Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

Is there anything better than a warm muffin in hand? Yes. A dozen of them. These light + wholesome Lemon Chia Seed Muffins are the perfect treat for weekend mornings, breakfast on the go, or an afternoon snack when you crave something sweet.

Delicately flavored with lemon, we have a surprise in this recipe you might not expect. We made these muffins using Armour Premium All-Natural Lard.

Yep, lard.

Wanna make these Lemon Chia Seed Muffins?

When you think about lemon muffins, you probably think “poppy seed”. I love the light-lemon classic flavor, but I’m a little crazy about chia seeds. Methinks they are more substantial and have a better texture than a poppy seed.

The first step in making our muffins is to combine the dry ingredients. We stirred a generous amount of chia seeds into the flour mixture.

Once your dry ingredients are measured + mixed, combine your wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

So let’s talk about our wet ingredients for these muffins. When you think about baking and lemon muffins, you probably would think to use butter.  To get a nice light + airy muffin, my go-to is Armour Premium All-Natural Lard.

Sister say what?! Yes, I said lard. Your grandmother certainly knew what was up, but what she didn’t know is that lard is one of the healthiest fats you can use.

Let me repeat that last part, for those of you in the back. Lard is a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which are said to lower LDL cholesterol. There are no trans fats, and it is flavorless. (Plus, Armour Premium All-Natural Lard is gluten free.)

The flavorless fat helps add moisture to my muffins without weighing them down. Plus the delicate lemon shines through and is the star flavor in these Lemon Chia Seed Muffins.

We used the lard in two ways. First, we slowly melted lard in a small bowl in the microwave. (Heat 5 to 10 seconds at a time. Careful, lard heats quickly and gets very hot. I heated mine until half way melted, stirred it gently, and the rest melted on its own.)

I brushed the bottom, sides and edges of my muffin tin with some of the melted lard. (We don’t want anything to stick.) Using a light layer of  lard gives the muffins a light crisp that is to die for, and not greasy. Bonus: the muffins pop right out of the pan.

Then we added the rest into the wet components of our muffin batter (sour cream, egg, and vanilla paste). You can use vanilla extract if you would like, but I love the vanilla bean paste and the little flecks of bean.

Lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry mixture until the lemon chia seed muffin batter is just moistened. If you stir the batter too much the muffins will be tough. If your batter appears to be too dry, add a tablespoon or two of milk.

Muffin Lovin’ from the Oven. Get more of our muffin recipes:

Fresh Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

Strawberry Muffin Shortcakes

Spoon the muffin batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. This lemon chia seed muffin recipe makes exactly 12 delightful muffins in a standard sized muffin pan.

Bake for 18 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until they are golden brown and a toothpick comes clean.

Look how gorgeous these muffins are! No worries, they taste even better than they look.  Confession: one of these little muffins did not make it to the cooling rack.

To create a light burst of flavor for our lemon chia seed muffins, we created a simple glaze. Nothing too heavy or sweet, just a squeeze or two of fresh lemon, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar.

The flecks of pure vanilla bean look so sweet with the chia seeds peeking out of the muffins.

I can’t wait get back in my kitchen and create more delicious recipes with lard. It so versatile and you can use lard for baking, sauteing, and frying. It really makes food crispy, flaky and light. I found Armour Premium All-Natural lard in the baking aisle at my local Walmart.

Lemon Chia Seed Muffins are a wholesome sweet treat perfect for mornings on the go or anytime you need a light dessert. Plus you get all of the nutrional benefits of the chia seeds and using premium lard.

The texture of these lemon chia seed muffins is light and airy, soft and tender. And I L-O-V-E the texture of the chia seeds. In a word, delightful.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Armour Premium All Natural Lard, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ArmourPremiumLard  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

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4.84 from 6 votes

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Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

A delightfully sweet lemony muffin made with fresh lemons, sour cream, chia seeds and premium lard.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 232 kcal

Author Buy This Cook That

Buy This

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest finely grated
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Armour Premium All-Natural Lard melted, cooled
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice fresh, divided
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste divided
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk if needed

Cook That

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, chia seeds, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a small bowl, slowly heat the Armour Premium All-Natural Lard in a microwave in 5 second increments. Brush the bottom, sides, and edges of each muffin tin with some of the melted lard. Set the lard aside and let cool.

4. In a medium sized bowl whisk the sour cream, egg, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and melted lard until creamy.

5. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until lightly moistened. Do not over stir. If the batter is too dry, add 3 - 4 tablespoons of milk.

6. Evenly spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 18 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes clean.

7. Cool for 1 minute in the pan on a wire cooling rack. Carefully remove the muffins and continue cooling on the rack.

8. Stir together the remaining lemon juice, vanilla paste, and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins.

9. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 232 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11g 17%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 23mg 8%

Sodium 211mg 9%

Potassium 106mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 30g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 14g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 2.9%

Vitamin C 3.1%

Calcium 6.4%

Iron 6.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.