Lemon Cake Mix Muffins with glaze and lemon streusel are soft, fluffy, and moist, and bursting with bright lemon flavor. Fast and easy muffin recipe for a quick breakfast or an after-dinner treat.
Try Blueberry Cake Mix Muffins and Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Muffins next!
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❤️You're Going to Love Lemon Cake Mix Muffins
- Bright, fresh lemon flavor from zest, glaze, and crumbly streusel.
- Moist and tender lemon muffins with yogurt.
- Easy shortcut recipe for simple lemon muffins with lemon cake mix.
- Buttery lemon streusel topping adds sweet citrusy crunch.
- Finished with a tangy lemon glaze for bakery-style muffins.
A simple box of cake mix is my secret weapon for quick and easy baking, and these lemon cake mix muffins are no different. They're soft, moist, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor, and the crunchy lemon streusel and tangy glaze give them a bakery-style finish that tastes just like homemade.
If you like easy recipes, you've got to try my most popular cake mix recipes: Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake and my viral 2-ingredient Angel Food Cake.
🍋Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Lemon cake mix. Use one standard box of lemon cake mix (13.25 to 15.25 ounces). Yellow cake mix or white cake mix also works, just add extra lemon zest for flavor.
- Plain Greek yogurt. Low-fat or full-fat plain Greek yogurt will work. Fat-free will also work in a pinch. Use lemon Greek yogurt for even more citrus flavor.
- Oil. Use a neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Fresh lemon. You'll need one large lemon for the recipe: the zest for the muffins and the juice for the lemon glaze.
- Powdered sugar. If you find regular powdered sugar is sometimes chalky, try organic powdered sugar. It uses tapioca starch instead of cornstarch and has a smoother mouthfeel.
🫐Variations or Substitutions
- Lemon blueberry muffins. Stir in 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh blueberries.
- Lemon poppy seed muffins. Add 1-2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the lemon cake mix muffin batter.
- Melted butter can be used instead of oil in the lemon cake mix muffin batter for a richer flavor.
- Sour cream can be substituted for the Greek yogurt.
🥣How to Make Lemon Cake Mix Muffins with Streusel and Lemon Glaze
Step 1: Combine dry cake mix and lemon zest in a large bowl. Remove ½ cup of the dry cake mixture and place it in a small bowl for the streusel.
Step 2: Make a well in the center of the dry mix in the large bowl. Crack the eggs into the well and beat them with a whisk. Add the oil and Greek yogurt and stir the wet ingredients together. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture.
Step 3: For the streusel, add the melted butter to the small bowl of cake mix and combine with your hands or a fork until moistened and crumbly.
Step 4: Portion batter into a muffin pan lined with paper liners sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle the lemon streusel on top of the muffins.
Step 5: Bake in preheated oven at 425 for 5 minutes, then at 350 for 11-13 minutes. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes then on a wire baking rack.
Step 6: In a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until a thin glaze forms. Drizzle lemon glaze on top of the lemon streusel muffins.
👉Helpful Hint: Skipping the streusel? Use all the cake mix in the batter -- no further adjustments are needed.
✅Top Tips
- Mix streusel by hand for the best crumbly texture.
- Use a large or extra-large cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or measuring cup for evenly sized muffins.
- Cool muffins before glazing so it sets on top.
- Store cake mix lemon muffins with streusel with paper towels above and below, and the lid slightly cracked. Refrigerate if humid.
🎁How to Store Lemon Streusel Muffins
Note: Streusel naturally softens after the first day as it absorbs moisture from the muffins and the air. These steps will slow it down, but some softening is unavoidable.
- Place cooled glazed lemon cake mix muffins in an airtight container lined with paper towels on the bottom and top to absorb moisture. Leave the lid slightly open.
- If your kitchen is humid, refrigerate the muffins, still layered with paper towels above and below. The fridge can slightly dry them out, but it helps preserve the streusel texture.
- Lemon glazed cake mix muffins keep for 2-3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: Arrange cooled lemon cake mix muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.
🔥Reheating
To refresh the texture and bring back the crunchy topping, warm thawed or refrigerated muffins in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes.
❓FAQ
Yes. Full-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt will give the muffins the best texture, but since there is also oil in the recipe, fat-free Greek yogurt may also be used. Sour cream is also a great substitute.
Yes. Just use the entire cake mix in the muffin batter and skip the streusel step.
No adjustments are needed for cake mixes between 13.25 and 15.25 ounces.
Store lemon cake mix muffins with streusel in an airtight container lined with paper towels above and below to absorb moisture. Leave the lid slightly open at room temperature or refrigerate if it's humid. For full details and tips, see the storage section.
Yes. Freeze without glaze for best results. Thaw and glaze before serving.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Cake Mix Muffins with Streusel and Lemon Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix 13.25 to 15.25 oz.
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon zest (from one large lemon)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, full-fat or low-fat
- ½ cup canola oil
Streusel Topping
- 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter
- reserved cake mix + lemon zest
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a muffin pan with paper baking cups and lightly spray them with nonstick cooking spray, or lightly coat the cups in the muffin tin with spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk cake mix and lemon zest together. Place ½ cup of the mixture in a small bowl for the streusel topping.
- Make a well in the center of the dry mix in the large bowl. Crack eggs into the center of the well and whisk until beaten. Add the Greek yogurt and oil, and stir them with the eggs. Use a sturdy spoon to stir the dry mix into the yogurt mixture until just combined. The mixture will be thick.
- For the streusel, add 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter to the reserved dry mix in the small bowl. Mix with a fork or clean hands until the mixture is well combined, fully moistened, and crumbly.
- Fill all 12 muffin cups to the top with batter. Sprinkle each one with streusel.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 11-13 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The internal temperature should read 200 degrees. Cool muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar and lemon juice together until it reaches a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the lemon glaze on top of the muffins.
Notes
- You'll need one lemon for this recipe -- the zest for the muffins and the juice for the glaze.
- Mixing streusel by hand is the fastest and easiest way to go.
- Skipping the streusel? Use all the cake mix in the batter -- no further adjustments needed.
- Use a cookie scoop, ice cream scoop, or measuring cup for evenly sized muffins.
- Store lemon streusel muffins with paper towels above and below at room temperature or in the refrigerator if humid.
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