These delicious muffins are packed with juicy blueberries and creamy ricotta cheese, and they have a unique citrusy crunch from the lemon sugar topping. They are the perfect breakfast treat, and they’re so easy to make.
There are a few reasons why muffins are the perfect breakfast food for the weekend.
First, muffins are easy to make and can be prepared in advance. This makes them a convenient option for busy mornings, when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. You can mix up a batch of muffin batter the night before, and then bake the muffins fresh in the morning for a delicious breakfast that is ready in no time.
Second, muffins are versatile and can be made with a wide variety of flavors and ingredients. This means that you can tailor your muffins to your own tastes and preferences, and create a breakfast that is both delicious and satisfying. Whether you prefer sweet or savory muffins, there is a recipe out there that will suit your tastes.
Third, muffins are portable and easy to eat on the go. This makes them a great option for busy weekends, when you might be running errands or have other activities planned. You can grab a muffin and take it with you, and enjoy a delicious breakfast even when you’re on the go.
Overall, muffins are a convenient, versatile, and portable breakfast option that is perfect for the weekends. Give them a try and see for yourself!
What You Need to Know About Lemon Sugar
The lemon sugar topping on these Blueberry Ricotta Muffins adds a unique citrusy crunch that takes the muffins to the next level. It’s made by mixing together sugar and lemon zest, which creates a sweet and fragrant topping that is the perfect finishing touch for these delicious muffins.
Once the muffins are baked and cooled slightly, sprinkle the lemon sugar evenly over the tops of the muffins. This adds a delicious crunch to the muffins, as well as a burst of bright, citrusy flavor. The lemon sugar topping also adds a beautiful visual appeal to the muffins, with its golden color and fragrant aroma.
What You Need to Know About Blueberries
Blueberries are a good source of antioxidants and other nutrients, making them a healthy and tasty ingredient to use in recipes. They are high in vitamin C, fiber, and manganese, and they have been shown to have numerous health benefits, such as supporting a healthy immune system and helping to prevent certain types of cancer.
In these Blueberry Ricotta Muffins, the blueberries add a delicious sweetness and juicy texture to the muffins. Their vibrant blue color also makes the muffins look beautiful, and their flavor pairs perfectly with the creamy ricotta and the citrusy lemon sugar topping.
Step by Step Guide to Making Blueberry Ricotta Muffins with Lemon Sugar Topping
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare Muffin Pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with baking spray or line with paper muffin cups.
Step 2: Prepare Lemon Sugar
In a large bowl, add lemon zest to sugar.
Rub sugar and zest together using fingertips until thoroughly combined and fragrant.
Set aside 1/3 cup of this lemon sugar mixture for topping.
Step 3: Combine Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Gently stir in melted and cooled butter.
Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the large bowl containing the remaining lemon sugar mixture.
Stir gently until combined.
Step 5: Mix Batter
Gently stir the wet ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Note: the batter will be notably thick and dense—this is normal and ensures moist, rich muffins.
Step 6: Fold in Blueberries
Carefully fold fresh blueberries into the thick batter, being careful not to overmix.
Step 7: Fill and Top Muffins
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
Sprinkle the reserved lemon sugar evenly over the tops of each muffin.
Step 8: Bake Muffins
Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 9: Cool and Serve
Remove muffins from the oven and let cool slightly in the pan.
Transfer muffins to a metal cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
The thick batter texture is intentional, resulting in extra moist muffins.
Ensure ricotta and eggs are at room temperature for smoother mixing.
Fresh blueberries yield the best results, but frozen can be used without thawing.
FAQ
Why is the batter so thick?
Ricotta makes the batter dense; this results in exceptionally moist and tender muffins.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Yes, you can use frozen blueberries directly from the freezer. Do not thaw to prevent discoloration.
How do I store these muffins?
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Can I freeze the muffins?
Yes, wrap cooled muffins individually and freeze for up to 3 months.
What can I substitute for ricotta?
Full-fat cottage cheese, well-drained, is a suitable alternative.
Blueberry Ricotta Muffins with Lemon Sugar Topping
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Incredibly moist and flavorful blueberry muffins with creamy ricotta, and a delightful lemon sugar topping.
