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Short-Order Kitchen

Lemon Blueberry Mug Muffin

A plate of small blueberry muffins topped with blueberries, with lemons blurred in the background.
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
5 minutes
Cook
90 seconds
Method
Microwave
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 15 of the thread Microwave muffins and mug cakes

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Fresh lemon zest does most of the work.
  • Scatter the blueberries on top of the batter instead of stirring them in.
  • About 90 seconds. This one overcooks faster than the chocolate ones.
  • Want more lemon? Add more zest, not more sweetener.
THE RECIPE · LEMON BLUEBERRY MUG MUFFIN

Ingredients

Muffin

Frosting (optional)

You'll need

  • Microwave-safe bowl or mug
  • Zester or fine grater
  • Fork or small whisk

Directions

  1. Stir the milk, protein powder, lemon zest, sweetener and pancake mix together until smooth.
  2. Pour into a lightly greased bowl or mug and scatter the blueberries over the top.
  3. Microwave on high for about 90 seconds, until set.
  4. Let it cool slightly. Add the frosting if you like.
Notes Keep leftovers unfrosted in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and warm them for 15 to 20 seconds. Roughly 285 calories and 40 g protein per serving without the frosting, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/lemon-blueberry-muffin/

When the chocolate muffins feel like too much first thing in the morning, this is the one. Lemon and blueberry is lighter and brighter, and it's one of the easiest muffins in the thread.

Zest, not extract

Almost all the flavor here comes from half a teaspoon of zestThe thin, colored outer layer of a citrus peel, grated off with a fine grater. It holds the fragrant oils, so it tastes more like lemon than the juice does. Stop before you hit the bitter white pith.More: Single-Serve Lemon Loaf, so it's worth using a real lemon. Bottled juice and lemon extract don't carry the same fresh, oily brightness that zest does. If it's not lemony enough for you, grate in more zest next time rather than adding sweetener. More sugar just makes it taste like sweet vanilla cake.

Try this

Rub the zest into the protein powder with your fingers before adding the milk. It releases more of the lemon oil into the batter.

Blueberries on top

Stirred in, the blueberries sink to the bottom and you get a plain top with a purple floor. Scattered on top, they sink partway as the batter rises and end up spread through the muffin, with a few still showing on the surface.

Heads up

This one's lighter than the Double Chocolate Protein Muffin, which means it overcooks faster. Check at 75 seconds or so.

If lemon's your favorite, the Single-Serve Lemon Loaf is the all-lemon version. And the Protein Blueberry Muffins show how to bake this style of batter as minis in the oven.