juicy blueberries, bright lemons, and a crisp cinnamon sugar topping. They are bursting with summer flavor and sure to please a crowd.
They are made vegan so everyone can enjoy them, and while I used gluten-free all purpose flour, they also work nicely with regular all-purpose flour.
While I sometimes make Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins throughout the year as a special brunch treat, they were made for summer. With ripe blueberries picked from the farm and the refreshing taste of lemon, this treat is summer in a bite.
Enjoy this recipe alongside my Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate as the weather gets warmer.
For more gluten-free muffins, check out my full collection of gluten-free muffin recipes or try favorites like my Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins.
If you love vegan recipes, you might also enjoy my Fluffy Gluten-Free Vegan Pancakes and my Vegan Gluten-Free Brownies.
How to make it
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
You need 11 common ingredients to make these flavorful vegan lemon blueberry muffins!
- plant milk - I use unsweetened almond milk when making this recipe but oat milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, and other plant-based milks work nicely as a substitute.
- apple cider vinegar - Vinegar interacts with the baking soda and baking powder to create bubbles that ensure a good muffin rise with a round top. You won't taste it in these muffins after baking. White wine vinegar can be used instead of apple cider vinegar if you don't have it.
- ground flaxseed - Ground flaxseed works as a binder, similarly to how egg would in a non-vegan recipe. For a vegan blueberry muffin without flaxseed, use the vegan substitution in my Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins.
- all purpose flour - I used Bob's red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free all purpose flour. Regular all purpose flour will work too if not gluten-free.
- sugar - For a refined sugar-free option, use coconut sugar as a substitute. You can also use half brown sugar and half regular sugar for a brown sugar taste!
- blueberries - I mostly use fresh blueberries for this recipe. If using frozen blueberries, you do not need to thaw them ahead of time. Simply mix them in while frozen (though you may need to break up frozen blueberry clumps).
You also need a large lemon, vegetable oil, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Variations
Don't have ground flaxseed or prefer a different type of egg substitute? Both the chia egg and starch egg substitutions worked well in this vegan blueberry lemon muffins recipe.
- chia egg - To use a chia egg instead of a flax egg, simply replace 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and follow the recipe as listed.
- starch egg - Use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch mixed into the dry ingredients, and 3 tablespoons of additional water or milk mixed into the wet ingredients.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these six easy step-by-step instructions to make vegan blueberry lemon muffins:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease 6 spots in a muffin pan with oil of your choosing (or use muffin liners).
- Milk + Flaxseed: In a liquid measuring cup, mix the plant milk and vinegar and set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix the water with ground flaxseed and set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk everything together well. Once other ingredients are added, there will be little mixing so break up large clumps and mix well now.
- Batter: Add dairy-free milk mixture, flax egg, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Stir just enough to mix ingredients together but do not over-mix. Small clumps of flour are fine. I aim for less than 15 mixing strokes with a spatula. Then gently fold in the blueberries.
- Muffin pan: Distribute batter evenly amongst the 6 muffin cups using an ice cream scoop if possible. They should be filled nearly to the top. Mix the cinnamon sugar topping and sprinkle it across the top of the muffins.
- Bake: Bake on the middle oven rack for 7 minutes at 425 degrees F, then decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F for the remaining 8 minutes. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Muffin texture is best once cooled completely.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the comments below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins
Ingredients
Vegan Buttermilk
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons plant milk , I used unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Flax Egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour or gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar , choose organic sugar or coconut sugar for vegan friendliness
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh Ingredients
- â…” cups blueberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest , 1 tablespoon = zest of ½ medium lemon
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease 6 spots in a muffin pan with oil of your choosing (or use muffin liners).
- Milk + Flaxseed: In a liquid measuring cup, mix the plant milk and vinegar and set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix the water with ground flaxseed and set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk everything together well. Once other ingredients are added, there will be little mixing so break up large clumps and mix well now.
- Batter: Add dairy-free milk mixture, flax egg, and lemon zest to the dry ingredients. Stir just enough to mix ingredients together but do not over-mix. Small clumps of flour are fine. I aim for less than 15 mixing strokes with a spatula. Then gently fold in the blueberries.
- Muffin pan: Distribute batter evenly amongst the 6 muffin cups using an ice cream scoop if possible. They should be filled nearly to the top. Mix the cinnamon sugar topping and sprinkle it across the top of the muffins.
- Bake: Bake on the middle oven rack for 7 minutes at 425 degrees F, then decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F for the remaining 8 minutes. Let muffins cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Muffin texture is best once cooled completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Expert Tips
Make amazing vegan blueberry lemon muffins on the first try with these expert tips!
Use a separate bowl for wet and dry ingredients for the best texture.
I am a big fan of one-bowl recipes because I hate washing dishes. However for this recipe, mixing that vegan buttermilk ahead of time and letting your flax egg gel is super important for a lighter texture. Otherwise vegan muffins can be too dense.
Mix the batter less.
To get a traditional muffin crumb in vegan baking, I recommend the traditional method of just barely mixing the ingredients together. Otherwise you will end up with a gummy final texture and none of the anticipated crumbliness.
Note that generally with gluten-free baking, I recommend that the batter is well-mixed. This is usually specific to gluten-free baking only.
If you replace the flax egg with a real egg, mix the batter well before folding in the blueberries and zest.
If you're interested in gluten-free baking tips, I recommend this informative post from America's Test Kitchen on gluten-free baking.
Use two baking temperatures (as listed) for muffins with round tops.
Starting the muffins at a fully pre-heated 425 degrees F for the first 7 minutes will create a "rapid-rise" cycle that will allow the muffin tops to rise.
If you do not fully preheat the oven, or you bake the muffins for the full time at a lower temperature, you will get a flatter denser muffin. This is a handy trick for any muffin recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftovers at room temperature for up to two days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
A good recipe, preheating the oven fully, and baking at a higher temperature for the first 7 minutes are the secrets to high round tops on homemade muffins.
Vegan muffins are similar to traditional muffins but substitute vegan ingredients when needed. Organic sugar and an egg and dairy replacement are usually the only substitutions.
To add a crumb topping to this recipe, use the crumb recipe on my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins and sprinkle it over the muffins before baking.
For a cinnamon sugar topping, use the cinnamon sugar recipe from my Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins and sprinkle it over the muffins before baking.
For both topping variations, the baking time and temperature is the same.
More vegan baking recipes to consider...
Looking for more vegan baking recipes? Check these out:
Cassie says
The muffins have a hearty texture and make for a really great on-the-go breakfast for those busy mornings!!
Jamie says
I love hearing that! Thank you for the rating 🙂