Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

A recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! These easy muffins are packed with poppy seeds and lemon zest/juice, plus a sweet lemon glaze drizzled over the top.

I made these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins right before our move to Virginia as a way to use up some extra lemons and poppy seeds. They come together so easily for quick breakfast or brunch addition!

Granulated sugar and lemon zest are blended together, then mixed with flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and a little salt.

Melted butter, yogurt, lemon juice, milk, eggs, and vanilla are whisked in until just combined to form a smooth, light batter.

Transfer the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake!

After cooling to room temperature, the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are topped off with a light, lemon glaze before serving.

A Few Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Tips

Before mixing in the remaining ingredients, I rubbed the lemon zest into the sugar until well blended to help infuse that vibrant citrus flavor throughout every bite.

Do not pack in the flour when measuring or you may end up with too much. To measure flour, gently spoon it into the measuring up and level with a knife without pressing down. The most accurate way to measure is by weight.

If the batter is too loose, add a little more flour (be careful not to add too much). If it is too dry, mix in a little more milk. It should be a thick batter, not pourable, but enough to easily scoop and drop into the tin.

Take care to not overmix the batter. Blend together the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. Over-mixing will create a tougher muffin and it won’t rise as well.

Fill each prepared muffin tin about 3/4 full. I usually do this by slightly overfilling a standard ice cream scoop to transfer the batter to each of the prepared muffin tins. This is the easiest way I have come across to get a consistent size. 

If you don’t use liners in the muffin tins, grease them with oil or butter to keep the muffins from sticking and falling apart.

Allow the muffins to cool to room temperature before topping with the glaze. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add a little more lemon juice. If too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar.

Not wanting that much lemon? You can substitute the lemon juice with milk or omit the glaze altogether and swap it for simply a sprinkling of coarse sugar before baking.

These muffins are best the day they are made, especially after adding the glaze. Leftover, unglazed muffins will keep a couple of days at room temperature in an airtight container. Allow to cool completely to room temperature before storing.

Looking for more recipes with poppy seeds?

Try my:

• Birkesvafler (Poppy Seed Waffles)
• Orange Poppy Seed Baked Doughnuts
• Tebirkes (Danish Poppy Seed Pastries)

This recipe was originally posted in September 2014 and updated in May 2024.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

Adapted from The Tasty Bite

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5 from 3 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

A recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! These easy muffins are lightly flavored with poppy seeds and lemon, plus a sweet lemon glaze drizzled over the top.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine N/A

Keyword breakfast, brunch, lemon, muffin, poppy seed, poppyseed

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Ingredients

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• Zest from 2 lemons
• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (20 grams) poppy seeds
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) Greek yogurt
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) milk
• 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons (22-30 milliliters) fresh lemon juice

Instructions

To make the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:

• Preheat oven to 425˚F (220˚C). Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners or lightly grease.
• In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until well combined.
• Whisk in the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, butter, milk, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla.
• Mix together just until everything is evenly combined and no streaks of flour remain.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full and place in the preheated oven.
• Cook for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350˚F (180˚C).
• Continue to cook until lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10-12 more minutes.
• Allow to cool in tins for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Cool completely to room temperature before topping with the glaze.

To make the Lemon Glaze:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until combined and no lumps remain.
• If too thick to drizzle, add a little more lemon juice. If too thin, whisk in a little more powdered sugar.
• Drizzle over room temperature muffins, allow to set for a few minutes, and serve the day they are prepared.