These lemon curd muffins are zesty and spongy muffins topped with a crumbly streusel and filled with an easy homemade lemon curd! They're equal parts sweet and citrusy, making them the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert.
These muffins with homemade lemon curd, a moist and zesty muffin, and a buttery streusel topping are the absolute perfect treat for any lemon lover! They have easy steps and the lemon curd can be made ahead of time, cutting down on the total time to make these muffins. They are perfect with a cup of coffee for brunch, or as a perfectly sweet option for after dinner. They're also definitely pretty enough to bring to a spring party or celebration like a baby shower!
More Recipes You'll Love
Looking for another muffin recipe? Check out our tried and true Pumpkin Banana Muffins! For another lemon recipe, we think you'll love our Lemon Mocktail.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love these Lemon Muffins
- Easy homemade lemon curd recipe. You can find our own lemon curd recipe in the recipe card which we've made a ton of times and it never fails!
- They're nice and large muffins. Perfect for serving to a group of people!
- The top of the muffins is the best! Between the streusel topping and the spoonful of lemon curd, you'll be filled with the best buttery, sweet, and zesty flavors.
Key Ingredients
These muffins have three components - the lemon curd (if you want to make a homemade version), the streusel topping, and the actual lemon muffins! All have simple ingredients that should be easy to find in stores. Below is a summary of some of the key ingredients for the 3 parts.
- Lemon juice and zest - Fresh lemon juice (unsurprisingly) is obviously key in the homemade lemon curd and the muffins themselves! Some zest also ensures the muffins are perfectly lemony.
- Butter - Butter in the lemon curd, streusel, and muffins makes for the most delicious muffins.
- Eggs - Key in the lemon curd and also the muffins! Make sure they're room temperature for the muffins.
- Sugar - Make sure to measure accurately for all components.
- Flour - Measuring this accurately for the muffins is one of the most important aspects of this recipe. If you use too much flour they won't have the ideal bouncy and moist texture.
- Baking powder and baking soda - The combination of both is key and the lemon juice activates the baking soda.
- Greek yogurt - My personal secret for the most moist muffins! I haven't tried it, but I think sour cream could be a good substitute.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
These delicious lemon curd muffins take a bit of time but if you use choose to use store-bought lemon curd they can be made in a total time of about an hour and a half! You can find detailed homemade lemon curd instructions in the recipe card, and a summary of the streusel and muffin instructions below.
Streusel Topping Instructions:
Step 1: Whisk together dry ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Step 2: Cut in the butter. Add in the cold, chopped butter and use your fingers to cut in the butter until the mixture has formed into pea-sized crumbs. Set in the freezer while you prepare the muffins.
Lemon Curd Muffin Instructions:
Step 1: Preheat oven and line pan. Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees and line a standard-size muffin tray or cupcake tray with 11 liners. To make homemade parchment paper liners cut 5-inch parchment paper squares and press them firmly around the bottom of a narrow drinking glass.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest, rubbing the zest with your fingers into the sugar. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: Combine wet ingredients then add to dry. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the eggs, melted butter, greek yogurt, and lemon juice. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry, using a spatula gently to combine, ensuring not to overmix.
Step 4: Add to muffin tray and top each with streusel. Divide the batter between the 11 liners using a cookie scoop, filling each to the top. Cover each muffin with some of the streusel.
Step 5: Bake muffins. Bake the muffins for 10 minutes at 425°F degrees, then without removing the muffins from the oven, reduce the heat to 375°F degrees and continue baking for 6-8 minutes until the centers rise and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool muffins. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to continue cooling completely.
Step 7: Fill each with lemon curd. Once cool, use a pairing knife to cut a circle about ¾ of the way down into the muffin, then remove the piece of the muffin. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip (or use a spoon) to fill each muffin hole with lemon curd up to the top of the hole. Enjoy immediately!
Pro Tip!
Make sure to pay attention to the baking method of reducing the oven temperature after 10 minutes (without removing the muffins from the oven). This is how you ensure that the muffins will have a nice domed top and that the butter in the streusel crumb won't melt.
