Lemon Chia Seed Mini Muffins are bite-sized and made from scratch, filled with fresh lemon zest and chia seeds. These tiny muffins are perfect for snacking or a breakfast on the go.
Lemon chia seed mini muffins are the perfect homemade snack. They're ready in less than 30 minutes and made entirely from scratch.
I like to use fresh lemon zest for a light, fresh citrus flavor. Chia seeds add crunch, plus a boost of fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Love mini muffins? I also have a recipe for Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - it's my favorite for snacking and keeping my sweet tooth at bay!
Choosing a muffin pan
This recipe will make 24 mini muffins, or about 8 standard sized muffins. For mini muffins, you'll want to use a mini muffin or cupcake pan like one of these:
- Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Mini Muffin and Cupcake Pan, 24-Cup
- USA Pan Bakeware Mini Cupcake and Muffin Pan, 24 Well
In the photos below, I used an old set of mini muffin pans - nothing fancy! While they aren't nonstick, a nice layer of butter before adding my batter ensured they released easily from the pan.
Whether your pan is nonstick or not, I recommend giving the pan a light layer of butter or non-stick spray to ensure easy release from the pan. Or, you're welcome to use cupcake liners for your muffins if you prefer.
Ingredients and substitutions
- All-purpose flour - Adds structure and balances with the wet ingredients in the recipe. I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, so I can't say for sure how other flours would turn out. Instead of potentially wasting ingredients (because most flours cannot be substituted at a 1:1 ratio), I highly recommend searching for a recipe that includes the ingredients you'd like to use.
- Chia seeds - Can be substituted with poppy seeds or omitted entirely to make plain lemon muffins.
- Leavening - You'll need both baking powder and baking soda for the proper lift.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your muffins without making them "salty".
- Granulated sugar - Adds a bit of sweetness to your muffins.
- Egg - Adds structure and moisture to your muffins.
- Milk - Adds moisture to your muffins. I used whole milk, but 1% or skim milk would also work. Note that lower fat milks will make your muffins slightly less moist.
- Unsalted butter - Adds moisture and flavor to your muffins. If using salted butter, cut the listed salt in half.
- Lemon zest - Adds bright lemon flavor to your muffins. Why use the lemon zest instead of the lemon juice? Despite popular belief, the most concentrated flavor from a lemon is in the zest.
Can I use poppy seeds?
Yes, chia seeds can be substituted with poppy seeds at a 1:1 ratio to make lemon poppy seed muffins if desired.
Mixing your batter
To make muffins, first you'll mix your dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls, then combine them together. There's no need to use a hand mixer or stand mixer for muffin batter - all you need is a spoon.
Stop mixing once your ingredients are just incorporated. Over-mixing muffin batter can overwork the gluten and create tough muffins.
Removing muffins from the pan
After baking, allow your muffins to cool for several minutes in the pan. They begin to pull away from the pan as they cool, making them easier to remove.
If needed, use a butter knife to gently work around each muffin to loosen it from the pan.
How to prevent dry muffins
- Ovens can run hot or cold. If your oven runs hot, your baked goods may be done a few minutes before what is written in the recipe. If you're not sure how your oven runs, try checking your muffins 2 minutes earlier than the time written in the recipe card.
- Do not substitute ingredients unless it's something that I recommend above (in the "ingredients and substitutions section). Eggs, butter, milk, and sugar all help make and keep baked goods moist. Substituting ingredients or reducing quantities can make your muffins dry.
- Using a sugar substitute can make your muffins dry. Not only does sugar sweeten your muffins, but it also attracts and holds on to moisture. Most sugar substitutes do not have these moisture-retaining qualities.
- Adding too much flour can make muffins dry (this is the most common issue I see in baking!). Scooping flour directly from a bin (especially one that's been sitting for a while and may have settled) can compact the flour and add up to 25% extra flour to your recipe. For best accuracy, use a kitchen scale to measure your flour.
- Do not slice into hot baked goods (or unwrap them, if using wrappers) straight from the oven. This releases steam (aka moisture) from your baked goods, making them dry when they cool.
Muffin storage
Store your muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Your muffins will stay fresh for 3 days or more.
Bread and muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months, either tightly wrapped in foil or stored in a freezer safe container.
