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Home » Recipes

Whole Wheat Lemon Raspberry Muffins

I am in love with this new recipe for whole wheat lemon raspberry muffins! It's so good I think I want one with frosting on top for my birthday (which is not until May, but a girl can plan ahead)! The raspberries and lemon complement each other so well, and it's such a nice diversion from the usual muffin flavors. You will also love this Raspberry Bread and these Chocolate Raspberry Muffins!

Whole-Wheat Lemon Raspberry Muffins from 100 Days of #RealFood

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Lemon raspberry muffins with whole wheat flour and real food ingredients

These flavor-packed lemon raspberry muffins are made with whole wheat flour and have no refined sugar. I always advocate eating real food, and leaving out the processed ingredients really brings out the natural flavors of the fresh lemon zest and raspberries in this muffin recipe. Check out these red fruits too!

Instead of sugar, I used ½ cup of pure maple syrup to balance out the tartness of the raspberry and lemon. You can easily substitute the sugar with other natural sweeteners such as honey or applesauce, but I find the maple flavor compliments the fruit flavors perfectly.

Learn all about the different types of berries!

How to use fresh or frozen raspberries in these lemon raspberry muffins

I love baking with frozen raspberries! Since they’re preserved immediately after picking, frozen raspberries can actually be more flavorful than the fresh ones you buy at the store. Frozen berries are also a great way to eat real food on a budget.

The downside to frozen raspberries is that they can become mushy very quickly, which means instead of delicious chunks of raspberry in your muffins you wind up with lemon and raspberry flavored muffins (and dyed batter). To avoid this, leave your raspberries in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. Once you add the berries, don’t let them warm up while you fold them into the batter or fill your muffin pan.

If you prefer using fresh raspberries you don’t need to worry about thawing, but you should still make sure to fold gently since raspberries, especially ripe ones, mash easily.

How to zest a lemon

The fresh lemon zest is what adds the lemon flavor in these lemon raspberry muffins! If you’ve never zested a lemon before, you’re essentially just grating the peel with a fine grater. I recommend using a microplane (over a zester) for the best texture.

To zest, first clean and dry your lemon. Then place the end of your microplane on the cutting board, holding it with one hand on an angle. With the other hand, run the lemon back and forth on the microplane; the grated lemon will fall on the cutting board below.

  • Don’t grate the white part of the lemon peel. This part is bitter on all citrus fruit.
  • You only need a small amount of lemon zest; adding too much can overpower the raspberry flavor in these muffins.
  • Be gentle as you zest and don’t press down too firmly.
  • The microplane is VERY sharp so be careful not to slip and cut your hand or fingers!

If you don’t have a lemon zester or microplane you can also use a box grater or cheese grater. Choose the smallest size option and then run the lemon back and forth until you have 1 teaspoon of zest.

For more baking resources, check out this Teaspoons and Tablespoons guide. Use the zest in our Lemon Blueberry Bread!

Can I use lemon juice instead of lemon zest?

Lemon zest and lemon juice have slightly different flavors and levels of acidity, but if lemon zest isn’t an option, 100% freshly squeezed lemon juice will work in a pinch.

To substitute the lemon zest with lemon juice in these lemon raspberry muffins, first skip the step where you add zest. Then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with the other wet ingredients.

Lemon juice can sometimes taste more tart than zest, but you probably won't notice a huge difference in this muffin recipe because there are so many other flavors to balance it out.

How to store whole wheat lemon raspberry muffins

Cooled leftover muffins (if you even have any leftovers!) can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, in the fridge, or in the microwave for a quick, healthy snack or grab and go breakfast.

I hope your kids gobble up these lemon raspberry muffins like mine did. I'd love to hear what they think in the comments below. :)

Other muffin recipes you might like

  • Whole Wheat Banana (Nut) Muffins
  • Whole Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins
  • Apple Walnut Muffins
  • Blueberry, Fruit, Nut (or anything you want) Whole Wheat Muffins
Lemon Raspberry Muffins from 100 Days of #RealFood

