Quick Baked Lemon Blueberry Vegan Muffins

These incredibly flavourful – and moist! – lemon blueberry muffins are way yummier than store-bought…and so easy to make (in just 30 minutes!). Less sugar than a typical muffin, and made with whole wheat flour for extra nutrition, the whole family will love these tender and tasty treats.

I grew up with a grandmother who always had something baked on the counter for whenever the craving struck, so now – and this will sound weird – there is something about having muffins on the counter that makes me feel SO loved and comforted. 

Even weirder…that while I have plenty of muffin recipes in my cookbooks, I don’t have a ton on my blog yet?!? I mean, my almond flour blueberry muffins are pretty dang awesome but it’s time they had some new friends. So say hello to these tender, flavourful lemon blueberry muffins. 

For the record, I am VERY particular about muffin recipes. I want them to be so yummy that I’m excited to eat them AND I want them to be super nutritious. Because the dietitian in me is a wee bit confused that what many call muffins are really cupcakes…they’re too sweet for me! 

These lemon blueberry muffins are so easy to make, in about 30 minutes start to finish, and don’t use any fussy ingredients. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, your choice. And I like a blend of white and whole wheat flours here to add nutrition but also make my kids happy because they’re not overly “wheat-y”. 

I’ve used avocado oil – packed with heart healthy monounsaturated fats – instead of butter which makes these muffins surprisingly light and fluffy plus eliminates the need for a mixer to cream butter. Since they’re naturally egg, dairy and nut free, they’re great for packing for school and so yummy your kids will actually eat them.

How to make these easy lemon blueberry muffins

What do I mean when I say easy? We’re talking 11 basic ingredients and 30 minutes from start to finish. Make them with the kids…or if you have older kids, they can probably make them all by themselves!

First, grab those ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, unsweetened soy milk, cane sugar, avocado oil, ground flax, a lemon, vanilla and blueberries. I like a mixture of white and whole wheat flour but you can do all white or all whole wheat too. You can also substitute any oil or milk you have in your kitchen.

Tips for using frozen blueberries in muffins

When it comes to blueberries, I often use frozen in muffins…and I just toss them right in, like a rebel!

But, as a recipe developer, I feel like it’s my duty to talk about two common issues with using frozen blueberries in muffins and what you can do about them if it bugs you.

Worried about bleeding? just give the frozen blueberries a good rinse in cold water and pat dry before using.

Worried about blueberries sinking to the bottom of your muffin? typical advice is to toss them with a couple of tablespoons of flour – reserved from the total flour content of the recipe – but it doesn’t help that much. Instead, before you put the blueberries in the batter, take a spoonful of the berry-less batter and place it in the bottom of each muffin cup. THEN, add blueberries to the remaining batter and fill the cups.

Step by Step for these Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Step One: whisk up the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk up the soy milk, sugar, oil, ground flax, lemon zest and juice and vanilla in a large glass measuring cup or small bowl.

Step Two: Stir the liquid ingredients gently into the dry ingredients until just combined…if you overstir, the gluten gets stronger and the muffins won’t be tender!

Step Three: Fold in the blueberries and then portion into a 12 well muffin tin lined with parchment paper muffin cups. I use a ⅓ cup measure for scooping.

Step Four:  Bake at 375F (190 C) for 18-22 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Step Five: let cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack and enjoy!

More baking with berries? I got you:

• Crisp-baked Blackberry Galette
• Rustic Vegan Blueberry Cobbler
• Fresh Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
• Almond Flour Blueberry Scones