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Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

These lemon poppyseed muffins are quick and easy and make the perfect breakfast or snack. They also freeze well for easy to grab snacks on the go!

I have been on the hunt for a good lemon poppyseed muffin recipe forever.

I’ve probably tried at least 12 different recipes for them over the last year or two and haven’t been super happy with any of them. 

Easy lemon muffins

We still ate all of them. Obviously. We go through muffins at a ridiculous rate around here. Even the ones that I deem inedible, the kids devour and tell me they’re fantastic.

They’re wrong, all the muffins are not fantastic. But hey, they’re kids, what do they know?

These lemon poppyseed muffins are fantastic though. I’m finally happy with the recipe.

Lemon muffins

Annoyingly enough, after trying so many different recipes, I finally decided to just start with my recipe for glazed lemon cranberry muffins, and that was the winner. 

I don’t know why I didn’t try that before. I’ve been making those muffins for years, and have always loved them.

At any rate, at least I know now that I’ve tried lots of alternatives. Time to stop changing things and just make this recipe incessantly. 

Easy and delicious and perfect for breakfast. We love these lemon poppyseed muffins!

Easy lemon poppyseed muffins

Do you let muffins cool in the pan?

You should let muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes after coming out of the oven. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

If you try to take them out immediately after baking they tend to stick to the pan more. They also stick a bit more when left to cool completely in the pan.

Lemon poppyseed muffins

Can I freeze muffins?

You can definitely freeze muffins. I do it all the time.

The best way to freeze muffins is to let them cool completely. Then freeze them in an airtight container or large ziplock bag.

They can thaw at room temperature in a lunch kit and be great for lunch, microwave them for a minute or so, or reheat them in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes.

If you have time to reheat them in the oven that gives them the best “fresh from the oven” taste.

Lemon muffins

What’s the best way to store muffins?

I like to store my muffins at room temperature in a large container, but with the lid unsealed.

Letting some air at the muffins keeps them from getting soggy, as muffins tend to do when they are in a completely airtight container.

If you think you will have the muffins for more then 2-3 days, you will want to keep them in an airtight container so they don’t dry out.

I would also recommend placing some paper towel on the bottom of the container and some more on top of the muffins to help absorb some of the moisture.

You can reheat them in the oven (350F for 5-10 minutes) to crisp up the top a bit before serving them.

Lemon muffins

How to make Lemon Poppyseed Muffins:

  • I liked these lemon poppyseed muffins best with just a sprinkling of coarse sugar on top before baking. You could also put a lemon glaze on top if you want an extra kick of lemon flavour. The lemon glaze on these glazed lemon cranberry muffins would work well. Or you can make a lemon syrup by bringing 1/4 cup of lemon juice with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it thickens slightly. Brush the syrup on top of the cooled muffins. 
  • I love making muffins in this stoneware muffin pan, they tend to rise a little bit better in it then they do in a regular muffin tin. But if you have one, keep in mind that muffins typically take a little longer to bake in this kind of pan, so plan on an extra 5 minutes or so on your bake time.
  • Using a trigger style ice cream scoop to portion your muffin batter into the muffin pan will help give you evenly sized muffins with nice rounded tops.
  • I like to use a food processor for mixing the wet ingredients for these muffins as it combines the sugar and lemon zest well and helps give the muffins a better lemon flavour. You can just stir everything together in a bowl instead if you like, but the lemon flavour won’t be quite as obvious.

Here are some more great muffin recipes for you:

Easy lemon muffins
Yield: 12 muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Lemon poppyseed muffins

These lemon poppy seed muffins are quick and easy and make the perfect breakfast or snack. They also freeze well for easy to grab snacks on the go!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Lemon Zest, (zest from two lemons)
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 4 tablespoons Lemon Juice, (juice from two lemons)
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/4 cup Canola Oil
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 tablespoons Poppy Seeds
  • Coarse Sugar, or Turbinado Sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray, or line it with paper liners and set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar and lemon zest until the lemon zest is finely chopped and the sugar is fragrant and light yellow in colour.
  4. Add the lemon juice, eggs, melted butter, and oil and process until well combined.
  5. Add the milk and vanilla and process again.
  6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppyseeds.
  7. Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in the liquid mixture, and stir until just combined.
  8. Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin, dividing it between the 12 muffin cups.
  9. Sprinkle the tops with coarse or turbinado sugar if desired.
  10. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 14-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  11. Allow the muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes in the muffin tin, and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 237Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 247mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g

Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.

I’ve also shared this Lemon Poppyseed Muffins recipe over on Food Fanatic.

Julie

Thursday 12th of May 2022

Hello

These look amazing. Is there any way the ingredients can be converted to metric? I don't have any luck cooking with cups and we do rely on our scales here in the UK.

There may be an option for this already but I couldn't see one. Many thanks.

Stacey

Tuesday 24th of May 2022

Hi - sorry I don't have a converter on my recipe card. I would just google the weight conversion for anything that isn't easy to convert and it should work just fine.

Robin

Sunday 6th of February 2022

These are so good! I made them dairy and gluten free and they came out really fluffy with a lovely flavour. I'm making a lemon glaze for them now because I'm extra, but even just plain they're delightful :)

Sandra

Sunday 13th of December 2020

Do you think I can use a blend of stevia and sugar?

Stacey

Monday 14th of December 2020

It's worth a try, but I haven't made them that way myself so I can't say for sure how they would turn out.

Jen

Tuesday 30th of June 2020

I made these dairy free by using oat milk and earth balance in place of the milk/butter. I also added a tsp of lemon flavoring. Absolutely delicious and they are very freezer friendly. Thank you!

Danielle Chandler

Wednesday 22nd of January 2020

Made them today! I ended up keeping them in for 15 minutes because they were really light, but they ended up dry. :( I'll keep playing around with it though! Thanks for your help!

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