Tender lemon muffins topped with a crunchy lemon crumble and a delicious lemon glaze. These muffins are full of citrusy flavor and are so simple to make!

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To be honest, I’d never thought to put a crumble on a lemon muffin. I don’t even know why. I just always thought of crumbles as streusel-y, which usually contains cinnamon.

Then, at the beginning of the worst year of my life, after my brother passed away suddenly, our dear friends gave us some sourdough discard lemon muffins. They were amazing. And still warm when we got them.

It was the warm hug I needed at that moment.

But also gave me inspiration for a whole new world of muffins with springy, citrusy flavors. Which was certainly easy. Mixing lemon zest with granulated sugar releases the lemon oils, making it a perfect base for a lovely, lemony crumble topping.

So I decided to try a thing and turn my blueberry streusel muffins into lemon muffins.

Best idea ever.

Why this recipe works

I tried something new with these muffins, hoping for a more rounded top that still had a light, tender crumb. I used all butter (rather than butter and oil) to help create more rise. I also used all granulated sugar, which helps recipes rise (who knew?!). However, butter doesn’t retain moisture for very long, so I also used applesauce, which really packs in that moisture and creates a super tender crumb. And since I also needed lemon juice (obviously), I increased the flour a bit so these weren’t so wet that they fell apart. The result was perfect: a beautifully rounded top with a lovely, light, tender crumb.

And then the flavor. I made sure to use both lemon zest and lemon juice in the muffins, along with plenty of zest in the crumble. The key is mixing the zest with the sugar to help release the oils (and thus the flavor). The result was just the right hint of lemon that is bright but not cloying.

If you’re a real lemon lover, you can add a lemon glaze made with powdered sugar and lemon juice (like the one used on these cookies).

Key ingredients

Flour. Always spoon then level your flour to avoid packing it in and creating a dry baked good.

Baking powder. I use just the right amount to get that perfectly rounded muffin top!

Salt. Sea salt is my go-to, since it has a better flavor and is supposed to be healthier.

Lemons. You’ll need zest and juice for these, so it’s best to use fresh lemons instead of the bottled kind.

Eggs. Be sure these are room temperature and fresh!

Applesauce. Use plain, unsweetened for this!

Butter. Melt this then let it cool while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.

Sugar. Sugar helps give the tops that roundedness. Plus, it’s ideal for mixing with the lemon zest to release the oils.

Pure vanilla extract. Use pure extract, not imitation.

How to make lemon crumble muffins

1. Melt the butter. You could actually melt the butter for the muffins and topping at the same time, if you have a scale and can correctly divvy it up between the two. I’m not as bright as I’d like to think and melted the butter in two batches.

2. Make the crumble topping. You want pea-ish sized pieces. I suggest mixing it with a fork to achieve this.

3. Sift and whisk the dry ingredients. Sifting helps make these so, so fluffy!

4. Whisk sugar and lemon zest. This is key to getting that lemon flavor. Whisk or stir until you smell the lemon.

5. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Make sure they’re well, well blended.

6. Whisk in cooled butter. Doing this separately ensures you don’t accidentally scramble the eggs if the butter hasn’t fully cooled.

7. Fold in dry ingredients. It will be lumpy, but don’t worry! It all bakes out nicely.

8. Fill muffin tins. Aim for about 3/4 full so you get a nicely rounded muffin top.

9. Top with crumble. Don’t skimp! There’s plenty to go around.

10. Bake. The crumble should just start to look golden and a toothpick should come out with moist crumbs (not clean, as this usually signifies they’re over baked).

Enjoy!

Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe

Don’t mix the flour in completely!

Weird, but true. This is one of the things I first learned about baking from my mom. I thought it was so weird that you don’t mix the muffin batter until smooth. What kind of madness was this?? Mixing too much causes gluten to develop, which we don’t want too much of here or we’ll get dense, chewy muffins. So, I only mix the flour until it’s combined (but not smooth). Those lumps of flour will dissolve as the muffins bake, creating the perfect crumb.

Don’t skimp on the crumble!

This recipe makes plenty of crumble to cover each muffin well. Because the surface area of the top of the muffin will increase as they bake, you’ll want plenty of crumble to cover as much of those beautifully rounded tops as they bake. Plus, it’s delicious, so why would’t you want it?

Use finely grated lemon zest

I love this microplane zester my mother-in-law gave me. It makes it much easier to avoid the pith (see next tip) and gets the zest nice and fine. There’s nothing worse than having to chew your zest while eating lemon loaf.

Don’t zest the pith

It won’t be the end of the world if you get some pith, but it’s best to zest lightly to avoid the white pith. It’s rather bitter and won’t add any extra lemon flavor.

Spoon then level your flour

Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.

Can these be made ahead of time?

Certainly! You can make them 1-2 days ahead, but try to reheat them briefly in the oven, as they are best enjoyed warm. They can be frozen and thawed at room temperature, but they won’t be quite as soft and fluffy.

How do I know it’s baked through?

I always use a toothpick, but a small knife or kebab skewer will work, too. You want to catch the muffins when they’ve just barely stopped being raw, as they will cook a little more in the pan while they cool. So try to use a toothpick to check for moist crumbs but no raw batter.

My muffin tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making these muffins. Affiliate links provided.

Handheld whisk (this is always my go-to whisk)

Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy muffin)

Cupcake pans(I’ve used many over the years and these are the most consistently successful.)

Microplane zester

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