Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe
This lemon poppy seed muffins recipe yields 12 perfect muffins. It’s easy to make and packed with citrus flavor from fresh lemon juice and zest.
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
These lemon poppy seed muffins are fluffy, moist, and lightly sweet with the perfect tang of lemon. Great for any breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack.
This recipe yields 1 dozen muffins and they’re super simple to make with a bowl and a whisk.
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It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but I actually brushed the tops with a lemon glaze while the muffins were still warm, which created an extra burst of lemony flavor. Delicious!
Common Ingredients
A lot of similar muffin recipes use yogurt. This lemon poppy seed muffins recipe has NO yogurt! AND, you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge right now. You will need:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Oil (Canola/Vegetable)
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Juice
- Buttermilk (or Milk*)
- Poppy Seeds
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe
*Full recipe and instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (or 400˚F for high altitude). Line muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, and oil.
- Incorporate the eggs, one at a time. Mixing well after each addition.
- Add half the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.
- Add the lemon juice and buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and poppy seeds. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
Baking and Storage
- Divide the batter evenly into 12 standard muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups.
- Bake at 375˚F (or 400˚F for high altitude) for 15 to 20 minutes (may take up to 25-30 minutes for jumbo muffins) until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Edges will be lightly browned. Do not over-bake.
- Remove muffins from the pan and set them on a wire rack.
- OPTIONAL GLAZE: Mix together 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Brush glaze over the top of the muffins while still warm.
- Allow muffins to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container for storage.
NOTE: These lemon poppy seed muffins will last up to 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature (68-72 degrees Fahrenheit). To freeze, place muffins in a freezer bag, squeeze out any excess air, and freeze up to 2-3 months. Best if frozen without glaze on top.
Extra Options and Tips
- For extra lemon flavor: Rub the zest into the sugar before adding the oil. Rubbing the zest into the sugar releases the citrus oils from the peel to increase the lemon flavor.
- If even more lemon flavor is desired: You can add 1/8 tsp of Doterra lemon essential oils, or 1 tsp of lemon extract to the batter.
- Poppy Seeds – My recipe only uses 1 Tablespoon of poppy seeds because I don’t like an overwhelming amount of crunch in my muffins. If you love them, you can double the amount. If you don’t like them, leave them out.
I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we did! They are the perfect after school snack!
More Lemon Desserts
- Lemon Crumb Bars
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Magic Lemon Pudding Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Lemon Coffee Cake
- Frosted Lemonade
- Lemon Key Lime Pie
If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour, stir, spoon & level
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, approx. 1 large lemon
- ½ cup (118 ml) oil, vegetable/canola
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- ¼ cup (59 ml) buttermilk, or milk, at room temperature *See NOTES
- 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
Glaze (optional):
- ¼ cup (30 g) powdered sugar
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ (or 400℉ for high altitude). Line muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, and oil. Incorporate the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add half the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Add the lemon juice and buttermilk. Stir until just combined.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and poppy seeds. Mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Either 12 standard muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups.
- Bake at 375℉ (or 400℉ for high altitude) for 15 to 20 minutes (may take up to 25-30 minutes for jumbo muffins) until the cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The edges will be lightly browned. Do not over-bake. Remove muffins from the pan and set them on a wire rack.
- OPTIONAL GLAZE: Mix together 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Brush glaze over the top of the muffins while still warm. Allow muffins to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container for storage.
Notes
- If using regular milk, combine the milk and lemon juice together and let it sit for 5 minutes to curdle slightly before using.
- For extra lemon flavor, rub the zest into the sugar before adding the oil. It helps release the oils from the peel. Alternately add 1/8 tsp of Doterra lemon essential oils, or 1 tsp of lemon extract to the batter for more lemon flavor.
- NOTE: These lemon poppy seed muffins will last up to 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature (68-72 degrees Fahrenheit). To freeze, place muffins in a freezer bag, squeeze out any excess air, and freeze up to 2-3 months. Best if frozen without glaze on top.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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*Post originally published 4/1/14. Recipe and photos updated February 2023.
They didn’t have enough lemon flavor for my taste and the batter was really thick. I didn’t have enough sour cream.
Yes, most of the flavor comes from the glaze instead of the muffin. If you like lots of lemon flavor, this Lemon Poppyseed Bread is very tangy!
Love lemon poppyseed muffins!
I’m loving this lemon kick you are on. Lemon is one of my all time favorite flavors.
Lemon poppy seed muffins are a favorite in our home. My favorite recipe is by Dorie Greenspan in her “Baking from My Home to Yours” cookbook. Yours look awesome, too. I’ll have to give them a try! 🙂
Love the muffin cups.
You are the cookbook queen! How do you know which ones to buy and try?
Um….YUM? Your pictures are darling….but I’m not a lemon (in my poppyseed) kind of girl. Any recommendations how I could switch this to ALMOND poppyseed instead??
Take out the lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Add 1 tsp pure almond extract to the muffin batter. You can leave out the glaze if you want or do water instead of lemon juice and use it to adhere some crushed toasted almonds on top. 🙂
Poppyseed anything are my favorite! I can’t wait to try these!! P.S. Amber, what recipe widgit do you use??
Thanks Jessica! I use the ziplist recipe plugin.
Ooh I’ve never had lemon and poppyseed before – definitely going to have to put this on my ‘to try’ list! Pinning!
You know I love a good citrus treat!