Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins (Printable Version)
Moist tender muffins with fresh raspberries, lemon zest, and creamy ricotta. Perfect for breakfast or snacking.
# What You'll Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
02 - ½ cup whole milk
03 - ⅓ cup mild vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
06 - Zest of 1 large lemon
07 - Juice of ½ lemon
→ Dry Ingredients
08 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
09 - ¾ cup granulated sugar
10 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
11 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
12 - ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
→ Fruit
13 - 1 ¼ cups fresh raspberries (or frozen, unthawed)
→ Optional Topping
14 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each well with butter or oil.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Take care not to overmix, as this will make the muffins tough.
05 - Gently fold the raspberries into the batter using a spatula, being careful not to crush them and release excess juice.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. If desired, sprinkle the tops generously with coarse sugar for a crunchy, sparkly finish.
07 - Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
08 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The ricotta makes them impossibly moist without needing a drop of butter, which feels like a small miracle every single time.
- Lemon and raspberry together hit that sweet tart balance that makes you close your eyes on the first bite.
- They come together in one bowl with zero fuss, which means you can have warm muffins before your coffee even finishes brewing.
02 -
- Overmixing is the fastest way to turn these into rubbery hockey pucks, stop stirring the moment the flour disappears.
- If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw them first because thawed berries bleed into the batter and turn everything gray.
03 -
- Roll your lemon firmly on the counter before zesting to release more of the essential oils from the peel.
- Reserve a small handful of raspberries to press into the top of each muffin just before baking for that bakery style look.