These fresh and fruity raspberry muffins are infused with lemon and a hint of almond, bursting with real raspberries! They’re unbelievably soft, with big, bakery-style domes topped with a crunchy almond streusel.
I love turning this year’s berry harvest into easy summer desserts, from lemon blackberry muffins to lemon raspberry layer cake, and lemon blueberry bundt cake.
I think these almond raspberry muffins with fresh lemon juice, zest, and a buttery, crunchy almond streusel might be one of my best combinations yet. They’re bursting with juicy, ripe raspberries, which I love. The berries add all sorts of delicious texture and moisture while retaining their sweet-tart flavor. Plus, the bright pop of red is so pretty, perfect for a summer dessert.
Why These Raspberry Muffins Turn Out Perfect
- Extra moist. I make these muffins with buttermilk and sour cream, which means they are extra moist, even a couple days after they are baked.
- All about the fluff. Small extra steps, like whipping the eggs before adding the other wet ingredients and resting the batter, contribute to a soft, fluffy, bakery-worthy texture.
- Bake high, then low. Starting muffins in a hot oven helps the muffins rise up quickly. Afterward, lowering the temperature while they finish baking prevents them from drying out. This is key to baking muffins with big, tall domes at home.
- Unique flavors and textures. These raspberry muffins are infused with fresh lemon and almond extract for something different. I also love to top my muffins with some sort of streusel. It adds a nice contrast to the soft, fluffy muffins underneath.
Ingredient Notes
Whenever raspberries go on sale at the grocery store, I tend to stock up just so I can get baking! Below are notes on what you’ll need to make these fluffy almond raspberry muffins. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable list with amounts.
- Dry Ingredients – Measure dry ingredients like flour using a kitchen scale, or use the spoon and sweep method to avoid overmeasuring.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk available, make a homemade substitute with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar combined with 1 scant cup of regular milk.
- Sour Cream – My second ingredient for ultra-moist muffins. If you don’t have sour cream, use Greek yogurt or plain yogurt instead.
- Lemon – Zested, then juiced. See how to zest a lemon for tips.
- Almond Extract – I love a hint of nutty almond, but you can replace almond extract with vanilla if you prefer, or lemon extract for an even more intense lemon flavor.
- Raspberries – I use fresh raspberries in this recipe. If you’re using frozen raspberries, you can toss them with flour and add them into the batter frozen. They’re more likely to bleed color into the batter if thawed. Optionally, swap the raspberries for blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries.
- Almonds– I include slivered or sliced almonds in the streusel to play up the flavor and add crunch. You could also use another nut, like pecans or walnuts.
Use Room-Temperature Ingredients
Bring fridge-cold ingredients like eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream to room temperature before you start. Room temperature ingredients mix more smoothly into the batter than cold ones. Your muffins will bake more evenly as a result.
How to Make Raspberry Muffins With Almond Streusel
This recipe produces 12 large muffins. As you can see from the photos, they rise nice and high above the top of the pan. Follow the steps below, and scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. First, beat the eggs until they’re light yellow. Then, add the oil, butter, lemon juice and zest, buttermilk, and sour cream.
- Mix the batter. Whenever I add berries to this recipe, I always coat them in a little bit of flour first. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter. Set the coated berries aside while you gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then add the floured raspberries. You should have a thick, wet batter.
- Rest the batter. Cover the batter and leave it to rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Similar to resting pancake batter, resting muffin batter allows more of the flour to absorb, for a smoother texture and better rise.
- Meanwhile, prepare the streusel. Cut the melted butter with the flour, sugar, and almonds to make a crumble. Keep this cold in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
- Fill the pan. Line your muffin pan (see my Tip below), then fill each liner to the top with batter.
Give the Muffins Room to Rise
The secret to making these beautiful muffins is to fill each muffin to the top with muffin batter. When lining your muffin pan, leave one empty well in between each lined well, as pictured. The extra gap between each muffin means you can fill the liners right to the top, and gives the batter ample space to rise for big, bakery-style muffin tops. This is a trick I picked up from a blogging friend years ago, and I’ve used it ever since!
However, if you need a higher yield, you can line the whole pan. In this case, do not fill the muffin liners to the top (aim for about ⅔ full). Your muffins will be smaller, so you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly.
- Bake the muffins. Sprinkle a spoonful of your prepared streusel over each muffin. Lastly, bake them muffins on the middle rack, starting at 425ºF for 6 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake for another 12-17 minutes until the muffins are tall and set in the middle.
- Cool. Let the raspberry muffins cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. You may need to use a knife to gently loosen the muffins from the pan. Once they’re at room temperature, enjoy!
Julianne’s Tips for Bakery-Style Muffins
- Don’t overmix the batter! This is one of the most common mistakes I see folks make with their baked goods. Overmixing is a one-way ticket to dense, tough muffins that won’t rise. For this reason, I always recommend mixing the batter for muffins, quick breads, etc. by hand. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- If you don’t have liners for your muffin tin, grease the wells well using butter or cooking spray before you fill them.
- Bake two trays at a time. Whenever possible, bake both muffin pans at once, side by side. Otherwise, you can bake in batches if there isn’t enough space in the oven. The only downside to this is that the second batch of muffins might come out slightly misshapen, since the batter has had more resting time. They’ll still taste delicious, though!
- Don’t open the oven door. Even when you lower the temperature after that first, hot 6-minute bake, leave the oven door shut. Sudden temperature changes, like opening the oven door too soon, can cause the muffins to deflate. Wait until they’ve been in the oven for at least 15 minutes before you open the door to check them.
- Use a toothpick to test them for doneness. Stick a toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out mostly clean, or with a few crumbs. If the tester comes out wet or coated with batter, the muffins need more time in the oven.
How to Store
- Store at room temperature. These muffins are best eaten within 1-2 days, but can be stored airtight for up to 3 days at room temperature. The streusel topping will soften with time.
- Avoid soggy muffins. Make sure that these almond raspberry muffins have cooled completely before you store them, to avoid condensation inside the airtight container. As an extra precaution, line the bottom of the container with a paper towel.
- Freeze. Freeze these raspberry muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
More Easy Muffin Recipes
Almond Raspberry Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rest time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
These fresh and fruity raspberry muffins are infused with lemon and a hint of almond, bursting with real raspberries, and topped with a crunchy almond streusel.
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries, rinsed and slightly dried
- 3 cups (360g) plus ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup (190g) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons (10g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3g) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (4g) salt
- 2 large eggs (100g), at room temperature
- ¼ cup (59ml) vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (236ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup (64g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (10g) fresh lemon zest (about 3 large lemons)
- 3 tablespoons (44ml) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) almond extract
For the Streusel
- 5 tablespoons (70g) Unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (95g) Granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (90g) All-purpose flour
- ½ cup Sliced almonds
Instructions
- Combine the raspberries with ¼ cup flour and coat the berries.
- Combine the remaining 3 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium or large bowl, and whisk together until they are thoroughly combined.
- Add the eggs to a separate large bowl and beat with a whisk until pale yellow. Pour in the vegetable oil, melted butter, lemon juice, buttermilk, sour cream, and lemon zest.
- Fold about ⅓ of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Continue adding the dry ingredients until it is all incorporated, add the raspberries (discarding any leftover flour), and mix just until combined. Try not to overmix. The batter will be thick and wet.
- Cover the batter with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- To prepare the streusel topping, combine the butter with all the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until no large chunks remain. Chill until the muffin batter is ready.
- Line two (12-cup) muffin tins with 6 liners in one and 4 liners in the other, one in every other cup. Fill your muffin tin all the way to the top with batter. Add 1 tablespoon of streusel to the top of each muffin.
- Bake the muffins on the middle rack of the oven for 6 minutes at 425°F. Then, without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F, and bake for another 12-17 minutes or until the muffins are tall and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the center muffins comes out clean.
- Let the muffins rest in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool to room temperature. If you find they are sticking to the pan, gently run a knife around the bottom of the pan. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Notes
Storing
- These are best within 24-48 hours; the streusel will soften as it sits.
- Avoid soggy muffins. Make sure that these almond raspberry muffins have cooled completely before you store them, to avoid condensation inside the airtight container. As an extra precaution, line the bottom of the container with a paper towel.
- Store at room temperature. These muffins are best eaten within 1-2 days, but can be stored airtight for up to 3 days at room temperature. The streusel topping will soften with time.
- Freeze. Freeze these raspberry muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Baking Tips
- Bake two trays at a time. Whenever possible, bake both muffin pans at once, side by side. Otherwise, you can bake in batches if there isn’t enough space in the oven. The only downside to this is that the second batch of muffins might come out slightly misshapen, since the batter has had more resting time. They’ll still taste delicious, though!
- Berry swap. Feel free to use blackberries, raspberries or blueberries in this recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Muffin
- Calories: 451
- Sugar: 27.6 g
- Sodium: 191.2 mg
- Fat: 16.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 70.8 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 6.4 g
- Cholesterol: 55.8 mg
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Confession- I usually only eat the muffin tops!