Lemon Cream Cheese Crumb Muffins
These lemon crumb muffins are perfect! The soft and tender muffins and the sweet-tart glaze have great lemon flavor. They are so easy to make, and the crumb topping is divine.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ These were so freaking good! I was craving lemon muffins this week, and the first recipe I tried was decent, but I’m so glad I found and tried yours!! Thank you, thank you! -Julie
Why These Lemon Muffins are Worth Making
Modeled after this popular blueberry muffin recipe, this lemon version is incredible for all of the following reasons:
- The bright lemon flavor shows up in the muffin batter and on top of the muffins.
- The muffins are soft and fluffy with a slightly sturdy texture that holds up well for the crumb topping.
- Also: buttery crumb topping. YUM.
- They are the perfect muffins for everything from breakfast to after school snacks to parties (like a baby or bridal shower, yes!).
- While easy to make, they have just enough “wow-special” factor to make them a muffin everyone will go crazy for.
A Few Notes for Key Ingredients
All of the ingredients for these muffins are very straightforward, but I want to make note of a few important things so the muffins turn out perfectly:
- Cream cheese: The cream cheese in the batter doesn’t lend a cream cheese flavor to the muffins (you can’t taste it). Instead, it contributes to the uniquely soft but sturdy muffin crumb.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is key here for bright, lemony flavor.
- Lemon zest: There is two full tablespoons of lemon zest in the muffin batter. Don’t skimp on this, if possible. You can also add additional lemon zest to the glaze, if you’d like the yellow speckles and extra boost of lemon flavor.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can sub in equal parts sour cream and milk (2 tablespoons of each for this recipe).
A Note About the Crumb Topping: These muffins are heavy on the crumb topping, which is how I like them. However, you can go lighter on the crumb topping if you’d like.
Best Muffin Tins + Additional Notes
My go-to muffin tins are these ones {aff. link}. They are ever-so-slightly deeper than other muffin tins I’ve had in the past, which makes them perfect for recipes like this where crumb topping is added. If using dark-colored muffin tins, it’s best to reduce the baking temperature to 325 degrees F and watch the baking time closely, adding time if needed.
Baking without the crumb topping, is totally an option if you are looking for a delicious plain lemon muffin (or add poppy seeds for a lemon poppy seed variation).
These muffins likely won’t rise into a domed top like other muffins while baking. This is due to the recipe formulation, as well as the crumb topping.
These lemon cream cheese crumb muffins are really special! I love making them for all sorts of events, and they are always the first ones gone with people asking for the recipe. If you need a great, go-to lemon muffin, this recipe is it!
Lemon Cream Cheese Crumb Muffins
Ingredients
Muffin Batter:
- 1 cup (142 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (159 g) granulated sugar
- Zest of 2 large lemons, about 2 tablespoons
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup buttermilk (see note)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 large lemons)
Crumb Topping:
- ¾ cup (107 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) salted butter, melted
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar, more or less
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- For the muffins, in a medium bowl with an electric handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Don't over mix. It's ok if the batter is still slightly lumpy.
- Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. If you have extra batter, bake additional muffins in a second batch rather than overfill the muffin cups.
- For the crumb topping, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and stir/mash with a fork until the mixture looks evenly moistened and forms tiny clumps.
- Top each muffin evenly with the crumb topping (use it all up!).
- Bake the muffins for 17 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note: these muffins likely won't rise into a domed top like other muffins while baking. This is due to the recipe formulation, as well as the crumb topping, so it's ok if they are flatter on top than other muffin recipes.
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 2 to 3 minutes, then gently move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Continue adding additional lemon juice until the glaze is thick but pourable. Drizzle glaze over the top of each cooled muffin.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted from these favorite blueberry cream cheese muffins)
Recipe originally published April 2017; updated February 2026 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
I was distracted and didn’t exactly follow the directions, but they still came out well, and were delicious! I’m going to make them again tonight.
Just one thing – did you mean 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice for the glaze? I never did get
it to firm up (at all) I’m going to start with 3 teaspoons of juice, and see how it goes. …
Either way, I’m sure I’ll keep making these muffins! You’re right – the muffin itself would stand very well on its own.
