These Vegan Lemon Muffins are great to bake for a weekend breakfast. Freeze extras for busy mornings or quick snacks!
This post is in partnership with ALDI.
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic celebration. Us? Well, we had a nice dinner and then slept through the new year for (I think) the second year in a row. The thing is – I’ve become a morning person. It wasn’t intentional – it just happened. On weekdays, I find that I get my best work done first thing in the morning. On weekends and holidays, I like to get up, pour coffee, and bake something for breakfast. So here are some yummy lemon muffins that I’ve been baking lately!
This post is in partnership with ALDI, because I wanted to tell you about some new exciting healthy/veggie-forward products that they have like Meyer lemons(!), organic coconut sugar(!), and even vegan cream cheese, which I used to make a simple frosting for my muffins.
I love Meyer lemons because they’re juicier and sweeter than other lemons. They’re sometimes hard to find but, conveniently, they’re at ALDI.
Did I mention that these lemon muffins are vegan? There’s no need for an egg here – they rise perfectly without one. I used almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil in lieu of any dairy. I especially love using olive oil in lemon recipes because lemon and olive oil are a great flavor pairing. Coconut sugar makes these refined sugar free.
These lemon muffins are made with some almond flour, which gives them a nutty texture and flavor. Pro tip: you don’t have to buy almond flour, you can just blend slivered almonds in blender until they become a fine meal.
Instead of making lemon poppy seed muffins, I used chia seeds. You get that same look and a tiny bit of crunch, but chia seeds also add some extra nutritional value, so I love using them here. Plus, chia seeds are a more common pantry staple for me; I always have them on hand.
The frosting here is light and lemony – it’s made with vegan cream cheese, maple syrup, Meyer lemon juice, and lemon zest. The muffins themselves have a lighter lemon flavor, but the frosting and the zest on top make them bright and tangy.
Like all muffins, these are best on the day they’re made. They freeze well, and the frosting can be stored in the fridge for a few days (it’s best to freeze them un-frosted).
Find these ingredients and more fresh and affordable healthy finds at ALDI.
And if you’re as much of a muffin fan as I am, I heartily recommend you try my Banana Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, and or Coconut Mango Muffins next.
Happy baking!
Vegan Lemon Muffins
- 1 cup Friendly Farms AlmondMilk, Original
- 1 teaspoon Simply Nature Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1¾ cups Baker’s Corner All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup almond flour*
- 2½ teaspoons Baker’s Corner Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baker’s Corner Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Stonemill Sea Salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Simply Nature Organic Coconut Sugar
- ⅓ cup Specially Selected Premium Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Simply Nature Chia Seeds, more for garnish
- ½ cup Earth Grown Vegan Cream Cheese
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Specially Selected Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest, more for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly oil a 12-cup non-stick muffin tin.
- In a small bowl, combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Stir in the almond milk mixture. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the chia seeds and use a â…“-cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 16 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Make the glaze. Using a hand mixer or a food processor, mix the cream cheese, lemon juice, maple syrup, and lemon zest until smooth. Dollop onto the cooled muffins and garnish with chia seeds and lemon zest.
This post is in partnership with ALDI.
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These are brilliant! Although they don’t taste much like lemon without the glaze. I replaced half the olive oil with sunflower seed oil, the almond flour with regular flour, vanilla extract with vanilla beans and reduced the baking soda mix (and it still rose a bit too much; damned basic oven).
They’re fluffy and delicious and I’m so glad I found your recipe. Thank you so much!
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Oh man! Soooooo good! Thank you for such a yummy recipe!
These were so yummy! I could not find Myer Lemons so used regular lemons & a orange for juice/zest. Loved them and will make again!
I’m glad you loved them!
I used gluten free all purpose and substituted maple syrup for the sugar and used a 6 muffin pan. The muffins turned out gooey and deflated. They baked at 375 for 30 minutes. I know I seriously modified the recipe but just wanted your take on where I went wrong. I’m gonna make this again without substituting as well. Regardless, love your recipes and they usually turn out delicious even when I substitute.
Hi Aimee, I don’t always have good luck replacing flour with GF flour even though they’re advertised to be a 1:1 replacement – the texture can really change, depending on the recipe. Also, switching from dry sugar to liquid sugar would definitely affect the rise. Whenever I substitute, I try to keep the same liquid/dry ratio. I hope that helps!
Thanks for the quick reply! I usually do well with this 1:1 brand, but you’re right about substituting maple syrup for sugar affecting the consistency. I’ve done that with pancakes and it became gummy like these muffins. My husband still loves them, and a day later they actually are pretty good after warming them up a little. Thanks for all you do!
