Easy Einkorn Blueberry Muffins Recipe with Lemon

Every summer, our blueberry bushes positively drip with round, plump berries. Once we've eaten plenty fresh, we make these simple Einkorn Blueberry Muffins. They're delicious slathered with real butter and served with a hot mug of tea.

Einkorn blueberry muffin on marble surface scattered with blueberries. Milk bottle in background.

What is it?

Einkorn is an ancient grain related to wheat that offers a soft crumb and complex, rich flavor. In addition, einkorn tends to be more nutrient-dense than modern wheat. It boasts a higher protein content. Further, it's also a better source of key micronutrients, such as beta-carotene, lutein, zinc, and magnesium.

Thanks to its soft texture, it makes excellent pastries, quick breads, and muffins. Einkorn pancakes are particularly delicious. In this recipe, we combine einkorn with fresh lemon for delicate, delicious muffins that are perfect for breakfast and freeze well, too.

Why this recipe works

Einkorn is considered nature's original wheat before hybridization and bred over time to increase gluten levels and increase yield.

You'll get a little extra protein from einkorn than you would if you used regular all-purpose flour.

Einkorn has less gluten than modern wheat, and what gluten it does have tends to be shorter and more brittle than modern varieties. Its gluten structure is also different than modern wheat. And many people who find modern wheat to be tough on digestion find that they can tolerate ancient grains such as einkorn.

Additionally, because it has so little gluten, it's hard to overmix einkorn, so you end up with soft, fluffy muffins every time.

A little lemon gives the muffins a pleasant citric note, and it also helps the muffins rise because we use it in combination with baking soda.

The muffins are also easy to make and freeze well. Consider making multiple batches in the summer when berries are ripe so that you can enjoy them all winter long.

Ingredient Notes

Einkorn flour makes the base of the muffin batter. It has a rich, golden color when baked, thanks to its plentiful antioxidant content. You can use whole-grain, sprouted, or all-purpose einkorn flour in this recipe. A combination often works particularly well.
Whole milk provides the liquid and moisture for this recipe. It also lends an element of protein and healthy fats, too.
Pasture-raised eggs give the muffins loft and structure.
Whole, unrefined cane sugar such as rapadura lends a little sweetness to the recipe. Minimally processed cane sugar also contains its native minerals and tends to be more nutrient-dense than other sweeteners.
Blueberries are the highlight of the recipe, providing a luscious berry element and gorgeous, fruity sweetness. You can use fresh blueberries or frozen ones, depending on what you have on hand.
Lemon juice and baking soda help the muffins to rise, so you can skip the baking powder. Lemon juice is acidic, while baking soda is alkaline. When you combine them, they'll give the batter plenty of air bubbles and that means lighter muffins.
Butter and avocado oil provide the necessary fat content that will give these muffins a delicate soft quality. Choose a high-quality grass-fed butter when you can, as it tastes better and is more nutrient-dense. Many people prefer unsalted butter in their baking, but I find the flavor is better when you use salted butter.

Recipe Tips

Working with einkorn flour is similar to working with regular flour. However, you'll need to use less liquid and less fat than you might normally use. You also can't overwork the batter, owing to einkorn's weak gluten structure.
Watch out for making too many substitutions. You might want to swap coconut oil for butter, coconut milk for real dairy, maple syrup for unrefined cane sugar, or even flax eggs for fresh eggs. But too many substitutions will dramatically change the results of this recipe. And even one small substitution will change the results a little bit.
Line your muffin pans with paper liners in advance, as the chemical reaction between the lemon juice and baking soda is fast. If you let the batter linger while you line your muffin tin or tidy the kitchen, they won't spring up nearly as well in the oven.
For best results, place the blueberries into a separate bowl. Then add in a little of the flour mixture. Toss the blueberries until they're lightly dusted with the flour. This will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the tray when you bake the muffins.
You need to fold the blueberries into the batter gently so that you don't break the ripest berries.
Scrape the batter at the bottom of the bowl when folding in the blueberries so that the berries are incorporated evenly into the batter. Otherwise, some muffins may contain loads of berries, and others very few.
If you're using a ceramic non-stick muffin pan, you won't need to use paper muffin cups.

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Rate this Recipe

4.9 from 14 votes

18 muffins

Einkorn Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Delicate notes of lemon zest give these easy blueberry muffins a lovely zip. These are delicious slathered with butter at breakfast time, or served as an afternoon snack.

Prep Time10

Cook Time18

Total Time30

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Ingredients

2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 medium lemon
1 cup unrefined cane sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose einkorn flour
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup salted butter (melted)
¼ cup avocado oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

Equipment

small mixing bowl
Large Mixing Bowl
muffin tin

Instructions

Line a muffin pan with muffin cups (if using), and then heat the oven to 425 F.
Pour the blueberries into a small bowl. Then finely grate the lemon peel and juice the lemon. Reserve both lemon zest and juice in a small bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda together, and then remove about one-quarter cup from the bowl and sprinkle it over the blueberries, tossing them together until well-coated.
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk milk, melted butter, avocado oil, reserved lemon zest and juice, vanilla, and eggs together until uniformly combined.
Slowly beat the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until they form a smooth, uniform batter. Fold in the blueberries, and then fill the muffin tins three-quarters of the way full. Bake for about eighteen minutes or until puffed and golden brown on top. You can test doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the muffin; if it comes out clean, the muffins are ready.
Let the muffins cool for about five minutes in the tin, and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling at room temperature

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Variations

Try a different berry. You can use this recipe as a base recipe for other einkorn muffins. It works well with blackberries, raspberries, peaches, and other fresh fruit, too.

You can use whole-grain or sprouted einkorn flour in this recipe, but you'll want to use it in combination with all-purpose flour. A good ratio is swapping in whole-grain or sprouted flour for half of the flour called for in this recipe. Keep in mind that your muffins won't rise quite as tall when using whole-grain flour.

Recipe Questions

How long do they keep?

Store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container. They'll last for about 3 days.

Can I freeze them?

Yes. Toss them in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze them in a single layer. You can pull out as many as you need, then let them come to room temperature overnight in your kitchen.

Can I substitute regular flour or gluten-free flour?

No. Modern wheat and einkorn wheat have different characteristics and absorb liquid and fat at different rates. Einkorn recipes tend to use less liquid and less fat than recipes developed with regular wheat flour.

Comments

4.86 from 14 votes (1 rating without comment)