Lemon poppy seed muffins are fluffy, moist and tangy bakery style muffins studded with crunchy poppy seeds and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. After baking, the poppy seed muffin tops are brushed with a bright, sweet and tart lemon simple syrup glaze.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I absolutely adore a bakery style muffin. My Vanilla Muffins, Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins, Pistachio Muffins and Raspberry Muffins are just a few muffins recipes I always reach for when I want bakery style muffins. If you’re a fan of easy to make muffins that could be from a bakery, I know you’ll love this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe just as much as I do!
- Layers of flavors and textures: From the soft and fluffy lemon muffin studded with crunchy poppy seeds, to the sweet and tart lemon syrup brushed over the tops, these moist lemon muffins with poppy seeds will brighten your day.
- Easy to make, bake and eat: These homemade lemon poppy muffins taste like you just bought them from the bakery, but are so simple to make. All you need is two bowls, a whisk and a couple of muffin pans.
Ingredients
These poppy seed lemon muffins requires only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your house. Here’s what you’ll need.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds.
- Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, lemon zest, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Lemon Simple Syrup or Lemon Glaze
Gather freshly squeezed lemon juice and granulated sugar or powdered sugar.
Substitutions
These homemade lemon and poppy seed muffins are as easy to make as they are delicious. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these moist lemon poppy muffins if you need them.
- All purpose flour: To make these muffins gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both are needed to make this muffin recipe.
- Poppy Seeds: Poppy seeds are readily available in most major grocery stores or on Amazon. If you can’t have poppy seeds or simply can’t find them, chia seeds make a good substitute.
- Melted Butter: Feel free to use an equal amount of salted butter in place of the unsalted butter. Just make sure to omit the added salt. Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter for this lemon poppy muffin recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: This muffin recipe calls for granulated sugar, but maple sugar would also work well to make these muffins refined sugar free.
- Lemon Zest and Juice: Replace the lemon with any citrus you like. Lime, key lime, meyer lemons, orange, they all work well in this recipe!
- Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs.
- Sour Cream: Greek yogurt works well in place of sour cream.
- Milk: Use any milk you like.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a lovely background flavor that pairs really well with the bright lemon and nutty poppy seed.
Variations
- Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Prepare the poppy seed lemon muffin recipe according to the recipe directions through the resting step. Grease or line a 24 ct. mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C) and fill each muffin liner with out 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lemon poppy muffin batter. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. This recipe makes about 36 mini muffins. Check out my Mini Blueberry Muffins for another delicious spring and summer muffin recipe.
- Lemon Glaze: This recipe for lemon poppy seed muffins enhances the lemon flavor by brushing the tops of the muffins with a homemade simple lemon syrup. Feel free to top with a lemon glaze in addition or instead of the lemon simple syrup. Mix 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 2 - 3 tablespoons ( 30 - 45 ml) lemon simple syrup or fresh lemon juice to smooth and well combined. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
How To Make
Learn how to make lemon poppy seed muffins in a few easy steps.
Make the Muffins
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds together until well combined.
- In another bowl whisk the sugar and lemon zest together until well combined with a wet sand consistency. Whisk in the melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, sour cream and milk together until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not overmix. Let the lemon muffin batter rest, covered at room temperature for about 30 minutes or in the fridge 60 minutes and up to overnight. About 30 minutes before you plan to bake the muffins, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C). Line a 12 ct. muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- After the rest period, use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each of the muffin liners, alternating every other cup. This method produces the tallest bakery style tops. If you prefer to bake them all at once, the tops won’t be as high. Bake the muffins at 425 F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 (177 C) for an additional 8 - 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door to reduce the temperature. Wait until closer to the minimum baking time. The muffins will bake for a total of 13 - 15 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes about with a few moist crumbs. While the muffins bake, make the lemon simple syrup.
Make the Glaze
- In a small pot or sauce pan, bring the granulated sugar and fresh lemon juice to a simmer over low - medium heat. Simmer the liquid until it reduces down and the sugar dissolves, about 5 - 10 minutes. Pour into a heat safe bowl to cool slightly.
- Cool the poppy seed and lemon muffins in the muffin pan for 5 -10 minutes. While the muffins are still warm, generously brush the lemon simp syrup on top. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature and enjoy. If you would like to top the muffins with a lemon glaze as well, mix 2 - 3 tablespoons of leftover simple syrup with 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar until well combined. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
How To Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Store: Place the moist lemon poppy seed muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Then transfer the muffins to the fridge for up to 3 more days.
