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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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! :)