Delicious and loaded with fresh fruit, these lemon blueberry muffins will not disappoint. Guaranteed bursts of blueberries in every single bite! Plus, as an added bonus, they are oil free, using applesauce instead of oil. They’re gluten free, using oat flour, rather than all purpose refined white flour. They are vegan and made using healthier ingredients. If you skip the optional glaze, they’re even refined sugar free if you’re avoiding refined sugars.
How do you make vegan lemon blueberry muffins without all the “bad” ingredients?
There are substitutes to almost anything, and the trick is finding the right combination of the healthier options that will give the same or similar results.
So for these muffins I’m using:
- soy milk + apple cider vinegar. Letting this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes enhances the dairy flavour, without actually using dairy! Plus it interacts with the baking soda, and will result in a fluffier muffin once baked.
- oat flour, great alternative for a gluten free option
- 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, instead of oil
- pure vanilla (not the artificial flavouring)
- lemon zest
- and blueberries of course
To prepare your muffins, first mix together the soy milk and vinegar and set aside while you prepare the rest of the batter. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Then add the wet ingredients, plus your now curdled milk and combine. You don’t want to over mix this batter, just until incorporated. A few lumps are perfectly fine and then finally, fold in the blueberries.
Divide the batter among your 12 muffin cups, which will be almost full, and then bake. The muffins are ready when a toothpick comes out clean, which will take approx 18-22 minutes. (If you prick through a blueberry, try again. :)) While your muffins are cooling, you can prepare the glaze, if using. I tried these muffins both with, and without the glaze, and they are truly phenomenal either way. The glaze adds an extra oomph of lemony flavour which I did love, but to avoid the extra sugar, you can definitely skip it with great results.
How long do they keep?
These lemon blueberry muffins will keep at room temperature, covered or in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Or refrigerate 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.
If you enjoy these muffins, you might also like these:
- Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins [V+GF+Oil Free]
- Quinoa Mini Muffins with Sweet Potato
- Healthy Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Lemon Cranberry Muffins – Refined Sugar Free
- Sugar Free Zucchini Muffins – Vegan
- Banana Spinach Muffin Bites [V+GF+Oil Free]
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour gluten free if preferred
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup unrefined coconut sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pint fresh blueberries approx 2 cups
For the Glaze (Optional)
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a muffin tray with 12 liners. (Or grease if not avoiding oil.)
- Combine the soy milk and vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside to let curdle. Then, in a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well.
- To the bowl with the now curdled soy milk, add remaining wet ingredients, except the blueberries, mix well and then pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated without over mixing the batter. Then fold in the blueberries.
- Divide the mixture 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 muffins from the tray and transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Optional Glaze
- While the muffins are cooling, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl, if using. Start with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and add more, only if you want to thin out the glaze. Once muffins are cooled, drop teaspoon amounts of glaze on the center of each muffin and let the glaze drip down the edges. Enjoy!
Such a delicious way to start the day! 🙂 This is a lovely recipe for my favourite blueberry muffins.
Aw thanks so much for the lovely compliment Alexandra. 🙂 I so appreciate you stopping by!