Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Fluffy raspberry muffins made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey. These healthy raspberry muffins taste amazing!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
Last weekend, I drove home to Oklahoma for my baby brother’s college graduation. I remember when he was tiny, and I was terrified of dropping him. Now he’s all grown up, and a few inches taller than I am.
A couple of years ago, he developed an interest in videography out of nowhere. Now, he’s made a business of it. He’s going to come up to Kansas City soon and help me make some Cookie and Kate videos! We’re both stubborn perfectionists, and we’re both always right, so stay tuned for how that turns out.
My mom asked me to bring home some muffins to help with breakfast. I was already planning to make these with some berries from my freezer, so it was perfect timing. Usually, when I bake muffins for the blog, I just freeze them for later. Watching my family enjoy them was way more fun.
These raspberry muffins are based on my carrot muffins and apple muffins. Like the others, they are marvelously fluffy and moist, but made with 100 percent whole grains, and naturally sweetened, too. I added some lemon zest, which infuses the muffins with light lemon flavor, in between bursts of jammy raspberries.
Raspberries won’t be in season for a couple more months, and strawberries are just beginning to ripen up, so frozen berries were the perfect solution. Since raspberries (also blueberries and blackberries) are so small, you can fold them right into muffin batters without defrosting them first.
Berries are are typically treated with pesticides on the field, so it’s best to buy organic when possible. In fact, strawberries are at the top of the Dirty Dozen list this year, so they are the most important fruit to buy organic.
Frozen organic fruit is a great year-round option, and it’s less expensive than buying fresh organic fruit. I love to use frozen fruits in baked goods and desserts, and savor fresh, in-season fruit in its delicious raw state. You can enjoy these muffins any time you’re craving a sweet, fruity breakfast treat!
Watch How to Make Lemony Raspberry Muffins
Lemon Raspberry Muffins
These delicious raspberry muffins are moist and fluffy. They’re healthier than most, too, since they are made from whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey. Recipe yields 1 dozen muffins.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 medium lemon (about ½ teaspoon)
- 1½ cups frozen raspberries (from one 10-ounce bag)
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend well with a whisk.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and honey or maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.)
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). Gently fold the raspberries into the batter. The mixture will be thick, but don’t worry.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I used an ice cream scoop with a wire level, which worked perfectly). Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake the muffins for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my carrot muffins.
Make it vegan: You can replace the eggs with flax eggs. Replace the yogurt with a smaller amount of vegan buttermilk—just mix ⅔ cup non-dairy milk with 2 teaspoons vinegar. Let it rest for 5 minutes before adding it to the other liquid ingredients. Or, use 1 cup vegan yogurt.
Make it dairy free: See buttermilk option above.
Make it egg free: Substitute flax eggs for the regular eggs.
Make it gluten free: Substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes a GF blend that works well.
*Note on Greek yogurt: I’ve used a variety of fat percentages and the muffins have always turned out well. Higher fat yogurt will yield a somewhat more rich muffin. You can also substitute plain (not Greek) yogurt, but your muffins might not rise quite as high.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
These are supurb muffins. I didn’t have greek yogurt so just used a 1% probiotic peach yogurt as a substitute; they rose very well despite the low-fat yogurt but this may be because I made mini-muffins.
This recipe made 36 mini muffins, and took 15 minutes to cook.
Note: I use parchment paper mini muffin liners and the muffins fall right out.
Hi! I made your muffins and they were great. I was wondering, if I didn’t want to freeze them because we ate them so quickly what’s the best way to store them. I tried putting them in the fridge but my husband said they tasted different. They are so moist that I’m not sure what to do about the extra moisture in the container, maybe just a paper towel would help?
These looks so delicious! I will definitely be making this.
Just made these, they are so moist, and delicious. My family loved them!!
These muffins are delicious – I added a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice as well as the lemon zest and sprinkled the tops with coconut instead of sugar before baking… yummy and so fast and easy to make.
I woke up craving a muffin [because, who doesn’t ;)] and this recipe definitely did the trick. I didn’t have enough raspberries so I threw in some blue and red berries as well. Worked like charm. The berries provide that fruity kick you need in the morning. And the best part? I’ll be able to store this gooey goodness for days to come. Thanks!
I hear you, Pauline! Muffins make every morning better. Your version sounds so good!
