Strawberry Lime Muffins with Sumac
Muffins on a decorative, blue, orange and white platter.
Bright, Tangy, and Perfect with Morning Coffee
These muffins are soft, lightly sweet, and full of fresh spring flavor. Lime zest brings brightness, strawberries add juicy sweetness, and fruity sumac gives the batter a subtle tartness that makes everything pop. Finished with crunchy turbinado sugar on top, they bake up with beautifully golden tops and a tender crumb.
This is the kind of muffin recipe that feels effortless enough for a weekday morning but special enough to set out for brunch.
Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)
Dry Ingredients
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (56 g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground sumac
Wet Ingredients
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
Zest of 1 lime
⅔ cup (160 g) buttermilk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1½ teaspoons (7 g) vanilla extract
Mix-Ins & Topping
1½ cups (255 g) strawberries, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons (25 g) turbinado sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Position a rack in the center of the oven. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sumac.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the lime zest over low heat. This helps pull the oils from the zest into the butter and distributes the citrus flavor more evenly throughout the batter. Remove from heat.
Whisk the buttermilk into the warm butter mixture and allow it to cool slightly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. A few small lumps are perfectly fine—do not overmix.
Fold in the strawberries until evenly distributed.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops generously with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Storage
Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. These muffins are especially good slightly warm.
Baker’s Note
Leaving a few lumps in muffin batter is a good thing—it keeps the texture soft and tender rather than dense.
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