Ingredients
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick (4 ounces / 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup organic granulated sugar, divided (2/3 cup for batter, 1/3 cup for topping)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/3 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat and Prepare Muffin Pan
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with baking spray or line with paper muffin cups.
Step 2: Prepare Lemon Sugar
- In a large bowl, add lemon zest to sugar.
- Rub sugar and zest together using fingertips until thoroughly combined and fragrant.
- Set aside 1/3 cup of this lemon sugar mixture for topping.
Step 3: Combine Wet Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gently stir in melted and cooled butter.
Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the large bowl containing the remaining lemon sugar mixture.
- Stir gently until combined.
Step 5: Mix Batter
- Gently stir the wet ricotta mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Note: the batter will be notably thick and dense—this is normal and ensures moist, rich muffins.
Step 6: Fold in Blueberries
- Carefully fold fresh blueberries into the thick batter, being careful not to overmix.
Step 7: Fill and Top Muffins
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
- Sprinkle the reserved lemon sugar evenly over the tops of each muffin.
Step 8: Bake Muffins
- Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 9: Cool and Serve
- Remove muffins from the oven and let cool slightly in the pan.
- Transfer muffins to a metal cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
The thick batter texture is intentional, resulting in extra moist muffins.
Ensure ricotta and eggs are at room temperature for smoother mixing.
Fresh blueberries yield the best results, but frozen can be used without thawing.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Pastry
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
If you liked this, you are going to love these favorite muffin recipes:
Nutella-Filled Chocolate Muffins
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Breakfast Egg Muffins for When You’re on the Go
The comments about a dense batter, I can just say – trust the process folks! These are incredibly delicious and they turn out great!
Fabulous, just perfect!
These muffins are not only adorable, but absolutely delicious too!
As a certified muffin lover, I endorse this recipe.
Thank you Chef. My New Year’s resolution this year was to make muffins every Tuesday for my girls breakfast and I have stuck to it so far. I am anxious to try this one. We usually go with what they ask for (chocolate chocolate chip with raspberries is the most popular) but our blueberry bushes are crankin out the goods so I have to honor Mother Nature this week. Do you have any recommendations for undetectable zucchini muffins? They always know when I sneak it in.
Appreciative Stay at Home Mom,
Reilly
Haha, yeah those kids seem to have a sixth sense about veggies sometimes! Perhaps try this zucchini banana bread! https://honestcooking.com/zucchini-banana-bread/
It’s really awesome.
Delicious, very easy to make and succeed with. I think a little more bluebberry works even better, but thanks for a great recipe!
Loved these, but definitely needed to add more liquid to batter-I added half a lemons worth of juice. Delicious!
They look fabulous! Do they freeze well?
Moist and delicious! Everyone loves them! I freeze my fresh blueberries before I put them in, or you can use frozen blueberries from the store. I find that the blueberries stay whole and don’t fall apart as you are folding them in.
These are delicious! I was just looking for something to use up some ricotta cheese and they turned out perfect.
These were delicious! Followed the recipe to a T. We used a cupcake corer to core out the middle, and put extra ricotta-mixture filling. This made it even more spectacular. Thank you!!
Update to my previous comment. This batter is VERY thick, so think I thought I had made it wrong. Well it turns out I was wrong and the muffins came out perfectly! I’ve since made them 3 times and everyone loves them!!!
These were absolutely amazing!!! I am making these a staple in my house!! Loaded with blue berries and SO moist! Thank you for sharing :-)
Best blueberry muffins ever!
These are really delicious…my go to recipe when I have leftover ricotta….everyone loves them!
These are SO good! ??
I am a horrible baker and these were so simple to make. They are very moist and have a perfect balance of lemon to them. The lemony sugar topping adds the perfect texture too.
Not sure how runny her ricotta cheese was, but I had to add around a whole cup of milk to the recipe. Otherwise I think you’d end up with some hocky pucks for muffins. They turned out awesome with the addition of some milk and only baked them for 21 minutes.
Can i freeze the muffins?
My batter was so dry, it looked more like scones. Definitely a misprint in this recipe.
This recipe is not accurate for measurements. I had to add milk/yogurt to it just to get it to be a thick batter. Without it it was a dry crumble looking mess. :(
Wow! This did not work for me! Batter looks like sand. I think you need to revisit your ratios.