I just did them today they turned out mushy. Also my batter was more liquid. I used white flour and regular yogurt. Could that be it?
I’m sorry to hear that! It sounds like maybe you needed a little more flour in your batter. Not sure if white flour would be the reason why. Sometimes even humidity can affect flour measurements.
Really enjoyed this recipe. I used cranberries instead, and squeezed the juice from the lemon I used into the batter. Turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my gosh on these! Used GF all purpose flour and coco oil and maple syrup. Ridiculously good. We toy with GF stuff so we are not used to it. These were so good you could certainly not tell GF. New fave of 10 yo daughter -yay! Thank you, Kate!
Any idea about the calories in each muffin?
I’m sorry, I don’t know. I might start calculating and including nutrition facts soon, but they do vary based on actual ingredients used.
I made these to take to work for the week as I wanted a healthy alternative to raspberry and white chocolate muffins. These were super delicious and super easy to make, I will definitely be making these again!!
Thank you, Amy! I’m glad you found my recipe!
Do you knew how many calories is each muffin?
I’m sorry, I don’t offer nutrition facts yet.
Kate, I love the texture of these muffins. I used muffin cups which I would not use again as they really stuck to the paper…I hate to waste any muffin. Perhaps I should invest in non-stick pans as you use. Also, I found that they were not lemony enough for me so next time I would use more zest and I might go so far as to use lemon Greek yogurt instead of plain. I realize that this would add a little more sugar to the recipe, which frankly I thought it could use as well. Will make again – spouse liked them.
Thanks, Robin. Those all sound like good adjustments to me. I really love that muffin pan that I used for these; I think it’s worth the money.
Despite your comment not worry about the thickness of the batter, I was still a little worried before baking them. However they turned out just fine :) I am not a big muffin/baked good lover but I made them mostly for my husband and he is quite fond of the them. Even I’ll probably eat 1 or 2. A touch tart and sweet without being overly so.
You’re wonderful! Everyone in my family absolutely loves any of the baking I do from your site. They LOVED the “Maple Sweetened Banana Muffins”
– Ashley in the Yukon, Canada xx
Hi Kate, I made these muffins yesterday. I used regular whole wheat flour, EVOO, maple syrup, low fat regular yogurt (raspberry flavor) instead of Greek yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp lemon flavoring, and blueberries instead of raspberries. My eggs were not at room temp and I did not sprinkle sugar on top. I baked them in a silicone pan with tiny loaf shapes. Is there another way I can send you a pic besides Instagram? They turned out beautifully and they are so tasty! They raised up really nice, even though I used regular yogurt instead of Greek. Love, love, love and will make again, maybe with raspberries next time, so I can be closer to your actual recipe – haha!
Has anyone tried to add white chocolate chips to this and maybe dried raspberry chips, or white chocolate chips with frozen raspberries? I know this sounds extreme, but I’ve been trying to do something similiar to Subway Raspberry White Chocolate cookies. All the recipes I’ve seen are extremely unhealthy (regardless if it is cookies, muffins, bars, etc). This is the only one that looks okay, but I’m not sure if it can be revised to this degree. Thanks!
I think you could ad white chocolate chips to these, no problem!
Would oat flou work in these and your other breakfast muffins?
Sorry, I’m not sure. Oat flour doesn’t contain gluten so your muffins will likely be more dense and also more fragile. If you try it, please let me know.
This was a great recipe. I had to use more substitutes than I preferred but I wanted to finish what we had in the house. I used unbleached flour instead of whole wheat flour. Low flavour olive oil as I discovered my coconut oil was rancid! I also added too much of the vegan “buttermilk”. It still turned out great. They were delicious. I’ll definitely make these again.
Though, next time I’m going to have to use a less intense honey. All I had on hand was a locally harvested buckwheat honey. It has such an overpowering malt-y scent. Oh my goodness. My whole house smells like this honey. Luckily, it doesn’t taste that way. Anyways, thank you for sharing it!
Even with all the adjustments, it sounds like it turned out well :)
I made these with fresh blueberries and they were great! I would add more lemon next time. Any idea how many calories these are?
