Keto Lemon Cupcakes

These Keto Lemon Cupcakes have a light and fluffy texture, with a perfect balance of sweet and tangy lemon flavor, topped with a super creamy sugar-free lemon frosting.

Keto Lemon Cupcakes with lemon slice on side

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❤️ Why You’ll Love these Keto Lemon Cupcakes

  • Light and fluffy texture, much like traditional cupcakes
  • Creamy lemon frosting made using a few ingredients
  • Perfect balance of tangy lemon flavor and sweetness
  • Gluten free and kid friendly
frosted Lemon Cupcakes on white cake stand

If you’re looking for a low carb cupcake that has a texture that compares to a traditional cupcake, you’ve come to the right place! These Keto cupcakes are light, fluffy and perfectly moist, just as a cupcake should be.

To get this great texture, I use a combination of super fine almond flour and oat fiber as I have in my Keto Strawberry Cupcakes, Keto Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes, Keto Coconut Lime Cupcakes and Keto Vanilla Cupcakes.

lemon cupcake with frosting cut in half

These lemon cupcakes are the perfect addition to your next party or celebration. Your guests, whether they’re eating low carb or not, will absolutely love them!

🛒 What’s in Keto Lemon Cupcakes

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

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🔪 How to Make Lemon Keto Cupcakes

To Make the Gluten Free Cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Add the almond flour, baking powder, oat fiber and salt to a bowl.

lemon cupcakes dry ingredients in mixing bowl

Whisk together, then set aside.

Tip: Whisking the dry ingredients together helps to break up any lumps and also combine them.

eggs and sweetener being mixed with hand mixer in glass bowl

In a separate bowl, add in the eggs and sweetener, then mixing using a hand mixer.

eggs sour cream and lemon in mixing bowl unmixed

Add in the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, then continue mixing until well combined.

lemon cupcakes dry ingredients being poured into wet ingredients with mixer in bowl

Pour in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.

Tip: You don’t want to over mix the batter.

Lemon Cupcakes batter in glass bowl being mixed with hand mixer

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter a muffin pan lined with silicone cupcake liners or paper liners.

cupcake batter being poured into muffin liners in muffin pan

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To Make the Sugar-Free Lemon Frosting

Add the Keto Lemon Curd, cream cheese, butter and sweetener in a bowl.

lemon frosting ingredients in glass bowl unmixed

Whip using a hand mixer until well combined. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice and frost the cupcakes once they are cooled.

lemon frosting being mixed with hand mixer in glass bowl

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze.

closeup of Keto Lemon Cupcake with lemon slice on frosting
frosted Lemon Cupcakes on white cake stand

Are Lemons Keto?

Lemons take front and center in this gluten free cupcake recipe, so it’s natural that you may wonder if lemons are okay on Keto.

They absolutely are! In fact, lemons are recommended on Keto because of their many health benefits. Where you typically avoid a lot of citrus fruit on Keto, lemons are the exception.

They’re low in sugar, a great source of Vitamin C and contain antioxidants. There are many other great health benefits discussed in this article on Healthline.

What are the Carbs in Lemon?

Lemons are low in carbs with only .5 grams per lemon wedge! How is that for Keto friendly?!

closeup of Lemon Cupcake with lemon slice and mint leaf on top

Substitutions for Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes

  • If you don’t have cream cheese, use mascarpone cheese instead. It has a similar texture and a more neutral flavor.
  • Lemons and blueberries just seem to go hand in hand sometimes. To add a slightly different spin on these Keto lemon cupcakes, you can gently fold in a few fresh blueberries into the frosting for an extra added burst of flavor.
  • Another great combination is lemon with raspberries. Because raspberries will sweat some when mixed, it’s a good idea to just top them with a few berries after the cupcakes have been frosted.

Can I Make Keto Lemon Cupcakes Ahead of Time?

If you want to make these cupcakes a week or so before you need them, you can. For best results, make the cupcakes, allow them to cool completely, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

You’ll want them to thaw completely before frosting. Because almond flour cupcakes tend to have a little condensation as they thaw, unwrap them and set them on the counter until they are room temp, then proceed with frosting.

lemon cupcake with frosting cut in half

Tips for Making the Best Keto Lemon Cupcakes

The texture in these almond flour cupcakes are amazing!  They are so close to a traditional cupcake, moist and fluffy, and they get that way by using a mixture of both almond flour and oat fiber.  

This is what will give you that authentic cupcake texture that you’re looking for. Super fine almond flour works best in any kind of low carb or gluten-free desserts that don’t use all purpose flour in.  

If you don’t have a super fine almond flour, you can certainly use what you have, just be sure to whisk the dry ingredients to break up any lumps.

overhead view of lemon cupcakes on white cake stand

What is Oat Fiber? Is Oat Fiber Keto?

Oat Fiber is made from grinding the outer husks of oats. How healthy is oat fiber? It’s pure insoluble fiber, which doesn’t dissolve in water and isn’t broken down in the digestive tract, so it has zero net carbs and is perfect for a Keto Diet. It helps give a more traditional texture and that’s why I use it so often. Check out all the Keto Oat Fiber Recipes you can make!

What is a Substitute for Oat Fiber?

To get the best results, it’s best to use oat fiber if you can. If you’re unable to find it, try a combination of psyllium husk powder and coconut flour. Since both are very absorbent, you might have to add more liquid.

lemon cupcakes on white stand with one cupcake on round white dish

More Keto Lemon Desserts

If you’d like to know more about baking on Keto, this article, Keto Baking Made Easy, is loaded with tips and info that you’ll find helpful. You might also check out my Keto Sweet Treats eBook that has 50 amazing Keto dessert recipes, all with color pics, macros and more! I’m offering it at 50% off when you subscribe to my free weekly emails here.

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Keto Lemon Cupcakes with lemon slice on side

Keto Lemon Cupcakes

These Keto Lemon Cupcakes have a light and fluffy texture, with a perfect balance of sweet and tangy lemon flavor, topped with a super creamy sugar-free lemon frosting.
5 from 3 votes
Author: Julianne
Servings 10
PREP 10 minutes
COOK 15 minutes
TOTAL 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

For the Cupcakes:

For the Frosting:

Instructions
 

To Make the Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Add the almond flour, baking powder, oat fiber and salt to a bowl and whisk together, then set aside.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, add the eggs and sweetener, then mix using a hand mixer until combined.  Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest, then continue mixing.
  • Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix just until combined.  Scoop using an ice cream scoop into Silicone Baking Muffin Cupsa muffin pan lined with silicone or paper liners.
  • Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To Make the Frosting:

  • Add the Keto Lemon Curd, butter, cream cheese and sweetener into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
  • Add the frosting to a piping bag (or ziplock bag with the tip cut off), and frost once the cupcakes have cooled completely.
  • Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or freeze.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have monk fruit/allulose, you can use all monk fruit or Swerve confectioners in a 1:1 substitution. 

*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 273kcal
Nutrition Facts
Keto Lemon Cupcakes
Amount per Serving
Calories
273
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
26
g
40
%
Saturated Fat
 
10
g
63
%
Carbohydrates
 
7
g
2
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
2
g
2
%
Protein
 
8
g
16
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.

© Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.

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*Originally published on June 21, 2018, updated on May 17, 2023 with new photos, improvements to the recipe and helpful tips.

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22 Comments

    1. You could try other sweeteners. I am not sure which ones agree with you, but this is a forgiving recipe. Any dry sweetener you use should be okay.

    1. Both. 1/2 block is the same 1/2 cup. Thank you bringing that to my attention. I corrected the recipe card.

  1. I was wondering if we have to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks? I’m looking at other recipes and the eggs aren’t separated. So, for this recipe could I use whole eggs and would this change the texture or something?

    1. The recipe is written with the eggs separated. Whipping up the egg whites helps add volume to the cupcakes.

    1. I’ve not tested it in any cake mold as of yet, so I can’t say for sure how it might turn out or what the cooking time/temp might be.

    1. You can try it, but you might need to add more liquid and possibly another egg. I can’t say for sure how it might turn out, since I’ve not tried subbing with coconut flour before. If you do try it, please let us know how it turned out please.

  2. The ingredients list Lemon Juice and the directions say Lemon extract… which one do I use? I ended ip making these tonight using extract and haven’t tried them yet.

  3. I’m guessing these must be refrigerated after baking since the frosting contains mascarpone/cream cheese and heavy cream. Does it dry out the cupcake?

    1. Hi Cali,
      Yes, you’ll want to refrigerate leftovers and no, it does not dry them out as long as you keep them in an airtight container.

  4. hello, my cupcakes came out pretty dense. they remind me of cornbread vs. a fluffy or cake-y cupcake. what should I adjust? I am at normal altitude.

    1. Hi Lynn,
      Sorry to hear that! It sounds like maybe the batter was over-mixed. I’m not sure what else would cause them to be dense, honestly.

    1. Hi Debbie,
      Not that I’m aware of, it would really require a complete overhaul of the recipe.