I agree. Three tablespoons of lemon juice is way too much for 1/2 c. powdered sugar. I started out with just 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and even that was way too much. I ended up having to add so much powdered sugar to make it even remotely like a glaze, which meant That by the end I had way more glaze than needed. Live and learn. I’m definitely making these again, but I’ll probably start with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and just go from there just to be safe. These muffins were awesome!
I’m not a muffin person, so giving this recipe five stars was something I thought no muffin would ever achieve. I give it five stars because it has both excellent flavor nd texture. (I did leave off the glaze. No one missed it.) I made a double batch the first time, thinking I would freeze them, but the kids ate them all up. The next time I made a double batch, I froze a dozen while they were at school. The thawed ones were just as good. Great recipe!
Thanks, Rebecca! Happy these were a hit with your family!
I very rarely take the time to return to a recipe that I have tried in order to leave a review. But I just had to for these beauties. One of the very best muffins I have ever eaten. And I have made A LOT of muffins! These were divine as written, but would also be amazing without the crumb topping and glaze, if you’re feeling a little less indulgent. Imagine them warm, slathered with raspberry jam! Drool!! Thanks for the lovely recipe, Mel!
Thanks so much, Heather!
I have no idea why, but I only ended up with eight muffins!! ?? I used a standard muffin tin. They were delicious though! Mine took much longer to cook all the way through… about 27 minutes total.
Do you have any advice to turn these into mini muffins?
I made the lemon muffins and also can say they are very good, but I too had flat muffins. I followed the recipe as it was written. The topping seemed a bit heavy. Could it be the brown sugar in the topping that is making the muffins go flat?
I don’t think so – it seems to me it might be a leavening issue. You can also try baking them 25 degrees higher (oven temp) to see if that will help.
These were so freaking good! I was craving lemon muffins this week, and the first recipe I tried was decent, but I’m so glad I found and tried yours!! Thank you, thank you!
Thanks so much, Julie!
These are amazing!! Do you have any recommendations for adding fruit? How much and would it change the baking time? Thinking blueberries or raspberries would be delicious in these.
I think that would be delicious, Mattie! I’d definitely recommend fresh over frozen fruit (for texture and also a quicker baking time). I would toss either raspberries or blueberries with a tablespoon or so of flour and mix them gently into the batter at the end.
Is it really 3 tablespoons of lemon juice or 3 tsp? My frosting was really runny!
Yes, it is 3 tablespoons – it should be more of a thick glaze instead of a frosting.
These are scrumptious! A “must make” for every special breakfast or any other time you want to eat something WONDERFUL!
Here’s a little tip for all you lemon-lovers on how not to lose your precious lemon supply in between buying and using your lemons: Buy yourself a cheap, glass jug/jar with a tight lid (mine has an attached, snap ring lid) large enough to hold however many lemons you care to have on hand. Place the lemons in jar, fill with cold water and refrigerate. Done! The lemons will keep for a long time as the cold water prohibits the deterioration of the lemons. All I do inbetween is periodically changing the water. The lemons soften up a little after a while but are totally usable. I haven’t thrown out a lemon in forever!
I’ve made these little gems and they were perfect…One fun little decorating tip…I purchased some sweetened, dried lemon rounds from Trader Joe’s and cut them in half…they looked WONDERFUL on top and tasted great, too.
Has anyone tried turning this recipe into a coffee cake? I’m thinking it would be truly grand but I’m not sure how to adjust the cook times, etc…
Thank you to anyone with a suggestion.
Good Morning!
I am planning a breakfast graduation party for 75 guests . I was wondering if the muffins could be frozen? I too, am a from scratch kind of girl 🙂
Yes, I think they could be frozen – I haven’t tried it, but it should work ok – just make sure they are stored in a way that the crumb topping doesn’t fall off.
I have had this recipe printed and ready to go for a few months now. I finally got around to buying some lemons, and I am so glad I did! These are amazing! The texture is so light and perfect. I have young kids, so I might do less crumble or leave it all off next time.
This is heavenly good! I skipped the icing, the muffin is so light and well balanced, not sweet and the crumble is sooo good! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
These muffins were perfect. I also forgot the egg… pregnancy brain at it’s finest… and they still were soft and delicious! Thank you for such a great recipe!
I need help:) First off, these tasted DELICIOUS!…exactly what I want a lemon muffin to taste like. But, they sank big time in the middle. I do not live at a high altitude (Oklahoma). I looked at them about half way through baking (not opening the oven, but using the oven light). They looked puffy and beautiful. Then, a few minutes later, they had sunk big time (so, it was during baking time; not after coming out of the oven). I had this same issue with your chocolate cake recipe. So, I did a lot of research on it and cannot seem to figure what I’m doing wrong. I’ve made MANY of your other muffin recipes with no issue. Have any ideas???
Hi Jamie – it might be related to the leavening – usually it’s recommended that there is 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon soda for each cup of flour, but you could try decreasing or increasing. It’s hard to know which to recommend. My gut feeling is to say decrease the baking powder just slightly. Also, oven temperature can make a difference (and all ovens can vary a little) – you can try preheating the oven 50 degrees higher and then right after popping them in the muffin, decrease the temperature down to what the recipe states.
Were the muffins undercooked? Whenever I accidentally undercook muffins, they come out of the oven looking great but soon sink as they cool.
Delicious! I love the strong lemon taste of the muffins. Although I’ve failed in the making of lemon glaze (turn to lemon syrup instead), I would still like to give a thumbs up to this recipe.
Absolutely delicious! Used Greek yogurt and milk for the buttermilk since I didn’t have sour cream on hand.
Wow! Just, wow!
Oh. My. Deliciousness.
These are now my favorite of Mel’s muffin recipes, and that is saying something. Plus they worked really well with part whole wheat flour & flax meal and a handful of walnuts! (I did have to use about double the powdered sugar for the glaze to be as thick as the picture)
Every little crumb was promptly devoured and compliments reigned supreme 🙂
Made these again and instead of the glaze, tried Mel’s cream cheese frosting recipe (halved, so 4 oz cream cheese, 2.5 TB butter, 1 cup pow’d sugar + touch of vanilla) and thinned it out with a bit of milk and lemon juice. Result: even more amazing muffins!
Plus you can put the other 4 oz of cream cheese to good use instead of making it sit all alone in the fridge, wrapped up and hoping not to be forgotten. 😉
Made these this morning – oh my stars! They are delicious! We didn’t add the sugar drizzle, and don’t think it was needed but I am sure it would be great on there, too! So tender & lemony…mmnnn.
These are VERY good, light and moist with wonderful lemon taste. I made 24 mini muffins plus 2 regular, baked minis for 10-11 min. Half made with crumble on top and half with turbinado sugar. Both are very good. Thank you for the recipe!
Mel, these are my favourite muffins so far! Cream cheese really makes the difference. I even translated the recipe to Spanish (adapting the units of measurement) so that I can pass it on to my friends in Argentina, where I’m from 🙂
Has anyone tried to freeze these? Do they survive?
Hi Mel, if we don’t finish then in one go, do we have to refrigerate them seeing as there is cream Cheese in it. Also, We won’t be able to reheat it after due to the glaze yes?
I still reheat (for just 10-15 seconds in the microwave) with the glaze…as long as they are at cool room temp, I don’t think they need to be refrigerated.
I live in a hot climate where the normal room temperature is about 80 Fahrenheit on a cooler day. So I worry about spoilage. How long can these keep in the fridge for?
I think they would be ok in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Do you refrigerate these?
I did not, but I only had leftovers for about 24 hours.
I’m a planner too! Top to bottom. And these cupcakes look divine – I mean, like actual little pieces of heaven. Thanks for the recipe!
Just in case you pop the muffins in the oven, set the timer, and then notice the egg on the counter that you forgot to put in — Do. Not. Despair. Carry on with the baking, topping and drizzle and they will be quite yummy. Made a second batch with the egg, and we actually like the more-muffiny texture of the egg-less ones!
Serious? That’s awesome!
How do I make them so they don’t sink in the middle?
Do you live at a high altitude, Heather?
I would be curious about high altitude. I made these and they too sunk in the middle. They still tasted amazing, but because I can be a little bit on the perfection side of my backing I would like to know how to change the recipe to adjust for the high altitude.
Made these today and they’re really great I’m just curious what the consistency is supposed to be like? Mine are pretty heavy and if I didn’t know they had cream cheese in them I might think they were undercooked.
The crumb is a little sturdier than a light and fluffy muffin but they shouldn’t necessarily be overly dense (that can happen if they are over mixed or over floured).
How would you suggest modifying this to making a loaf?
I’m not really sure, Patti – I haven’t tried it. Maybe split the batter between two loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes or so?
I was going to take these on a plane and didn’t think the crumb topping would survive the trip. So I left the topping off and put white chocolate chips in half the muffins and poppy seeds in the other half. Yum!
That sounds delicious!
Made these and they were delicious!! Gonna make these again and again. I’ll have to go back and make the blueberry ones!
Oh and I didn’t have sour cream for the buttermilk so I used plain Greek yogurt. Worked great.
Glad you loved the lemon muffins, Christina – I bet you’ll enjoy the blueberry ones, too (at least I hope so!).
I made these exactly as the recipe was written and they were wonderful. I ate way too many of them and will keep this recipe. Thank you.
Glad you liked the muffins, Nancy! Thanks for letting me know.
Just made these with Cup4Cup gluten free flour. They are VERY good with absolutely no grit at all! This recipe is a keeper for my gluten free family. Thank you so much!
That’s awesome, thanks for the report back!
Yummmmmm! Made these this afternoon for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for yet another keeper, Mel!!
Glad they were a hit, Jaci!
I am thinking about making these for a potluck brunch at church, If I were to make them in mini-muffin size, do you have a suggestion on time for baking? Same temp?
I’d probably use the same temp, but check them after about 7 minutes.
Love your website and recipes. They’re fun and delicious. Since lemon is my husband’s favorite, these muffins are a must try! But I just had to comment on your love of your paper planner. I love using one, too–so much that I’ve customized my own planner to fit my needs. Talk about OCD! I made a weekly planner template on my computer to fit on an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper. Using the landscape feature, the left side has dates for appointments and a calling checklist. The right side of the template has my priorities/to do checklist plus lines for notes. Before printing I fill in dates, holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. At the end of the planner are my lists– things I want to remember or need to know like telephone & addresses, ward lists, gift ideas, vehicle and household information, notes, individual medical information sheets; (can’t begin to tell you how handy this is when we spend a good portion of our time in doctor offices!), individual information sheets for each member of the family with sizes, likes, dislikes,, etc., etc. All at my fingertips! Can you imagine the possibilities!!! Oh, how I love my planner! Plus it’s easy to update info for the next year! After I print all this information (I print on both sides of the paper), I cut the paper in half and assemble the planner. For the outside cover, I cut an inexpensive plastic report cover with pockets to fit the front and back of the notebook, Then I take it to Office Depot to be spiral bound. Voila! Personalized Planner! Life’s good! Thanks for letting me share my love of my planner with you. It’s so nice to be able to share with someone who understands! My husband just shakes his head and thinks I’m nuts – but he loves me anyway! Time to buy some lemons. I’ll put them on my list!
We are definitely soulmates! I make my own planner, too (on InDesign) and have all of that same information in there. It’s lifesaving! (and yes, slightly OCD, but I’m ok with that)
I had to make these right when I saw the post. They are amazingly perfect!
I love you, Camille! Thanks for making them so fast and reporting back. Seeing your comment makes me miss you!
Do it matter which type of butter you use? Salted or unsalted??
I always use salted.
A quick question: what kind of cupcake liners do you use? Yours look so white and sharp! Mine always end up looking greasy and not-white. (Not that it’s stopped me from baking, but still…)
Hey Ellen – I am pretty sure I got these at Orson Gygi – they are greaseproof liners and are super sturdy (not flimsy at all). There’s a shiny layer inside the muffin cup. It’s great – nothing sticks, but I don’t know that I’d seek them out over and over because I think they were kind of pricey for something that’s just going to be discarded immediately, you know?
These just went on the “must make” list! My son particularly loves lemon everything, so these will make him so happy! And I am totally with you on the paper planner. I have a big wall calendar to keep us all on track, plus a planner that comes to work with me ☺️
I got this recipe in my inbox this morning and went right to my kitchen and made them. I love that you gave the sour cream tip because I didn’t have buttermilk. I love the texture and the crumb topping is so good! My mom came over and said, “Oh, are those from Mel?” She doesn’t even have a computer but she’s heard of you quite frequently from me because every new recipe I try is from your blog lol. She looked over my shoulder at the recipe and saw your picture on the sidebar and she said, “Oh, that’s what she looks like! She’s so cute!” 🙂 I loved your Facebook live! I hope you start doing them regularly, so fun!
Oh, what a fun comment! Thanks, Brittany (and your cute mom) for making my day!
Can these be made the day before or are they best the day of? I just wonder if the crumb toppongoing gets soggy. I was debating about making the lemon blueberry cake or the carrot cake for Easter but these look delicious and give me an excuse to still make the carrot cake.
I had one of these the day after and they were just as delicious, but I’d probably wait to glaze them until serving (the parts of the crumb topping that had the glaze were much softer).
This looks sooo good – but do you think I could make it as a coffee cake instead?
Sounds like a great idea! I haven’t tried it, but you could probably do that…I’m not sure what size pan to suggest. Probably 8X8?
Mel, we doubled this recipe and made in a 9×13 for Easter and it was fantastic!
That’s awesome! I’ll definitely be trying that, so thanks for checking in to let all of us know!
These look amazing! I love lemon anything (just made some lemon coconut white chocolate cookies that were to.die.for!) and will definitely be making these this week!
Also, I love your blog and have been a long time follower on Feedly, but the last few days your pictures are not coming up… The text is still there, but the pictures are broken. Not sure if I am the only one having this problem (maybe I just haven’t restarted in a while??), but thought I would let you know because I don’t have that problem on any of the other blogs I follow there. Thanks!!
Hey Debbie – those cookies sound divine! Someone else mentioned that about Feedly; sorry for the issues! I’ll do some more digging and see what I can find out.
I can taste these muffins by just reading the recipe! I’m going to surprise my husband with these, we love lemons. I love all your recipes! I try to find a recipe for something first on your site bc I know the chances of it turning out great are super high. Can’t wait to see you on Facebook live soon!
Thanks, Maritza!
Oh Mel, you totally make my day so often! So glad I can have you for an online friend, especially since I dont usually have any one to talk to in real life! Well any adults that is, the conversations with the 5 year old are entertaining, but… you know.
I totally still use a paper planner!! I definitely like to hand write my stuff down and I like to be able to look at the whole month at a glance and see what I have going each day.
Even though I don’t really have a life, all the driving kids around needs to be planned!
These muffins look amazing, excited to try them!
I made your German pancakes for dinner last night, they have become my fast Sunday dinner go to, my kids devour them!
Haha, I don’t have a life either! But soccer practices have to get scheduled. 🙂
Thanks Mel. As usual these sound delicious and I can’t wait to make them tonight after work! Now I’m waiting for a strawberry and raspberry verison. Hint, hint. 🙂
I love a paper planner. It’s all I use. I love writing out my lists and making menus, even if I don’t follow them when the time comes. And these lemon muffins, the recipe has been printed and I am planning on penciling them in somewhere on this week’s to do list.
This made me laugh out loud. 🙂
Hey Mel! I don’t comment much but I love all your recipes and have been following you for about 6 years. My oldest child even knows you because when we made the chocolate chip treasure cookies the other day she said, “oh these are Mel’s cookies” when she saw the recipe on the counter. Anyways the other day I was low on groceries. So low I didn’t even have any eggs. Five kids ages 3months, 2,4,5 and 7 years old and a husband that is not home much makes grocery shopping kind of difficult these days. Supper was kind of a hodge podge that night and I was going to make corn muffins. But no eggs. I did have cream cheese so I put some in for the egg and they were fabulous. I liked them better than the ones with the egg. I loved the texture! Might be my new way to make corn muffins.
That’s amazing about the cream cheese in the corn muffins (way to be ingenious!) – I’ll have to try it! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I’m commenting to be the first, ha! Seriously I love lemon and these look amazing! Good thing I just finished whole30!!;) Thanks for all you do! I know what you mean with wanting a pencil and paper planner vs computer. It took a long time for my husband to get me to trust the digital world!