Raspberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins (Printable Version)

Soft, tender muffins featuring creamy ricotta, fresh raspberries, and bright lemon zest. Ideal for breakfast or afternoon snacking.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
02 - ½ cup whole milk
03 - ⅓ cup mild vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)
04 - 2 large eggs
05 - 1 teaspoon 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 salt

→ Fruit

13 - 1½ cups fresh raspberries (or frozen, unthawed)

→ Optional Topping

14 - 2 tablespoons coarse sugar

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup with butter or oil.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ricotta cheese, whole milk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and well blended.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated 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. Avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
05 - Gently fold the raspberries into the batter using a spatula, taking care not to crush the berries and streak the batter with juice.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar if desired for a crunchy finish.
07 - Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
08 - Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The ricotta keeps these muffins impossibly moist for days without any extra effort on your part.
  • Lemon and raspberry together hit that sweet tart balance that makes you reach for a second one before finishing the first.
  • They come together in one bowl and a whisk, no mixer required, which means less cleanup and more snacking.
02 -
  • Overmixing is the fastest way to turn tender muffins into rubbery pucks, so stop folding the moment the flour disappears.
  • Frozen raspberries will bleed purple streaks into the batter, which looks rustic and lovely, but if you want clean pockets of fruit, go with fresh.
  • These muffins freeze beautifully for up to two months if you wrap them individually, so always make a double batch.
03 -
  • Toss the raspberries in a teaspoon of flour before folding them in, and they will suspend through the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.
  • Let the ricotta drain in a fine mesh strainer for fifteen minutes before using it to avoid a wet, heavy batter.

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