Hello I just made these and they are amazing. I’m rather fussy when it comes to muffins but these are perfect. Just the right amount of lemon and sweetness. Thanks for posting.
Hi Annie, I’m so glad you loved them!
Hey there. I just made this recipe and adapted it a bit with eggs because I’m not vegan. The texture came out great but the flavor is super bland. I’m not familiar with the different varieties of lemons. Do Meyer lemons have a stronger flavor? I thought for sure with all that zest and juice that they would taste amazing. They barely taste like lemon at all so I’m definitely disappointed. Thoughts?
Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one. I do think Meyer lemons are sweeter and more fragrant than regular lemons. For a stronger lemon flavor, you could also use a few drops of lemon oil (next to the vanilla extract in the baking aisle.
I adore these muffins with added blueberries!
I’d like to try a nut-free version for my boyfriend who has allergies. Do you believe they will be as moist using another type of plant based milk and an additional 1/2 cup of flour in place of the almond flour?
Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Stephanie, I’m so glad you loved them! I think another plant based milk will be just fine. Without the almond flour, they’re a bit more dry but we still liked them. I hope that helps!
Amazing muffins! I didn’t glaze them. The BEST lemon muffin recipe of all time.
Used rice bran oil
Soy milk
This was amazing!! I have left over lemon from another recipe I made off the book and this was the perfect way to use it. I loved how Chia seeds were used instead of regular poppy seeds – still crunchy!
This rose so well and it had such a crisp shell to the muffin. I would absolutely recommend this lemony recipe! I also loved that I did not have to make a “flax egg” like most vegan websites tell you to do.
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you loved the muffins!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I am a new follower and this is the first recipe of yours I have made. I doubled the recipe, and it doubled perfectly making 21 perfect-height muffins. I was unable to find the exact brand of vegan cream cheese listed and used another. I wasn’t blown away by the frosting on its own and ended up adding a little more maple syrup to balance out the tartness. I needn’t have worried: once I added the frosting to the muffins everything was perfect.
Ha, I’m glad the flavors balanced out in the end. Welcome!!
I actually tried this recipe and it is very good. I used regular lemons instead of Meyers and it turned out great. Super moist (even without a flax egg) and the chia seeds give a little crunch similar to poppy seeds. I will make it again.
These were goood! Thank you for this recipe, my husband love lemon pie, cake, muffin, etc. I didn’t have Meyer lemons so I used the zest of one lime and one small tangerine, the juice of the lime and a couple of lemon esential oil drops. These will be baked at home regularly ?
Hi Adriana, I’m so glad you loved the muffins!
Your recipes are just mouth watering. In love with them.
These are awesome! I added a few blueberries and skipped the frosting. Perfect for school lunches:)
Hi Kristen, I’m so glad you loved them! Love the blueberry idea, yum!
I am going to do the same! 🙂
Awesome!! I really like the flavor of whole wheat pastry flour. Can I sub this instead of using all-purpose?
Hi Lauren, yes, I think whole wheat pastry flour would be great. Just make sure not to pack the cups too tight as you measure the flour.
My wife made a lemon cake or lemon loaf recipe last week and they were sooo good! I know she’ll love these muffins too, thank you!
Hi Bryan, I hope you both love them!
They look so delicious and moist and I bet their aroma is to-die-for! Can’t wait to try this recipe ♥
These muffins are vegan beauties!
These look yummy!
I don’t have coconut sugar on hand, would brown sugar sub in well?
Hi Diana, you can just sub in regular sugar!
Do you think I could substitute gluten free flour for the flour in it???
I use “Cup4Cup” and usually add a teaspoon of Pamela’s gum substitute to ensure cohesion. I’m thinking of trying this with a higher ratio of Almond flour with Cup 4 Cup GF flour because I want a higher protein content. Any recommendations, Jeanine?
I have been making almost every recipe that comes to me from you via newsletter. I have been the “star baker” in my house ever since. Thank you for your wonderful contribution to the world of cooking and baking! Happy New Year.
(I’d buy your book but am under threat of having ALL my books donated if I bring one more cookbook into the house. Perhaps you have a place to simply donate?
HI Meghan, I’m so glad the recipes have been working well with Cup4Cup! You could probably try upping the almond flour ratio – they won’t rise quite as much and I’m not sure of the ratio with the gluten free flour (since I haven’t tested it). Let me know what you settle on and how it goes!