Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

The lemon poppy seed muffins are every bit as good as a bakery muffin! In just 30 minutes, you can make beautifully moist muffins with a lovely fresh lemon flavor.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

Lemon poppy seed muffins have got to be one of the most refreshing sweet treats out there. I love making them in the summer as a dessert, or sometimes even for breakfast.

In my opinion, there are no bad muffins, just some better suited for certain occasions than others! And these muffins are perfect for a light and fluffy spring or summer treat that will still satisfy a sweet tooth.

These mini lemon cheesecakes are another perfect summer dessert filled with fresh citrus flavor. And sometimes I'll make a loaf of lemon blueberry bread too. My husband is known for his love of chocolate, so he frequently requests chocolate chip muffins.

This easy recipe makes the perfect lemon poppy seed muffins every time. Topped with a delicious crumb topping, they're addictively good and pair beautifully with morning coffee, a lot like my coffee cake muffins do!

I love making freshly baked muffins to bring to friends, keep on hand for breakfast, or even whip up as a special afternoon snack.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

• You can make a dozen lemon poppyseed muffins in just 30 minutes. A great recipe to throw together when you need a last minute dessert.
• The flavor of these muffins is bold, but not heavy! They are a great dessert to serve on a warm day.
• This lemon poppy seed muffin recipe is easy to follow, perfect for even the most novice bakers.

There's never a bad time to eat a muffin. So make sure you have plenty of muffin recipes so that you're always ready to make homemade muffins on a moments notice.

Ingredients

Check your pantry and fridge for these ingredients, and then grab whatever you don't have on your next grocery run. Happy baking!

• flour
• sugar
• poppy seeds
• baking powder
• salt
• melted butter
• milk
• egg
• lemon zest
• lemon juice

Crumble Ingredients

• flour
• sugar
• lemon zest
• melted butter

Substitutions and Variations

To reduce the amount of refined sugar, replace granulated sugar with coconut sugar. The flavor may change a tad, but they will still be delicious!

Feel free to leave out the crunchy poppy seeds if you prefer lemon muffins without them.

Add a splash of vanilla extract to these moist muffins to provide more depth of flavor.

Make these delicious muffins dairy-free by swapping out the milk for a dairy-free alternative, like coconut milk, and using vegan butter or coconut oil.

Use a gluten-free 1:1 flour substitute, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour, to make this recipe without gluten.

For a sugar-free option, follow these tips to make sugar-free muffins.

Swap out the crumble topping for simple lemon glaze. Mix some powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice and fresh lemon zest, then drizzle the sweet lemon glaze on top of each baked muffin.

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Preheat your oven to 425°F and then prep the muffin pan. Line each muffin tin cup with paper liners, or grease it well.

Hot Tip: Don't have muffin liners? Check out this post on how to grease a muffin pan for the best tips and tricks to keep muffins from sticking to the pan.

Combine sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until mixed thoroughly. Set it aside for later.

In a separate bowl, beat together the milk, butter, egg, and lemon juice with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer.

Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and add the lemon zest. Be careful not to over-mix the ingredients, mix until just incorporated.

Divide batter evenly among each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan.

Then, in a small bowl combine flour, sugar, and lemon zest for the crumble.

Add the butter into the dry ingredients and mix until a crumbly texture forms. Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of the muffins.

Bake these easy lemon poppy seed muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F. Then, decrease the temperature to 350°F and bake for 15 more minutes. This helps create perfectly domed muffin tops.

Remove the lemon poppy seed muffins from the oven and allow them to sit in the pan until they're cool enough to handle. This helps the bottoms hold together.

Place each muffin on a wire rack to cool the rest of the way. Dig into a fluffy muffin whenever you are ready!

Tips for Success

• Use a silicone spatula to fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and incorporate them well without over-mixing.
• You can chill the muffin batter overnight to bake fresh bakery-style muffins in the morning. Chilling the batter even help make the muffins slightly fluffier.
• Fresh lemon juice from fresh lemons will produce a better flavor than bottled lemon juice.

How to Store Leftover Muffins

Muffins are best fresh, but they can be just as good a day or two later — or even a month later — if stored properly.

I have a whole post about how to store and freeze muffins, but here’s the gist:

Store muffins in airtight container, lined with paper towels to help collect condensation from residual heat in the muffins. Make sure they are completely cooled before storing for best results.

The best way to store muffins depends on how soon you want to eat them: 

• Within 3 days of baking them: Store muffins on the countertop at room temperature. 
• In the next few days: Store them in the fridge, but with the risk of a change in texture. Alternatively, store what you’ll eat in the next few days using the countertop method, then freeze the rest. 
• Within the next 3 months: Store them in the freezer — reheat when you get a muffin craving! 

FAQ

More Muffins Recipes You'll Love

• Mixed Berry Muffins
• Cinnamon Apple Muffins
• Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Dairy-Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins