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Soft and fluffy vegan lemon muffins with fresh, bright lemon flavour! They're quick and easy to make with simple ingredients, and they’re perfect to enjoy with breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or packed up for on-the-go treats.
As always, they’re egg-free, dairy-free, and I have a gluten-free option in case you need it.
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Sometimes you feel like having a vegan muffin packed with add-ins like berries, chocolate, or nuts. Other times, you crave something lighter and fresher in flavour.
That's when you make this recipe for easy vegan lemon muffins!
They’re gently sweetened and very lemon forward, thanks to three ingredients that really boost the flavour. Plus, they come together quickly.
Ready to make them? Then read on to learn how to make these citrusy vegan muffins from start to finish.
What You'll Need
Key Ingredient and Swap Info
(NOTE: Only ingredients with special notes are listed below. The full ingredient list can be found in the recipe card.)
Flour - This vegan lemon muffin recipe was developed with all-purpose white flour. I haven’t tested it with other flours, except for a gluten-free blend (see below).
For vegan gluten-free lemon muffins: I tested the recipe with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour in the BLUE bag (NOT their gf flour in the red bag!), and the results were excellent. Find all the details in the recipe notes.
Dairy-Free Milk - These muffins are made with vegan buttermilk, which makes them soft, fluffy, and moist. Unflavoured, unsweetened soy milk makes the best vegan buttermilk; however, if you don't have soy milk, any dairy-free milk will work.
Oil - Use a neutral-flavoured oil (like safflower, sunflower, etc.), don't use one that has a taste that will overpower or compete with the lemon flavour.
Lemon Juice, Zest, and Extract - These ingredients work together to give these muffins their bright lemon flavour, and they aren’t interchangeable. The zest contributes the most flavour, followed by the juice, with the extract adding a final boost. If you don’t have lemon extract, you can leave it out, but after testing both ways, I find it adds an extra layer of lemon flavour that makes it worth including.
Whip Them Up
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
Mix the sugar and lemon zest together until it looks like wet sand. This releases the lemon oil from the zest and gives the muffins a stronger lemon flavour.
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another, and combine them.
Lemon Zesting Tips
- Always zest the lemon before juicing, it makes things much easier.
- Use a microplane grater to make zesting quick and to get the finest zest.
- Zest the lemon just before making the muffins to keep the zest from drying out.
- When zesting, only use the yellow part of the lemon. Avoid the white layer underneath, called the pith, because it’s bitter and will affect the flavour of your muffins.
Use a scoop to divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
OPTIONAL: Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each muffin before baking.
Work Quickly...
Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, work carefully but quickly to scoop the muffins and get them into the oven. This keeps the reaction between the baking soda and lemon juice active, helping the muffins rise high and end up light and fluffy.
Bake them and be careful not to overbake.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes.
Carefully transfer each muffin to a cooling rack and allow them to cool.
I recommend enjoying these muffins with a cold (or warm!) glass of your favourite plant milk or with your favourite homemade hot vegan drink.
Tips to Get Them Just Right
- Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily.
- Measure your ingredients correctly. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly. I highly recommend using a scale and my weight measurements to make this recipe. (See the "Suggested Equipment" section in the recipe card for the scale I use and recommend.)
- Use room temperature ingredients. This will give your muffins a softer, fluffier texture.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. If they aren't, your muffins won't rise properly and will end up dense, flat, and gummy.
- Use real lemon juice and don't skip the zest. If you don't have fresh lemons, then save this recipe for when you do. These muffins will not be their best if bottled lemon juice is used and/or the zest is left out.
- Take extra care not to over-bake them, or they'll be dry and crumbly.
- And don't overmix them! Overmixing will develop the gluten, resulting in tough, dense muffins instead of soft, fluffy ones.
- Read this post from top to bottom before you start. I’ve shared my tips gathered during testing so you get everything right. Also, read through the full recipe before getting started.
- Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.
After You Make Them...
Tell me everything! Share your thoughts with a comment and rating below, and/or post a photo of your easy vegan lemon muffins on Instagram and tag me so I can see them. (I'm @delightfuladventures on Instagram).
Soft & Fluffy Vegan Lemon Muffins
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
For Vegan Buttermilk:
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (unflavoured, room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For Muffin Batter:
- 2 ¼ cups (281g) all-purpose flour **please see important notes about the gluten-free option below**
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (12g) lemon zest
- ½ cup (125ml) oil (plus extra for greasing muffin pan, if liners are not being used)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- coarse sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top of the unbaked muffins)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C).
- Line a muffin pan with liners or generously grease the inside of each cup with oil.
Make Vegan Buttermilk:
- Pour the dairy-free milk into a measuring cup or bowl.
- Add the lemon juice to the milk and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Make Muffin Batter:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Mix them, occasionally pressing the back of the spoon against the mixture to help release the oil from the lemon zest. Mix until both ingredients have combined well and look like wet sand.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, oil, lemon juice, lemon extract, and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and mix together until blended.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined, don't overmix.
- Using a spoon or a large scoop, divide batter into the 12 muffin cups.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
Bake & Cool:
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean.
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove them and place them on a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the info above and below before making this recipe.
- If you're making the vegan gluten-free version, use 2 ¼ cups (333g) of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour (Amazon link) in the blue bag, NOT the red bag. Gluten-free flour blends vary by brand, so if a different one is used, your results may differ. This recipe won’t work with coconut flour or any other single gluten-free flour.
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
- Freezing: Once they've cooled completely, tightly wrap them individually, store them in a container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to two months. Thaw them at room temperature.
- The nutrition info listed below is based on one of 12 muffins made as the recipe is written, no coarse sugar sprinkled on top. The muffins made with the gluten-free flour blend have a rough calorie count of 229 per muffin. Info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
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