Delicious gluten free lemon muffins with fresh strawberries and swirled with strawberry preserves. Loads of flavor and perfect for your next brunch or to bring to a potluck.
Everything You Need to Know About Gluten and Dairy Free Lemon Muffins
Making delicious gluten and dairy free muffins isn't really all that different from making regular muffins. There are just a couple of ingredients switches to make.
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
Finding the right gluten-free all-purpose flour for how you cook can be a little bit of a trial and error process. I personally prefer one with a thickener like xanthan gum like this one, but use what you have.
Coconut Oil
I use coconut oil instead of butter to make these dairy free. My favorite coconut oil is from Costco (their in house brand).
The thing about coconut oil is that is does add a hint of coconut flavor and little extra sweetness with that. If the flavor of coconut is not your jam and you're dairy free - consider using melted ghee or olive oil instead.
Using Fresh Strawberries in Muffins
Fresh strawberries make all the difference in this recipe. While the swirl is made with real strawberry preservatives, the fresh strawberries get folded into the muffins themselves.
They make for the bright, sweet bursts of strawberry flavor that break up the lemon flavor of the muffin base.
Can You Use Frozen Strawberries?
Yes, if you're in a pinch, but fresh will be better. Thaw the frozen strawberries and make sure to gently pat dry with paper towels so you don't add too much moisture to the batter.
How to Get the Strawberry Swirl
STEP 1: Use a batter scoop or a tablespoon to scoop the batter into the greased muffin tins until they are around ¾ full.
STEP 2: Combine strawberry preserves and a little lemon juice and add 1 teaspoon to the top of each muffin.
STEP 3: Use a toothpick or knife to swirl the preserves into the batter.
Make Them Mini
If you want to make these mini for your kids, or just to have smaller portions, I definitely recommend it.
Just forgo either the swirl or the fresh strawberries. To be honest, I usually skip the swirl. It gets tedious with the minis, and the flavor is just as good.
Chop the strawberries into smaller peices, say half of what they were in the regular sized muffins and you're good to go!
Storage
These store best in the fridge in an airtight container. They are a moister muffin because of the strawberries, so keeping them at room temp tends to leave them vulnerable to mold.
Freeze these in a freezer gallon bag for up to 3 months. Just be sure to let them come to room temp or cooler before you put them in a bag. Steam will lock on the bag and create a moisture issue with both storage and freezing.
OTHER MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY
- Vegan Banana Nut Crunch Muffins - Vegan banana pecan muffins with a crunchy toasted pecan and coconut topping
- Vegan Blueberry Almond Muffins - Classic blueberry muffins are made egg free and given a twist with a touch of almond extract.
- Mini Sweet Potato Cinnamon Streusel Muffins - the perfect bite-sized snack or breakfast on the go.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Lemon Swirl Muffins
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs (at room temperature lightly beaten)
- ½ cup Coconut Oil (melted)
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 cups fresh strawberries (diced)
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (divided)
- ⅔ cup Organic Fruit Only Strawberry Preserves
Instructions
- PREPARE: Preheat the oven to 425 ̊F with a rack in the middle. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or lightly coat with oil.
- COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
- COMBINE THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate, medium bowl or mixer, beat together the sugar, zest,1 tablspoon of lemon juice, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla until smooth.
- MIX ALL BATTER INGREDIENTS: With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Using a spatula, fold fresh strawberries into the batter. Spoon the batter into each prepared muffin pan cup until three quarters full.
- MAKE THE SWIRLED TOPS: In a small bowl, combine Preserves and remaining 1lemon juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the strawberry preserve mixture into each muffin batter center, using a fork or toothpick, swirl the mixture into the lemon batter.
- BAKE AND SERVE: Bake at 425˚until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Let cool on a rack before serving.
Nutrition
RECIPE EQUIPMENT
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