Hey, Abby: Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
I just started following your blog. I love the pictures and creativey to make make food healthier. Made these muffins today. Substituted frozen blueberries instead. Delicious! Slight hint of sweetness and blueberry. I think next time I will increase the lemon zest, just because I love lemon! Next I will be trying your scones :)
Sounds delicious, Nili. Let me know how the scones go, too!
I made these with gluten free flour and they came out absolutely perfect! Thank you so much, love this recipe!
Great! Which flour did you use? Some of our GF readers may want to know which worked out so great :)
I made your banana bread for my class (I’m in college) and it went down so well, so I decided to make these too and everybody loved them! I’m thinking of making them again and adding a bit of white chocolate as I love a white chocolate and raspberry combo – not as healthy but very yummy!
Oh my goodness, you sound like the best classmate ever! I would have loved getting baked goods after showing up for class!
My kids and I love your muffins! I was thinking of making a raspberry chocolate chip version of these for Valentines Day. Any tips on how much chocolate I should put in? Do I need to add anything to replace the zest at all or is that purely for flavor? Keep the healthy recipes coming please!!
I made these muffins using half coconut oil and half olive oil. The olive oil accented the lemon zest so well. I used a vanilla soy yogurt. They were great. Not too sweet, just sweet enough. I look forward to all of your recipes.
That sounds delicious, Mamie.
I made these muffins but I added fresh squeezed lemon juice to the yogurt for more tartness-approximately 1/4 cup. I love the contrast between sweet and sour from the lemon and raspberries. They rose beautifully and I added a raspberry on top for decoration. I have also made your lemon poppy-seed muffins with great success! Thank you.
You’re welcome, Kelley! Your version sounds tart and delicious.
Hi! I was very excited by this recipe and proceeded to make a batch using all the ingredients listed. Sadly the muffins turned out too rubbery despite following all the instructions down to a T. Havent had issues with my oven and am an experienced baker – perhaps using wholewheat flour may have been the culprit? Not sure what went wrong. :/
Hi Emma, I’m sorry to hear that! My muffins were moist, but not rubbery. I always use whole wheat flours and don’t have that problem. It’s important not to over-mix batters, which can over-activate the gluten in the flour and produce a rubbery outcome. Did you maybe use a mixer for these, rather than mixing by hand?
Any suggestions for substituting out the yogurt to make it dairy free?
Hi, Nora. Usually buttermilk will work just fine in place of yogurt–you might get a slightly lighter consistency because it is thinner than the yogurt. Just take a cup of nut or soy milk, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice and let sit for 5-10 minutes until it separates. Since milk has more moisture than yogurt, make sure you decrease the amount of milk you use by 1/4 as compared to the yogurt.
Just made these and posted on Insta!! @mcfitnz
Awesome, Maree! I’ll check it out.
I was really looking forward to this recipe as i am trying to expand the sugar free repertoire. However, I have no coconut oil so used extra virgin olive as the recipe states – my advice for anyone else contemplating doing this – don’t! Whilst the texture is really good the olive oil completely overwhelms the other flavours. It is all i can taste (despite being over generous with vanilla and lemon). I think the recipe needs a different alternative oil without a strong flavour.
I would like to try this again with different oils but the olive oil in the recipe ruined it for me this time.
Hi Kate I just made these muffins, yummy!! I was surprised that they were not too sweet, I used the honey and coconut oil, and they are so moist. I must use coconut oil more in my baking. Thanks. Cheers Mary
Thanks, Mary! I love using coconut oil when baking, I think it gives the end product a perfectly buttery finish.
Great muffins! I never wanted to make sweet muffins for my family, but my savoury ones were always rejected. This recipe is healthy and loved by my family, so it’s a winner!
Awesome! So glad to hear this, Sabrina. I think lemon is a great compromise for folks who generally go for savory, but want something sweet.
Just made these as an easter treat – they are so light and delicious! I had to use golden syrup as I was out of honey/maple and they worked out just fine. You can’t tell that these are a lighter version of normal muffins! Thanks for the recipe :)
Awesome! I love these for springtime, they are so vibrant and citrusy. I hope you have a great Easter weekend!
I literally only make your muffins now, my children love them as do the rest of my family, I love that your recipes only use natural sugars and healthy ingredients, these raspberry lemon muffins are divine!!! Thank you!
Oh, so delighted to hear this, Rosie! Thanks for everything. I’m so glad your family loves these.
