Soft & Fluffy Vegan Lemon Muffins
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.
Servings: 12
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.
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg
