Healthier grain-free and gluten-free lemon muffins with an amazing pound cake-like texture!
Here’s one for our gluten-free friends. I feel like I’ve been neglecting you lately and for that, I’m sorry!
Gluten-free and especially grain-free baking is always an adventure and this one ended up as pound cake muffins. Yup, the texture is pretty similar to pound cake. They aren’t fluffy but have this slightly dense, yet pleasant, thing going on.
With all the snow and gray depressing skies, I wanted to make something bright and cheery. And all lemony things qualify as cheery, right?! Other people are talking about the first signs of spring and well, I’m just going to pretend with these muffins.
Baking with almond flour is pretty cool sometimes. Not only did it result in bright yellow muffins (whole wheat would have made them look pretty drab, I think) but it lets the lemon flavor really shine through. I suppose you could also use almond meal in them, but then don’t blame me when they have little brown specks. Brown specks just don’t belong in my cheery muffins. ;)
And one more thing. The lemon glaze isn’t optional! It makes the lemon flavor pop even more so don’t leave it out. The muffins aren’t that sweet so the glaze helps them achieve that “naughty muffin” taste. I rarely use powdered sugar but I haven’t found a way around it in glazes. Anyone have an idea how to make a processed sugar free lemon glaze?
I only made these yesterday but they’re just as good today as they were out of the oven. Another plus for almond flour!
Want a paleo version? Try these easy paleo lemon chia seed muffins. And for keto, try this Keto Lemon Cake.
Grain- / Gluten-free Lemon Muffins
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8 muffins
Ingredients
- 96 grams (~1 cup but please weigh!) almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (16 grams) coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) coconut oil or butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons (60 grams) honey
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon milk, any kind
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract or vanilla extract
- up to 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- up to 1 cup powdered sugar
Muffins:
Lemon glaze:
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a muffin pan with 8 muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (almond flour through salt) and set this aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients.
- Add the dry mix to the wet and stir just until combined. Do not over mix! That will result in a bad texture.
- Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the muffins are firm to the touch. Let them cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn the muffins out onto a wire rack to cool.
- For the glaze, put 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in a bowl and stir in enough powdered sugar to get the glaze the consistency you want (you'll probably use 1/2 cup powdered sugar). Add more lemon juice, if needed. It should be thick but still easy to drizzle. Drizzle over the muffins and store in an air-tight container.
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100 comments on “Lemon Muffins (Grain-free, gluten-free)” — Add one!
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hello, in this recipe, I noticed you used 16g as 2 tablespoons( so it is 8g per tbsp) at first; but then you count 60g as 3 tablespoons (20g per tbsp this time?!) Could you please let me know the cause of this, and the conversion between your tbsp and tsp?
Thank you for your help!
Hi! I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to. 2 tbsp coconut flour = 16 grams. 3 tbsp honey = 60 grams. If you measure out honey and coconut flour, you’ll see that 1 tbsp of honey is much heavier than 1 tbsp of coconut flour. Every ingredient has a different weight.
Hi, can I use almond milk yogurt or coconut yogurt instead of Greek yogurt? So as almond milk for milk?
Hello! Commenters have used dairy-free yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt and said it works so I think that’d be fine. :) Almond milk works as the milk.
These look yummy! Is it possible to sub the Greek yoghurt for something dairy free?
You could use any kind of dairy-free yogurt. I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Can you make these without using the tin liners?
Yes if you grease the moulds really well. :)
This is the best paleo lemon muffin recipe and I’ve tried many. Very fluffy texture and great lemon flavor. Love it!
I’m very happy to hear that it’s the best you’ve tried! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
I would like to make this as a layer lemon cake. Do you think doubling the recipe and then baking in 9″ pans would work?
And approx. baking time?
I honestly have no idea since I haven’t tried it. I haven’t always had the best experience converting muffin recipes to cake pans. I unfortunately have no idea of the bake time, either. Sorry I couldn’t help at all!
I made these muffins yesterday and ate 3 for breakfast today(7/11/16).
They taste Yummmmmmmy!please how many calories are in one muffin?i followed the full recipe you gave.they are really hard to resist.thanks for this recipe.
I’m so happy you liked them! Thanks for your feedback. :) I don’t have calorie info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
If you put a cup of xylitol in a vitamin blender with 1. Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot – you get powdered “sugar”! It works great!
Thanks for the tip, Leah! :)
You can make powdered sugar from any sugar. I’m sensitive to corn so I don’t buy icing sugar (I read that the corn starch in the packaged stuff is just to help with moisture and keep it from clumping). I use organic cane sugar and grind it. Keep it in a Tupperware. Makes a nice glaze.
Thanks for the tip! My only issue with making powdered sugar with coconut sugar or raw sugar here is that the taste doesn’t go very well with lemon (at least in my opinion). Or perhaps your organic cane sugar is lighter than mine? That’d make a huge difference. :)
These look so good! I might make them tonight. I am also interested in a glaze that doesn’t use powdered sugar,. I looked on line a bit and found this….so I will give it a try!
2 tablespoons coconut oil, softened
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
zest of half a lemon
pinch of sea salt
Combine and mix
That sounds great! Let me know how it comes out. :) Thanks for the tip!
Yiannib, how did the glaze with the coconut oil, honey and lemon turn out?
Erin I had a massive stroke 9 months ago and gained 15 pounds I am working hard to lose! I have not had any sugar for four months and was dying to try out these yummy muffins.?I love lemon in the summer! These are the best gluten free muffins I have ever had and I have bought exspensive ones from gluten free bakeries around town. Don’t want to brag on my baking skills but your recipe is amazing!!!!! Can’t wait to make some more of these.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! That’s great that you enjoyed the muffins so much. :) And the best GF muffins you’ve had?! Woohoo. Happy to hear that. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment! Good luck with your weight loss.
Hi Erin… These look so DELISH! But please help…. I live in South Africa and can’t find Almond flour anywhere :( Could I use Coconut flour instead? Or whey protein or ANYTHING else???? Ur help will be greatly appreciated
Thanks, Tammy! Sorry that you can’t find almond flour. Almond flour and coconut flour are unfortunately not interchangeable at all (there’s no sub for coconut flour) :( You could use any type of nut flour or meal! Almond meal, cashew meal, hazelnut meal or whatever else you can find / make. The only thing is that a different type of flour will affect the taste and since I’ve only used almond flour here, I can’t say if it’d be a good change or not! I’d suggest making your own almond flour. Here’s a recipe. Good luck! :)
Because of health reasons (diabetes), I would rather not use honey. I have alternative sweeteners-xylitol, erythritol, and Stevia.
What would be the best option to replace the honey?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried using any of those sweeteners so I’m afraid I’m not much of a help! Sorry about that. Do you have any of those sweeteners available in liquid form? If you do, and you’ve used them in place of other liquid sweeteners before, I don’t see why they wouldn’t work here. Sorry again not to have a definite answer for you!
Try combining stevia and lemon juice to make up the 3 Tbs of honey. ALSO, I have a lemon bundt pound cake and the drizzle I use is one cup sugar to 1 cup fresh lemon juice. Heat until melted and then poke holes in cooled cake in pan and pour over and let sit for 20 minutes to cool. I’m going to try this with the stevia next as I also need to lose the sugar. AND…..you can order literally any of the flours you have been discussing form Amazon!
I’m so sorry I missed your comment, Judy! Thanks so much for your helpful suggestions. I especially love the lemon juice + stevia idea! I think I’ll try that. Thanks again!
HI Erin! This looks delicious! I am going to make them this weekend. One thing I wanted to comment on is that the Costco where I live (Seattle, WA) now carries coconut flour and Honeyville almond flour! Also, chia seeds, flaxseeds, coconut oil, gluten free flour! So, for all you blog readers, check it out and see if they carry it in yours. It sure does make healthy baking more affordable…
Thanks so much for the tips, Wendy! I’ll be sure to mention this in my next grain-free recipe. I’m sure people will appreciate the info! Do you happen to know if Honeyville is cheaper at Costco than on Amazon? Because I know people are going to ask. ;) Thanks again and I hope you’ll enjoy the muffins! :)
I went to Whole foods and all I found was almond meal/flour. Would that be the same thing or is there a different brand out there that’s strictly almond flour?
Almond flour is made from blanched almonds. Sometimes they refer to it as meal / flour so the whole thing is pretty confusing. Just make sure it’s blanched (no skin) and you’ll be fine! :) I live in Germany where it’s a common thing but from everything I’ve read, Honeyville almond flour is the best in the US. Only problem is that it’s super expensive.
These look lovely! I too have (shockingly) never used almond flour. Almond meal, yes, just not flour. Which is funny because I’ve used just about every other gluten-free flour out there! My faves are buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa, and teff (get the ivory if you can!). I’ve tried making muffins out of mostly coconut flour but the texture is just too dense and fiberous for me. So I love that this is grain-free and has the added nutrition of the coconut flour without relying on it completely. Almond flour is very expensive but some of my local health food stores have started carrying in the bulk bins so it’s cheaper. You can also make your own using blanched almonds but you need to have a real grinder or else it won’t be fine enough. I’ve also heard a Vitamix will work.
If you want a fluffier muffin you could try replacing 1/2 or 1/3 of the almond flour with quinoa flour. And apple cider vinegar always helps. Usually you’d add it at a ratio of 1 Tbsp per cup of milk, mix them together & let curdle for 5 mins. Since this recipe just has a small amount of milk, I’d mix the milk and yogurt together with a tsp ACV, reduce baking powder to 1/2 tsp & add 1/4 tsp baking soda since you’d now have more than enough acid.
Baking by weight is the way to go! Especially with gluten-free – makes a huge difference!
Re glaze… I have a cookbook that gives directions on how to make powdered sugar out of coconut palm sugar and cornstarch, I believe. I’ll try to remember to find the recipe… Coconut sugar is the only sugar I use! Other than molasses and raw honey. Bakes beautifully and is so much healthier than regular sugar. And super yummy tasting!
:) :)
Thanks for your tips! I don’t like baked goods made with only coconut flour, either. The texture is awful!
I think these muffins have the perfect texture, almost like a gluten-filled pound cake, but I’ll keep your ideas in mind for future baked goods!
I already make powdered coconut sugar (in a coffee grinder) but my problem with using that on something lemony is that the the flavors don’t mesh. At least for me! It’s like bright lemon flavor and then this dark, almost caramel-taste. It’s probably the only flavor I won’t use coconut sugar with.
Thanks again for your comment! :)
Oh yeah good point about the deeper flavor of the coconut sugar. I just realized I guess I haven’t made anything lemony since I used white sugar! I have found that the blonde coconut sugar is milder in flavor. I also just read, in one of my sugar-free cookbooks, about Swerve. I haven’t tried it but apparently it comes in a powdered version. In case it’s helpful… :)
I don’t have access to Swerve (I actually don’t have a problem with powdered sugar but I avoid it if possible ;)) but I know another blogger who uses it all the time and swears by it! And blonde coconut sugar?! I didn’t know that that even existed. Thanks so much for the tip! Definitely going to look into it. :)
Thank you for including weights in your list of ingredients – I believe a cup or Tbs can differ depending on where you live in the world. I’m in Aus :)
PS: often people who choose to not eat grains also avoid processed sugar – so maybe a honey-based glaze option? Thanks again for sharing your passion & creativity Erin xx
Thanks for the idea, Kelly! I’ll try to think of a honey-based glaze fur future grain-free recipes. And no problem with including the weights! The entire world except for the US uses metric so I have no idea why other people don’t include it. ;)
These are wonderful! I’ve just gone grain-free this past month and have been experimenting with baking – these are the first that have turned out well. Not soggy or tasteless! I did use Splenda since I’m diabetic (and skipped the glaze) Also I don’t have any coconut flour yet so I used flaxseed. Not such a pretty muffin but delicious and just right for breakfast. Thank you!
Whoa, flax seed worked as a sub?! That’s crazy. And awesome. :) I never would have thought of trying that! I’m so happy to hear that the muffins came out well and that you finally have something yummy to eat during this grain-free month! Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating. :)
I posted Saturday that I made these muffins. Welllll, Sunday the 2 people that would be the ones to eat them had their chance and they loved them. One said it had more of a cake texture than the others I had made before. They both loved them and I sent each of them home with the extra. So I never did get to try one cold. Guess I will have to make them again. Oh well!!!! Thanks for the recipe.
Woohoo! So happy that they liked the texture. :) And that was awfully nice of you to send them home with extras rather than trying one cold for yourself. I don’t think I’d have the willpower. ;) Thanks again for the feedback!
I made these muffins today. I did use powdered sucanat for the glaze instead of powdered sugar. I was very pleased with them. I had to try one hot so it did not have a pound cake texture to me. Maybe when they are cold they might. I probably only used 1/3 cup sucanat for the glaze.
Trying one hot is of course obligatory. :) So happy that you enjoyed them… even while hot! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. Much appreciated. :)
Erin, these are beautiful, and I love that they have a poundcake texture….poundcake being one of my most favorite things ever! :) And lemon, too? My new favorite muffins!
I am a fellow Texan, so I am now following you Facebook (Yesterfood and Joy), Google+, and Twitter. :)
Joy @ Yesterfood
http://yesterfood.blogspot.com
Although not medically-indicated for me, I love baking grain-free and gluten-free stuff!!! Almond flour is really the way to go – love it!!! Almond and lemon? A marriage meade in heaven, in my opinion! YUMMY!
Same here! I have no medical issues. I just like it! Love what almond flour can do to the texture of goodies. :)
I love that this is made with almond flour. This is a wonderful muffin that is nice for breakfast or a tea-time break in the afternoon:)
Tea time break sounds wonderful. I think that's something I need to start doing. :)
Pound cake muffins, I like the sound of that! Love the fresh colour!
Thanks! :)
I loooove lemon, so I know i'd love these muffins. YUM!
Yeah you would! :D
Lemon is such a bright and cheery flavor! I have wanted to try coconut flavor in my baked goods for awhile now but never knew how to use it. I am excited to find a recipe that does. I can't wait to make these muffins!
Yeah, you can't just sub it for another type of flour because of you need a lot more moisture in the recipe when using coconut flour. I hope you'll like these! :)
Oh my gosh these look AMAZING!!!
Thanks!
Erin, these look so good. I adore almond flour. I bet the flavor is amazing!
Thanks! And me too. Almond flour makes things just taste… less healthy. Yay! :)
I've been on such a lemon kick lately, and these muffins look like they need to be next in my citrus adventures!
Citrus adventures. I like that! I think I'll join you. :)
I'm definitely craving those bright citrus flavours at the moment – these look perfect!
Thanks! And yes, bright citrusy stuff! It's all I can think about lately…
I'm gluten free and these look delicious! I keep meaning to try using almond flour as it seems like a brilliant substitute! x
You're gluten-free but haven't tried almond flour?! Whaaat? You need to get on that! Really! :D
oh i love lemon flavor so…haven't tried cooking with almond flour but the pound cake look and texture of these really makes me want too!
I hope you'll try it some time. Pick some up the next time you find it on sale! It's pretty expensive in the US (or so I'm told) so a sale is a good thing. :)
I haven't tried baking with almond flour yet, but these look incredible, you made me excited to try it!
I hope you'll like it! It can take a little time to get used to but I think this is a good recipe to start with. :)
Almond flour is one of my favorite flours to use! Oh and that drizzle – it's totally drawing me in!
Oh, really?! You should post more recipes with almond flour!
This looks so good and moist. love that you used coconut oil.
Thanks! :)
These look so refreshing and lovely. Totally sunshine on a plate. In fact, I love pound cake texture better than muffins, so I'll definitely try these out. :) I think my GF friends would love to try these out too.
Ooh, sunshine on a plate! Love that. :) I hope you and your gluten-free friends will enjoy them!
I LOVE these! I cant wait to make some of them. I really like using almond meal (even though its expensive). They are definitely making me long for spring and sunshine haha! Love these Erin!!!
I'm terrified of how expensive almond flour must be in the US! And Canada. ;) Here, where everything is so expensive, almond flour and other nut flours are pretty cheap. It's actually as cheap as whole almonds! I hope you'll like them if you try them.
So, were you in my head? I was at the store yesterday and thought to myself "oh, I better grab almond and coconut flour". These are two ingredients I've literally never purchased in my life, and I more than impulse bought them, I felt COMPELLED to buy them. Hmmm.
Lemon is in my top 3 favorite fruit flavors. Something about them reminds me of spring, which is great when it's snowing about an inch every second outside. I'll dream of these and also of not getting snowed in at work :-D
Hahaha. YES! I made these, absolutely, with you in mind! ;) I love it when random stuff like that happens. And I love lemon too! It's just so darned… happy seeming. It sounds ridiculous but you know it's true. :)
These muffins do look cheery indeed! And from the looks I can't even tell they are grain free.
Ha! So glad I tricked you. ;)
SO pretty! I'd devour these. And of course the glaze isn't optional. I'd drink it with a straw…
Haha. Well isn't a straw the BEST way to consume glaze? ;)
These look incredible for a gluten free treat. I'll give them a try. Thanks!
I hope you'll like them! Remember not to expect normal muffin texture. :) Let me know how they come out!
These look so light and fluffy! Not easy to accomplish with almond flour but you did it beautifully!
Well, they're not fluffy. They're more like pound cake! They're still good, though. Promise!
Ohhhh man, these look delicious. I am usually not a big fan of lemon or citrus flavored baked goods but for some reason I can already taste these lemon muffins and I'm liking the flavor (in my head at least) maybe my tastes are changing? Love it! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning! And I'm happy to have changed your mind momentarily about lemon stuff. :)
Aww such sunshiny muffins :) It's been windy hear, which makes it cold, which makes me unhappy. I would much rather it be regular cold instead of windchill cold.
I love the contrast of the lines and the muffins by the way. :)
Happy almost Friday!
Thank you! And windy is much worse than just cold. Booo weather.
Happy Friday to you! :)
can these be made without the greek yogart? My kids and I are GF/DF
Thanks
Dawn Martin
Hmm. I haven't tried it but how about using 3 tablespoons of homemade soy buttermilk instead of Greek yogurt + milk? I hope that'll work! Let me know if you try them. :)
Wow, I would never guess that these are gluten free. They look perfectly moist. I love lemon baked treats!
Thanks, Cassie! And I'm happy you like the lemon goodies. I'm planning on a lot more. :)
Yum! I love a good lemon treat to make the winter blues go away!
Haha. Yeah, especially when you feel like the winter blues last for half the year! Hooray for lemons. :)
I'm on a grain-free muffin quest. I love these! I'm going to try them for sure. My kids think I'm the coolest mom ever when I make muffins. :)
I hope you and your kids will like them! Of the grain-free muffins I've tried, these have the most pleasant / least funky texture. :) Let me know how you all liked them!