Light and fluffy muffins that are both savory and a little bit sweet. Lemon ricotta muffins are so versatile, they can be a great breakfast, dinner side, or delicious dessert!

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I don’t know about you, but I always have leftover ricotta! It comes in a container way too big for what you need in one recipe and then you’re left with cheese you don’t know what to do with. Well, I’m here to help you use up that leftover ricotta with these Lemon Ricotta Muffins! 

Lemon and ricotta is quite a pairing. Together they provide a sweet and savory combination that lends itself to a variety of ways to serve and consume this tasty muffin. In this post, I provide a recipe for a lemon thyme butter topping that is absolutely divine drizzled on top of these muffins. However, savory muffins spread with a little bit of fruit jam is always an excellent combination as well! Feel free to skip the lemon thyme butter, but you may regret it ;).

What are some of the ways to serve these muffins? The first option is to serve as a breakfast treat. Make these muffins ahead of time and serve chilled with a bit of fruit jam in the morning. Second option, serve these muffins warm straight out of the oven drizzled with a bit of my lemon thyme butter. This goes so well with a chili/soup recipe or alongside your favorite chicken and veggie dinner! Third option is dessert! These muffins go a long way in the versatility category, so choose your option and enjoy!

Ingredients in these Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Dry Ingredients: All purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. 

Wet Ingredients: Granulated sugar, coconut oil, an egg, part-skim ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

Lemon Thyme Butter Drizzle: A couple tablespoons of unsalted butter combined with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves for a perfect savory topping!

Kitchen Tools Needed for this Recipe

• Muffin tin and liners
• Mixing bowls and spoon
• Electric mixer 
• Zester
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cooling rack

How to Make the Lemon Ricotta Muffins

Step One: Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease with oil. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Step Two: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. 

Step Three: In an electric mixer, set to low speed and beat together 1 cup of granulated sugar with ½ cup of solidified coconut oil. Beat in the tablespoon of lemon zest. Consistency should be a little bit crumbly at this point.

Step Four: Continue on low speed, beat in the egg until light and fluffy. Continue beating in the rest of the wet ingredients: 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Consistency will be very fluffy when complete.

Step Five: Slowly beat the dry ingredients in sections into the wet ingredients. Don’t dump all the dry into the wet at the same time. Do this in three parts until dry ingredients are fully combined with the wet. Should be a very doughy consistency, not liquidy. 

Step Six: Scoop approximately ⅓ cup of the dough batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake in the oven for 25-28 minutes until the tops are just starting to get lightly browned.

Step Seven: Prepare the lemon thyme butter drizzle. Microwave 3 tablespoons of butter with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice on high for 45 seconds. When completely melted, stir in the teaspoon of thyme. Set aside to drizzle on the muffins.

Step Eight: Remove muffins from the oven and let cool in the tin for ~5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Step Nine: If serving warm, place your muffins on a plate and drizzle desired amount of lemon thyme butter on the tops. If serving cool, let muffins cool completely before storing in an airtight container.