To prevent sticky tops when storing your muffins, allow them to cool completely before storing. Even when your muffin feels cool to the touch, the middles may still be warm, so give them enough time to come to room temperature throughout.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lemon Chia Seed Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup (57 g) milk
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter or grease mini muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add sugar, egg, milk, butter, and lemon zest. Mix until fully combined. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fill mini muffin tins halfway with batter. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (or with crumbs, not batter). Or, gently press into the top of a muffin. If it springs back right away, your muffins are done.
- Allow pan to cool for 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. If needed, use a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen your muffins. Allow to cool completely before storing in a sealed container.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- This recipe makes 24 mini muffins, or about 8 standard sized muffins. If making standard size muffins, bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with crumbs.
- Muffins will keep at room temperature in a sealed container for 3 days.
- Baked muffins can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, tightly wrapped in foil and/or stored in a freezer safe container.
Made it, ate it, love it! I don't know how I came across this recipe, but so glad I did! I'm always looking for recipes with simple ingredients and NOT a lot of sugar. This recipe is a keeper:)
Thank you!
Glad you found us Linda, and happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Tasty and we enjoyed them but very dry overall despite baking for 9 min. Will probably not make again.
Hi Rebecca, I'm sorry to hear that muffins didn't turn out as expected. That's surprising that they turned out dry, even with the decrease in baking time! Were any of the ingredients substituted?
Could the all-purpose flour be replaced with whole wheat flour or oat flour? 🙂
I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose, so I can't say for sure how other flours would turn out.
These came out delicious! I doubled the recipe to make regular size muffins and added the juice of the two lemons I used for zest, it was amazing!
These are SO GOOD. I doubled the recipe, substituting all-purpose flour for spelt (1 to 1) and added a bit more chia seeds (3 TBS) and these are delicious! Thank you for posting the recipe:)
These were fantastic! I doubled the recipe to make 12 standard-sized muffins. The only ingredient adjustments I made were to use 1 cup flour and 1 cup almond flour, and I used a 1/2 cup of monk fruit sweetener blend (so didn’t double the sugar). They were perfect. I couldn’t believe how nicely the chia seeds took the place of poppyseeds, I actually prefer the slightly crispier texture of the chia seeds.
These were so easy to make and came out delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Haven’t made them yet but was just what I was looking for, just wanted to say thank you for mentioning the ingredients in grams also it saves so much time 🤗
I prefer to measure in grams myself, glad to hear it's helpful for you!
I doubled all measurements in the recipe and made the standard larger 12 muffins and they were PERFECT. I also reduced the sugar by about 2/3, because as is it wouod have been too sweet. All in all, great recipe and I am definitely going to make them again and again!
This was delicious. I substituted monk fruit sweetener for sugar and almond milk and they came out amazing. I also made a tasty glaze for the top with a bit of Swerve confections sugar , water, and fresh lemon juice.
Excellent! Not too sweet. Perfect with a cup of coffee. It took the zest of one and a half small lemons. I'll add this recipe to my box. This would be perfect to put in a basket when company spends the night.
Very tasty!
How can I make this without sugar ? 🙂
I would not recommend making this recipe without any sugar at all. Sugar adds sweetness and makes the muffins tender and moist. Sugar also helps leaven the muffins (sugar cuts into the fats when mixed, creating tiny air bubbles that help the muffins rise when baked). I haven't tried any sugar substitutes with this recipe, but a quick google search tells me that granulated sugar can be substituted with coconut sugar at a 1:1 ratio. You may be able to substitute with honey (substitute 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with 6 tablespoons of honey), however this may affect the texture and rise of your muffins.
I substituted almond flour, almond milk and serve sugar. They taste good but sunk in middle and the top falls off of the muffin
Hi Monica, I'm sorry to hear that your muffins didn't turn out! I do not recommend substituting ingredients in baking recipes for this reason. Since baking is an exact science, swapping ingredients can change the chemistry of the recipe, which likely caused the sinking. I'd recommend searching for a recipe that uses the ingredients you have on hand for best success!
Good recipe will try to add some fresh lemon juice next time
Kid friendly
Easy to make
Basic ingredients you would find in your pantry