Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Lemon poppy seed muffins boast a delicate citrusy taste and the crunch of poppy seeds and coarse sugar on top of the glaze. These are easily as good as bakery muffins!

Also try bakery-style blueberry muffins, apple cinnamon muffins, Oreo muffins, or carrot blueberry muffins. And these pistachio muffins are so good!

Why You’ll Love It

Easy to make: You simply need to combine the ingredients for the muffin batter and then bake the muffins, before adding a simple glaze and sprinkling of coarse sugar on top.
They taste great: The sweet yet tart lemon taste works really well in these muffins, and the use of fresh ingredients like fresh lemon juice and zest makes the flavor really shine.
Always satisfying: A lemon poppy seed muffin is always satisfying, whether you’re enjoying one for breakfast, brunch, a snack, or dessert.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below

All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour is perfect for making these. You can also use your favorite gluten-free flour to make them.
Sugar: White sugar goes into the muffin batter, the syrup glaze on top and then you need coarse sugar for sprinkling on top to add a nice crunch.
Yogurt: This ingredient adds a nice tang to the flavor and also helps keep the lemon poppy seed muffins moist.
Lemon juice and zest: For the best flavor, use fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
Baking powder and baking soda: These help to achieve a light and airy texture.
Poppy seeds: For flavor and crunch. Poppy seeds go really well with citrus flavors and are also a nutritious choice.

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card

Combine the dry ingredients: Mix the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients: Whisk the yogurt with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs in a second bowl, and then combine this mixture with the dry mixture. Fold in the melted butter.
Bake the lemon poppy seed muffins: Divide the batter between 12 muffin liners in a muffin pan and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Make the lemon syrup glaze: Stir the granulated sugar with the lemon juice in a saucepan and cook for 5 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
Glaze the muffins: Brush the lemon syrup over the tops of the cooked muffins and then sprinkle coarse sugar to finish. These are great served warm.

Substitutions and Variations

Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, you can use your preferred brand of gluten-free flour.
Not a seed fan? If you aren’t keen on seeds or you can’t eat them, you can simply leave the poppy seeds out.
A different type of citrus: You can sub orange juice and orange zest to make orange muffins, or even try lime instead.

Serving Suggestions

More brunch items: If you’re serving these for brunch, you might like to whip up some other brunch dishes such as sheet pan eggs, a breakfast crunchwrap or even rainbow unicorn toast.
And to drink: Pair the lemon poppy seed muffins with a pumpkin spice latte, cinnamon dolce latte, or, for a celebratory brunch, a sherbet champagne mimosa (or two!)

How to Store Lemon Muffins

Store: Keeping them in the refrigerator dries them out, so keep your homemade muffins in an airtight container and eat within 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw: That at room temperature or using the thaw setting on the microwave.
Reheat: Wrap in foil and put in a 350 degrees F oven for a few minutes from fresh or about 10 minutes from frozen. You can also give fresh muffins a few seconds in the microwave to warm them through.