I bought some chia seeds couple of months ago in the hope of making something with it. After reading about the health benefits of chia seeds, I really wanted to incorporate it in out diet. Most of the recipes with chia seeds are smoothies or puddings and I am not a big fan of either of them. For the alphabet L, I had ideas to make something with Lemon and that is how this recipe, Lemon Chia Seed Muffins came into action.
Lemon poppy seed muffins are very popular breakfast all over North America. I love the fresh citrus flavor of the lemon and the crunch of the poppy. These muffins are mildly sweet and are perfect for breakfast. We fell in love with Lemon flavored bakes after my every popular Lemon Blueberry Bread. If you have not yet baked this bread, do give it a try. It is one of the most popular breads at my house as well as in my blog.
I baked it for my weekend breakfast and it was just perfect. My kids ate it for breakfast and also as an evening snack. They are mildly sweet and the texture of the whole wheat was just amazing. The Chia seeds also acted as my egg substitute for the muffins. I read that the chia seeds have to be soaked so they can expand. So, I soaked the chia seeds in the milk for about couple of hours. We could leave it overnight as well like we would for smoothies.
I also added a bit of chia seeds on top for crunch. The muffins had a neat domed top and were very refreshing. If you are looking to incorporate Chia seeds in your diet, then definitely give this recipe a try. Muffins are a very popular breakfast as well as snack at our house. Check out my other muffin recipes here.
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Preparation time - 10 minutes plus at least an hour of soaking time
Baking time - 18 to 20 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy
Ingredients to make Lemon Chia Seed Muffins - (Makes 12)
- Whole Wheat flour - ¾ cup
- All purpose flour - ¾ cup
- Chia Seeds - 3 TBSP + 1 tsp for sprinkling
- Baking powder - 2 tsp
- Baking soda - ½ tsp
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Sugar - ¾ cup
- Milk - 1 & ¼ cups
- Butter - 4 TBSP (melted)
- Lemon juice - 3 TBSP
- Lemon zest - 1 TBSP (from one large lemon)
Procedure to make Lemon Chia Seed Muffins -
- Soak 3 TBSP of chia seeds in milk and let it refrigerate for at least an hour. The chia seeds needs to be soaked, so it can expands and soften. We can also leave it to soak in the refrigerator overnight. I let mine soak for couple of hours.
- In a mixing bowl, combine both the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt and keep it aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Layer the muffin pan with liners and grease them lightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the soaked chia seeds and milk mixture. To this add the sugar, melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well using a whisk.
- Add the flour mixture and gently combine to mix. Add a TBSP or more of milk, if the batter appears too thick. The batter should be slightly on the thicker side and not too runny.
- Divide the batter in to the prepared muffin tray and sprinkle the remaining Chia seeds on top.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then place them in a cooling rack.
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat flour - ¾ cup
- All purpose flour - ¾ cup
- Chia Seeds - 3 TBSP + 1 tsp for sprinkling
- Baking powder - 2 tsp
- Baking soda - ½ tsp
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Sugar - ¾ cup
- Milk - 1 & ¼ cups
- Butter - 4 TBSP melted
- Lemon juice - 3 TBSP
- Lemon zest - 1 TBSP from one large lemon
Instructions
- Soak 3 TBSP of chia seeds in milk and let it refrigerate for at least an hour. The chia seeds needs to be soaked, so it can expands and soften. We can also leave it to soak in the refrigerator overnight. I let mine soak for couple of hours.
- In a mixing bowl, combine both the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt and keep it aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Layer the muffin pan with liners and grease them lightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the soaked chia seeds and milk mixture. To this add the sugar, melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix well using a whisk.
- Add the flour mixture and gently combine to mix. Add a TBSP or more of milk, if the batter appears too thick. The batter should be slightly on the thicker side and not too runny.
- Divide the batter in to the prepared muffin tray and sprinkle the remaining Chia seeds on top.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then place them in a cooling rack.
preeti garg says
Love the recipe.. Specially flavor of lemon or citrus elements in baking.
sapana says
I have heard about lemon poppy seeds combo but this lemon chia seeds sounds more healthy and of course tasty too.
Padmajha PJ says
Love lemon flavored bakes.I have tried lemon and poppy seed muffins. This one sounds so good!I still have some chia left. Will bake this one of these days.
Priya Srinivasan says
Splendid muffins sandhya! Using chia in muffins is one of the easiest way to eat them. Since my kids don’t like the consistency i add them in place of eggs in bakes. Would love to try this lemony goodness soon!!
Manjula Bharath says
wow citrus flavor in muffins would have tasted so delicious !! the combo sounds very interesting and such a healthy muffin to start a day !! As it is eggless I would never mind grabbing some right away !!.. You have baked them so well, in love how you included some chia seeds to this Sandhya 🙂
Mayuri Patel says
The muffins look so delicious. I like the way you've used chia seeds instead of the poppy seeds. A nice way to add chia seeds to ones diet.
Srivalli says
Those muffins look so divine and healthy!..will surely make me want to grab my chia seeds that are not used yet!
Vaishali says
Ah , even I have a pack of chia seeds in my Frig , now this seems to be a great recipe to use these tiny seeds . The citrusy muffins look so pretty with the specks of chia .
Kalyani says
I have a pack of chIa and my kids would love these lemony muffins
Sharmila Kingsly says
Love citrus flavour in bakes.. Such a beautiful bake and delicious share..
Pavani says
That is a great way to in incorporate chia seeds into our daily diet. Muffins with lemon flavor sound so refreshing and perfect for spring. Love the crunchy chia seed topping too.
Sandhiya ThirumalaiKumar says
I love lemon flavor in baking good, it's really so refreshing and often make lemon cupcakes, so definitely this muffin is kind of food, adding chia make it more healthy. Good share , sounds yum!!!
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
Awesome bake. I love the hint of citrus in bakes but vaandu doesn't so I keep skipping making them. I should make it just for myself. Wonderful combination of ingredients.
Priya Suresh says
How pretty and delicious those muffins looks. I love citrus flavored bakes and this eggless muffins makes an excellent breakfast or snack to enjoy without any fuss.
Gayathri Kumar says
Lemon flavour in bakes is my all time favourite. Adding chia instead of eggs and as the topping surely looks so good. This is one delicious muffin to have with a cup of coffee..
harini says
Wow! those lemon muffins look so pretty with the chia seeds dotted on top. I have also heard that chia seeds soaked in water make a very good egg substitute. I am yet to try. I am sure these muffins are a good way to try chia-eggs 🙂