Delicious and loaded with fresh fruit, these healthier vegan lemon blueberry muffins will knock your socks off. Guaranteed bursts of blueberries in every single bite for a muffin that’s wholesome enough for breakfast and sweet enough for dessert!
This recipe was originally published in August 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
These vegan lemon blueberry muffins are moist, with the perfect crumb, and a mix of tart and sweet.
They’re extra special in the hot summer months when blueberries are in season, but you can definitely whip these up any time of year.
Like my raspberry muffins, these are loaded with berries in every bite!
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You’ll love these healthier muffins!
Even though they’re incredibly delicious, you’ll be happy to know that they’re FAR more wholesome than your average muffin.
- For starters, these lemon blueberry muffins are oil free, and use applesauce instead.
- Rather than using refined white flour, these are made with wholesome oat flour. (As an added bonus, that makes these gluten-free, if needed).
- Since there are no eggs, dairy (or oil) in these, that keeps the muffins very low in fat.
- They’re naturally sweetened with a heaping cup of blueberries and some unrefined coconut sugar. And if you’re avoiding refined sugar (or limiting sugar), you may skip the optional glaze.
Ingredients + Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make these healthier vegan blueberry lemon muffins.
- Soy milk + lemon juice: This is how we make our vegan buttermilk replacement. The lemon juice curdles and thickens the non-dairy milk as it rests to enhance the dairy flavour, without the dairy! Don’t skip this step as it results in a fluffier muffin once baked. You CAN use almond milk if soy must be avoided, but soy will have the best results.
- Oat flour: Make sure to weigh the flour for the most accurate results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup, but do not scoop. Oat flour has the added benefit of being a gluten-free flour.
- Unrefined coconut sugar. Yes, it’s still sugar, but some studies say it’s a better alternative to white sugar, so hey, I can get on board with that. 😉
- Apple sauce: This replaces the oil keeping these muffins oil free and low fat.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla, and not the artificial kind. It costs a little more, but the quality is not comparable.
- Baking powder + soda: These are your rising agents and the baking soda will interact with the lemon juice to lift and add fluffiness. Do not skip.
- Lemon juice + zest: Adds lovely tart and citrus flavours to your muffins.
- Fresh blueberries: I prefer fresh over frozen, but frozen will work in a pinch.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Add the soy milk and lemon juice to a small bowl. (photo 1)
Set aside for 5 minutes to let it thicken and curdle. (photo 2)
Meanwhile, add the dry ingredients to a large bowl. (photo 3)
Whisk to combine. (photo 4)
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry mixture, including the now curdled milk. Mix well. (photo 5)
Add one tablespoon of plain batter to each muffin cup and then fold in the blueberries. (photo 6)
Now, divide the remaining blueberry mixture among the 12 muffin tins. They will be almost full to the top. Then bake for 18-22 minutes. (photo 7)
For the optional glaze
As the muffins are cooling, prepare your glaze. Add the lemon juice and icing sugar to a small bowl. (photo 8)
Then mix well and add a little more lemon juice, if needed to thin. A little goes a long way. (photo 9)
Once the muffins are completely cooled, you may glaze them with the lemon icing sugar.
The glaze adds an extra oomph of sweetness and lemony flavour, but if you prefer to avoid the extra sugar, you can definitely skip it with great results.
These lemon blueberry muffins are incredibly delicious, even without the icing.
Storage
These lemon blueberry muffins will keep at room temperature, covered or in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Or store them in the refrigerator to keep longer.
You may also freeze a batch of muffins before glazing, and if you wish to glaze, thaw the muffins and glaze before serving.
Expert Tips + Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate results. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you may spoon the flour into your measuring cup and use a knife to scrape off the excess. Do not scoop from the bag!
- Don’t skip making the vegan buttermilk. (Mixing the soy milk with lemon juice.) This enhances the dairy flavour, and makes for a fluffier muffin.
- Use fresh and active baking powder. Baking powder that is open in your pantry for 6+ months can start to lose its effectiveness.
- The reason for adding some plain mixture to the bottom of the muffin tins before folding the blueberries into the batter is to prevent most of the blueberries from sinking. If there are too many blueberries at the bottom of the pan, it will be too wet and heavy, resulting in uneven baking.
