Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

This easy recipe for lemon poppy seed muffins is perfect for a summertime breakfast. Super moist, fluffy, not too sweet & with a delicious lemon flavor – you’ll love these muffins!

As much as I’m in love with chocolate and peanut butter, I think anything with lemon is pretty hard to beat. Summery, sweet, a little tangy, not too rich – a good lemon dessert can convert even the biggest chocoholic like myself into a lemon lover.  I love how lemon pairs perfectly with the buttery goodness of baking, and the sunshine yellow color makes anything with lemon look so pretty. So, I decided it was time to let lemon take center stage and whip up some lemon poppy seed muffins.

Now, I think these muffins are pretty fantastic. Ultra moist but still light and fluffy, nice and lemony without being too tart, a super soft crumb with a little crisp on the edges, deliciously tasty without being too sweet for breakfast, AND super pretty? Honestly, you’re going to love them.

To get that perfect lemon flavor, you’re going to double up on the lemons by using lemon zest  and fresh lemon juice. You’ll use the zest & juice from one medium/medium large lemon, which is about 1 tablespoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice. Make sure not to use lemon juice from the bottle because it’s flavor will be too acidic – you want fresh lemons here for the most sunshine-y taste.

Then, to get that perfect texture & soft crumb? First, you’ll cream the butter and sugar together so your muffins are light and fluffy. Then 2 eggs & yogurt keep them super soft & moist. You can use greek or regular plain yogurt here, but I wouldn’t recommend using fat free. Fat free yogurt often has high amounts  of gelatin – so the texture won’t be the same.

These muffins also use my standard muffin tricks for the perfect domed shape so your muffins look professional.

1. Thick batter
2. Fill your muffin tins to the very top – about ⅓ cup batter
3. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F, then turn your oven down to 375F for the remaining time.

Perfectly shaped muffins every time!

Last but not least, if you like a sweeter muffin you can add an optional glaze to the tops. I felt these muffins were delicious without the glaze, but if you want them to be a little more dessert like – say if you’re having them for an afternoon tea – then feel free. You can drizzle on the glaze while the muffins are still warm, and the lemony syrup will sink into your muffins for some extra sweetness.

Super pretty, and extremely tasty – you’re going to love these lemon poppy seed muffins.

If you love lemon, try these other lemon baked goods:

• Lemon Loaf – it’s so moist & tastes even better than the Starbucks version
• Lemon Coffee Cake – a tender lemon cake topped with streusel & a drizzle of glaze
• Lemon Cake Mix Cookies – the easiest way to get your lemon fix

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are super moist, fluffy, buttery & with that perfect lemon flavor - this simple muffin recipe is perfect for summer!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time16 minutes mins

Total Time31 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 12 Muffins

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Fiona Dowling

Ingredients

For the Muffins

• ½ cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 large eggs , room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ plain yogurt , greek or regular
• 2 and ½ cups all purpose flour spooned & leveled
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 and ½ tablespoons poppy seeds

For the Glaze (optional)

• ⅔ cups icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425F degrees. Line a 12 cavity muffin pan with muffin papers or grease & flour the cavities. Set aside.
• In a large bowl using a hand held or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, vanilla and continue beating until combined - about 30 seconds. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the lemon zest, lemon juice & yogurt and beat on low speed until combined.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt & poppy seeds. Using a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula, carefully fold the flour mixture into your wet ingredients until just combined.
• Spoon the batter into your muffin cavities, filling them to the very top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F then turn down the oven to 375F and continue baking for 11-13 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Do not take the muffins out of the oven when you turn down the temperature.
• Let the muffins cool in their tin for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and continue cooling on a wire rack.
• If adding the optional glaze, whisk together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Then while the muffins are still warm, drizzle the glaze over the muffin tops. The glaze should sink into the muffins.

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcal