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Strawberry Lemon Muffins with plump strawberries and tart lemon zest make these muffins ideal for brunch, breakfast, lunch, or even as a mid-afternoon snack! Strawberry muffins on their own are fabulous. However, when you add in fresh lemon zest, it definitely takes these Strawberry and Lemon muffins to a whole new level! These delicious muffins are not only fluffy, but they are also simply amazing!

Strawberries, at least to me, are the perfect fruit. They are sweet, full of flavor, and you can use them in so many different ways! You can make Strawberry Butter from scratch (this my friends is to die for). You can also make up a batch of mini donuts for your lazy weekend breakfasts!
If you aren't a big fan of strawberries, you can also substitute blueberries or raspberries in these muffins. The lemon will compliment them just as well so why not try a batch of muffins for each flavor?
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt - if you are using salted butter, omit the salt.
- Unsalted butter
- White granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Fresh Strawberries
- Fresh Lemons
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven.
Step 2: Prepare the tin.
Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Wash and prepare the strawberries.
Step 5: Mix the wet ingredients together and cream the butter and sugar.
Step 6: Scoop out the batter into the muffin tins.
Step 7: Bake.
Step 8: Enjoy!
Substitutions
You can use frozen strawberries in lieu of fresh. If they are unsweetened, then use equal amounts as called for with the fresh berries. If they are sweetened, reduce the amount of sugar by 1 cup for each quart of strawberries.
Storage
Store these in the fridge, in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. However, believe me when I say they won't last that long.
Top Tips
You can make a muffin moister by substituting either sour cream or plain yogurt for part of the milk your recipe calls for. You can also use brown sugar, honey, or corn syrup to help hold moisture in the muffins.
FAQ
There are a couple of reasons that the muffins didn't turn out.
Your baking powder/soda is bad - if they have expired, that could be a key reason.
You didn't measure your flour correctly - when you are measuring your flour, you must scoop out the flour with a spoon and then level it with a knife.
Didn't have the oven first set to 425 then lowered to 375 after the muffins had been in the oven for 5 minutes.
Overmixing the batter - it's important when making muffins to not overmix the batter.
Overbaking - towards the end of the baking time, start watching the muffins as some ovens are hotter than others so baking times may vary.
Related Posts:
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Strawberry Banana Greek Yogurt
This post was originally posted on February 4, 2015. I updated the post and reposted it on March 6, 2020.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Lemon Muffins
Equipment
- Hand or Stand mixer
- Whisk
- Large bowl
- Medium bowl
- Small bowl
- Spatula
- Cookie scoop
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour scooped with a spoon and leveled with a knife
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh lemon zest
- juice from a fresh lemon I used all of the juice from a large lemon
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick - softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¾ cup milk 2%
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups fresh strawberries
- Turbinado sugar sprinkle on top of each muffin if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Prepare your muffin tip with paper liners, silicone liners, or spray the tin with cooking spray.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Zest the lemon in a small bowl. Then add the lemon zest to the dry ingredients, stir to combine. And then set the bowl aside.
- Wash and dry the strawberries. After they are dry, hull them and chop them into small chunks.
- Toss the strawberries in the dry ingredients to coat them thoroughly.
- In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Then add in the juice of the lemon, then add in the egg, the milk, and vanilla. Then using your mixer, slowly incorporate the ingredients together. Using a spatula, scrape the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Gently fold in the ingredients using a spatula. Just mix together until everything is combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop out the batter and fill the tins until they are about ⅔ rds of the way full. If desired, sprinkle the Turbinado sugar on top of each muffin.
- Place the muffins into the oven. SET THE TIMER FOR 5 MINUTES. Then, while the muffins are still in the oven, reduce the temp to 375 and let the muffins continue to bake for 15 minutes. At the 15-minute mark, remove the muffins from the oven and using a toothpick or a cake tester, check the center to see if they are done. If the tester comes out clean or with a few crumbs, they are done. If it comes out with runny batter, place the muffins back into the oven and set the timer for another 5 minutes then check them again. Repeat the process until the muffins are golden brown on top.
- Once they are finished, allow the muffins to cool for about five minutes in the tin. Then remove them and place them onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Enjoy!