Perfect Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Easy and delicious, these really are the best lemon poppy seed muffins ever! Fluffy and soft, they are ever so lightly sweet with a pop of fresh lemon flavor in the yummy glaze.
As you started off this innocent Wednesday morning, you may not have even known the one thing missing from your life might very well be a perfect lemon poppy seed muffin.
But I’m here today to gently inform you of that fact.
I couldn’t live with myself if I let you go one more day without the best lemon poppy seed muffin recipe ever.
I fully recognize this may cause you to be a bit less productive as you drop whatever you are doing today and head immediately to the kitchen to make these muffins.
As I apologize for any inconvenience that may arise from this, I am also promising that your life will be infinitely more joyful when you have a batch of these muffins (in less than an hour!) staring you in the face.
Lemon muffins in general are often overlooked, in my opinion. They just don’t get the same attention and press as, say, a decadent chocolate muffin.
And while I can understand that, to a point (I mean, hello, chocolate!), lemon muffins are one of the most delicious, unassuming varieties of muffins around.
Perfect for almost any occasion and delicious year round, I think lemon muffins need a chance to shine again.
I’ve posted a few lemony muffins over the years – these lemon crumb muffins are a serious standout (sooooo yummy), and these wildly popular lemon blueberry muffins are timeless and fantastic.
But a quick inventory of my muffin archives and the shocking lack of a classic lemon poppy seed muffin had me feeling a bit lost.
Lemon poppy seed cookies? Yep, got that covered.
But I wanted a really easy, really tasty lemon poppy seed muffin.
One you could whip up for an after school snack or make-ahead for breakfast. A muffin worthy of serving to a baby shower or bridal shower brunch crowd, but one simple enough to make just because.
Light and fluffy, but not overly sweet (we’re after a muffin here, not a cupcake).
And this really does pan out to be the best lemon poppy seed muffin recipe I’ve ever made.
There really isn’t anything fancy, secretive, or difficult about these muffins.
A quick batter infused with fresh lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice (plus some yogurt or buttermilk to help tenderness!) is dotted with poppy seeds and baked until fluffy and lightly golden.
The essential and somewhat special part of the recipe is the easy syrupy glaze (just fresh lemon juice and sugar!) that simmers until slightly thickened. Brush that tart, sweet glaze on top of the muffins right as they come out of the oven!
The extra pop of fresh lemon flavor from the glaze is fantastic and so yummy! If you have coarse sugar laying around, sprinkle some of that on top, too, for a fun bakery-style vibe.
This lemon poppy seed muffin is definitely fit for the “best of” archives!
One Year Ago: Creamy White Chicken Chili {Stovetop or Slow Cooker}
Two Years Ago: One Pot Creamy Asparagus Bacon Pasta
Three Years Ago: Scripture Bars {i.e. Mud Hen Bars or Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars}
Four Years Ago: Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
Five Years Ago: Fudgy Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Perfect Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups plain yogurt, Greek or regular or buttermilk (or a combination; see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1-2 lemons
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest, from about 3 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, melted and cooled until no longer hot
Glaze:
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- Coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional, but fun and delicious)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (if using a dark-coated pan, preheat to 350 degrees F). Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin tins or line with muffin liners. If you only have one pan, you can easily bake in separate batches. See note about using a USA brand muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In another bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt/buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together once or twice to start combining (stop stirring before it’s fully combined; it’s ok if there are dry streaks remaining). Add the melted butter and gently fold/stir until just combined. Don’t overmix or the muffins might be dry and tough!
- Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full (I use this handy dandy #20 cookie scoop to fill the muffin tins).
- Bake for 17-20 minutes until the top springs back lightly to the touch.
- For the glaze, while the muffins bake, simmer the sugar and lemon juice together in a small pan on the stove, for about 5 minutes until the mixture is thickened into a light syrup. Remove from the heat.
- Pretty quickly after the muffins come out of the oven (within 2-3 minutes), keeping the muffins in the tin, brush the top of the muffins equally with the lemon syrup. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.
- Let the muffins cool another minute or two in the muffin tin before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from America’s Test Kitchen
106 Comments on “Perfect Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins”
Delicious! Tangy but still lightly sweet, fluffy and moist. I halved the recipe, and it turned out great!
This is great! But is there supposed to be vinila or almond extract?
You can add those if you’d like.
Hello. For anyone that is interested,,I tried this with GF flour and did half and half yogurt and butter milk and it turned out great. Very fluffy even for GF! I didn’t make the glaze but used a bit of caramel sauce. Awesome.
I just made these and they turned out really well! I do agree that the muffin itself doesn’t have a ton of lemon flavor, so next time I’ll add some lemon extract to help boost the flavor (just my luck that I found out I was out while baking today!). As it is, the glaze really provides the base lemony flavor and the muffin is slightly sweet and tender, which I find to be a rather addictive combo. I used a darker muffin pan, so next time I think I’m going to lower the temperature a bit further (maybe to 330 or 335F?), just because the bottoms of mine got a little darker than I’d prefer.
I did have to add a few tbsp of milk to get the dough to come together, though if you also run into this problem, I definitely suggest first trying this: mix a few times, then wait a couple minutes before mixing again. It gives the flour time to rehydrate without overworking it.
Made these last week. Fabulous recipe as always. Mel’s recipes are always my go to. The next day put in microwave to barely warm. Makes them them soft.
I don’t like a sweet muffin which is why I chose this Recipe but these aren’t sweet enough. Not enough lemon flavor either. The batter was like bread and the texture is a bit rubbery. I’m not sure how everyone below is adding this and that and gives this a 5 star rating. Not a 5 Star muffin to be certain. Very disappointing as I had to search all over for poppyseeds and overpaid and 2-I was so looking forward to these. 🙁
I made these muffins last night and they were delicious. They came out very light and fluffy. The dough was quite a bit dry so I ended up using about 5-6 tablespoons of lemon juice to keep it all together. The glaze really gave the muffins an extra zing! I sent my fiance to work with these to feed his crew of tree workers and they raved about them!
8 T or 4 ounces? Which is the correct amount for the butter? Thanks!
4 ounces is referring to the weight not the volume measure…8 tablespoons of butter weighs 4 ounces.
I made the recipe with 1/2 buttermilk and 1/2 vanilla yogurt. I also added 1 tbsp vinegar and 1 tbsp orange juice as the dough seemed really thick. Agree with the comments that more lemon juice is needed for flavor. For the consistency, mine were light and fluffy but a little dry. Added a lemon simple syrup to them and they were delicious.
Hi there! Did you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe?
I use salted butter.
These are delicious! Extra lemon zest is perfect. So lemony. Just zap them for 10 seconds from cold and the lemon pops. Defiantly recommend!!
Not light and fluffy…but in my opinion, muffins are supposed to be dense. