These crowd-pleasing lemon blueberry cupcakes are made with tender lemon cupcakes, juicy blueberries and topped with an easy lemon cream cheese frosting.
Soft and Moist Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
These lemon blueberry cupcakes come from a highly modified version of Martha Stewart’s lemon meringue cupcake recipe which is my go-to lemon cake recipe. I added blueberries because like my lemon blueberry muffin recipe it’s a favorite pairing!
The blueberries are the perfect addition to the creamy, tart cupcakes! They’re nice and juicy and add the perfect flavor to every bite. The finishing touch is a rich and tangy lemon cream cheese frosting!
Why We Love These Cupcakes
There are our favorite reasons why we love these lemon and blueberry cupcakes!
- Soft and light. This lemon blueberry cupcake recipe has a bright, fresh flavor and is perfect for celebrating spring or summer!
- Easy to make: Even though they are bakery quality just like my recipe for blueberry scones, they can be made from start to finish within an hour!
Ingredients Needed
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Traditional baking staples: Lemon and blueberry cupcakes use all-purpose flour, baking powder, fine sea salt, butter, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and zest are added to pack a punch of citrus that gives these cupcakes a bright and refreshing taste. Learn how to zest a lemon.
- Buttermilk: A key ingredient that helps lighten and tenderize the cupcakes. All you need to make buttermilk is milk and distilled vinegar (or lemon juice).
- Blueberries: Fresh, juicy blueberries are folded into the batter for a sweet, blueberry flavor in each bite.
How to Make Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes
These lemon blueberry cupcakes are so simple to make and come together perfectly with this easy-to-make recipe.
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 3 minutes, or until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix just until combined. Once mixed, add lemon zest, 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl until the batter is well combined.
- Combine. Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix just until combined. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries.
- Bake. Using a large cookie scoop, add batter to the cupcake pan until the tins are about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Cool completely.
- Lemon cream cheese frosting. Combine frosting ingredients and using a mixer whip until smooth. Frost cupcakes as desired.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
We’re taking the classic cream cheese frosting up a notch by adding some fresh lemon juice and zest. The citrus adds a bright flavor and is the perfect complement to the lemon blueberry cupcakes.
You want the consistency of the frosting to be thick enough to hold a point so that it will keep its shape when piping on top. If it is too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar until it thickens to your liking. If you find it’s too thick, thin it out with a dash of milk or heavy cream.
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes Tips
Make the best blueberry lemon cupcakes with a few of my favorite tips and tricks!
- Measuring flour. It’s important to know how to measure flour accurately so that your cupcakes aren’t too dry or dense. I find that the spoon and level technique gives the best results.
- Room temperature ingredients. Before getting started, make sure the butter, eggs, and cream cheese have all come to room temperature. Learn how to soften butter and how to soften cream cheese easily and quickly.
- Fresh is best. Using freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh blueberries makes all the difference in this recipe. Look for lemons that have glossy yellow skin and a bright citrus fragrance. Your blueberries should also be plump, with a deep blue color.
- Don’t overfill. Do not fill your paper liners all the way to the top with batter. You want to fill them about 3/4 of the way full, so the tops have room to rise. Using an ice cream scoop or medium cookie scoop will give you the perfect amount in each liner.
- Let cool. As with any cupcake recipe, make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before adding the frosting. If they are still warm, the frosting won’t hold its shape.
- Bakery quality. Learn how to frost the perfect cupcakes to give them that bakery-style aesthetic.
Variations
- Frozen blueberries. Frozen blueberries will work if that’s all you have. Fold them into the batter while frozen (do not thaw). Toss frozen blueberries with a teaspoon of flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
- Lemon curd. For even more citrus flavor, fill the cupcakes with tangy lemon curd.
- Add some poppy seeds. They add a little crunch and we love them in lemon poppy seed bread!
- Frosting. Feel free to use a classic lemon buttercream frosting, sour cream frosting, or even a rich coconut frosting instead.
- An easy shortcut. Instead of making the cupcakes from scratch, use a box of lemon cake mix similar to how I did in this lemon raspberry cupcake recipe.
Storage
Store any leftover lemon blueberry cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for about 2 to 3 days. You may also freeze the unfrosted cupcakes for up to 6 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the fridge overnight and then frost before serving.
More cupcake recipes we love include these coconut cupcakes, this vanilla cupcake recipe from scratch and carrot cake cupcakes!
More Lemon Recipes
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Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
Video
Ingredients
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs , at room temperature
- 2 lemons , zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries
Lemon Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar , plus more as needed
- 1 lemon , zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Topping
- Lemon zest , optional
- Fresh blueberries , optional
Instructions
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer for 3 minutes, or until fluffy. Add 2 eggs 1 at a time and mix just until combined. Once mixed, add lemon zest, 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to scrape sides of the bowl until batter is well combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with 1/2 cup buttermilk. Mix just until combined. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in 3/4 cup blueberries.
- Using a large cookie scoop, add batter to the cupcake pan until the tins are about 3/4 full. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Let cool completely.
Lemon Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together 1/2 cup butter and 8 ounces cream cheese. Beat until fluffy.
- Add 3-4 cups powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and salt. Mix until creamy. If you need to thin the frosting, add a dash of milk. If you want to thicken it, add a couple Tablespoons powdered sugar.
- Once cupcakes are cooled, pipe or spread the frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Top frosted cupcakes with blueberries and lemon zest, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Cake + Cupcakes, Desserts, Easter, Fruit Desserts, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I made these for Easter and everyone absolutely loved them! I got texts after the fact from family who were raving about them and asking me to make them again. Thanks for this great recipe!
They are so delicious! I’m so glad you and your family loved the cupcakes Alyssa :)
These came out absolutely perfect. Would definitely make these again. So tender and moist
So glad to hear that! I am glad that you loved these lemon blueberry cupcakes!
I am making these for a baby shower treat, I was wondering how much lemon curd to use in place of lemon zest.
The cupcakes were amazing, so fluffy and so much flavor.
So glad you enjoyed the lemon blueberry cupcakes!
I made these for our girls night and they disappeared so fast! Perfect for spring.
These lemon blueberry cupcakes are the perfect spring dessert! The lemon cream cheese frosting was such a delicious addition.
Perfect recipe. I made these for my daughter’s birthday. I had to use soured almond milk, but they still turned out perfectly.
Glad to hear the substitution worked for you, Crystal!
it was delicious! i accidentally used regular sugar for the icing oops! it still turned out amazing :) can you do coconut/lemon cupcake recipe?
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rachel! I have a coconut cupcake recipe (https://www.iheartnaptime.net/coconut-cupcakes/). You could always add in some lemon juice/zest or top with a lemon frosting!
I’m a big fan of the lemon/blueberry combo and these cupcakes everything! They were easy to make and beyond tasty. They did not last long in my house!
Really enjoyed these cupcakes. They were the perfect spring treat! Can’t wait to make them again!
Definitely going to make! The “I heart naptime” cookbook is super awesome too. I just got it and have made 5 recipes already and have a bunch more to go! Thank you for sharing your recipes.
I’m so happy to hear you love the cookbook, Kathy! Hope you enjoy the cupcakes :)
You’re making me hungry!
These sound so yummy! Totally pinning to make later.
So delicious! The frosting on these cupcakes are divine! I can’t wait to substitute different fruits too!
Love the lemon + blueberry combo and can’t wait to try these. Pinning!
I’ve never tried anything with lemon AND blueberry but these look divine!!
These look delicious! I never would’ve thought to mix blueberry and lemon. I’ll have to try these out sometime.
The Lemon and blueberry combo is so refreshing! Hope you enjoy these cupcakes!
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing! xo