Gluten Free Lemon Crumb Muffins are sweet & bright gluten free lemon muffins with streusel. Great flavor from lemon juice, lemon zest, & lemon extract! Dairy free option.
I’ve always loved the bright citrus taste of lemon. Lemon bars are one of my favorite bar cookies of all time! (My hubby isn’t a fan, which means more for me!)
Lemon poppy seed bread, or muffins... be still my heart.
It was high time I created a gluten free lemon crumb muffin recipe to share with you.
Gluten Free Lemon Crumb Muffins
I adapted these gluten free lemon muffins with streusel from my gluten free blueberry muffins. Instead of blueberries, I added lemon juice and lemon zest in the muffin batter, as well as a little lemon extract. They definitely don't skimp on the lemon!
If you don’t have lemon extract on hand, don’t worry about it. You can skip the lemon extract. The lemon flavor won’t be quite as strong, but you’ll definitely still taste it.
My Not-So-Secret Weapon… Lemon Zest!
While you can skip the lemon extract, don’t be tempted to skip the zest! The lemon zest really packs a punch, and if you skip it you’ll miss out on some awesome flavor. It just won’t be a gluten free “lemon” muffin without it.
I used the zest to add a layer of lemony goodness to the streusel crumb topping. Without the zest, you’d miss out on some great flavor in those buttery crumbs.
Just get yourself a lemon zester (this is my favorite zester), and make it rain lemon zest on your batter and in your crumb topping. You won’t regret it.
“Can’t I just use lemon juice instead?”
No. The answer to that question is no.
The lemon zest brings a lot of flavor to these gluten free lemon crumb muffins.
I like my lemon treats to be actually lemony. I'm a big lemon fan. No subtle lemon flavor here. I want to taste it!
With lemon juice alone, the lemon would be far too subtle.
The juice, however, is perfect for adding a great lemon tang in a glaze, if you allow your breakfast or mid-afternoon snack to be that indulgent.
In my personal opinion, the glaze it totally worth the extra calories and sugar.
If you are lemon fan like me, I think you'll love my friend Michelle's Gluten Free Lemonies recipe. The texture of brownies, with a bright lemon flavor. Sounds like a match made in heaven to me!
Let's Make Some Lemon Muffins!
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Crumb Muffins
Gluten Free Lemon Crumb Muffins are sweet & bright gluten free lemon muffins with streusel. Great flavor from lemon juice, lemon zest, & lemon extract!
Ingredients
For the Gluten Free Lemon Muffins
- ¼ cup white sugar
- Zest from ½ a lemon
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Ryze or a blend that already has xanthan gum in it)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup milk (I used almond milk)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
For the Gluten Free Lemon Crumb Topping
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Zest from ½ a lemon
- ¼ cup gluten-free flour
- 2 tablespoons butter (I used vegan butter)
For the Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
For the Gluten Free Lemon Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line your muffin pan with paper liners, or lightly grease.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and lemon zest. (Doing this releases some of the oils into the sugar.
- Add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum (if needed), salt, and baking powder and whisk until combined.
- In a large measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, egg, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon juice.
- Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Fill the muffin cups about ⅔ full.
For the Gluten Free Lemon Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar and lemon zest together. Add the flour and whisk until combined.
- Add the butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry cutter, or using a fork or two knives until you have crumbs about the size of a small pee.
- Divide the lemon crumb topping evenly over the muffins.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 22-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
For the Lemon Glaze
- In a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle the glaze on the muffins after they have cooled slightly.
Notes
I've used my gluten free flour blend, as well as Ryze Yellow Bag Gluten Free Flour in this recipe.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 190Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 25mgSodium 120mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 1gSugar 13gProtein 3g
All nutrition info is a guestimate and will vary depending on the ingredients you use.
Pin it:
