No one will ever know these Lemon Blueberry Muffins have summer squash in them! You already know what grated zucchini does for zucchini bread. It makes it moist without adding extra fat. Grated yellow squash works the exact same magic in these blueberry and lemon muffins. If your garden is overflowing with squash right now, this one bowl recipe is a great way to use it.
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Yes, there is squash in these muffins, and no, you will not taste it one bit! Think of it like zucchini bread, but with yellow squash doing the heavy lifting. It keeps these muffins impossibly moist and tender without adding any veggie flavor, and once they're baked, those little shreds practically disappear into the batter.
These lemon blueberry summer squash muffins are fresh and bright from the tangy lemon zest and juicy blueberries. The shredded squash in there adds moisture without any flavor, and automatically makes these a healthy blueberry lemon muffins! At the very least, it's a "healthy-er" choice.
I’m obsessed! And if you are into quick breads like this one, check out my Breads collection when you get a chance.
When summer squash starts piling up on my counter (and my friend's porches, bless their hearts), I start baking. I've been making my Pineapple Zucchini Bread for years as a way to use up the zucchini, and these lemon blueberry muffins are cut from the same cloth! Sneaky vegetables, big flavor, and a recipe that always delivers.
Featured Review
These are outstanding. You would never guess it had yellow squash in it. This recipe is a keeper.
Shortcuts
- One bowl, no mixer needed. Everything comes together with just a spoon or fork and a single large bowl. No stand mixer, no hand mixer, no extra equipment. Fewer dishes means more time to enjoy the muffins, and that's a trade I'll make every day!
- Use an ice cream scoop for the batter. Filling muffin cups is so much faster and neater with an ice cream scoop. It measures a consistent amount every time and keeps the drips off the pan (mostly!).
- No need to peel the squash. The skin on yellow squash is thin and tender, so you can shred it right on a box grater without peeling. Just trim the ends, shred, and pat dry, that's it!
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Eggs – The eggs bind the batter and give the muffins structure.
- Vegetable oil – Oil keeps these muffins moist and tender for days!
- Shredded yellow squash – About 1 small squash. Be sure to pat it dry with paper towels or squeeze out the excess liquid with your hands, since too much moisture can make the muffins dense.
- Sugar – You’ll need sugar for the muffin batter, and for sprinkling on top, which gives the muffins that crunchy top!
- Lemon – You'll use both the zest and the juice. The zest really lends that bright, lemony flavor!
- All-purpose flour – Spoon the flour gently into your measuring cup rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Baking powder – This is what gives the muffins their lift and that beautiful domed top!
- Salt – Balances the sweetness.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries – Fresh blueberries are ideal, but frozen work great too. Don't thaw them first. Tossing the blueberries in the flour mixture before stirring the batter together helps keep them from sinking to the bottom!
How to Make Summer Squash Muffins
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease with cooking spray.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl, then stir in the oil. Shred enough yellow squash to measure 1 cup, pat it dry with paper towels, and stir it into the egg mixture.
- Add 1 cup of sugar, the lemon zest (about 1 tablespoon), and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Spoon the flour gently into your measuring cup and pour it over the squash mixture — don't stir yet. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the flour and stir them into just the dry ingredients on top.
- Add the blueberries and toss them gently in the flour mixture to coat. Now stir everything together just until the dry and wet ingredients are combined — don't overmix.
- Scoop about ½ cup of batter into each lined muffin cup. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the tops (about ½ teaspoon per muffin).
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before turning out.
Expert tip! Grate the lemon peel/rind before juicing the lemon. It's much easier to zest a whole lemon than trying to grip half a lemon that is dripping lemon juice!
Gild the Lily
Want to take these yellow squash muffins completely over the top? Add a simple lemon glaze. Whisk together about ½ cup powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice until smooth and drizzle it over the cooled muffins!
Pro Tips
- Don't skip patting the squash dry. Yellow squash holds a lot of moisture, and if you skip this step, that extra liquid can make your muffins dense. A quick squeeze over the sink or a blot with paper towels makes all the difference.
- Don't overmix the batter. This is the golden rule of muffin baking. Stir just until the dry and wet ingredients are combined. A few lumps are totally fine. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and leads to tough, chewy muffins instead of soft, tender ones.
- Toss the blueberries in flour first. Before stirring the batter together, toss the blueberries in the flour mixture sitting on top of the wet ingredients. This light coating of flour helps them stay suspended in the batter during baking instead of sinking to the bottom!
Substitutions & Variations
- Orange Cranberry Muffins. Swap the blueberries for dried cranberries and trade the lemon zest and juice for orange zest and juice. A lovely variation for fall and the holidays!
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Omit the blueberries and stir in 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds. Simple, classic, and delicious.
- Lemon extract. If you don't have a fresh lemon on hand, 1 teaspoon of lemon extract can be substituted for the zest and juice.
- Sugar topping. The sugar sprinkled on top can be left off entirely, or swapped for cinnamon-sugar for a warmer, spiced variation.
- Melted butter. Substitute ½ cup melted butter (cooled, not hot) for the vegetable oil for a slightly richer flavor.
- Self-rising flour. If you have self-rising flour, use it in place of all-purpose flour and simply omit the baking powder. It works just as well and saves an ingredient!
- Frozen blueberries. Frozen blueberries work great, but don't thaw them before adding. Toss them straight from the freezer into the flour mixture.
What to Serve with Lemon Squash Muffins
These summer squash muffins are wonderful pretty much any time of day, which is honestly one of their best qualities. For breakfast or brunch, serve with my Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins and Sheet Pan Omelette! They're bright and lemony enough to feel special without being overly sweet first thing in the morning.
As an afternoon snack, they're perfect on their own or spread with a little softened butter or cream cheese.
Storage
- To Store: Keep muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely, then place in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Make Ahead: These summer squash muffins are a great make-ahead option. Bake a batch on the weekend and grab one each morning throughout the week.
- Muffin batter: The batter can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. Give it a gentle stir before scooping into the pan.
FAQ's
Yellow squash is summer squash. The terms are often used interchangeably! Zucchini is also a summer squash.
Absolutely! Zucchini works perfectly as a 1:1 swap. The flavor and texture will be virtually identical, so use whichever one your garden (or grocery store) is offering up in abundance.
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Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Lemon Blueberry Muffins with Summer Squash
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter, cooled)
- 1 cup shredded yellow squash (also called summer squash) (about 1 small squash)
- 1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons for topping
- 1 lemon
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (If using self-rising flour, omit baking powder)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (If frozen, do not thaw)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Start with lightly beating the eggs in a large bowl with a spoon or fork. Add the oil and stir.
- Shred enough yellow squash to make 1 cup. Use paper towels to pat the squash dry or squeeze out any liquid with your hands over the sink. Add to the bowl and stir.
- Add 1 cup of the sugar to the bowl. Using a zester or microplane hand grater remove the zest (or yellow only portion of the peel/rind). Avoid the white part (pith) because it has a bitter flavor. Add the lemon zest (about 1 tablespoon) and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the bowl and stir.
- Measure the flour into a dry measuring cup by spooning it in gently with a spoon, then level it off with a knife. Never scoop a measuring cup into the flour bin. It will pack in more flour than you need or want. Pour the flour over the squash mixture. Do not stir, yet.
- If using all-purpose flour, sprinkle the baking powder and salt evenly over the flour. Gently stir the baking powder and salt into just the dry ingredients on top-not the squash mixture, yet.
- Add the blueberries, tossing them around gently in the flour mixture only. This will help them not sink to the bottom of the muffin when baking.
- NOW, you can stir together the entire mixture. Be careful not to over-stir the batter. Stir just until the dry and liquid ingredients are combined. You aren't beating it like a pancake batter.
- Spoon ½ cup of the muffin batter into muffin pans lined with paper cupcake liners. If you don't have paper liners, coat the pans with cooking spray, oil, or butter.
- I like to use an ice cream scoop to disperse the batter. It's quick, consistently measures the same amount each time, and no drips land on the pan... usually.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly (about ½ teaspoon each) over each muffin.
- Bake at 350° for 20minutes or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or the tops spring back when touched. The muffins will be ever so slightly browned around edges.Let the muffins cool on a wire rack 5 minutes before turning them out to cool completely...if you can wait that long to eat them!
Notes
You can substitute zucchini for the shredded yellow squash.
Storage
- To Store: Keep muffins in an airtight container at room temperature forup to 3 days, or refrigerate forup to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely, then place in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Make Ahead: These yellow squash muffins are a great make-ahead option. Bake a batch on the weekend and grab one each morning throughout the week.
- Muffin batter: The batter can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. Give it a gentle stir before scooping into the pan.
Pro Tips
- Don't skip patting the squash dry. Yellow squash holds a lot of moisture, and if you skip this step, that extra liquid can make your muffins dense. A quick squeeze over the sink or a blot with paper towels makes all the difference.
- Don't overmix the batter. This is the golden rule of muffin baking. Stir just until the dry and wet ingredients are combined. A few lumps are totally fine. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and leads to tough, chewy muffins instead of soft, tender ones.
- Toss the blueberries in flour first. Before stirring the batter together, toss the blueberries in the flour mixture sitting on top of the wet ingredients. This light coating of flour helps them stay suspended in the batter during baking instead of sinking to the bottom!
Nutrition
This post was updated May 28, 2026 with new images and more detailed information that is helpful to the reader.
Bobette
SOOO grateful I wandered-upon your site and specifically - this WONDERFUL recipe!! Although it's early in the season, I am already feeling a bit overwhelmed by my abundant yellow squash crop!! This recipe sounded absolutely wonderful and I thought the 1-bowl strategy was clever and "fun"! I made a few modifications (reduced sugar to 3/4 c; replaced oil with 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce & 1/4 c vanilla Greek yogurt; replaced 3/4 c of the AP flour w/ white-whole wheat pastry flour) - but all else was the same, and I loved being able to use blueberries from our bushes!
The bottom line.... I have a new FAVORITE muffin recipe!!! The lemon zest and juice is just soooo delicious and the crunchy turbinado sugar... the BEST!
THAKS AGAIN - and I can't wait to try more of your recipes!
Kathleen
It's definitely one of my favorite muffin recipes, too! Glad your modifications worked for you and glad you'll be trying more of my Southern shortcut recipes!
Sandy
What do you think the amount of frozen shredded squash would be?
Kathleen
I would think it would be the about the same amount of shredded squash because you would squeeze out the water on both fresh and frozen. If you frozen 2 cups of fresh, shredded squash, it will end up about 1 1/2 cups (guessing on amount) after freezing and squeezing out the liquid, so you might have to add a little more squash. BUT! I would still try it with the slightly less amount and see if it works so you don't have to open another package, depending on how much is in your package. I'd love to know what you end up doing. It might be a tip I can add to the recipe on using frozen, shredded squash!
Cheryl
Made this recipe exactly as written using fresh blueberries. Delicious and moist. I used an ice cream scoop and got 15 muffins. A great way to use yellow squash. Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try your lemon poppyseed bread next.
Kathleen
So glad you loved the muffin recipe! Love the tip about using an ice cream scoop. It does so much more than scoop ice cream!
Karen S Locke
These came out great! Nice and moist and fluffy! Even my husband who does not like veggies loved them (and he knew there was squash in them!) Easy and delicious.
Kathleen
Fantastic! Squash is like a secret ingredient to make muffins moist but also get in those veggies! Thank you for sharing this with me. So glad y'all loved them.
Cheryl
I don’t see lemon extract in this recipe. Am I missing it?
Kathleen
There isn't any lemon extract in this muffin recipe but I do mention it as a substitution for lemon zest and juice under Substitutions and Variations section.
Deanna
OMG, these are the bomb. Outstanding. I grated the seeds right along with the squash; never knew they were there. Thanks for the excellent recipe!
Kathleen
So glad you loved them! I make them all summer long and even in the winter with frozen blueberries!
Liza
Excited to try these as I was just gifted an over load of both squash and zucchini. Wondering how do they hold up to freezing?
Kathleen
They do freeze well except the sugar on top doesn't stay crunchy after freezing. I would just sprinkle on a little more sugar when reheating them in the oven or air fryer. If you reheat them after thawing in the microwave, the sugar will not crisp up but the muffins will still taste good!
Cathy
These are outstanding. You would never guess it had yellow squash in it. I made these this morning and got 15. I sprayed the pan instead of using papers. Can’t wait to try again with other variations. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks.
Kathleen
So glad you love them! They are a favorite at our house, too!
Marsha
I used a mixture of half oil and half butter and added a little vanilla. I also doubled the recipe and topped it with a crumb topping. I definitely overfilled the muffin cups, causing them to spread out vs up! They were still yummy, but a little sweet for my taste. I took them all to the staff at our local bank.
Kathleen
I love how you experimented with them and made them your own! The streusel topping sounds delish!
Linda
These are delicious. Stuck to the recipe and doubled it. Will definitely make again and again.
Kathleen
So glad you loved them! Good to know they double easily!
Lisa
These turned out great! Even with the alterations I made to make them a little healthier. I used 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour, reduced sugar to 3/4 cup, and substituted half the oil for applesauce. And I just had all-purpose flour and they did just fine. I had freeze-dried blueberries on hand so I used those instead of frozen but they turned out great too. Used a little bottled lemon juice and some lemon extract since I didn't have lemon. I hate it when people change everything and still leave a review, but in this case at least, hopefully it helps in case someone is looking for substitutions that will still work. And, since it turned out awesome even with my changes, sticking to the original recipe will probably give you something even more amazing!
gritsandgouda
Wow! I love all those suggestions to make it healthier and use what you have on hand! Yes, I appreciate the information because just using what you already have is a shortcut in itself because you don't have to run to the store. Thank you for sharing!
Stephanie
I just made these for the 2nd time. They turned out awesome the first time. Loved them! Wish I could add a picture but haven’t figured that out yet 😊. Thanks for the recipe!
gritsandgouda
Squash muffins for the win! I'm so glad you love them. It's crazy how the squash makes them so moist. Thank you for sharing this sweet comment.
Tammy
We r trying to eat more veggies and trying to save money (just retired). I planted lots of yellow squash so I’ll make these as soon as it’s started to produce..They look beyond delicious! I was trying to find more ways to use yellow squash besides egg quiche or grilled/sautéed. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
gritsandgouda
You are so welcome! I know what you mean about needing new ways to use up all the squash when it comes on strong in the garden! I tell myself these are "healthy" because they have a vegetable in them. I guess I could leave off the sugar on top but I love that crunch! Thank you for commenting. I hope you will follow me for more recipes!
Lenore
So easy and delicious! When I made rhe recipe for the second time, I topped with sliced almonds. They toasted lightly, and the muffins were even more delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
gritsandgouda
I love the idea of adding sliced almonds! I'll have to try that. Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie
This recipe turned out perfectly. What a tasty summer treat and a great way to use my excess summer squash!
gritsandgouda
These are some of the most moist muffins I've ever had and it's all due to the squash! I'm so glad you loved them and thank you for commenting!
Marissa
It definitely took longer than suggested time to complete, but we loved the outcome. We did a gluten-free version with All-Purpose gluten-free flour. We double the recipe but ended up with enough for about six mini muffins as well.
Kathleen
Yes, the time to prep can vary from person to person. I'm so glad you loved them and tickled to know they work with gluten free flour as well!
Julia Wisdom
Made these. Although I used lemon essential oil instead of extract. Just a personal preference. I added a little extra baking powder and apple cider vinegar to keep they fluffy. I used crook neck squash instead of “regular” summer squash, I left the skin on and seeds in. Next time I will remember to take the seeds out before I shred them. I didn’t ring out my squash as crook neck is a little drier than normal summer squash. So I added extra vanilla soy milk.
Very tender, moist and flavorful.
gritsandgouda
I love the idea of using lemon essential oil! Did you use the whole teaspoon? I may add that option to the recipe. Those seeds in the larger squash do tend to show up more than the smaller squash. So glad you liked the muffins!
Jodie
Greatly anticipating these - they are in the oven now!!!!! I had so much squash shared with me this year- I grated and froze it. They only took a moment to whip up this morning!!!
Laura Tucker
These look divine, Kathleen! I'm not sure why I never thought to use an ice cream scoop to fill my muffin tins before. Wonderful idea!
gritsandgouda
Thank you so much!I have those scoops in all sizes. They are perfect for all kinds of batters. I actually use a different kind of ice cream scoop to actually scoop ice cream!