Tips for Making these Lemon Curd Muffins
- I totally recommend making the homemade tangy lemon curd! It's super easy and the flavor is unmatched.
- Popping the streusel in the freezer while you prepare the muffin batter also helps ensure it won't melt when baked.
- When filling the muffins with some of the lemon curd, a piping bag is really helpful. You could also use a Ziplock bag with the corner cut off.
FAQs
A simple powdered sugar glaze with a hint of lemon juice would add some extra sweetness to these muffins!
You sure can! I would recommend adding 1-2 tablespoons.
I find to get nice puffy muffins filling the batter to the top of each muffin tin is key, and the batter divides best between 11 and not 12.
Storing and Freezing
Because of the lemon curd, the filled muffins need to be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
They're best served right away, but if you're making them ahead of time I would wait to add the lemon curd until ready to serve so that you can store the unfilled muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a few days, then fill them when ready to serve. If storing leftover already filled muffins in the refrigerator, I recommend letting them come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before eating.
I don't recommend freezing these due to the change in consistency that might occur between the lemon muffins and lemon curd.
Did you try this recipe? If so please leave a ⭐️ rating and/or comment below! Also, make sure to tag us on Instagram @doublethespoonfuls so we can see what you create.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Curd Muffins (With Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe!)
Ingredients
Lemon Curd
- 1 cup lemon juice fresh
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 3 eggs large
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
Streusel Topping
- ⅔ cup flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons butter cold, chopped into small cubes (see note)
Lemon Curd Muffins
- ⅔ cup sugar
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs large, room temperature
- ½ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup greek yogurt plain
- ⅛ cup lemon juice fresh
- lemon curd using this recipe, or store-bought
Instructions
Lemon Curd (see notes)
- Add lemon juice and butter to a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until butter is melted then remove from heat.1 cup lemon juice, ½ cup butter
- In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together until smooth.3 eggs, 4 egg yolks, ¾ cup sugar
- Slowly pour the hot liquid from the saucepan into the bowl with the eggs and sugar while continuously quickly whisking.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and set over low to medium heat. Whisk continuously for 5-10 minutes until the lemon curd starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. I usually find it thickens up at around 7-8 minutes.
- Once thickened, pour the lemon curd through a mesh strainer into a medium shallow bowl, pressing down with a spatula to get as much of the lemon curd as possible into the bowl.
- Take plastic wrap and press it directly on to the surface of the lemon curd and up the sides of the bowl. Let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then set in the refrigerator to chill and continue to thicken, about 2 hours. Once chilled transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Streusel Topping
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt.⅔ cup flour, ⅓ cup sugar, pinch of salt
- Add in the cold, chopped butter and use your fingers to cut in the butter until the mixture has formed into pea-sized crumbs. Set in the freezer while you prepare the muffins.5 tablespoons butter
Lemon Curd Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees and line a standard-size muffin tray or cupcake tray with 11 liners. To make homemade parchment paper liners cut 5-inch parchment paper squares and press them firmly around the bottom of a narrow drinking glass.
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest, rubbing the zest with your fingers into the sugar. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.⅔ cup sugar, zest of 1 lemon, 2 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate medium bowl whisk together the eggs, melted butter, greek yogurt, and lemon juice. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry, using a spatula gently to combine, ensuring not to overmix.2 eggs, ½ cup butter, ¾ cup greek yogurt, ⅛ cup lemon juice
- Divide the batter between the 11 liners using a cookie scoop, filling each to the top. Cover each muffin with some of the streusel.
- Bake the muffins for 10 minutes at 425°F degrees, then without removing the muffins from the oven, reduce the heat to 375°F degrees and continue baking for 6-8 minutes until the centers rise and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to continue cooling completely.
- Once cool, use a pairing knife to cut a circle about ¾ of the way down into the muffin, then remove the piece of the muffin. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large tip (or use a spoon) to fill each muffin hole with lemon curd up to the top of the hole. Enjoy immediately!lemon curd
Leave a star rating and comment, ask a question, or share a tip!