- If using the glaze, glaze before serving and not in advance. Do not cover the muffins once glazed. Storing glazed muffins in a sealed container will cause the glaze to melt.
- Make sure your vegan lemon blueberry muffins are completely cooled before glazing. Adding glaze to hot or warm muffins will melt the glaze.
More delicious healthier vegan muffins
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Buon appetito,
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the vegan buttermilk
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 270 grams oat flour approx. 3 cups spooned + leveled
- ½ cup unrefined coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from approx. 1 large lemon
- 1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
For the Glaze (Optional)
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the soy milk and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to let it curdle.
- Meanwhile, add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Then add the curdled soy milk, applesauce, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix to combine. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and prepare a muffin pan with muffin liners, or use a nonstick pan.
- Add approx. 1 tablespoon of the plain batter to the bottom of each muffin cup. Then use a spatula to gently fold the blueberries into the remaining batter. Divide the remaining batter among the 12 muffin cups and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the tray and transferring them to a cooling rack to completely cool.
Optional Glaze
- While the muffins are cooling, combine the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Start with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and increase as needed. Once the muffins are cooled, drizzle them with the icing.
Jan says
What do you mean by icing sugar? Is that the same as powdered sugar?
Rosa says
Yes, same thing. Enjoy 🙂
Holly says
I made these today and they are delicious! Thank you for this recipe! I will definitely be making them again.
Rosa says
You’re welcome, Holly. So glad you enjoyed the muffins. 🙂
Annette says
These are so good. Mine weren’t as pretty as your picture (they turned out darker–I wonder if it could be because my coconut sugar is dark?), but they taste good and have a good texture. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you, Rosa!
Rosa says
Thrilled you enjoyed them, Annette. Thanks very much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Loren says
These are the absolute best blueberry muffins I have EVER tasted. Thank you for a straight up perfect vegan muffin.
Rosa says
Yay! Thrilled to hear that, Loren. Thanks so much for the lovely review. 🙂
Lorraine Riedel says
I loved the taste, anything with lemon. The fresh blueberries did become very liquidy, especially the ones at the bottom. Should i have used frozen maybe or more firm? Or do you another solution? Thanks!
Rosa says
Hi Lorraine, glad you enjoyed the muffins! Frozen likely won’t prevent the blueberries from sinking. What you could do instead (with any muffin recipe that has a fill in) is place a spoonful of the plain batter into each muffin cup before folding the blueberries into the mix. Then mix in the blueberries and evenly distribute the rest of the batter.
Marie says
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us 🙂 These were the best blueberry muffins I ever made! I don’t have coconut sugar at home right now, so I used brown sugar instead. Is there any way I could sub the coconut sugar for date syrup in this recipe? I’m trying to be WFPB 😉
Ps. I also tried your zucchini meatballs and they were delicious. I can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!
Rosa says
Thanks very much for the review Marie. I’m thrilled you enjoyed these muffins and the zucchini meatballs!
Subbing a dry ingredient for a wet one can be a little tricky in baking and I haven’t tested these with a liquid sweetener, so I’m not sure. I’d suggest giving date sugar a try instead of syrup.
Let me know what you try next. 🙂
Rachel says
Hi Rosa, I don’t have any soy milk on hand. Can I use almond or rice to get the same curdled effect? Thanks!
Rosa says
Hi Rachel, I haven’t personally tried with almond or rice milk but I’ve heard that it does work with almond. Even if it doesn’t curdle, but it thickens the milk, that will work fine. Also, it may help if the almond milk is not too cold when you add the apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Let me know how you like the muffins, enjoy! 🙂
pauline furlan says
im new to being vegan…what is the issue against oil ?
rosa says
Hi Pauline, some vegans also choose to avoid oil for health reasons, but this is an individual choice. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Alexandra says
Such a delicious way to start the day! 🙂 This is a lovely recipe for my favourite blueberry muffins.
rosa says
Aw thanks so much for the lovely compliment Alexandra. 🙂 I so appreciate you stopping by!