Gluten-Free Lemon Muffins Recipe
If you have a craving for muffins but are looking for something that's on the healthier side, then these gluten-free lemon muffins are perfect. The great part about this recipe is that it is super flavorful and makes you feel good. This muffin recipe is fantastic for a quick breakfast or even an after-dinner treat. Its lemony flavor is absolute perfection, and once you have a taste, you're going to want to add it to your everyday rotation. Let's be honest ... is there anything better than lemon plus muffins? We think not!
Recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating came up with these healthy muffins, and we should all be thanking her. "I love that these are gluten, dairy, and refined sugar-free but still taste like a delicious sweet treat!" Brookes raves. And guess what? You won't miss the gluten! "I don't think you'd know that they were gluten-free," Brookes dishes. "Swapping sugar for maple syrup gives them a slightly firmer texture, and the oil gives a hint of coconut flavor, but overall, they're sweet, moist, and loaded with lemon!"
Keep scrolling to find out how to make this incredible sweet treat.
Gather the ingredients
The first thing you need to do is grab all the ingredients you need to make these muffins. The recipe for these is pretty healthy, and you will need just a few ingredients to whip it together. Start your list with coconut oil, maple syrup, and a few organic or cage-free eggs. When you walk past the baking aisle, add gluten-free all-purpose flour, almond meal, baking powder, and baking soda to your cart.
For the wonderful flavor, you will need lemon juice and lemon zest. Last but not least, add vanilla extract and non-dairy milk (like soy) to your shopping cart.
Preheat the oven and prep the muffin pan
Since you will need to use an oven for the recipe, you may as well turn it on and let it preheat. Flip the knob to 350 F. This temperature is pretty standard in baking recipes, and since it's relatively low, it won't take long to heat up. Preheating is always crucial in any recipe because it allows your oven gets to the perfect temperature as you whip up the muffins.
In the meantime, take out a muffin pan that is big enough to fit 12 muffins, which is what this recipe calls for. Line the muffin pan with liners, and then move onto the next step.
Mix the dry ingredients
As with most baking recipes, you should combine the dry ingredients first. Typically, you do this separately from the wet ingredients and then combine them together after. Take out a mixing bowl and toss in the flour, followed by the almond meal. You will also want to add your baking powder and baking soda to the mix as well. If you're keeping track, that should be every one of your dry ingredients.
Then, take out a whisk and mix up the ingredients until they are well combined. A whisk helps sift through the dry ingredients and really incorporates everything together.
Mix the wet ingredients
Set the bowl with your dry ingredients to the side. You will need it in just a second, so be sure it's not too far out of reach. Then, take out another bowl and throw in all of your wet ingredients. This includes the oil, maple syrup, and eggs. You can also throw in the lemon juice and the zest — both of which you should have prepped ahead of time. The last things you need to add are your milk and vanilla extract. Mix everything until it's well combined.
Then, add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix well using a spoon or power mixer. "Either will be fine," Brookes says. "Just take care not to overmix when adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined."
Portion out the muffins
Now that your batter is good to go, take out the muffin tin that you already prepped ahead of time. Transfer the mixture into the muffin liners, and fill them up about three-quarters of the way full. Repeat the process with each of the remaining muffins until you fill them all up.
Then, pop the muffins in the oven and bake for 18 to 22 minutes. You can check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, you can take the muffins out. If not, continue baking.
Remove and enjoy
Once you take the muffins out of the oven, it's finally time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. You can either eat these right out of the oven or let them cool off and enjoy them at room temperature. We think that this would be wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee.
"You could top them with vanilla or cream cheese frosting if desired," Brookes suggests. "And leftovers will keep for about two days at room temperature in an airtight container."
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond meal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ⅔ cup organic maple syrup
- 2 large organic/cage-free eggs
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin pan with 12 muffin pan liners.
- Add the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and baking soda to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, eggs, lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract, and milk.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients, and fold everything together until combined.
- Transfer the mixture into your muffin pan liners. Each should be approximately three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Serve and enjoy.
| Calories per Serving | 215 |
| Total Fat | 11.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5.7 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 26.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 26.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Total Sugars | 12.2 g |
| Sodium | 185.7 mg |
| Protein | 4.6 g |
