Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These lemon poppy seed muffins are perfectly bright and zingy! Cover them in a lemon glaze for even of a citrus pop.

When it comes to baked goods, there’s nothing like a great banana muffin or blueberry muffin. But if you’re a citrus-lover, there’s another in the muffin hall of fame: Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! This muffins recipe is bright and zingy, with just the right light texture and citrusy zing. Seal the deal by drizzling on a quick, flavor-popping lemon glaze. These are the perfect fun recipe for a special breakfast or brunch: or leave them un-glazed for quick breakfasts throughout the week.

Ingredients in lemon poppy seed muffins

The most important ingredient in a lemon poppy seed muffins recipe? Fresh lemons! There’s no substitute for the bright, tangy juice and citrus pop of lemon zest. Outside of poppy seeds, the rest of the players are all common pantry and refrigerate ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

All purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Baking powder
Salt
Eggs
Vegetable oil
Greek yogurt
Milk
Lemon juice and lemon zest

Lemon juice and zest

How many lemons do you need to buy for lemon poppy seed muffins? Here’s a key for how much lemon juice and zest comes from one lemon:

How much juice in one lemon? One medium lemon yields about 3 tablespoons juice; one large lemon yields 4 tablespoons juice or more.
How much zest in one lemon? One medium lemon has about 1 tablespoon lemon zest.
For this recipe, you’ll need 4 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons lemon zest. So, make sure to buy 2 medium lemons.

Tips for this lemon poppy seed muffins recipe

Outside of the ingredients list, this lemon poppy seed muffins recipe is pretty standard. Mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients, and bake! Here are a few notes to keep in mind during the process:

Zest your lemon first before juicing it! It’s difficult to grate once it’s juiced, so don’t forget the zest.
Microplane makes for easy zesting. A microplane grater is a handheld grater with sharp holes in it and it’s quicker and easy to clean than a box grater.
Resist the urge to overmix the batter. Overmixing muffin batter causes holes in the crumb and a denser texture. Mix just until the streaks of flour disappear.
The muffin cups will be very full. We think a good muffin should be tall with a generous muffin top, so batter amount may be more than you’re used to.
Baking at 400 degrees makes a taller muffin. Baking muffins at 400 degrees Fahrenheit makes a taller and fluffier muffin than at 350 (plus, it’s quicker!).

Lemon glaze is optional, but recommended

These lemon poppy seed muffins are deliciously zingy, with a hefty amount of lemon flavor. But want to step it up a bit? Add the the lemon glaze, which infuses a huge citrus burst. It’s not required, but we think it brings the flavor to just the right pop. Here’s what to know about the glaze:

Wait until the muffins are cool prior to icing. Otherwise, the icing will melt into the muffins.
Use a fork! A fork makes the best drizzly lines: with a spoon it’s a bit too chunky.
Use less if desired. You can make a half recipe of the icing if you’re worried about too much sugar in your muffins.

Storage info

What’s the best way to serve lemon poppy seed muffins? The icing will hold up at room temperature for a few days, though if you’re planning to freeze some muffins it’s best to freeze them un-iced. Here’s what to know:

At room temperature: Store up to 3 days in a sealed container at room temperature: they become even more moist over time.
Refrigerated: Store refrigerated up to 1 week or more: allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Frozen: Freeze the muffins in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

More muffins recipes

Love baking? Here are a few more of our top classic muffins recipes:

Try Classic Blueberry Muffins or Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Go for Easy Banana Muffins, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins or Banana Nut Muffins
Grab Chocolate Chip Muffins
Opt for Healthy Banana Muffins

Classic Blueberry Muffins

Easy Banana Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Healthy Banana Muffins

This lemon poppy seed muffins recipe is…

Vegetarian.