These fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are light, zesty, and bakery-soft! Made with Greek yogurt for moisture and finished with a bright lemon glaze.
If you love lemon like we do, check out my Lemon Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe, Lemon Cheesecake Bars, or Glazed Lemon Monkey Bread!
If you love a bakery-style muffin with a soft, tender crumb and fresh lemon flavor, you need these Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins in your baking rotation.
They’re bright, moist, and just sweet enough with a tangy lemon glaze that takes them over the top.
Greek yogurt is the secret to that perfect soft crumb and a quick rest before baking gives you that picture-perfect domed top!
If you’ve got 40 minutes, you can make a batch for brunch, meal-prepping breakfasts, or whenever you want a citrusy treat with your coffee.
Lemon Muffin ingredients:
- Lemons: You’ll need both zest and juice, so grab two fresh lemons. The zest gives that tart citrus flavor.
- Greek yogurt: Adds protein and keeps the muffins soft and fluffy. Use plain 0% or swap for whole milk yogurt if that’s what you have.
- Oil: adds moisture and keeps them tasting fresh for days. Use any neutral-flavored oil.
- Milk or buttermilk: Either works. Buttermilk adds a subtle tang and helps with the rise.
- Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda give the muffins their rise and fluffy texture.
- All-purpose flour: You can swap half for whole wheat flour for added fiber if you prefer.
- Poppy seeds: For a bit of texture and nutty flavor. You can omit for regular lemon muffins.
- Powdered sugar + lemon juice: Whisked together for a quick, glossy lemon glaze. You can skip if desired!
How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:
These bright, fluffy muffins come together with just a bowl, a whisk, and a few pantry staples. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for all the details!
- Whisk the wet ingredients with the sugar until smooth.
- Add the zest, leaveners, and salt. Whisk just to combine.
- Gently fold in the flour and poppy seeds until the dry bits disappear.
- Stir in some of the lemon juice, then let the batter sit so it thickens slightly.
- Divide batter into a prepared muffin tin and bake until the tops are set and springy.
- Cool on a rack, then drizzle with the lemon glaze until glossy.
Tips for perfect muffins:
- Get that bakery dome: Resting the batter helps to activate the leavening agents, giving you those perfect tall domes! Don’t skip this step.
- Measure flour correctly: Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, or use a scale to weigh it. Too much flour = dense muffins.
- Avoid tough muffins: Stop mixing as soon as you don’t see flour streaks. It doesn’t have to be smooth!
- Check oven temperature: Everyone’s oven temperatures are different, so reduce the baking time and add more as needed to get the perfect muffins!
How to store lemon muffins:
Keep muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze (unglazed) for up to 3 months.
Fluffy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced (divided)
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar, (200g)
- ½ cup 0% plain Greek yogurt, 250g
- ⅓ cup oil
- ¾ cup milk or buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups all purpose flour,, fluffed (325 grams)
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Lemon Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon reserved lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Zest and juice lemons, reserving both. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, yogurt, oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add all reserved lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until combined.
- Fold in flour and poppy seeds with a whisk or spatula, just until moistened and no flour remains.
- Stir in ¼ cup reserved lemon juice. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
- Lightly grease a non-stick muffin pan and fill muffin cups to the top (you can also make smaller muffins but they will bake more quickly).
- Bake for 18-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Glaze
- Whisk together powdered sugar and just enough lemon juice to make a glaze with a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over muffins just before serving.
Notes
- Lemon: you can make these muffins with orange or lime instead.
- Add ins: you can add in fresh, frozen or dried blueberries, raspberries, nuts or white chocolate chips for a fun twist.
- Whole wheat flour: you can use 100% whole wheat flour for extra fiber, but because they’re pale in color it will change the way they look.
- Make them dairy free: nondairy milk and yogurt will work just fine in here!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Tag @thereciperebelMake-ahead option:
Since the muffin batter needs to rest, you could make the batter ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, just scoop the batter into a lined muffin pan and bake as directed. This helps the muffins rise better and thickens the batter!
Can I make mini muffins?
Yes! Bake them for 10–12 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
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