Whole-Wheat Lemon Raspberry Muffins

The raspberries and lemon in this recipe complement each other so well. I hope your kids gobble up these whole-wheat lemon raspberry muffins like mine did. Make sure to bake a second batch to freeze for later.
75 Reviews / 4.9 Average
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 18 minutes mins
Total Time: 28 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Snacks & Appetizers, Treats
Cuisine: American
Method: Baked Goods, Freezer Friendly
Diet: Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 12 muffins
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ cup butter (softened but not melted (1 stick))
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries (no need to defrost)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners and set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest (I usually use a zester, but I just ordered a microplane because I've been told it's much easier!).
  • In a large bowl fitted with an electric whisk (or beaters), cream the butter until smooth.
  • Turn the speed down to low and slowly add in the egg, syrup, milk and vanilla.
  • With the speed still on low slowly add in the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary.
  • Carefully fold in the raspberries with a spatula until well combined.
  • Use a small ice cream scooper or large spoon to add the batter to the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes cleans when inserted in the center, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Whole-Wheat Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Amount Per Serving
Calories 166 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 266mg12%
Potassium 65mg2%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 275IU6%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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29.0K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Jeanne Rhodes says

    April 29, 2018 at 8:26 pm

    Love the texture and flavor. I used blueberries since that's what I. had on hand. Will definitely make these again.

    Reply
  2. Kara says

    January 20, 2018 at 7:26 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I made a double batch today with blueberries instead of the raspberries. Also, I did half honey and half maple syrup for the sweetener. My whole family loved them!

    Reply
  3. Meredith B says

    January 08, 2018 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    My daughter, husband, and I loved these! The butter mixture didn’t initially blend super well but it all came together nicely when we added the flour mixture.

    Reply
  4. Sarah Hollander says

    July 11, 2017 at 3:17 am

    Hi there!! What can I substitute for the butter? Maybe, Yogurt?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      July 12, 2017 at 4:21 pm

      You could use coconut oil.

      Reply
  5. penny says

    July 10, 2017 at 7:42 am

    5 stars
    My new favorite breakfast! One of these muffins with some fruit will keep me full and satisfied for quite awhile. (Unlike muffins made with fake ingredients which just leave you craving something else to eat.)
    They freeze wonderfully and are the perfect thing to pop in the microwave for 40 seconds and enjoy with a cup of coffee!

    Reply
  6. Megan says

    February 23, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    Did you warm up the liquid ingredients? My butter solidified once I added them.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      March 16, 2017 at 10:51 am

      It helps to have your other wet ingredients at room temperature. I typically let the eggs and milk sit for a bit.

      Reply
  7. Ashley says

    February 01, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    These are a winner :)

    Reply
  8. Jenna says

    January 13, 2017 at 7:32 am

    I also made these in the waffle ironn Amazing! Even my little sugar addict devoured them! Thank you!

    Reply
  9. Deb Fox says

    January 07, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    Another great recipe of yours! Made these in the waffler iron, per your 4 Fun Things to Try in the Waffle Iron! They were great and made for a delicious tea party!

    Reply
  10. Lee says

    November 13, 2016 at 9:51 am

    I made Thea for breakfast this morning and they pretty much disappeared. I used whole wheat pastry flour and buttermilk. They were AWESOME!!! Thanks for a great recipe

    Reply
  11. Tiffany says

    November 08, 2016 at 10:02 am

    5 stars
    Made these today with halved fresh cranberries. The kids gobbled them up!

    Reply
  12. Nadia says

    November 03, 2016 at 6:10 pm

    5 stars
    My 10 year old made these but with frozen blueberries that we froze from when we went blueberry picking. I was so surprised how yummy these are! We are new to whole wheat flour and I was little nervous about the taste but we were not disappointed...made them last night and only 2 left! Thank you for the recipe, I originally saw it in the second book And my 10 year old needed to bake asap ☺️

    Reply
  13. Rene says

    October 24, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    I made this with whole wheat pastry flour and blueberries. It is great!

    Reply
  14. Iren says

    October 14, 2016 at 3:45 pm

    5 stars
    I just need to comment on how fabulous this recipe is. I've now made them over a dozen times as is and with variations. I've replaced the raspberries with blueberries, I've also used strawberries along with cinnamon instead of the lemon. Just such a versatile recipe! Thank you!

    Reply
  15. Joey-Leigh says

    September 25, 2016 at 11:43 am

    I made these for my family this morning. We loved them! So delicious. I actually substituted raspberry for blueberries. Will definitely make these again.