These were great! I decided to add a glaze on top by combining powdered sugar, honey, lemon and almond milk.
Ooh, that sounds absolutely irresistible, Maggie. Thanks!
Thanks for your recipes. I’m quickly becoming a fan.
Went to make these for the second time this morning and the ingredients list was missing. I faked it by looking at the ingredient quantities in the apple and carrot muffins, and I’m guessing they’ll turn out OK. But please add the ingredients list back!
Thanks, Dave! I switched over to a new plugin for my recipes, and it has made some of them go a bit wonky. I’m working on remedying it now! Thanks for the head’s up.
Oh no, where did the ingredients list go? These are my favorite muffins, but I can’t tell how much of each ingredient is needed!
I just noticed the same thing, too!
I noticed too – glad I’m not the only one. Kate can you help ?
Me too! These are my favourite muffins and going to make them for 50 people at my son’s birthday party next weekend! Fingers crossed we can get those ingredients.
I think for the time being one could use the apple muffin recipe (the link is somewhere towards the top), leave out the apple, apple sauce and cinnamon, and as far as I remember one had to add 1 tsp of lemon zest and lemon juice (sort of , kind of…) and half a cup of frozen raspberries at the end. I will be a risk-taker and try. ;)
It should be all fixed, Melissa!
They look delicious but unfortunately, the ingredients list isn’t showing up…
Thanks for the head’s up, Kelly! I think it was an issue with one of my plugins. It should be resolved now!
I LOVE your recipes, however, my husband has health issues so could you please give us nutrition values such as fat, carbohydrates, and sugar per serving. Many thanks!!!
Hi, Dianne! I’m working on getting a plugin that will calculate those for me. In the meantime, here’s a helpful resource: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
How much oil in the recipe? It looks like it got cut off….
Oof, this recipe has been a troublemaker while I switched my plugins over! I’ll update that asap. Thanks, Heather, for the head’s up!
These are great! Was inpatient to make them so used Doves Farm Rye wholemeal flour and agave syrup instead of honey/maple, as i already had these and they were so yummy! First recipe of yours I have tried and i cant wait to make more! Thanks :)
Thanks, Katie! I’m so glad your swaps worked out so well.
I love the sound of these muffins! They look absolutely delicious! Would it be possible to use white spelt flour?
Hope you can help :)
Rachel x
Hi Rachel! Spelt doesn’t always work 1:1 in place of whole wheat flour, but it might work just fine. Please let me know if you try!
Hi, are these American cup sizes? Also, does it have to be whole wheat flour?
Yes, these are American cups. And I’m sure it would work with regular flour, you would just need to keep an eye on the substitution ratio– I haven’t tried it myself.
Delicious and easy to make. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Leah!
Loveeeee this! I have made this sooo many times now for my family and as a nice healthy snack. It is so refreshing and delicious we just keep coming back for more!
Agreed–this is a really great go-to recipe. Thanks, Bianca!
I made these with in season chopped rhubarb instead of raspberries. and served with your rhubarb chia jam… AMAZING flavour! Thank you.
Yum! I’ll have to try the rhubarb version of these, Kristin, thanks for the idea!
Nice Muffin. I used coconut oil and honey with whole wheat flour. (Last time I used maple syrup and olive oil.) Because I had it, I used 1/2 cup vanilla, and 1/2 cup lemon yogurt, then cut back on the vanilla extract which I think was a mistake. Anyway, I like it with honey a little better. The only reason that I did not give these muffins 5 stars is because I find the carrot cake muffins superior and how else can I show that. HaHa.
I’m glad you enjoyed the honey version of these, Robin! And I understand your loyalty to the carrot cake muffins. Those ones are really wonderful, too. :)
I found they taste a little better with honey too.
Hi! how would oat flour work in these and with what proportions?
Hi, AJ! Swapping in oat flour is a little tricky, as there isn’t an easy substitution ratio. Resources recommend you only replace part of the flour with oats, as oats behave so differently in recipes. I’m sorry I don’t have a straightforward answer!
Would throwing in some chopped fresh apricots with the raspberries work ok?
Yes, that should work! Try to reduce the raspberries by roughly the amount of apricots you’re adding so they don’t get too moist.
Is it okay to use fresh raspberries?
Yes! Those will work just fine.