Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Perfect poppy seed muffins with lemon zest and a sugar lemon glaze.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 28, 2022
Elise Bauer
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Elise Bauer

I love lemon poppy seed muffins!

This recipe is based on the same muffin recipe on which I based our lemon ginger muffins. The balance of flour, leavening, eggs and yogurt results in a light and fluffy muffin.

The important things to remember with making these lemon poppyseed muffins is to make sure your baking powder is no older than 6 months (it may not work if older), and to not over-mix the batter.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (make sure your baking powder is no older than 6 months)

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Glaze

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

Method

  1. Prepare oven:

    Adjust the oven rack to the middle-lower part of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Mix the dry ingredients:

    Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and salt and set aside.

  3. Make the batter:

    In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, beating until fluffy (about 2 minutes with an electric mixer).

    Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each one. Beat in the lemon zest.

    Alternate adding flour mixture and yogurt: Beat in one third of the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Beat in one third of the yogurt. Beat in a third more of the dry ingredients. Beat in a second third of the yogurt. Beat in the remaining dry ingredients and then the remaining yogurt. Again be careful to beat until just incorporated. Do not over beat.

  4. Distribute batter into muffin pan:

    Use a standard 12-muffin muffin pan. Coat each muffin cup lightly with olive oil or a little melted butter using a pastry brush. Distribute the muffin dough equally among the cups.

  5. Bake:

    Bake at 375°F until muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Use a tester to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set muffin pan on wire rack to cool. After 5 minutes, remove muffins from pan.

  6. Make lemon glaze:

    While the muffins are cooling, in a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice for the glaze. Add more lemon juice if necessary.

    While the muffins are still a bit warm, use a pastry brush to brush the glaze over each muffin. The muffins will absorb some of the glaze, so you add more glaze to each muffin if you like.

    Best eaten fresh and warm.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
337 Calories
12g Fat
53g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 337
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Cholesterol 58mg 19%
Sodium 297mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 53g 19%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 2mg 9%
Calcium 153mg 12%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.