These lemon ricotta muffins are soft, light, and full of fresh lemon flavor. Ricotta adds a tender, creamy texture you don’t get from regular muffins. I’ve tested them again and again, so you’ll get consistent results every time!
Just like all my muffin recipes, these are perfect anytime of the day!
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I know people reach for ricotta for cooking, but have you tried baking with it? Ricotta makes these ricotta cheese muffins extra rich! It also adds fresh flavor and sneaks in protein like it does in my ricotta cheese donuts and ricotta and raspberry cake.
I recently retested and updated the recipe. They have a more tender texture now. I also swapped the icing for some optional turbinado sugar.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Fresh tasting muffins – the fresh lemon zest pairs so well with the ricotta. They are full of fresh flavor, just like my peach ricotta cake!
- No mixer required – stir everything together by hand.
- Ready in less than an hour with simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store.
- Delicious anytime of the day– just like my cherry and chocolate muffins!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes on some of the ingredients.
- You’ll need unsalted butter. The butter doesn’t need to be room temperature since we’re melting it. You can add the butter with the wet ingredients or stir it in after adding the dry ingredients.
- Use 2 large eggs. Take your eggs out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes so that it’s at room temperature. This will help it mix up with the rest of the ingredients.
- Use room temperature whole milk ricotta cheese. Ricotta is mildly flavored but it makes these a little richer than regular muffins. For more ricotta recipes, try my banana bread with ricotta and cannoli cheesecake bars.
- Almond extract is optional. It makes these extra yummy, but almond isn’t a standout flavor.
- Lemon zest adds bright lemony flavor! If you love lemon, try these lemon iced shortbread cookies and lavender lemon scones.
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Big fan of berries? Add fresh or frozen unthawed blueberries or raspberries to the batter just before scooping it into the muffin tins. Be sure to also try my lemon and blueberry muffins.
- Want to try a chocolate version? Add some chocolate chips!
- Prefer to make them without butter? Swap in vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil.
How to Make This Ricotta Muffins Recipe
Quick Video Recap
Please note: the butter is added at the end of the video to avoid overmixing. You can also add it with the rest of the wet ingredients as written in the recipe card below.
Instructions
Step 1– Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips.
Step 2– Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon juice and slightly cooled melted butter into the lemon sugar. Whisk to combine.
Step 3– Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Step 4– Add the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
Step 5– Use an ice cream scoop to distribute the batter into the muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 14-17 minutes.
Step 6– Let muffins cool in the muffin pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Gently fold in fresh or frozen unthawed blueberries into the batter just before pouring it into the muffin tins.
My preferred way is to use an ice cream scoop. It helps ensure the muffins are the same size. It also helps to avoid spilling.
Lemon and ricotta muffins are best the day they’re made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Natalie’s Baking Tips
- Measure your ingredients accurately. Adding too much flour can make these muffins hard.
- Avoid overmixing. Stir in the dry ingredients until they’re just combined.
- To check for doneness, stick a toothpick in the middle of a muffin. If it comes out without any wet batter, your muffins are done.
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Ricotta Lemon Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups (218 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (56 g) almond flour optional; or replace with equal amount all-purpose flour if not using
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from about 2 medium lemons
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter melted, cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (248 g) ricotta cheese room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice freshly squeezed, from about 2 medium lemons
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) turbinado sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar. This helps to bring out the lemon flavor.
- Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon juice, and slightly cooled melted butter into the lemon sugar. Whisk until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cupcake pan. (They will be filled to the rim with batter). Sprinkle each muffin with turbinado sugar, if using.
- Bake 14–17 minutes, until tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
- Let cool in tin for 5-10 minutes then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Patty
Hi there! I can’t wait to make these. Can I use silicone muffin pans?
Natalie Ward
Hi Patty! I’m excited for you to make these too! Unfortunately I haven’t tried making these using silicone muffin pans, so I can’t say for sure how they’d turn out. I think if you have made similar muffin recipes with silicone pans, they should work fine for this recipe too. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful with that. Please let me know if you have any other questions and hope you love these!
Kathryn Leavey
I’m making the recipe for the first time. It doesn’t include how much sugar to add to the muffins – only lists sugar for the topping! Help!!!😳
Natalie
Hi Kathryn, So sorry for that inconvenience! It should be 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Will update the recipe now. Thank you for bringing that to my attention and apologies again! -Natalie