Blackberry Lemon Muffins {with Crumb Topping}

Our blackberry lemon muffins with crumb topping are light, fluffy and bursting with citrus flavor. Serve at your Spring or Summer breakfasts and brunches or as a decadent snack.

When it comes to the warmer months, nothing is better than fresh berries and citrus flavors. Today I’m sharing a family favorite muffin recipe that features both of these flavor profiles. 

Lemon blackberry muffins would also be a great addition to your next brunch or shower gathering or when you’re making a breakfast charcuterie board or serve them alongside a plate of this easy Cruffin recipe.

While you can use frozen berries, I highly recommend using fresh blackberries in this bakery style muffin recipe. Peak season for blackberries is June and July, although they can be found from May to September (and sometimes year round) in the grocery stores. 

Blackberry Lemon Muffin Ingredients

How to Make Blackberry Lemon Muffins

Place muffin liners into a muffin tin and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Whisk together the salt, flour, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl. 

In another bowl, cream together the sugar and softened butter with an electric mixture until it’s fluffy. 

Beat in the yogurt, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, and egg. 

Pour the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture slowly, adding ½ cup at a time until all of the ingredients are combined. Mix just until combined.

Fold in the blackberries with a spatula, being careful not to overmix! 

In a small bowl mix together the butter, sugar, salt, and flour with a fork to make the crumb topping.

Add ⅔ cup of batter to each muffin liner. Spoon a tablespoon (or two) of the crumb topping on each muffin. 

Bake for 5-6 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for another 16-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack so they can cool. 

While you wait, mix the sifted powdered sugar and lemon juice together to make the glaze. Drizzle over each muffin after they have cooled completely. 

Want to Make Blackberry Lemon Bread Instead?

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Follow the same instructions as if you were making blackberry lemon muffins up to filling the pan. 

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Let the bread cool completely before adding the glaze. 

Helpful Tips and FAQs

• Use room temperature butter and eggs for best results.
• Don’t overmix the batter or you’ll end up with tough muffins.
• Smaller blackberries can be kept whole if preferred.
• Optional: toss the blackberries in a couple tablespoons of flour or cornstarch before adding the fruit to the batter. This helps to prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottoms of the muffins. We’ve found that cutting larger berries into quarters seems to eliminate this issue.
• The zest of 1 large lemon yields about 1-2 tablespoons worth, and the juice is equivalent to about 4-6 tablespoons.  
• Baking the muffins at 400 degree F for the first few minutes should make for taller muffins with domed tops.
• If you’re using dark-coated pans, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F for the remainder of the baking time. 

How to Store

The muffins will stay fresh for around 3 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. We don’t recommend storing them in the refrigerator because they tend to dry out.

Can I Freeze Blackberry Muffins?

After they’ve cooled completely transfer the unglazed muffins to a freezer safe bag and store for up to 2 months. To serve, allow them to thaw at room temperature for about an hour before glazing.

We recommend waiting until you’re ready to serve before adding the glaze. We like to make double or triple batches of muffins to store in the freezer. They come in handy if you need a quick breakfast or snack.

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