These lemon poppy seed muffins are soft, buttery, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. The simple lemon glaze drizzled on top makes these absolutely irresistible!
Lemon poppy seed muffins are bright, vibrant, and so refreshing. They're perfect for a quick and easy make-ahead breakfast. You won't believe how soft and moist these muffins are, even days later!
I love making a big batch of these to keep in the freezer. That way I always have some on-hand for whenever a muffin craving strikes. You can also easily freeze the muffin batter. They bake as normal straight from frozen, meaning you can have freshly-baked muffins whenever you want ready in a matter of minutes!
What you Need to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:
- All-purpose flour: Measure correctly by lightly spooning the flour into your measuring cup and leveling it off with the flat side of a knife.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Leaveners that help the muffins rise high and make them soft.
- Salt: Necessary to bring out and enhance the flavors.
- Unsalted butter, melted: Adds great flavor and makes the muffins extra tender and moist. If all you have is salted butter use a quarter teaspoon of salt instead of half a teaspoon.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is the perfect complement to the tangy lemon flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs serve as a binder and give structure and stability. You need 2 large eggs for this recipe.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a hint of sweetness as well as a subtle, complex flavor. Pure or imitation are both fine.
- Milk: Adds a lot of moisture. Whole milk is best.
- Sour cream: Sour cream is a great way to add a lot of moisture without making the batter too runny. You can also substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Lemon juice: Always use fresh-squeezed lemon juice, never bottled. Bottled lemon juice is concentrated and the flavor is way too strong!
- Poppy seeds: Poppy seeds have a mild, nutty flavor. Their role in the muffins is mostly to add a bit of a crunchy texture.
Lemon Glaze:
The simple lemon glaze could not be easier to make and is so delicious and fresh. To make it, just whisk together some fresh-squeezed lemon juice, powdered sugar, milk (or cream), a touch of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:
- Preheat your oven to 350° and spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick spray. You can also use muffin liners if you'd like.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, milk, and freshly-squeezed lemon juice until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add the poppy seeds and mix until they're evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling each all the way to the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Let the muffins cool slightly before removing them from the pan, then let them cool completely before drizzling with the lemon glaze.
Store muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for one week.
How to Freeze and Reheat Muffins:
Muffins and muffin batter can easily be frozen, perfect for a quick and easy breakfast that you can prepare in advance.
To Freeze Baked Muffins:
- Allow to cool completely to room temperature, then place in the freezer for one hour until mostly hard. Then transfer them to a large plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, microwave frozen muffins for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Or bake in an oven or toaster oven at 325° for 5-10 minutes.
To Freeze Muffin Batter:
- Insert muffin liners into the pan and add the batter. Set the pan flat in the freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once completely frozen, remove the batter-filled liners and place them in a large plastic bag. Keep frozen for up to 2 months.
To reheat, place the frozen muffin batter cups in the muffin pan and bake as directed. Add 3-5 minutes to the baking time.
More Muffin&Lemon Recipes:
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 tbsp. poppy seeds
Lemon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. milk (or cream)
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, whole milk, and sour cream. Mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Whisk in the poppy seeds and pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling all the way to the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool slightly before removing the muffins from the pan.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, milk (or cream), vanilla extract, and salt. If the glaze is too runny you can add more powdered sugar. Or, if it's too thick you can add more milk.
- Drizzle the glaze over the muffins once cooled. Store muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
- Allow the muffins to cool completely at room temperature, then set them in the freezer for one hour until mostly hard. Add the muffins to a large plastic bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Insert muffin liners into the pan and add the batter. Set the pan flat in the freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once completely frozen, remove the batter-filled liners and place them in a large plastic bag. Keep frozen for up to 2 months.
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