Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Print version)

Moist muffins with fresh lemon zest and crunchy poppy seeds, ideal for breakfast or a sunny snack.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 2/3 cup whole milk
09 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 - 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
11 - Zest of 2 lemons
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Optional Lemon Glaze

13 - 1 cup powdered sugar
14 - 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly.
02 - Whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until fully blended.
04 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
06 - Bake for 16 to 18 minutes until the tops turn light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
07 - Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
08 - Whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice until smooth and drizzle over cooled muffins.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They stay impossibly moist for days, so you can bake a full batch and actually enjoy them instead of watching them dry out.
  • The lemon flavor is genuine and sunny without tasting like cleaning supplies, which I learned the hard way with other recipes.
  • They come together in under an hour, which means breakfast can be elegant without requiring your entire morning.
02 -
  • Cold butter will create lumps in your batter instead of blending smoothly, so always cool melted butter completely before mixing with eggs.
  • Overmixing is the fastest way to dense, tough muffins—fold gently and stop as soon as the flour disappears, even if the batter looks slightly lumpy.
  • Fresh lemon zest makes an enormous difference; bottled zest loses so much of its bright, oils over time.
03 -
  • Zest your lemons before juicing them—once they're cut, getting zest is nearly impossible, and it's worth a few seconds of planning ahead.
  • Room-temperature eggs mix more smoothly with the wet ingredients, creating a more tender, even crumb in your finished muffins.
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