    Reply
    • Rene says

      October 21, 2016 at 7:32 pm

      That is what I plan to try since I have about 20 gallons in my freezer.

      Reply
  16. Kira says

    September 08, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    These are unbelievable! So delicious and the perfect texture. I added a whole bag (10oz) of frozen raspberries because I love them, and it same out very well-bursting with raspberry lemon flavor. Do you think it would be possible to replace the butter with equal volume coconut oil?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      September 12, 2016 at 2:11 pm

      Yes. This should help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/.

      Reply
  17. Marci says

    March 23, 2016 at 11:44 am

    What can I sub for the milk? I'm working at removing dairy for a while and am not a fan of soy or almond milk. Could coconut water work?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      April 05, 2016 at 9:23 am

      I use real coconut milk.

      Reply
  18. Lisa says

    February 26, 2016 at 11:08 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE lemon & raspberry, so I had to try these. I did sub unsweetened applesauce & full fat plain yogurt for the butter, since I needed the butter in another recipe. They were delicious!

    Reply
    • Tania says

      April 24, 2019 at 9:40 am

      What amounts did you use of applesauce and yogurt?

      Reply
  19. April Taylor says

    February 21, 2016 at 10:28 am

    5 stars
    I LOVE this recipe! Fun modification, I replaced the butter and lemon zest with Zesty Lemon Grapeseed Oil from Wildtree. Friends were blow away how much lemon flavor came just from oil. And the grape seed oil is healthier than butter. Plus I didn't have to get my hand mixer out. Nice!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      March 06, 2016 at 12:55 pm

      Great idea. Did you use the same amount of oil or reduce the amount? What was your ratio? Thanks for sharing. I'm eager to try a dairy free version!

      Reply
      • April Taylor says

        March 07, 2016 at 1:15 am

        I substituted the butter with half the amount in oil. So instead of 1/2 cup of butter, I used 1/4 of Lemon Grapeseed Oil.

  20. Irene says

    February 16, 2016 at 11:09 am

    I would prefer to make a loaf with this recipe, is there anything I would need to change?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      March 01, 2016 at 7:09 am

      Hi. This King Arthur thread might help: http://community.kingarthurflour.com/content/converting-muffin-recipe-bread-recipe.

      Reply
  21. Steph says

    January 30, 2016 at 7:49 pm

    These are amazing! A crowd pleaser for even the picky toddler. Kids are so excited to have these in their lunch!

    Reply
  22. Jacque says

    January 21, 2016 at 10:06 am

    Made these with my 3YO son and they were a hit! Does anyone know where I can find the nutrition facts on these? Just wondering how many grams of sugar (approx) are in each muffin. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      January 31, 2016 at 7:24 pm

      My maple syrup has 53 grams of sugar per quarter cup, and the recipe calls for a half cup of syrup, so that makes 106 grams per batch. A cup of raspberries adds 9 more grams of sugar, bringing the total to 115 grams of sugar per batch. Divide that by 12 muffins, and you get about 9.6 grams of sugar per muffin. I would check your ingredients (maybe the sugar content is different in your maple syrup), but it's probably pretty close.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        January 31, 2016 at 7:29 pm

        Ooh - plus another 6 grams of sugar per half cup of milk, so 121 grams per batch equals closer to 10 grams per muffin if I'm not forgetting anything else!

  23. Chelsea says

    January 20, 2016 at 9:40 am

    5 stars
    My 2y/o, 1y/o, husband, and I LOVED these for breakfast this morning! I used frozen blueberries just b/c that's what I had in the freezer :-) They were sweet and moist!

    Reply
  24. Sarah says

    January 17, 2016 at 6:25 pm

    Could I use sprouted whole wheat flour instead? Also, do these freeze well?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      January 21, 2016 at 3:14 pm

      Hello. Yes, sprouted should work, too. These do freeze well.

      Reply
  25. Kay says

    January 14, 2016 at 7:52 pm

    5 stars
    So good!! I used blueberries instead of raspberries and honey instead of maple syrup. They were a big hit. Thanks!

    Reply
  26. Cindy says

    January 13, 2016 at 8:01 am

    Any substitute for the pure maple syrup? We live overseas and don't have it here. Also, our equivalent of raspberries are super tart and require something to sweeten then. I wondered about honey in place of the syrup, but not sure how much to use.

