Sweet + Springy Lemon Ricotta Muffins (low carb, grain free, sugar free)

Have you ever eaten a ricotta pie? It’s a super traditional Italian staple – picture your favorite New York style cheesecake, filled with Ricotta and a hint of lemon.  It’s So incredibly delicious and my inspiration for these low carb Lemon Ricotta Muffins.

GRAIN FREE, SUGAR-FREE + KETO FRIENDLY

As are almost all of my recipes these days, these Lemon Ricotta Muffins are totally free of grains, sugar and are friendly for my fellow readers eating the keto way.  Instead of all-purpose flour, I use almond flour and I replace the sugar with erythritol (a low glycemic sugar alcohol).  While there is no milk in this recipe, I do use eggs and heavy cream.

If you’re looking for an authentic Italian Ricotta Pie recipe (with the sugar and grains), this one looks great.

THEY’RE SUPER LEMONY (IN A GOOD WAY)

I experimented with some lemon muffins a few weeks ago and we could barely taste the lemon.  For this recipe, I took it to the next level by using pure lemon extract AND zest from an entire lemon.  I balanced the flavors with some pure vanilla extract and SWERVE – the end result is a sweet lemony dream (at least we think so!).

It’s important to note that the lemon in these muffins is stronger than the “hint” of lemon you commonly see in traditional ricotta pie.  Since I wasn’t shooting for an exact replica, I’m stoked on the flavor.  But its worth mentioning.  If you’re looking for something less lemony, I’d recommend either only using the zest or only using the pure lemon extract, but not using both.

YOU CAN’T GO WRONG WITH MUFFINS

Its no secret I love making muffins.  I think my favorite thing about a muffin vs another style dessert (because the muffins I make are totally dessert) is how easy they are to make.

While this recipe is a bit more involved than my others, it’s still fairly simple and foolproof.  And, since I’m a Sunday meal prepper, muffins make a super quick grab and go brekky or sweet dessert when you’re binging on TV after the kiddos head off to bed.

TOPPING IDEAS

While these lemon ricotta muffins are amazing as is, you can totally dress them up a bit with some fresh blueberries on the side, a few slivered almonds sprinkled on top.

You could also add a little mascarpone as a frosting (OMG) or create a simple cream cheese frosting (like the one I use for my carrot cake cupcakes). I attempted a glaze for these but actually ended up skipping it because I felt like they were sweet enough.  If you feel like they are sweet enough, but want to add a little something on top, mascarpone is absotively the winner.

LEMON RICOTTA MUFFINS RECIPE

The recipe is below if you want to make them for Mother’s Day brunch or for this week’s sweet treat.  Hope you love them!

Print Recipe

Lemon Ricotta Muffins

These low carb lemon ricotta muffins are sweet, sassy and filled with lemony goodness. Easy to make, store and grab and go when meal prepping.

Servings

muffins

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp salted butter, melted
• 3 large Eggs lightly beaten
• 1 lemon zested
• 1 tbsp pure lemon extract
• 3 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup whole milk, full fat ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup erythritol (or other sugar sub)
• 1 3/4 cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt

Servings muffins Ingredients 2 tbsp salted butter, melted 3 large Eggs lightly beaten 1 lemon zested 1 tbsp pure lemon extract 3 tsp pure vanilla extract 3 tbsp water 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar 3/4 cup whole milk, full fat ricotta cheese 3/4 cup erythritol (or other sugar sub) 1 3/4 cup Almond Flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with parchment liners (you can also spray the tin, but make sure you spray it REALLY good as grain free baked goods tend to stick).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (almond flour, erythritol, baking soda and salt). Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, melt the butter. Then add the wet ingredients (lemon and vanilla extract, water, heavy whipping cream, and apple cider vinegar) and zested lemon. Mix loosely (just a quick stir of the spoon).
4. In a separate small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then pour them into the wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
5. Once whisked, stir in the ricotta. It will be kind of lumpy - just try to stir the majority of the lumps smooth - it's totally fine if there are lumps in this batter.
6. Fold in the dry ingredients (don't over mix). Again, lumps are okay and batter will be thick.
7. Evenly scoop the batter into the muffin tins. I use a cookie scoop (which takes 1.5 scoops per muffin). You can also use a tablespoon and eyeball it until they are even.
8. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

SERVING SIZE: 1 muffin (recipe makes 12)

MACROS:  168 calories | 12 g fat | 7.5 g protein | 4.5 g net carbs

Nutritional Info Disclaimer:  I am not a medical or nutritional professional.  I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy based upon the ingredients I'm using.  I encourage you to find a nutritional calculator you like best and calculate individual nutrition info based upon the ingredients you are using.  All carb counts are based upon total carbs unless otherwise noted.

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