Lemon poppy seed muffins are a breakfast favorite. It's easy to make this bakery inspired recipe at home and top them with a simple icing for even more flavor.
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Lemon poppy seed is a classic muffin flavor. As much as I love chocolate muffins, it's nice to mix it up once in a while with something like lemon!
The lemon flavor here isn't overpowering, but you can bump it up by using lemon juice instead of milk in the icing if you want. I think the icing adds a nice balance of flavors, but of course you could leave it off if you prefer.
These poppy seed muffins have a nice dome on top and a tender crumb. The batter is thick, making the muffin tins super easy to fill and leaving you with the most incredible muffin texture.
Poppy seed muffin ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Butter
- Poppy seeds
How to make lemon poppy seed muffins
- In a large bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, and butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Fold in the poppy seeds.
- Divide the batter evenly amongst 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray or lined with paper liners.
- Bake 18-20 minutes at 400ºF until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
Icing ingredients
- Powdered sugar
- Milk
How to make icing for muffins
- Combine powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk in a bowl, stirring to combine.
- Continue to add milk a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Drizzle over cooled muffins.
Top tips
How to fill muffin tins
This batter is thick, making it pretty easy to fill the tins no matter how you do it. It's a good idea to use a cookie scoop to transfer this thick batter from the bowl to the tins.
Another option would be two spoons, or filling a measuring cup with batter and using a spoon to scrape it out into the tin.
How to drizzle icing on muffins
I like to use a small spoon to drizzle icing on muffins. It's important not to load the spoon up with too much icing at once or it will turn into big globs.
Alternatively, you could transfer the icing to a piping bag, snip a tiny bit off the end, and pipe the drizzle on the muffins.
How to store
Muffins can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, but are best enjoyed the same day they're made.
Tips for customizing lemon poppy seed muffins
- Use lemon juice instead of milk for the icing
- Swap full fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream
- Add ½ cup of blueberries before baking
- Serve spread with strawberry chia jam
- Skip the icing and top with coarse sugar before baking
FAQ
You can increase the lemon flavor in your muffins by using lemon juice instead of milk in the icing. You could also double the lemon zest (by using two lemons) or add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract with the vanilla.
Eating poppy seeds is safe in the amounts commonly found in food. It is not recommended to eat large quantities at once.
Yes, poppy seed muffins freeze beautifully. I recommend leaving off the icing and freezing muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
To defrost, leave at room temperature for a few hours, microwave, or place in the oven for a few minutes until warmed.
More muffin recipes
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Apple Spice Muffins
- Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Pistachio Rose Muffins
- Healthier Double Chocolate Mini Muffins
- Banana Coconut Muffins
- Zucchini Muffins
- Carrot Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, rub together the sugar and lemon zest with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In another bowl whisk together the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and, with a rubber spatula, gently stir just until combined.
- Stir in the poppy seeds.
- Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and let them cool completely on the rack before icing them.
Icing
- To make the icing, place the powdered in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of milk. Stir with a spoon until the milk is absorbed, then add additional milk ½ teaspoon at a time until the icing is thin enough to drizzle off the spoon.
- Drizzle lines of icing over cool muffins.
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