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Finished lemon poppy seed muffins in the background, with another cut open to show the interior texture.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Soft lemon poppy seed muffins with a bright citrus flavor and poppy seeds throughout. Topped with a lemon glaze, they come together in around 35 minutes and are ideal for breakfast, brunch, or a simple sweet treat at any time of the day. Popular with the whole family!
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Breads, Breakfast, Dessert, Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Easy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 303kcal
Author: Anna
Cost: $10

Video

Ingredients

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 tbsp butter, melted

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

  • Mix all of the wet ingredients in a bowl until they are well combined. Add the lemon zest and mix again.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold in gently. Take care not to overmix at this stage or the muffins will be more dense.
  • Line a 12 capacity muffin tin with your muffin liners and pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
  • Scoop the muffin batter into each liner, filling each to the top and using all the batter.
  • Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the muffins pass the toothpick test.
  • Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes before icing.
  • To make the glaze topping, mix the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick but flowing glaze. Top each muffin with this as desired and enjoy!

Notes

Substitutions and Notes

There are some optional swaps that you can make to this recipe if needed, so be sure to check through the list below. 
  • Flour – All-purpose flour works best for this recipe. If you’re using whole wheat flour, you’ll likely need to tweak the batter to keep it smooth and pourable, which may mean adding a splash of milk.
  • Sugar – We usually use white sugar, but maple sugar or coconut sugar are great alternatives. If you switch to a liquid sweetener such as light maple syrup, add a bit more flour so the batter doesn’t become too runny.
  • Poppy Seeds – No substitute for this ingredient as it’s a main part of the flavor profile, but if you don't like these then just leave it out and have plain lemon muffins. 
  • Baking Power and Baking Soda – These two ingredients work with the yogurt to give the muffins their beautiful rise, so they shouldn’t be left out or substituted if you want the best results.
  • Salt – We usually use pink salt, but feel free to use whatever salt you have. Just keep in mind that if you’re using table salt, you’ll want to cut the amount in half.
  • Yogurt – This recipe works best with plain, unflavored yogurt, either whole or low-fat. If you’re using Greek yogurt, add a splash of milk as needed because it contains less liquid.
  • Lemon Juice – I like to juice a fresh lemon for this recipe, though bottled lemon juice is a perfectly good alternative.
  • Lemon Zest – Fresh is best here too but use what you have available.
  • Eggs – Eggs aren’t required for this recipe, which is great if you're dealing with any allergies. If you skip them, use 2 cups of yogurt instead and shorten the bake time to around 22 minutes so the muffins don’t brown too much.
  • Butter – Salted butter is what we usually use, though unsalted butter works perfectly too. Either option is fine.
  • Powdered sugar - Powdered sugar gives the glaze its smooth finish and works best here, so we don’t recommend swapping it out.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 304IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2mg
Have you tried this?Let us know how it went!