The results of my most recent Instagram poll showed the majority of people wanted a gluten free vegan muffin recipe over a cupcake recipe, so here it is! In the last year or two I’ve become a huge fan of anything lemon flavored. Michael and I did some flavor brainstorming and landed on lemon blueberry muffins. My last attempt at baking with lemon was a lemon cupcake recipe and it was a bit of struggle, so this time I decided to try using just lemon zest instead of juice which was a great call. These perfectly fluffy gluten free vegan lemon blueberry muffins were born!
A few things to note when making these gluten free vegan lemon blueberry muffins: 1) It is super important to make sure the oven is to temp before baking your muffins. 2) Be sure not to over mix the batter, gluten free baked goods tend to already not rise as much as traditional baked goods, so over mixing really negatively affects the texture and rise. 3) It isn’t blueberry season, so I used frozen blueberries, rinsing and drying them prior to adding the batter helps keep them from turning your whole muffins blue.
gluten free lemon blueberry muffins without topping.
gluten free lemon blueberry muffins with topping. highly recommend the topping.
Gluten Free Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
For muffins:
- 2 flax eggs or egg replacer*
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted and cooled I used earth balance
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (~zest of 1 lemon)
For topping (optional but highly recommended):
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour I used Bob's Red Mill
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, cubed and cold I used earth balance
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the muffins:
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Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 12 count muffin pan with non stick spray. Be sure to preheat your oven with plenty of time, it is important that it is already at 425 before you put the muffins in. You can also use pan liners, just make sure to spray the insides of them with non stick spray as well.
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If using frozen blueberries: thoroughly rinse and drain your blueberries until the water running off of them is no longer purple tinted. Place in bowl lined with paper towels and gently pat to remove excess water. Set aside. If you are using fresh blueberries, skip this step.
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In a medium sized bowl combine the 1:1 gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the blueberries (fresh or frozen) and gently coat blueberries with flour mixture to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Set aside.
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In a small bowl combine ground flax or egg replacer with water and let sit for about 5 minutes before adding to recipe.
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In a large bowl combine the vegan butter, almond milk, vanilla, and egg replacer or flax egg and vigorously whisk. Be sure the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined before you add the dry ingredients it is SUPER important not to over mix (this will affect the ability of your muffins to rise in the oven and be fluffy and delish).
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently fold until mixture is just combined. Add the lemon zest as you fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Do not over mix.
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Spoon the batter into the muffin pan filling each hole about 3/4 of the way full.
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If desired, sprinkle a light coating of the topping onto each muffin before baking.
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Place muffins in oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Muffins should be slightly browned around the edges and center should spring back if lightly pressed.
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Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
For the topping:
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Whisk together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon with a fork.
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Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fork to create pea sized pieces of butter. Mixture should look a bit like wet sand (but tastes way better).
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Lightly sprinkle topping on each muffin before baking.
Recipe Notes
* For the flax egg combine 1 tbsp finely ground flax meal with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl, mix, and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe. If using Bob's Red Mill egg replacer follow the instructions on packaging. I'm sure you could also use a regular egg here if you do not need the recipe to be vegan, however I have not tried this recipe with a regular egg!
Other options: Add 3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used enjoy life minis) instead of the blueberries and lemon zest for a more decadent treat!
with topping.
no topping, also delicious.
Want more muffins? Check out my gluten free vegan pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
Did you try this recipe? Make any substitutions? Let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
Want to share this recipe? Please link back to the original post here, tag @lizhurley_rd on Instagram and #lizhurleyrdeats! Happy Baking!
