Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe – Easy & Delicious
Easy bakery-style lemon cream cheese muffins filled with a rich cream cheese center and topped with a zesty lemon glaze. Perfect for brunch, breakfast, or an afternoon treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 tspbaking powder
- 1/2 tspbaking soda
- 1/4 tspsalt
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter, melted
- 1 cupbuttermilk
- 2large eggs
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- Zest of2lemons
- Juice of1lemon
- 8 ozcream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cupgranulated sugar (for filling)
- 1 tspvanilla extract (for filling)
- 1 cuppowdered sugar
- 2 tbsplemon juice (for glaze)
- Zest of1lemon (for glaze)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well combined.
- Gently combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Do not overmix.
- In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until smooth.
- Fill each muffin liner halfway with batter. Add a spoonful of cream cheese mixture in the center. Top with more batter until 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick (not through the filling) comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest to create the glaze.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins before serving.
Notes
Use almond flour for a gluten-free version.
Substitute erythritol for sugar for a low-carb version.
Greek yogurt can replace buttermilk in a pinch.
Freeze unglazed muffins for up to 3 months.
Reheat in microwave for 15 seconds or in oven at 300°F for 5 minutes.
Nutrition
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 20g
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Protein: 5g