    Reply
    • shawn says

      January 17, 2016 at 3:53 pm

      Cindy, I would use honey in a 1:1 sub. You could use blueberries or chopped up strawberries instead of the raspberries.

      Reply
  27. Ginger says

    January 12, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    Is there anything you can substitute for the maple syrup? Maybe honey?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      January 19, 2016 at 1:19 pm

      Hi. Sure, honey should work. It may change the batter consistency somewhat.

      Reply
    • Robin says

      February 03, 2016 at 10:02 pm

      Is there any reason frozen berries would be better than fresh?

      Reply
  28. Christa says

    January 12, 2016 at 11:08 am

    You will LOVE your microplane.... quite possibly the best kitchen invention out there!

    Reply
  29. Diane says

    November 23, 2015 at 12:21 pm

    I used a firm (not overly ripe) banana in place of the stick of butter and it turned out fine.

    Reply
  30. Leah says

    September 02, 2015 at 10:04 am

    Just a tip for those who are thinking of substituting coconut oil for the butter: don't. When I added the frozen raspberries, the whole batter froze up! I still managed to get them into the muffin tins and baked, but it was a pain to work with.

    Reply
  31. Lisa says

    August 30, 2015 at 9:55 am

    5 stars
    Made these with my 3 year old yesterday and they are amazing. We both ate two each right after they came out of the oven. Thanks for the wonderful and simple recipe.

    Reply
  32. Kristen says

    August 28, 2015 at 2:10 pm

    5 stars
    I love these muffins! I'm wondering how you defrost them (and any muffins) without them becoming soggy. Any tips?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      September 08, 2015 at 9:28 am

      Hi. You can defrost on the counter or in the fridge. I've not had problems with excess moisture. If you do, you can throw then in the oven for a bit to reheat.

      Reply
  33. Lisa says

    July 02, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    5 stars
    My kids and I made these today. We used whole grain spelt flour, which I usually like better than wheat flour for baked goods. We also used fresh raspberries and made them into mini-muffins, which took about 10 minutes. I should have used liners but we were out of them, so they did stick a little because of the gooey raspberries. But, they still tasted SO good, and all the kids loved them! Yum!

    Reply
  34. Morgan says

    June 23, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    5 stars
    Wow-- soooo, so good! These are fabulous. Made them exactly as the recipe calls. Perfect. Wondering if theres a way to bump up the protein or fiber?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      June 25, 2015 at 10:57 am

      Hi Morgan. You could always add nuts or seeds.

      Reply
  35. Sarah says

    June 22, 2015 at 8:46 am

    5 stars
    Made these to go with my Father's Day brunch yesterday and they were a huge hit! Definitely your best muffin recipe!

    Reply
  36. Sara says

    June 01, 2015 at 4:45 pm

    These sound delicious. Any recommendations for how to replace maple syrup with coconut sugar? Our maple syrup is precious...(c:

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      June 02, 2015 at 4:00 pm

      Hi Sara. This might help you convert: http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/how-to-substitute-sugar/ and http://www.myrealfoodlife.com/part-3-how-to-substitute-sugar/

      Reply
  37. Erin says

    May 27, 2015 at 10:23 pm

    I love these muffins! I have made them a few times and can hardly resist eating several. My only concern is the Amt of butter. Seems like a lot of greasiness on my muffin papers at the bottom when I put them
    On a rack to cool. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there replacement for part of the butter?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      June 08, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Hi Erin. Some readers have replaced some of the butter with applesauce.

      Reply
  38. Juliet says

    May 20, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    5 stars
    These are fantastic!! I used fresh raspberries, folded in, and I added one or two on top just before baking. And I used 1/4 cup syrup and 1/4 cup honey. They are perfect! Thank you!!

    Reply
  39. kristen says

    May 20, 2015 at 4:37 pm

    Can Bran or wheat germ be added to this recipe?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      May 26, 2015 at 2:26 pm

      Hi. That's not something we've tried. You might need to add a little more wet ingredients if add dry ingredients.

      Reply
  40. Georgia says

    May 14, 2015 at 3:29 pm

    Can I use honey instead of maple syrup? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      May 19, 2015 at 10:43 am

      You can. :)

      Reply
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