These lemon crumb muffins make such a nice breakfast or snack! Moist, tender, & citrus-y, with a thick layer of buttery streusel on top.

Lemon crumb muffin in a yellow tulip cup with fresh lemon in the background.

Hey again! It’s a gorgeous Tuesday afternoon, and my kids are officially DONE with the school year! Hooray!

I’m so looking forward to long, lazy summer days.

They’re outside playing now, so I thought this seemed like the perfect time to share my latest & greatest muffin recipe: Lemon Crumb Muffins!

I’ve got a ton of yummy muffin recipes on this site. These banana nut muffins are a top favorite, and so are these blueberry muffins. And these double chocolate zucchini muffins have summer written all over them!

But I’ve been wanting to create a lemon crumb version for a while now. I just love the combination of bright citrus with a crunchy, buttery crumb topping.

The muffins bake up light, fluffy, and moist, with such a nice delicate flavor. It’s a great way to start your day, or a nice mid-afternoon nibble with a cup of tea.

Overhead view of lemon crumb muffins in tin with yellow papers, and a text overlay reading "Lemon Crumb Muffins."

HOW TO MAKE LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS

The ingredients for these muffins are pretty straightforward.

Ingredients for making lemon muffins, with text labels.

You’ll need:

  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Baking Powder
  • Salt
  • Lemon Zest
  • Butter
  • Sour Cream
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Lemon Juice
  • and Lemon Extract for the muffins.

And for the topping you’ll also need:

  • Butter
  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • and Lemon Zest.

THE MUFFINS

Making muffins is so easy. Muffins are a quick bread, which means they’re leavened with either baking powder or baking soda, rather than yeast.

All you need to do is stir the dry ingredients together, then stir the liquid ingredients together, mix them up, and bake!

Start with the dry ingredients. Flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest get whisked together in a big bowl.

Dry ingredients in a large glass bowl, with a dark blue linen napkin and a whisk.

Then melt the butter in a large liquid measuring cup, and whisk in the sour cream, milk, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon extract.

Wet ingredients whisked together in a ceramic pitcher.

Pour the liquid ingredients right into the dry.

Pouring wet ingredients into dry.

Fold everything together gently, just until barely combined. The batter will look a little lumpy, and that’s totally ok. It’s best not to overwork it, or your muffins could come out tough and heavy.

Lemon muffin batter being stirred together in a large mixing bowl.

This recipe makes 12 generous, bakery-style muffins. It may seem like a lot of batter, but it’s the perfect amount for 12, I promise. If you do more than 12, they will come out smaller and flatter, and you will need to reduce the bake time or else they’ll be dry.

I like to use a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop to portion out my muffin batter. You’ll need about 1 1/2 scoops per muffin.

Placing muffin batter in pan with an ice cream scoop.

THE CRUMB TOPPING

Next you can move on to the crumb topping.

Just melt the butter, then stir the flour, sugar, salt, and zest in. I like to do this with a fork- just toss it all around until you have a nice combination of big, boulder-sized hunks, and smaller, finer crumbs.

Lemon crumb topping in a ceramic bowl.

Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the unbaked muffins. You’ll have enough for a nice, generous layer of streusel.

Sprinkling crumb topping over unbaked lemon muffins.

Now just pop them into the oven!

The bake starts at a higher temperature. This will quickly activate the baking powder, allowing your muffins to puff up sky high!

After a few minutes, you’ll want to lower the heat and allow them to keep baking until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.

After they’re baked and cooled, dust them with a little powdered sugar. It looks so pretty!

GLUTEN-FREE LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS

To make gluten-free lemon crumb muffins, just substitute the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour blend. Look for one that that subs 1:1 for regular flour. Here are a few good options:

Lemon crumb muffins in a pan with yellow liners and powdered sugar on top.

CAN LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS BE MADE AHEAD?

One of the reasons I love making muffins so much is because they make such a wonderful make-ahead treat. I’ll often make big batches, and stash them in the bread bin, fridge, or freezer. We’ll have grab & go breakfasts for days!

HOW TO STORE LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS

These muffins will last a few days at room temperature. Just keep them loosely wrapped. If they’re completely uncovered they can dry out, but if they’re in an airtight container, they can get soggy. It’s best to cover them, but allow for a little bit of airflow.

If you plan on keeping them around for more than a few days, it’s probably best to refrigerate them. They’ll last in the fridge for about 7 to 10 days.

They can also be frozen. They freeze beautifully- just seal them in a zip-top bag and they’ll keep for a couple of months.

HOW TO REHEAT LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS

There’s nothing nicer than a warm muffin for breakfast. Just zap one in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds. If they’re at room temp they’ll need less time; if they’re frozen they’ll need more.

If you don’t have a microwave, these muffins can be reheated in a 170 degree F oven until warmed through.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH LEMON CRUMB MUFFINS

These lemon muffins are delicious as is, but if you’re looking to jazz them up a little, try spreading them with a dab of soft butter, blackberry jam, or lemon curd.

Unwrapped lemon crumb muffin with a bite taken out.

Here are a few more of my favorite muffin recipes:

Hope you enjoy!

As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Lemon crumb muffin in a yellow tulip cup with fresh lemon in the background.
4.75 stars (8 ratings)

Lemon Crumb Muffins

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
These lemon crumb muffins make such a nice breakfast or snack! Moist, tender, & citrus-y, with a thick layer of buttery streusel on top.
Print Recipe Leave a Review Save Recipe

Ingredients

For the Lemon Muffins

  • 2 1/2 cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, (zest of 1 lemon)
  • 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (230 g) sour cream*
  • 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) milk
  • 2 eggs , (large)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, (juice of 1 lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract

For the Crumb Topping

Instructions
 

To Make the Lemon Muffins

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a muffin pan with papers.
  • Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl, and whisk to combine.
  • Melt the butter in a large liquid measuring cup, then whisk in the sour cream*, milk, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon extract.
  • Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, and fold together gently until just barely combined (it's ok if the batter is lumpy).
  • Divide the batter equally between all 12 wells of the muffin pan, then top with crumb topping.
  • Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F, then lower the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of a muffin comes out clean.
  • Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

To Make the Crumb Topping

  • Melt the butter in a small pot, then add the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
  • Toss together with a fork, until crumbly.

Notes

*Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted.
Calories: 419kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 129mg, Potassium: 189mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 580IU, Vitamin C: 2.4mg, Calcium: 84mg, Iron: 2.2mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Tried this recipe?Mention @bakingamoment on Instagram or tag #bakingamoment.