These lemon white chocolate muffins are the perfect combination of sweet and tart. Tender citrus muffins get sweetened with a double dose of white chocolate inside and drizzled on top.

It’s not a surprise that I love chocolate. My pantry is always stocked with at least three different kinds of chocolate, so I’m never out of stock when a chocolate craving strikes.
The subtle, refreshing flavors of white chocolate and lemon pair perfectly together. I’ve combined them in cookies and cheesecake, so it was only a matter of time before they made it into a muffin recipe.
These lemon white chocolate muffins are extra special because there’s white chocolate chunks inside and a white chocolate drizzle on top. No avoiding chocolate in these lemon muffins! It also takes less than 30 minutes to make, so there’s nothing holding you back from fresh lemon muffins for breakfast.
What is White Chocolate?
White chocolate is special because it doesn’t have any cocoa solids that are found in other types of chocolate. Instead, only cocoa butter is the cocoa ingredient in white chocolate, which lends it a subtle, rich flavor that complements bright flavors like citrus.
When using white chocolate in baking it’s important to get good quality chocolate. Because the product has so few ingredients, you want to find a bar that has exactly those without any additives. This will help ensure the chocolate is creamy and melts in your mouth instead of feeling waxy.

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How to Make Lemon White Chocolate Muffins
These lemon white chocolate muffins follow my favorite basic muffin recipe, using oil for moisture and milk to make them tender. I add both fresh lemon juice and zest to give them a juicy citrus burst in every bite.
After you’ve preheated your oven and prepared your muffin tin, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set it aside. Doing this before you add them to the wet ingredients help ensure the baking powder, which gives rise to these muffins, is evenly distributed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest. Pour this egg mixture into the flour and fold together with a spatula just until combined. You want to be careful not to overmix the muffin batter, even having a few lumps remaining in the batter.
Stir in the chopped white chocolate chunks and divide the muffin batter between the muffin cups. Be sure to fill them no more than ¾ of the way full to get perfectly domed tops.
Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the lemon muffins cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle melted white chocolate over the top using a spoon or piping bag. This step is optional, but the more chocolate the better 🙂
These lemon white chocolate muffins are just indulgent enough to make you feel like you’re eating cake for breakfast. Bursting with lemon flavor and creamy white chocolate, they are the perfect addition to a sunny summer day.

Other white chocolate fruit recipes:
- Strawberry White Chocolate Blondies
- Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Biscotti with White Chocolate
- Lemon White Chocolate Cheesecake

Lemon White Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (250g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ⅔ cup (130g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 115 g (4 oz.) coarsely chopped white chocolate
- 115 grams (4 oz.) melted white chocolate, to drizzle, optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until combined. Stir in 115 grams chopped white chocolate.
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Divide mixture evenly between muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven. Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, drizzle melted white chocolate over the muffins using a spoon or a piping bag.
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Muffins are best the same day they are made, but can be kept in an airtight container, at room temperature or in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
Mary S says
Honestly, couldn’t taste the lemon. If I were to make these again, I’d double the zest, probably increase the juice, and maybe add some lemon extract. Very underwhelming flavor but at least the texture was really good.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Mary, thank you! Sometimes I like to increase the lemon flavor too. Great idea!