Bright, zesty, tender, and finished with a tangy lemon glaze, these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins just hit the spot. I love a big muffin top, and this recipe gives you just that! Perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack or even a light dessert.
Love lemon desserts? Try my Pistachio Lemon Curd Tart, Limoncello Tiramisu and Lemon Pistachio Pound Cake.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Recipe at a Glance
Prep & Chill Time
50 mins
Bake Time
23 mins
Total Time
1hr 13mins
Servings
12 Muffins
Calories*
286 kcal
Difficulty
Easy
Main Ingredients
Lemons, poppy seeds, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, butter, sour cream, vanilla extract.
Technique
Mixing dry ingredients, mixing wet ingredients, preparing the batter, dividing the batter, baking the muffins, and preparing a lemon glaze.
*Calories are estimated
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make: The batter comes together with simple pantry ingredients and a classic wet-into-dry mixing method. The muffins have tall domed tops, a soft and fluffy crumb, and bright citrus flavor in every bite.
- Perfect for spring and summer: Fresh lemon makes these tender muffins bright, cheerful, and seasonal. The combination of lemon zest, lemon juice, and a simple lemon glaze makes them perfect for spring baking, brunch spreads, or an easy weekend baking project.
- Tested and Reliable: Groceries are expensive! All my Baking Recipes are tested by me, my team and/or recipe testers before posting.
Ingredients
What I love about this bakery-style muffin recipe is how it comes together with pretty standard ingredients. Nothing overly fancy. Here is what you will need:
- Lemons: You will need whole lemons for this recipe, as you will be using the lemon zest and lemon juice. If you’re a fan of lemony desserts, try my Limoncello Tiramisu and Lemon Pistachio Bars.
- Leaveners: This recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda.
- Poppy Seeds: Wouldn’t be a lemon poppy seed recipe without poppy seeds. They can be a bit challenging to find depending on where you live, but you should be able to find them in your local grocery store’s baking aisle or online.
- Unsalted butter: I’m using melted unsalted butter here. If you only have access to salted butter, that’s fine, just leave out the salt in the dry ingredients. I use melted butter in my other muffin recipes: Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins and Apple Oatmeal Muffins.
- Sour Cream: The sour cream adds richness and it will also react with the baking soda to give the muffins a nice lift and fluffy texture. You could easily swap it out for Greek yogurt. This helps keep the muffins moist.
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe
Step 1. Make the Scented Sugar. Combine the sugar and fresh lemon zest in a large bowl (Image 1). Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant (Image 2).
Step 2. Dry Ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds (Image 3). Whisk well to combine.
Step 3. Beat the Eggs. In a second bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy and bubbly (Image 4).
Step 4. Mix the Wet Ingredients. Add the melted butter, sour cream, milk, fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the eggs (Image 5). Whisk until smooth.
Step 5. Make Batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture (Image 6). Fold gently until the dry ingredients are just incorporated (Image 7). Don’t overmix.
Step 6. Rest and Preheat Oven. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the muffin batter for 15-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C.
Step 7. Scoop. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin liners or muffin cups. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner to the top. Try not to stir or deflate the batter too much (Image 8).
Step 8. Bake. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F / 205C, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F / 175C and bake for another 13 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed (Image 9).
Step 9. Cool. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack (Image 10).
Step 10. Glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a quick lemon glaze. Spoon over the cooled muffins. Let the glaze set before storing (Image 11).
Expert Tips
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. This simple step releases the lemon oils and gives the muffins a stronger citrus flavor.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Fold just until the flour disappears. Overmixing can make muffins dense or tough.
- Chill the batter. That short rest helps hydrate the flour and gives the muffins a better rise.
- Start with higher temperature, then reduce the heat. A hotter initial bake helps encourage tall muffin tops.
- Fill the liners to the top. This gives you those generous bakery-style domes. Who doesn’t love a muffin top?
- Use fresh poppy seeds. Poppy seeds contain oils and can go stale, so give them a sniff before baking. They should smell mild and nutty, not bitter.
- Glaze after cooling. Warm muffins will soak up the glaze more, while cooled muffins will give you a prettier drizzle. I prefer to wait for them to cool before drizzling the simple lemon glaze. Do you like a lemony glaze? Try my Cranberry Scones with Lemon Glaze and Lemon Pistachio Pound Cake with Lemon Glaze.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe FAQs
Yes. These muffins can be baked 1-2 days ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature once the glaze has set. But they will become less moist and tougher over time, so I still recommend making the day you need them or the evening before.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to 4 days, but note that refrigeration can dry out baked goods slightly.
Yes. Freeze the muffins without the glaze for best results. Once completely cool, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, then glaze before serving.
Yes, but I love the subtle bakery-style flavor it adds. You can replace it with more vanilla extract.
Usually from overmixing the batter. Fold gently until just combined.
Check that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. I like to use mine within 6 months. If they are older than 12 months, consider replacing them.
Other Lemon Baking Recipes
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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Bakery Style)
Equipment
- Muffin tin – Affiliate link
Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar – 200 grams
- 4 tablespoon Lemon zest – 17 grams (from about 3 lemons)
- 2¾ cups All purpose flour – 343 grams
- 2½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon Poppy seeds
- 2 Large eggs – 100 grams
- ½ cup Unsalted melted butter – 113 grams
- ½ cup Sour cream – 120 grams
- ¾ cup Milk – 170 grams
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice – 15 grams
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Almond extract
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered sugar, sifted – 120 grams
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice – 30 grams
Instructions
- Make the Scented Sugar. Combine the sugar and fresh lemon zest in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until fragrant.
- Dry Ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Whisk well to combine.
- Beat the Eggs. In a second bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy and bubbly.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. Add the melted butter, sour cream, milk, fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the eggs. Whisk until smooth.
- Make Batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Fold gently until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Rest and Preheat Oven. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the muffin batter for 15-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C.
- Scoop. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin liners or muffin cups. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner to the top. Try not to stir or deflate the batter too much.
- Bake. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F / 205C, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F / 175C and bake for another 13 minutes, or until the tops spring back when gently pressed.
- Cool. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
- Glaze. Mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice to make a quick lemon glaze. Spoon over the cooled muffins. Let the glaze set before storing.
Notes
- Lemons: You will need whole lemons for this recipe, as you will be using the lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Leaveners: This recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda.
- Poppy Seeds: Wouldn’t be a lemon poppy seed recipe without poppy seeds. They can be a bit challenging to find depending on where you live, but you should be able to find them in your local grocery store’s baking aisle or online.
- Unsalted butter: I’m using melted unsalted butter here. If you only have access to salted butter, that’s fine, just leave out the salt in the dry ingredients.
- Sour Cream: The sour cream adds richness and it will also react with the baking soda to give the muffins a nice lift and fluffy texture. You could easily swap it out for Greek yogurt. This helps keep the muffins moist.
- Rub the lemon zest into the sugar. This simple step releases the lemon oils and gives the muffins a stronger citrus flavor.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Fold just until the flour disappears. Overmixing can make muffins dense or tough.
- Chill the batter. That short rest helps hydrate the flour and gives the muffins a better rise.
- Start with a higher temperature, then reduce the heat. A hotter initial bake helps encourage tall muffin tops.
- Fill the liners to the top. This gives you those generous bakery-style domes. Who doesn’t love a muffin top?
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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