Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins – With Buttery Streusel Topping!

With crumbly streusel topping and smooth cream cheese filling, homemade lemon cream cheese muffins are completely delicious for breakfast or snack!

Why you’ll love these lemon cream cheese muffins

• Soft, moist texture + buttery crumb top = impossible to resist!
• The bakery style pastries are bursting with fresh lemon flavor, and each bite tastes like creamy lemon cheesecake in the form of the muffin.
• They are freezer friendly and make a great instant breakfast on the go.
• If you are looking for a simple-yet-elegant lemon muffin recipe to impress overnight guests or feed a hungry family, this is absolutely the recipe for you.

You may also like this Lemon Sorbet

Step by step recipe video

Key ingredients

Lemon juice + zest – A full tablespoon of lemon zest adds bold lemony flavor to the muffins. I normally use vinegar in my muffin recipes but swapped it this time for lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled) to further increase the tangy lemon taste.

Flour – For light and fluffy muffins, go with white all purpose flour, whole grain spelt flour, or cup-for-cup gluten free flour.

Low carb almond flour is a wonderful option in the streusel. However I do not recommend it in the muffin base, because it will yield crumbly results.

Cream cheese – The filling bakes successfully with full fat cream cheese or homemade vegan cream cheese. I have not tried low fat or fat free cream cheese spreads here.

Sugar – You need granulated sugar or a sugar free alternative in the streusel and muffins and powdered sweetener of choice (sugar, erythritol, monk fruit, etc.) in the cream cheese layer.

Oil – Coconut oil or unsalted butter (vegan if desired) are my preference for the best moist crumb. Vegetable oil or sunflower oil work as well.

Or for oil free, healthy muffins with a denser finish, you can use applesauce or mashed banana. I just would not serve the healthier version to guests expecting a traditional muffin.

Oats – Rolled oats give a chewy texture to the crumble muffin topping. Feel free to substitute quick oats, almond meal, or gluten free quinoa flakes.

Vanilla extract – Half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract compliments the tartness of the lemon.

Salt – It may seem like a small amount in the muffins and topping, but this ingredient is important for optimum balance and flavor depth.

Other ingredients – The recipe also calls for water, optional egg, and baking powder.

How to make lemon cream cheese muffins

1. Line a standard size muffin tin with liners, or grease very well.
2. Make the cream cheese filling first. Let cream cheese come to room temperature so it will blend more smoothly. Process the softened cream cheese with the powdered sweetener and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract in a small food processor or with hand beaters until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar, oats, and salt for the streusel topping. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in the butter or softened oil until small crumbles form. Set this bowl aside as well.
4. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (176° Celsius).
5. Finally, prepare the muffin base by whisking the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, optional egg, two teaspoons vanilla extract, and three tablespoons melted butter or oil in a large mixing bowl. Then stir in the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until just evenly mixed.
6. Spoon about two tablespoons of muffin batter into each of the dozen muffin tins. Top with a spoonful of cream cheese filling and then the remaining muffin batter.
7. Sprinkle topping evenly over the muffins, and place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven.
8. Bake for twenty two minutes, or until muffins rise and topping is lightly browned and golden. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out mostly clean.
9. Once cooled, you can store any leftovers loosely covered on the counter overnight or refrigerated for up to five days. Liners should peel off easily.
10. For longer storage, freeze in an airtight covered container for up to two months and thaw or reheat before eating.

Serving suggestions

I love making a simple glaze icing to drizzle over the streusel:

Whisk half a cup powdered sugar (or powdered sweetener) with two teaspoons milk of choice, a fourth teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and an optional teaspoon lemon zest. If too thick, stir in another teaspoon of milk (I like dairy free almond milk).

You can absolutely skip this glaze and serve the muffins as-is from the oven or dusted with powdered sugar. They are super tasty either way!

I created the muffins in honor of my dad, who never met a lemon baked good he didn’t love.

The recipe was adapted from my Applesauce Muffins and this Lemon Mug Cake.

• *The recipe works well with white flour, spelt flour, or all purpose gluten free flour.

• 1. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, or grease well. Set aside.

• 2. Let cream cheese come to room temperature, then blend all cream cheese filling ingredients in a small food processor or with hand beaters until smooth.

• 3. Next, make the crumble topping by stirring all streusel ingredients except butter in a mixing bowl. Cut in the butter or softened oil with a pastry cutter or fork to form small crumbles.

• 4. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit or 176° Celsius.

• 5. Whisk water, lemon juice and zest, optional egg, remaining vanilla extract, and remaining butter (melted) or oil in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt just until evenly mixed.

• 6. Spoon about two tablespoons muffin batter into the bottom of each lined or greased tin.

• 7. Add a spoonful of cream cheese filling, then divide the rest of the muffin batter on top.

• 8. Sprinkle the oat streusel topping over the unbaked muffins. Bake on the oven’s center rack for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean.

• 9. Enjoy hot from the oven. Or let cool before loosely covering with a towel and storing at room temperature overnight or completely covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can also freeze leftover lemon cream cheese muffins for up to two months.

More homemade baked goods

Vegan Brownies

Blueberry Baked Donuts

Baked Oatmeal Bars

Healthy Apple Pie

Strawberry Sweet Rolls

Blueberry Bread

Chocolate Cheesecake