Bakery-Style Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Streusel
These soft, fluffy muffins are packed with big, juicy blueberries, a nice hint of lemon, and a sweet crumbly streusel...
- Prep
- 25 mins
- Cook
- 20 mins
- Total
- 45 mins
- Makes
- 12 muffins
These soft and fluffy Bakery-Style Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins are packed with big juicy blueberries, just the right amount of lemon zest, and a sweet, crumbly streusel topping that ties everything together! They are best still warm from the oven with a little butter. So good.
Why You Will Love These Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Simple to make
- Bursting with plump blueberries
- A tangy and sweet balance
- Soft and moist
- Topped with a sweet, crumbly streusel
- Easy to adapt, whether you use fresh blueberries, frozen unthawed blueberries, or fresh or frozen unthawed raspberries!
- Just the right amount of lemon flavor
- Works with buttermilk substitutes
- Really delicious
If you love warm, fluffy muffins for breakfast, brunch, or any time of day, this easy lemon blueberry muffin recipe is your next bake!
What You Need
To make these lemon blueberry streusel muffins, you will need the following ingredients:
Streusel Topping
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted Butter
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Eggs – room temperature
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Juice
- Whole Milk or Buttermilk
- Vanilla Flavoring
- Blueberries
Ingredient Swaps
Lemon Juice. Fresh lemon juice works, and so does the bottled kind. If you use bottled juice, you can leave out the lemon zest.
Whole Milk. Buttermilk or plain yogurt can stand in for the whole milk.
Fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries work instead of fresh. Do not thaw them before folding them into the muffin batter!
Buttermilk Alternatives
If you would like to use buttermilk in place of whole milk, here are a few options to try.
Saco Pantry's Cultured Buttermilk Blend. This powdered buttermilk is mixed with water. You can usually find it in the baking aisle near powdered milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Once opened, keep it in the refrigerator.
Homemade Buttermilk. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice to a 1 cup measuring cup, then fill the rest of the cup with whole milk. Stir, then let it sit for 5 minutes before adding it to the batter.
If you do not have lemon juice, use the same amount of white vinegar instead.
How to Make the Best Lemon Blueberry Muffins
You can rely on a hand mixer or stand mixer for any of these steps, though the simplest route is a set of mixing bowls. You'll also want a whisk or two, a spatula, a cookie scoop, a 12-cavity muffin tin, and some muffin liners.
Make the streusel topping. Start by whisking together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until you have small streusel crumbles. A few larger crumbles are totally fine too.
Whisk the dry ingredients together. Use a medium or large mixing bowl to whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. It is tempting to skip this, but it helps spread everything out evenly.
Combine the wet ingredients. Gather the eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. I whisk the first five ingredients together, then stir in the buttermilk and vanilla. Either whole milk or buttermilk works. Scroll to the quick tips section below for more buttermilk swaps.
Add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet. Switch to a spatula for this step and add the dry ingredients a little at a time.
Fold in the blueberries. Before adding the blueberries to the batter, you can toss them with 1-2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (a Ziploc bag works well). This helps keep them from sinking to the bottom while baking. It is optional, and I do not always do it myself.
One reader told me she did this, so I thought it was worth including as an option.
Whether or not you coat them, fold the blueberries in gently with a spatula. Do not use a whisk or a mixer.
Scoop, then bake. I used my two tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners. These tulip cupcake or muffin liners made 12 muffins. Standard-size liners will give you more.
Add a few extra blueberries on top, then sprinkle the streusel over the tops.
Bake for 20 minutes at 400ºF, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before taking them out.
These taste great served warm with a little butter, and they are just as good once cooled completely.
Equipment
Here is the equipment I recommend for making these lemon blueberry streusel muffins!
- Lemon Grater
- Citrus Juicer
- OXO Stainless Steel Food Scale
- White Tulip Baking Liners (for standard-size muffins and cupcakes)
- 2 Tablespoon Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop (or you can use this 3.4 tablespoon size cookie scoop)
- 12-cup Muffin Tin
- Half-size Stainless Steel Cooling Rack
- Zassenhaus Magnetic Retro Kitchen Timer
For all of my favorite baking tools, equipment, pans, ingredients, and more, visit and follow my Favorite Finds list on Amazon!
Helpful Tips for Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- With standard liners you will get more than the 12 noted in the recipe.
- If you are not using liners, generously spray each muffin tin cavity with a flour-based baking spray.
- Fold the blueberries into the batter at the very end, and be careful not to overmix.
- To give your bakery-style lemon blueberry streusel muffins some height (a.k.a. “muffin top”), fill them right up to the top of the muffin tin. Only do this with the tulip-style muffin liners.
- If using standard-size liners, fill them 2/3 full.
Lemon Blueberry Muffin FAQs
What kind of liners did you use with the lemon blueberry streusel muffins?I used tulip style cupcake and muffin liners from Katgely.
Can I use standard cupcake liners instead?Yes, absolutely. You will likely get more muffins since the liners do not hold as much batter. If using standard-size liners, fill them 2/3 full.
Can frozen blueberries be used in place of fresh?Yes. Use frozen blueberries straight from the freezer. Do not defrost them before adding them to the batter.
Are there any substitutions for the flour, butter, or eggs?No, not at this time.
More Delicious Breakfast Treats to Enjoy!
Bakery-Style Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Streusel
These incredibly soft and fluffy Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins are packed with big juicy blueberries, a perfect hint of lemon flavor, and a sweet, crumbly streusel topping that ties it all together! They taste best still warm from the oven with a little butter. So good.
- Prep
- 25 mins
- Cook
- 20 mins
- Total
- 45 mins
- Makes
- 12 muffins
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp Grated Lemon Zest
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Buttermilk or Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Fresh Blueberries, rinsed and dried (plus some extra for topping)
Method
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon.
- Add the melted butter and mix until small crumbles form. Bigger crumbles are great too. Set aside.
- Set the oven rack to the 2nd level mark, just above center, and preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a standard size muffin tin with tulip liners. Standard size liners will give you more muffins. If you are not using any liners, generously spray the muffin tin cavities with a flour-based baking spray.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Then add the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
- Use a spatula to gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Optional step: toss the blueberries in flour before adding them to the batter, which can keep them from sinking to the bottom while baking.
- Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop or two spoons, divide the batter evenly into the muffin liners, filling them to the top. Only do this if you are using tulip liners. If using standard size liners, fill them 2/3 full. Top with extra blueberries (optional) and the streusel.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400ºF, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When done, remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before taking the muffins out of the tin.
- Muffins are best served still warm with a little butter, but they are just as good when completely cooled.
Baker’s notes
- With standard liners, you will get more than the 12 noted in the recipe. If you are not using liners, generously spray each muffin tin cavity with a flour-based baking spray. Fold the blueberries in at the end, but be careful not to overmix. To give your bakery-style lemon blueberry streusel muffins some height (a.k.a. “muffin top”), fill them all the way to the top of the muffin tin, but only if using tulip-style liners. If using standard-size liners, fill them 2/3 full. For more lemon flavor, increase the lemon zest to 1 teaspoon and rub it into the granulated sugar before mixing it with the remaining wet ingredients in step 3.
