These air fryer muffins went down a treat at my child's birthday party

My child is obsessed with blueberries and for his birthday party, he specifically requested a batch of blueberry muffins for him and his guests.

Not being the best baker, I wanted an easy-to-make recipe I could bake in advance and found these perfect blueberry and lemon air fryer muffins while searching for dishes to make during my tests of the best air fryers.

Instead of being overpowering, the lemon flavor enhances the taste of the blueberries and if you place the berries in whole, they split and coat the soft sponge with sweet juice.

Below I show you how to create this great air fryer dessert, whether it's for a special occasion or for when you fancy something sweet.

If you're yet to take the plunge and buy yourself an air fryer, or are looking to upgrade, check out our top-rated air fryers below, all available to buy now for the best prices.

This air fryer muffins recipe is from Beth Le Maunch via her @EntertainingWithBeth YouTube channel. It's been watched more than 860k times and counting.

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon zest

2/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup of blueberries

To make air fryer muffins you will need the following:

Air fryer – I used the Tower Vortx 9 Litre Duo Capacity Basket Air Fryer with Smart Finish 5.2L and 3.3L

Large ovenproof muffin cases

Two mixing bowls

Ice cream scoop (optional) – this is used to scoop the mixture easily into the cases

The way that air fryers circulate the hot air means that you need to use large muffin cases if you want them to be cooked all the way through. This is because larger cases spread the mixture out more which increases the surface area for the heat to reach.

Step 1: Add the egg, oil, water, vanilla essence, and lemon zest to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisk until combined.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients in stages to the wet ingredient bowl – or vice versa – mixing until all the ingredients are combined and there are no lumps.

The consistency should be quite thick but still pourable. If it's too runny the blueberries will sink to the bottom and won't be evenly distributed. To increase its thickness, gradually add more flour.

Step 4: Add the blueberries to the muffin mixture and stir gently to combine.

Step 5: Using an ice cream scoop, or spoon, add a small amount of muffin mixture to each muffin case.

Step 6: Place the muffins in their cases into the air fryer and set to 350°F/175°C for 17 minutes.

Step 7: After 15 minutes, open the air fryer and check on your muffins. If they've risen and the top looks golden brown, you can remove them early.

Step 8: Remove the muffins from the air fryer and serve.

As someone who rarely bakes, I was nervous about putting my son's birthday party at risk with this air fryer muffins recipe but they turned out better than expected.

The mixture of oil and baking powder makes the muffins moist yet fluffy, and the blueberries add a lovely sweetness that is enhanced by the lemon zest. If you want more lemon flavor, replace a teaspoon of the water with lemon juice.

I've since made these muffins by replacing the lemon zest with orange zest and the blueberries with chocolate chips and they were gooey and delicious.

Due to the fact you need to use large muffin cases, the muffins themselves aren't as tall as regular muffins but this is a small sacrifice to make for such a great air fryer dessert.

If you're still sitting on the fence and wondering whether to buy an air fryer, you may want to read our article to decide whether air fryers are worth it?