Lemon ricotta muffins (very easy vanilla muffins recipe) -

Name: Lemon ricotta muffins (very easy vanilla muffins recipe)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 200 g (1¼ cup) all – purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; a pinch of salt; 200 g (7oz or about 3/4 cup) ricotta (or cottage cheese); 3 eggs; 200 g (1cup) sugar; vanilla; 100 g (1/4cup + 3Tbsp) unsalted butter (melt it and let it cool); 150 g (5oz) cold cream cheese (I use Philadelphia); 50 g (3Tbsp + 2tsp) unsalted butter at room temperature; 50 g (1/4cup + 1Tbsp) powdered sugar; grated zest of 1 lemon

These homemade ricotta muffins are so quick and easy to make. Topped with lemon cream cheese frosting they are simply perfect!

Jump to recipe

I absolutely love these lemon ricotta muffins (or lemon ricotta cupcakes – that’s what my kids call this dessert). Everything is perfect about them: their delicate taste and light moist texture, you just can’t stop eating them!

What’s more, this easy vanilla muffins recipe is really easy to make and it requires simple ingredients. The batter is made in just one bowl, so you won’t need to wash a mountain of pans, glasses, spoons, and other kitchen utensils! Finally, it will take no more than 10 minutes to prepare the batter and fill the muffin tins! Have you seen a faster recipe somewhere?

In short, it’s one of the easiest desserts from scratch you can bake. Did I mention that it’s also super yummy?

These lemon ricotta muffins are a great way to start your morning, they are perfect as an afternoon snack too. In addition, they are always a popular treat at parties, baby showers, and family gatherings.

Ricotta muffins, cookies, creams…

Baking with ricotta cheese has always been my big love! I realized this right after I moved to Italy. Here, ricotta is often added to various desserts and sweet creams. This cheese is amazing in baked goods and takes them to the highest level! Its creaminess adds moisture texture and a richer taste to cakes and cookies.

These lemon vanilla muffins with ricotta cheese are not a traditional Italian recipe, but it was the Italian culinary tradition that inspired me to experiment with adding ricotta to the batter.

Therefore, if you need to use some leftover ricotta cheese, you have to try these vanilla muffins with ricotta. Trust me, this recipe is too good to miss!

How to serve it

You can serve the homemade ricotta muffins plain or just dust some powdered sugar on top – they are already amazing on their own.

But, if you want to turn them into a real gourmet dessert, top each muffin with a lemon cream cheese frosting. They will taste truly divine! (By the way, lemon cream cheese frosting is very quick and easy to make).

What else can I add to the batter

Use this basic recipe as the starting point to create different ricotta muffin flavors. My favorite add-ins are:

2Tbsp chocolate chip morsels
2Tbsp raisins
2Tbsp poppy seeds
2Tbsp chopped nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, or almonds)
3Tbsp chopped dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, figs, or dates will do)
grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
almond extract (8-10 drops will be enough)
1Tbsp shredded coconut, if you like the exotic touch in desserts
1tsp ground cinnamon

Do you like chocolate muffins? Add 2Tbsp of cocoa powder to the batter (in this case, reduce the amount of the specified flour by exactly 2Tbsp).

To make perfect lemon ricotta muffins

This recipe is so simple that even a child can easily cope with it. Let me just give you some useful tips for the best result:

Measure the ingredients correctly. If you are a happy digital kitchen scale owner, I highly recommend using it instead of cups and spoons. Especially when it comes to baking recipes. A scale gives you far more accurate results than volume measurements (everyone scoops ingredients differently). Trust me, using a kitchen scale to measure ingredients will take your baking to a new level.

Eggs and ricotta should be at room temperature – this is important for an even consistency of the batter.

You can use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Just be sure to blend it.

Strain ricotta cheese if you see an excessive amount of liquid. The quality of ricotta doesn’t matter here, both full – fat and low – fat types will work to make these vanilla muffins.

Don’t replace butter with margarine… it will negatively affect the taste… You want your dessert to be not only beautiful but also delicious, right?

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full, the muffins will rise as they bake.

Use paper baking cups. They do not need to be greased and are very easy to remove from the finished dessert. Or bake ricotta muffins in silicone molds.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make these muffins with ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 8 muffins. Therefore, if you need to prepare a dessert for a large company, double or triple the number of ingredients.

Batter:

200g (1¼ cup) all – purpose flour
2tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
200g (7oz or about 3/4 cup) ricotta (or cottage cheese)
3 eggs
200g (1cup) sugar
vanilla
100g (1/4cup + 3Tbsp) unsalted butter (melt it and let it cool)

Easy lemon cream cheese frosting:

150g (5oz) cold cream cheese (I use Philadelphia)
50g (3Tbsp + 2tsp) unsalted butter at room temperature
50g (1/4cup + 1Tbsp) powdered sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon

How to make muffins with ricotta cheese

Beat the eggs with sugar (I usually use a mixer, but you can also use a whisk). Add salt, melted cooled butter, and mix well. Add ricotta or cottage cheese (don’t forget to blend it), vanilla, flour, and baking powder. Stir well until everything is combined.

Notice, that the batter is thick.

Fill the muffin cups with the batter (2/3 full). Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and bake the muffins for 20-30min (check readiness with a toothpick)

If you want to make filled muffins, then place 2Tbsp of batter in each muffin cup and add 1tsp of filling (I love Nutella, but any thick jam will do. This no pectin peach jam is perfect in this case).

Top with 2 more tablespoons of batter (so that the cupcake liner is 2/3 full). Bake for 20-30min at 180C (350F).

Leave the vanilla muffins to cool completely. In the meantime prepare the lemon cream cheese frosting: combine cold cream cheese, soft butter, powdered sugar, and grated lemon zest. Beat everything with a mixer until smooth

Top each muffin with the frosting and enjoy!

FAQ

How to store vanilla muffins?

This dessert has a good shelf life. Store it at room temperature for up to 2 days (in an airtight container). If you have topped your muffins with frosting, then they should be stored in the refrigerator (up to 3 days).

Can I freeze muffins?

You can also freeze this dessert (without the frosting, of course) – wrap each muffin in plastic wrap or place it in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer (this way they can be stored for up to 3 months.) Then, when needed, take the muffins out of the freezer and leave them to thaw at room temperature, or in the microwave.

Lemon ricotta muffins, vanilla muffins, ricotta cupcakes, … whatever you call this dessert, heavenly delight is guaranteed in any case. Each bite is so tender and sweet. This recipe is dedicated to all simple muffin recipe lovers!

Tried this recipe? Please leave a comment with Star Ratings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. I will really appreciate it.
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