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.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender, buttery muffins filled with light, citrus flavor and crunchy chia seeds.
Easy for beginner bakers: Ready in 30 minutes and made with two bowls and a spoon.
Yield: 24 mini muffins.
Similar to: Banana Mini Muffins and Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt balance with the wet ingredients and help lift your muffins as they bake in the oven. I have only tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, so I can't say for sure how other flours would turn out.
- Wet ingredients - Melted butter, whole milk, egg, and granulated sugar add moisture and balance with the dry ingredients. Butter can be salted or unsalted. Whole milk works best and keeps your muffins moist longer.
- Mix-ins - Lemon zest and chai seeds add flavor and texture to your muffins. Lemon zest could be substituted with orange zest. Chia seeds can be substituted with poppy seeds if desired.
How to make lemon chia seed muffins
- Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Whisk wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.
- Mix until just combined into a batter.
- Fill mini muffin tin cups halfway with batter. Bake at 350F about 12-14 minutes or until the tops spring back after gently pressed.
- Allow 5 minutes to cool in the pan before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland baked goods.
Tips and tricks
Don't overmix the batter - Once the dry and wet ingredients have been combined, take care not to overmix the batter. This overworks the gluten, which can result in tough muffins.
Testing for doneness - Gently press the top of a muffin. If it springs right back, it's done. If an indent is left, it needs more time. Alternatively, use an instant-read thermometer. Quick breads like banana bread and muffins are done when they reach 200F in the center.
Don't use a sugar substitute - This 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.
Don't unwrap hot muffins - If you're using paper wrappers, allow muffins to cool before unwrapping. Not only do hot muffins tend to cling to the wrappers, this also releases steam (aka moisture) from your baked goods, which dries them out.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe makes 24 mini muffins or about 8 standard sized muffins. Here's a few mini muffin pans I'd recommend om Amazon:
Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Mini Muffin and Cupcake Pan, 24-Cup
USA Pan Bakeware Mini Cupcake and Muffin Pan, 24 Well
Yes, chia seeds can be substituted with poppy seeds at a 1:1 ratio.
No. Despite popular belief, lemon zest has a much more concentrated lemon flavor than lemon juice. Adding lemon juice can also make the batter too wet and acidic to rise properly in the oven. If you don't have lemon zest on hand, add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract instead.
Store your muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Muffins can turn out dry from overbaking, omitting some of the wet ingredients, using a sugar substitute, or adding too much flour.
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℉ 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 the center pops back when gently pressed.
- 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
- Yield: 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 the center pops back when gently pressed.
- Storage: Muffins will keep at room temperature in a sealed container for 3 days.
- Freezing: 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