- Freeze: Make sure the muffins are completely cooled to room temperature. Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Place each wrapped muffin in a ziplock bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. It’s best not to glaze the muffins if you plan on freezing them. Brushing them with the lemon simple syrup is fine.
- Thaw: The easiest and tastiest way to thaw the muffins is to let them out at room temperature for at least two hours. Enjoy at room temperature or microwave the muffin for 10 - 20 seconds for that “fresh from the oven” taste.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature.This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy and moist muffins.
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients into the wet by hand until just combined.
- Rest the batter for at least 30 - 60 minutes. This is a little trick to get those beautiful bakery style domes on muffins. Allowing some time for resting allows the batter to hydrate, thicken and rise, making these the best lemon poppy seed muffins.
- Alternate muffin wells in the muffin pan. This allows each muffin to get the maximum of amount of even heat circulating around it. This combined with the rest time and two different baking temperatures, gives you beautiful bakery style muffins. The tops will still pop up, but they won’t be as high if you decide to fill all the muffin liners at once.
- Use high heat, then reduce. Higher heat activates the baking powder quickly. Reduce the heat to continue baking. This gives the muffins their signature bakery style dome.
FAQs
Are lemon poppy seed muffins healthy?
The term “healthy” can vary from person to person. However, poppy seeds do contain a range of healthy minerals and nutrients such as iron, calcium, since, potassium, thiamin, folic acid, B-complex vitamins and fiber.
Can babies or toddlers have lemon poppy seed muffins?
It is considered safe for babies, toddlers or kids to have with food containing poppy seeds once they are old enough to start eating solids, around 6 months old. However, the healthiest and safest thing to do is to ask your child’s pediatrician before introducing new foods.
Are lemon poppy seed muffins safe to eat while pregnant?
As with certain other foods, the risk of eating poppy seeds while pregnant is negligible. However poppy seeds could still pose a risk to a developing baby. It’s best to consult your doctor or omit this food from your diet while pregnant.
Other Lemon Recipes to Try
If you try this Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! -M
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe
Lemon poppy seed muffins are fluffy, moist and tangy bakery style muffins studded with crunchy poppy seeds and bursting with fresh citrus flavor. After baking, the poppy seed muffin tops are brushed with a bright, sweet and tart lemon simple syrup glaze.
Equipment
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 zester
- 1 citrus reamer
- 1 - 2 12 ct muffin pans
- 12 muffin liners
- 1 large cookie scoop (3 tbsp, 45 ml)
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 lemons, zested
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (177 ml) milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice
Lemon Simple Syrup
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) lemon juice
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds together until well combined.2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour, 2½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- In another bowl whisk the sugar and lemon zest together until well combined with a wet sand consistency. Whisk in the melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, sour cream and milk together until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. Do not overmix. Let the lemon muffin batter rest, covered at room temperature for about 30 minutes or in the fridge 60 minutes and up to overnight.1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 lemons, zested, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , ¾ cup (177 ml) milk, room temperature, ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream, room temperature, ¼ cup (59 ml) fresh lemon juice
- About 30 minutes before you plan to bake the muffins, preheat the oven to 425 F (218 C). Line (2) 12 ct. muffin pans with cupcake liners, alternating every other muffin well.
- After the rest period, use a 3 tablespoon sized cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each of the muffin liners, alternating every other cup. This method produces the tallest bakery style tops. If you prefer to bake them all at once, the tops won’t be as high.
- Bake the muffins at 425 F (218 C) for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 (177 C) for an additional 8 - 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door to reduce the temperature. Wait until closer to the minimum baking time. The muffins will bake for a total of 13 - 15 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes about with a few moist crumbs. While the muffins bake, make the lemon simple syrup.
- In a small pot or sauce pan, bring the granulated sugar and fresh lemon juice to a simmer over low - medium heat. Simmer the liquid until it reduces down and the sugar dissolves, about 5 - 10 minutes. Pour into a heat safe bowl to cool slightly.½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (118 ml) lemon juice
- Cool the poppy seed and lemon muffins in the muffin pan for 5 -10 minutes. While the muffins are still warm, generously brush the lemon simp syrup on top. Carefully remove the muffins to cool to room temperature and enjoy.If you would like to top the muffins with a lemon glaze as well, mix 2 - 3 tablespoons (30 - 45 ml) of leftover simple syrup with 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar until well combined. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.
Notes
Store leftover muffins: Place the moist lemon poppy seed muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Then transfer the muffins to the fridge for up to 3 more days.
See Variations section of the blog post to make these as mini lemon poppy seed muffins.
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