Why spend money on bakery muffins when you can bake them at home? This recipe makes 8 jumbo muffins that look just like they came from the bakery with their beautifully domed tops and fluffy interior. Bursting with lemon flavor from the lemon juice and lemon zest, these muffins have a generous amount of creamy ricotta cheese that helps to keep them moist and super flavorful. Store-bought raspberry jam is swirled into the batter and into the muffin tops making for a great addition to these breakfast treats.
If you love raspberry jam, try Bakery-Style Raspberry Muffins (with sour cream) and White Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies.
Make your own ricotta in under 30 minutes to use in this easy muffin recipe. Use leftover ricotta cheese in Lemon Ricotta Cake and in Meatless Baked Ziti.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Bakery-style muffins at home will save you money! I have lots of tips below for how to achieve bakery style muffins at home. These make for the perfect on-the-go breakfast or afternoon snack.
- This is a great recipe that makes fluffy muffins with lots of flavor from the lemon juice and lemon zest and lots of moisture from the ricotta, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.
- No mixer is required to make these delicious muffins. A food processor or blender is needed to mix the wet ingredients.
Ingredients needed to make lemon ricotta muffins
- All-purpose flour: Substitute up to ½ cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for heartier muffins, if desired.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Vegetable oil: Using oil in muffins helps create a tender muffin. Oil also helps keep these muffins moist. Substitute with another neutral flavored oil such as avocado oil or grapeseed oil. Do not substitute with coconut oil or olive oil. Looking for a muffin recipe with butter instead of oil? Try Raspberry Muffins with sour cream.
- Brown sugar: Using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar makes for moist muffins! Use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.
- Eggs: you will need two large eggs. Be sure to remove them from the fridge at least 30 minutes prior to baking to ensure they reach room temperature. Cold eggs will not incorporate as well into the batter as will room temperature eggs.
- Vanilla extract
- Whole milk: Substitute with non dairy milk, if preferred.
- Ricotta: Ricotta is a rich Italian cheese that can be used in sweet or savory dishes. This ingredient adds extra moisture to these muffins! Use whole milk ricotta for best results. If you are out of ricotta, try making your own ricotta - it takes less than 30 minutes, start to finish. I have tried this recipe using both homemade ricotta and store-bought ricotta. They both work equally as well here. Substitute ricotta with whole milk plain Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream.
- Fresh lemon juice: From 2 large lemons
- Lemon zest: From 2 large lemons
- Raspberry jam: Use raspberry jam, jelly, or preserves. I recommend looking for seedless varieties. Try substituting with blueberry jam for blueberry ricotta muffins!
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Equipment needed to make the best muffins with ricotta and raspberry jam
To make bakery-style muffins, use a jumbo muffin pan. You will also need a food processor to combine the wet ingredients. If you do not have a food processor, use a blender instead.
Jumbo Muffin Pan
These nonstick pans work really well to make jumbo, bakery-style muffins. No muffin liner is needed. Spray lightly with nonstick spray before adding the muffin batter.
How to make ricotta muffins with raspberry jam
Step 1
Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan or a 12-cup standard muffin pan with silicone cupcake liners or paper cupcake liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Tip: Using a jumbo muffin tin will yield those bakery-style jumbo muffins!
Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.
Step 3
Zest the two lemons then juice them. Strain the juice for pits and set aside.
To a food processor or blender, add the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest. Process until well incorporated and smooth, about 30-60 seconds.
Step 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Gently fold the ricotta mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until no dry spots of flour are left. Overmixing will lead to dry, tough muffins instead of fluffy, tender muffins, so avoid mixing longer than needed.
Step 5
Add ¾ cup raspberry jam to the mixture and fold in with just a few turns, breaking up any large clumps of jam as you go. You want the jam evenly dispersed but not fully blended into the muffin batter.
Step 6
Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop the muffin batter. Fill each cup of muffin tin about ¾ of the way to the top with muffin batter. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of jam to the top of the muffins and swirl in with a knife or toothpick. Let the batter rest while you preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Tip: Allowing the batter to rest for a few minutes yields muffins that rise much better, creating those beautifully domed tops that bakeries are known for!
Step 7
Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then lower the oven temperature down to 350ºF for another 12-14 minutes for standard muffins and 20-22 minutes for jumbo, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the center muffin comes out clean.
Tip: Starting the bake of these muffins at a higher temperature allows the muffins to get an initial blast of heat that helps produce beautiful domed tops with a great rise.
Step 8
Allow to cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at rom temperature for up to 4 days. Store in the fridge up to 1 week.
To freeze, place muffins on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Freeze at least an hour then transfer to a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at 50% power.
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar packed, light or dark
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup ricotta whole-milk
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 2 large lemons
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest from 2 large lemons
- 1 cup raspberry jam divided
Instructions
- Line a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan or a 12-cup standard muffin pan with silicone cupcake liners or paper cupcake liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- To a food processor or blender, add the vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest. Blend until well incorporated and smooth, about 30-60 seconds.⅓ cup vegetable oil, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ cup whole milk, 1 cup ricotta, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoon lemon zest
- Pour the wet ingredients into a dry ingredients. Gently fold in the dry ingredient mixture with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until no dry spots of flour are left.
- Add ¾ cup raspberry jam to the mixture and fold in with just a few turns, breaking up any large clumps of jam as you go. You want the jam evenly dispersed but not fully blended into the muffin batter.1 cup raspberry jam
- Fill each cup of muffin tin about ¾ of the way to the top with muffin batter. Top each with 1 heaping teaspoon of jam and swirl in with a knife or toothpick.1 cup raspberry jam
- Allow the muffin batter to rest while you preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then lower the oven temperature down to 350ºF for another 12-14 minutes for standard muffins and 20-22 minutes for jumbo, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the center muffin comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Notes
- Makes 8 jumbo muffins or 15 standard size muffins. Nutritional information is based on 8 jumbo muffins.
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at rom temperature for up to 4 days.
- Store in the fridge up to 1 week.
- To freeze, place muffins on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Freeze at least an hour then transfer to a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at 50% power.