You’ll love every bite of these tangy-sweet and moist lemon poppy seed muffins. It’s a classic flavor, and the same base recipe I use for many other fan-favorite muffin flavors including blueberry muffins and apple cinnamon muffins. Topped with a sweet lemon icing, these citrus-centered muffins make for a special breakfast treat.
Have you ever tried my go-to muffin recipe before? It’s a standard muffin base I use for a variety of flavors, and with a couple simple tweaks, you can go from spiced peach streusel muffins to fresh lemon poppy seed muffins. When you have a solid and forgiving baking recipe, the possibilities are endless.
A healthy dose of poppy seeds give today’s sunshine-sweet muffins a slight crunch. That’s the best part about poppy seed muffins! The poppy seeds are a perfect contrast to the muffin’s soft interior.
Why You’ll Love These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Simple to make with basic baking ingredients
Loads of sweet-tart fresh lemon flavor
Soft, tender, and cakey, with the added texture of poppy seeds
Top with lemon icing or a sprinkling of coarse sparkling sugar for a sweet finish
As good or better than any lemon poppy seed muffin from a bakery
Why You Need the Following Ingredients
I use this combo of ingredients in many of my muffin recipes.
Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of this muffin recipe.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda: These leaveners lift the muffins up, making them soft and fluffy. I’m generous with the baking soda because I want extra lift; there’s enough acid in the batter to neutralize it.
Salt: Flavor enhancer.
Poppy Seeds: These itty-bitty seeds add a mild nutty flavor and slight crunch to baked goods. I love them on bagels, too!
Butter: Creamed butter gives these muffins a cake-like texture; plus, it adds deliciously buttery flavor.
Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the muffins, balancing out the tart lemon. Brown sugar adds a kiss of flavor, plus extra moisture.
Eggs: Eggs work to bind the ingredients together.
Sour Cream or Yogurt: You can use either. I typically use full-fat sour cream or low fat Greek yogurt—both are very creamy.
Lemon Zest + Juice: Zest the lemon first, before you cut it open and juice it. Much easier than the other way around!
Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract rounds out the flavor profile of these muffins. I reduce the amount just a bit to make up for the extra liquid from the lemon juice.
Milk: You can use pretty much any kind here: whole milk, low-fat, nondairy, or even buttermilk. For the best taste and texture, steer clear of nonfat milk.
Can I use chia seeds instead of poppy seeds?
Yes. Replace the same amount of poppy seeds in the batter with chia seeds. There is really no taste or texture difference at all.
Can I add blueberries or other type of berry?
Yes. You can fold about 1 and 1/2 cups (about 200g-250g) of fresh or frozen berries (do not thaw) into the batter before spooning into the pan and baking. I actually have a recipe for blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins which is very similar to today’s recipe, as well as a lemon blueberry muffins recipe. You can add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of poppy seeds to that batter if desired.
Expect a Thick Batter
The instructions are pretty basic here, and you’ll find them in the printable recipe card below. One important thing to note, however, is to expect a thick and airy batter. Don’t be tempted to add more liquid; you want a nice thick batter so the muffins hold shape.
There aren’t any add-ins like chocolate chips or berries, so there’s less volume than my other muffin recipes using this same base. As a result, I don’t fill the muffin cups quite as full. You don’t want to fill the muffin pan too high (and yield fewer muffins). Why? Because these muffin tops spread out into mushroom-looking tops when overfilled.
Just divide the batter between 12 cups, using a standard 12-count muffin pan.
The High-Top Muffin Trick
I’ve been using this muffin trick for years and SWEAR by it.
Bake the muffins for just 5 minutes at a high temperature, 425°F (218°C). Then reduce the temperature to 350°F (177°C) for the remaining bake time. This initial burst of heat lifts the muffin straight up, creating a solid dome. Baking at a lower temperature for the rest of the time cooks the center of the muffin.
Plain or Iced Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Topping your lemon poppy seed muffins with icing is optional, but it definitely adds some extra lemon flavor. I always add it. This deliciously creamy lemon icing is made from just 3 ingredients, and it’s the same icing I use to top my strawberry lemon poppy seed scones and lemon pound cake. You need confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Two of these ingredients are also used in the muffin batter.
Just whisk everything together in a bowl and drizzle over the baked muffins. If you don’t want to top these with icing, you can sprinkle some coarse sparkling sugar on top before baking.
Tangy-sweet and tender, lemon poppy seed muffins topped with a sweet lemon icing make for a special breakfast treat that tastes like it came from a bakery.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds together. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Mixture may look a little chunky and curded; that’s ok.
With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until no flour pockets remain.
Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin cup or liner. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20–22 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together and drizzle over warm or cooled muffins.
Cover and store leftover muffins for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Notes
Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins (with or without icing) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
Can I Use Chia Seeds Instead of Poppy Seeds? Yes. Replace the same amount of poppy seeds in the batter with chia seeds.
Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy.
Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
Can I Add Berries? Yes. You can fold about 1 and 1/2 cups (about 200g-250g) of fresh or frozen berries (do not thaw) into the batter before spooning into the pan and baking. I actually have a recipe for blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins which is very similar to today’s recipe, as well as a lemon blueberry muffins recipe. You can add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of poppy seeds to that batter if desired.
Can I Make This Into a Bread? I find the best success when using this slightly different recipe for lemon poppy seed quick bread. I also have a recipe for a slightly denser lemon pound cake loaf. You can add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of poppy seeds to that batter if desired.
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