Homemade lemon cream cheese muffins with crunchy streusel topping and soft cream cheese filling are perfect for breakfast or snacks!
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins
- Soft and moist texture + buttery crumb top = irresistible!
- The bakery-style pastry is full of refreshing lemon scent. Every bite tastes like creamy lemon cheesecake in muffin form.
- They are freezer friendly and make a great quick breakfast on the go.
- If you’re looking for a simple yet elegant lemon muffin recipe that will impress guests all night long or feed a hungry family, this is the recipe for you.
You may also like: Lemon Sorbet
Step-by-step recipe video
Main ingredients
Lemon juice + zest – A spoonful of lemon zest adds a strong lemon flavor to the muffins. I typically use vinegar in my muffin recipes, but this time I swapped it out for lemon juice (freshly squeezed or bottled) to further increase the tangy lemon flavor.
flour – For light and fluffy muffins, use white all-purpose flour, whole grain spelled flour, or cup-to-cup gluten-free flour.
Low-carb almond flour is a great option for streusel. However, I do not recommend it for muffin bases. The result is fragile.
Cream Cheese – The filling is successfully baked with full-fat cream cheese or homemade vegan cream cheese. I’ve never had a low-fat or fat-free cream cheese spread here.
sugar – The streusels and muffins require granulated sugar or a sugar-free substitute, and the cream cheese layer requires a powdered sweetener of your choice (sugar, erythritol, monk fruit, etc.).
oil – For those who prefer the moistest crumbs, use coconut oil or unsalted butter (vegan if you prefer). Vegetable oil or sunflower oil also work.
Alternatively, you can use applesauce or mashed bananas to make oil-free, healthy muffins. I wouldn’t serve a healthier version to guests expecting traditional muffins.
oats – Rolled oats add a chewy texture to the crumbled muffin topping. Feel free to substitute quick oats, almond flour, or gluten-free quinoa flakes.
Vanilla Extract – Half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract complements the sour taste of lemon.
salt – It may seem like a small amount in muffins and toppings, but this ingredient is important for optimal balance and depth of flavor.
Other Ingredients – The recipe also calls for water, eggs (optional), and baking powder.
How to Make Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins
- Line or grease a standard-sized muffin tin well.
- First, make the cream cheese filling. Take the cream cheese out to room temperature to help it mix more smoothly. Process softened cream cheese with powdered sweetener and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small food processor or hand beater until smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oats, and salt for the streusel topping. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the butter or softened oil until small crumbs form. Set this bowl aside as well.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Finally, prepare the muffin base by whisking the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs (optional), 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons melted butter or oil in a large mixing bowl. Then add the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir until evenly combined.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of muffin batter into each of 12 muffin tins. Top with a spoonful of cream cheese filling and top with the remaining muffin batter.
- Sprinkle the toppings evenly over the muffins and place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven.
- Bake for 22 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and toppings are light brown and golden. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin will come out almost clean.
- Once cooled, leftovers can be stored loosely covered on the counter overnight or refrigerated for up to 5 days. The liner should peel off easily.
- For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months, then thaw or reheat before eating.
offer suggestions
i love making Simple Glaze Icing Drizzle over the streusel:
Whisk half a cup of powdered sugar (or powdered sweetener) with 2 teaspoons milk of your choice, 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon optional lemon zest. If it’s too thick, stir in another teaspoon of milk (I like dairy-free almond milk).
You can omit this glaze and serve the muffins straight from the oven or sprinkle with powdered sugar. Either way, it’s really delicious!
I made these muffins in honor of my dad, who never met a lemon baked treat he didn’t like.
The recipe is based on the applesauce muffins and lemon mug cakes I made.
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*This recipe works well with white flour, spelled flour, or all-purpose gluten-free flour.
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1. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease them well. Set aside.
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2. Let the cream cheese come to room temperature, then using a small food processor or hand beater, add all the cream cheese filling ingredients and mix until smooth.
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3. Next, mix all streusel ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl to make the crumble topping. Cut the butter or softened oil with a pastry cutter or fork to make small crumbles.
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4. Preheat oven to 350°F or 176°C.
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5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water, lemon juice, zest, egg (optional), remaining vanilla extract, and remaining butter (melted) or oil. Add remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and stir until evenly combined.
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6. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of muffin batter into the bottom of each lined or greased tin.
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7. Add a spoonful of cream cheese filling and divide the remaining muffin batter over it.
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8. Sprinkle oat topping over the unbaked muffins. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out almost clean.
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9. Bake it in the oven and enjoy it warm. Alternatively, once cooled, cover loosely with a towel and store at room temperature overnight, or completely covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze leftover lemon cream cheese muffins for up to 2 months.
More Homemade Baked Goods
Vegan Brownie
Blueberry Baked Donuts
Baked Oatmeal Bars
healthy apple pie
Strawberry Sweet Roll
Blueberry Bread
Chocolate Cheesecake
