Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Posted Apr 18, 2025
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These lemon poppy seed muffins are moist & perfectly sweet with a bold & bright lemon flavor. Top them with a delicious lemon glaze for a delicious breakfast treat!
It’s hard to pick a favorite muffin, but these lemon poppy seed muffins are definitely in my top 3!
They are super moist with a rich lemon flavor and poppy seeds in every bite. Plus, they’re easy to make in under 30 minutes!
I love dipping them in homemade lemon glaze, although they taste amazing without it as well!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour. To make them gluten-free, use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Granulated sugar. use regular white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar.
- Sour cream. I suggest using full-fat ingredients for the best texture and flavor, you can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
- Whole milk. half and half, heavy cream or 2% milk are good substitutes.
- Canola oil. you can replace the canola oil with an extra 2 tablespoons of melted butter, however it will change the texture slightly.
- Pure lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice or organic lemon juice found in most juice aisles.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Let’s walk through how to make lemon poppy seed muffins, and don’t forget to watch the video for further guidance!
Begin by lining 3 muffin tins with 6 liners each (spacing out the muffins), lightly grease the liners with cooking spray
Then, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl and set it aside.
Next, whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, milk, canola oil, lemon juice and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Once the wet ingredients are smooth, whisk in the sugar until dissolved.
Then, whisk the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients until smooth.
Gently fold the poppy seeds into the batter.
Next, pour about ⅓ cup of batter into each well of the prepared muffin tin.
You can line the wells with muffin liners if you’d like, but I usually just butter & flour or grease the pan and do not use liners.
Then, bake the lemon poppy seed muffins for 12-14 minutes, or until they are just barely set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few wet crumbs.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Glaze
While the lemon poppy seed muffins are cooling, make the glaze.
Begin by whisking the lemon juice and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
Then add the powdered sugar and stir or whisk until smooth.
Dip the tops of the cooled muffins into the glaze, then let them sit at room temperature to harden (or in the refrigerator to speed up the process).
Serve
Serve lemon poppy seed muffins at room temperature or slightly chilled. I love serving it as a part of a complete breakfast or brunch with dishes like this egg casserole, quiche and fruit salad.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover lemon poppy seed muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Thaw slowly at room temperature before serving.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe FAQS
For flavor and texture. They add a slightly nutty flavor and a delicious little crunch.
Yes, you can double or halve the recipe as desired.
Yes, these muffins are safe for kdis to eat.
As always, I suggest consulting your doctor if you have any questions about safety during pregnancy. That being said, research suggests it is completely save to have the occasional poppy seed muffin or two while you are pregnant.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (melted)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds
Lemon Glaze
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line 3 muffin tins with 6 liners each (spacing out the muffins), lightly grease the liners with cooking spray
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, sour cream, eggs, milk, canola oil, lemon juice and vanilla.
- Whisk in sugar.
- Then, whisk the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients until smooth.
- Add poppy seeds and stir until evenly distributed.
- Pour ⅓ cup batter into each well of the prepared muffin tin
- Bake 12-14 minutes until just barely set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few wet crumbs –
Make the Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice and vanilla.
- Then add the powdered sugar and stir or whisk until smooth.
Assemble & Serve
- Dip the tops into the glaze, then let sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator until hardened.
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour. To make them gluten-free, use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- Granulated sugar. use regular white granulated sugar or organic cane sugar.
- Sour cream. I suggest using full-fat ingredients for the best texture and flavor, you can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
- Whole milk. half and half, heavy cream or 2% milk are good substitutes.
- Canola oil. you can replace the canola oil with an extra 2 tablespoons of melted butter, however it will change the texture slightly.
- Pure lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice or organic lemon juice found in most juice aisles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
