Lemon Poppy Seed muffins

How to make moist lemon poppy seed muffins with a lemon-flavored sugar glaze. A quick and easy recipe that you will never want to miss for breakfast.

this recipe

If you like tangy things, you won't be able to resist this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe with its delicious lemon-flavored sugar glaze.

These muffins are very moist and have a rich texture and lemon flavor, just as tasty as my original lemon muffin recipe.

These lemon poppyseed muffins also come with a lemon glaze made with fresh lemon juice that you absolutely must not skip as it brings a crunchy layer on top of the muffins and balances out their tangy flavor.

This recipe is very easy and quick to make at home, they are soft and perfect for breakfast or for a snack to take anywhere.

Why we love this recipe

• Easy step-by-step recipe and video
• Super soft and moist recipe with a sweet glaze that adds a delicious crunchy layer.
• A perfectly balanced lemon flavor.

>> See all my muffin recipes on the blog

Ingredients and substitutions

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed and possible substitutions to make lemon poppy seed muffins at home, scroll down the page to see the quantities in the recipe card.

• Butter: Use unsalted butter softened or melted and cooled butter.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar, do not use flavored sugar.
• Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature.
• Vanilla and salt: to bring out all the flavors.
• Buttermilk: You can replace it with whole milk, Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
• Flour: All purpose flour, which can be replaced by gluten-free flour such as rice or oat flour.
• Baking powder: A mixture of baking soda and baking powder to have muffins with a nice bump.
• Lemon juice and zest: Use lemon juice, organic, untreated lemon zest, and lemon juice as needed. You can also replace the zest with lemon extract.
• Poppy Seeds: Poppy seeds are added for decoration only, they don't really add any extra flavor except a little crunch in the mouth.

Find the quantities and instructions in the recipe card further down on this page.

How to make lemon poppy seed muffins recipe

Cream butter and sugar

• In a large bowl, place softened butter with sugar and lemon zest.
• With an electric mixer or hand whisk, beat the mixture for about 2 to 3 minutes until smooth.
• Then add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again to incorporate.

Tip: Use room-temperature ingredients to obtain a smooth muffin batter and fluffy baked muffins.

Add dry ingredients

• Add the buttermilk and fresh lemon juice and mix with the hand mixer.
• Then add the dry ingredients, flour, baking powder baking soda and salt and poppy seeds into the wet ingredients and mix this time with a spatula to avoid over-mixing the cake batter.

Tip: The muffin batter is very thick and lumpy, which is normal. Be careful not to over-mix after adding the dry ingredients.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 428°F / 220°C and prepare a muffin pan with muffin cups.
2. Fill the cups completely with the muffin batter using a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop.
3. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 392°F / 200°C and bake for an additional 15 to 18 minutes until the muffins have a nice bump and are golden brown on top.
4. Let the lemon poppy seed muffins cool a bit in the pan before removing them and letting them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Tip: The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs left. If the muffins are overcooked they will lose their moist and chewy texture.

How to make the lemon glaze

1. Place all ingredients, powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.
2. With a fork, vigorously beat the mixture until you have a thick but runny glaze.
3. Use directly to decorate the muffin tops when completely cool.
4. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and enjoy.

Tip: If the icing seems too runny, add more powdered sugar; if it is not runny enough, add more liquid until you have the desired consistency.

Storage and tips

Room temperature: Place lemon poppy seed muffins in an airtight container with a lid and store for about 1 week at room temperature.

Freezer: You can store this recipe for up to 3 months in the freezer, and place in storage bags once they are well chilled.

To defrost the muffins, let them come back to room temperature or use the defrost function of your microwave.

Add fresh fruits: Add fresh or frozen blueberries to the mix for even fruitier blueberry lemon poppy seed muffins.

More lemon recipes

• Lemon curd cupcakes with mascarpone frosting
• Sour cream lemon pie
• Lemon pound cake with sugar glaze
• Lemon poppy seed pound cake
• Lemon Meringue Tartlets
• Lemon Bundt Cake
• Lemon meringue cake
• Lemon curd
• Lemon curd tart

More muffins recipes

• Banana bread muffins
• Nutella muffins
• Double chocolate banana muffins
• Bakery style chocolate chip muffins
• Healthy oatmeal banana muffins
• Blueberry muffins with crumb topping
• Double chocolate chip muffins
• Pumpkin streusel muffins

Did you like this recipe? Don't forget to rate it and leave me a review in the comments! And to not miss any recipes follow @sweetlycakes on Instagram and tag me to share it if you make this recipe 😊!

Print