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Home » Muffins

Lemon Muffins with Pudding Mix

Modified: Sep 6, 2023 · Published: Mar 28, 2007 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments

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I've been working with this recipe over the years and have updated it a bit.  The old version of Lemon Muffins with Pudding Mix called for cake flour, but this new version uses all-purpose flour, which makes the cupcakes a little bit sturdier.  I also used granulated sugar instead of brown and added some Boyajian lemon oil for extra lemon flavor. 

lemon pudding muffins

The photo above is of the new muffins.  Unfortunately, the new version didn't dome as much as the old recipe, but overall I like the texture of the new version better. Update: They dome more in greased metal pans without liners.

Lemon Muffins with Pudding Mix

Here's a photo of the old cake version. Those were delicious, but a little more delicate in structure.  I kept the old version in the notes in case you have cake flour and want to try a lighter muffin. If you do use cake flour rather than AP, use the equivalent weight.

lemon muffins with pudding

Can You Use Cook and Serve Pudding Mix?

Yes, you can use Cook and Serve instead of Instant. I accidentally bought Cook and Serve. The Cook and Serve box holds 2.9 oz (82 grams) of mix and makes 6 half cup servings, which is different from the Instant, which is a 3.4 oz box. For the lemon muffins, you only need the 2.9 oz mix rather than the 3.4 oz (96 grams). Also, the batter will be a lot stiffer. I made a half batch using the Cook and Serve (42 grams) and added about a tablespoon of water to thin the batter. I also used buttery olive oil in place of butter. The muffins looked like this.

lemon muffins with pudding mix cook and serve

Half Batch Toaster Oven Version

Our daughter grew up and moved away so I do a lot of baking in a toaster oven and use a little 6-Muffin pan. Here are the measurements if you are like me and only need 6

  • Weigh 48 grams (half a package) instant lemon pudding mix on scale (or 41 Cook and Serve) If using Cook and Serve, add 1 T. water to batter
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour about 4 oz total (114 grams)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅜ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoons poppy seeds more if desired (or leave them out)
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest or a teaspoon of good quality lemon oil (I didn't fully cut that in half. We like lots of lemon.)
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted (olive oil works too)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease your muffin tins using your favorite method or line with paper liners. Put a bowl on the scale and set tare to zero. Add 48 grams pudding mix,114 grams of flour, 100 grams of sugar and ½ teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda. Add the salt, poppyseeds (if using) and lemon zest too. Mix well. In another bowl whisk together egg and milk. Combine egg mixture with flour mixture and stir until blended, then pour in the melted butter. Put batter in muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees for about 22 minutes.

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Recipe

Lemon Muffins with Pudding Mix

Cookie Madness
A recipe for lemon muffins with a secret ingredient -- instant pudding mix.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 12 minutes mins
Total Time 22 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
 

  • 1 3.4 oz box instant lemon pudding mix
  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour about 8 oz total (228 grams)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds more if desired
  • 1-2 tablespoon grated lemon zest or a teaspoon of good quality lemon oil.
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 8 tablespoons butter, melted (or use half butter and half olive oil) ***

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together pudding mix, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in poppy seeds.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and lemon zest or oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and then pour in the melted butter. Using a wooden spoon, stir batter just until combined.
  • Evenly divide batter between 12 muffin cups.
  • Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Remove and place pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool.

Notes

For cake flour muffins, use an equal weight of cake flour in place of all-purpose, use ¼ cup of brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice along with the lemon oil (or zest) and bake at 425 degrees F. for about 17 minutes. Also, I originally made only 10 muffins and filled the muffin cups almost to the top. You can do that, or you can go ahead and make 12 by putting slightly less batter in the cups.
I have not tested a full batch using oil instead of butter, but I have tested a half batch and that works. For the full batch, you might want to start with half oil and half butter rather than substituting with the full ½ cup of oil. It might work, I just haven't tested it.
Keyword Lemon Muffins, Pudding Mix
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Comments

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  1. Anna says

    August 29, 2024 at 6:06 pm

    Hi Annette! I'm glad the pudding mix recipe worked for you. Yay. And blueberries are better than poppy seeds anyway.

  2. Annette says

    August 29, 2024 at 5:45 pm

    Delicious . No poppy seeds so folded in blueberries. Next time, poppyseeds

  3. Anna says

    December 06, 2023 at 11:05 am

    Glad the recipe worked well for you. It's definitely a fun one to play with.

  4. Joana says

    December 06, 2023 at 10:35 am

    I tried this yesterday and it is so good.
    My kids loved them as well and now it will be my go to for muffins. I think that I can change it up and it will still be awesome.

  5. Anna says

    May 20, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    Glad to hear that! Thanks for posting a review, C!

  6. C L says

    May 20, 2018 at 5:43 pm

    5 stars
    These lemon muffins are absolutely delicious! I recently made a batch substituting instant coconut cream pudding. This is one of my favorite muffin recipes. It's very versatile.

  7. Chris says

    February 07, 2013 at 5:17 pm

    Alison,, a substitute for cake flour,,, 3/4 C of all purpose flour plus 2 T cornstarch

  8. Anna says

    February 12, 2008 at 7:53 am

    Hi Alison,

    This recipe uses cake flour, which is different than cake mix. Are you referring to the lemon pudding mix?

    At any rate, I will look through my files and see if I can find a good lemon muffin recipe. I don't think I have one I especially love, but I'll look.

  9. Alison says

    February 12, 2008 at 3:16 am

    Hi Anna,
    Do you have any lemon muffin recipes that
    do not use cake mix? I can't get it here in
    Ireland and have been trying to find a lemon
    muffin recipe.

  10. Anna says

    April 02, 2007 at 8:30 am

    Hi Mishquilt,

    Thanks for your comment. I am interested in hearing what you think of the muffins. My girlfriend liked them and so did her 5 year old son. They are definitely lighter and more cupcake-like than other muffins. This could be a positive or a negative to some.

    Thanks so much for the Dorie Greenspan tip. I am definitely going to try rubbing the zest with the sugar.

  11. mishquilt says

    April 02, 2007 at 7:08 am

    I am eager to try this recipe and I have always been a big fan of flavored pudding mixes as an addition to baked goods. I think they make for a flavoful, moist product without a lot of fuss. I wanted to offer one great tip I discovered while reading Dorie Greenspan's new baking book--regarding the use of citrus zest. She urges the home baker to go one step further and after zesting the fruit, to incorporate it with (clean) fingers into the sugar. She claims that if you "rub" the zest into the sugar, it will impart more flavor. I have done this several times for various recipes that included zest. I would have to agree with her that the citrus flavor is really more pronounced. Perhaps, in addition to adding more zest, this additional step would make the muffins more "lemony" as you suggested. I am also a big fan of lemon oil (food grade--used VERY sparingly). I should also mention that I did not get the same results with Dorie's application to vanilla bean/seeds. I did incorporate the seeds directly from the VB into the sugar and used my fingers to incorporate it. However, in the recipes for which I wanted a strong vanilla flavor, I did not notice a pronounced difference.
    Can't wait to make the muffins! What a great time of year for all things lemon!

    MISHQUILT

Peanut Butter Fudge Jumbles recipe baked in a 9-inch square Pampered Chef stoneware pan.

Hello!

I'm Anna, and welcome to Cookie Madness. To learn more about me, check the About page.

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