These Vegan Lemon Muffins are a bright way to begin the day! Made with fresh lemons, these muffins are pure sunshine and ultra delicious!
Oh citrus season – the true best part of this time of year. And though I do love oranges with my entire heart – hello Orange Loaf Cake, I really think lemons are so underrated this time of year!
So…I knew I wanted to make a batch of muffins with them to let them shine in all of their delicious, tart glory! And thus, these Vegan Lemon Drop Muffins were born.
Why You’ll Love These Muffins:
Oh where to begin! Like I said above, these muffins are pure sunshine!
They are BRIGHT with fresh lemon flavor – both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are used in this recipe to really give it that tart punch that you’re hoping for.
These are vegan – no butter or eggs used at all!
Instead, these muffins use applesauce to make sure they stay moist as well as olive oil for the fat.
I know that the olive oil might sound weird but it really gives it a great savory element.
The muffins melt in your mouth delightful and are incredibly soft and fluffy.
And the lemon glaze!! Yes please. It adds a delightful sweetness to the muffin and then of course, you add even more fresh lemon zest on top. Talk about a pop of flavor!
Overall, these muffins are just so delicious and I know that you’re going to love them!
Ingredients You Need:
- All purpose flour + almond flour
- Quick oats
- Baking soda + powder
- sSalt
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk (I like almond milk)
- Unsweetened apple sauce
- Lemon juice + fresh lemon zest
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
Best Muffin Baking Tips:
Begin by making sure that your oven is preheated! This recipe calls for it to be set at 350 degrees.
I also like to go ahead and get my muffin pan ready. You can either use a 12 count muffin tin (and this recipe will make about 9-10 muffins) or you can use a 6 count jumbo muffin tin – whatever works for you!
Get the muffin pan ready by either greasing the pan or adding muffin liner cups. Honestly, I really love taking baking spray and spraying the inside of the muffin liner cups just in case!
Now that those are ready, whip up the batter!
To a small bowl, add all of the dry ingredients – everything from the all purpose flour, the almond flour, oats, baking powder + baking soda and mix together to combine.
In another bowl, add in the olive oil and brown sugar and whisk together until combined. Then the rest of the wet ingredients like lemon juice, applesauce, almond milk and the zest!
And then of course gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a large wooden spoon. And yes, I always taste a bit of the batter because DUH!
Add the batter to each muffin tin and fill them ⅔ of the way full until you run out of batter.
And then it’s time to bake! And yes, your house is going to smell amazing! They need to make a Lemon Muffin Candle!
Bake these for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle of a muffin and it comes out mostly clean.
Once done, let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove them onto a cooling rack.
It’s important to let these cool completely before you glaze them or else it will be a crazy mess!
Speaking of that glaze, it’s super simple to whip up! All you do is combine powdered sugar and a little splash of milk until you reach your desired consistency. I like mine pretty thick! I also like adding fresh lemon zest to the glaze for an extra pop!
Once the muffins are cooled, time to glaze! Generously glaze each muffin and then they are all yours!
I love eating these for breakfast, a midday snack, or late night dessert! 🙂 Enjoy!
Storing Leftover Muffins:
I recommend storing these in a tightly sealed tupperware container at room temperature for 2-3 days! Although of course, they are best eaten the day of 😉
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Almond Flour Banana Nut Muffins
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Vegan Lemon Muffins
These Vegan Lemon Muffins are a bright way to begin the day! Made with fresh lemons, these muffins are pure sunshine and ultra delicious!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon, zested - about 1 tbsp (add more for garnish)
Lemon Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- squeeze of fresh lemon (just a dash)
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1-2 tsp almond milk (to help thin out glaze)
Instructions
Preparing the Muffin Batter
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together the all purpose flour, oats, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until all combined. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, add your olive oil and brown sugar. Mix together until combined. To this mixture, add your unsweetened almond milk, freshly squeezed lemon juice, vanilla extract, apple sauce and lemon zest. Mix together until combined.
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Slowly add in your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix just until combined, making sure not to overmix.
Baking Muffins
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Grab your muffin pan and either generously grease it with baking spray OR line it with muffin liners. I found it was best to line with muffin liners as well as spray the inside of the liner just in case.
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Fill the tins 2/3 of the way full with the prepared muffin batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.
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Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack.
Glazing Muffins
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While your muffins are cooking, make your glaze. In a small bowl, combine your powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond milk, lemon juice and zest. Mix until smooth and no lumps of powdered sugar remain. If your mixture is too thin, add more sugar. If it's too thick, add more liquid until desired consistency is reached.
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Once muffins have fully cooled, generously drizzle with glaze. Eat immediately!
Storing Leftovers
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Store leftover muffins in a tightly sealed tupperware container for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
I used a 12 count muffin pan for this recipe and it made 9-10 muffins. You can also use a jumbo 6 count muffin pan.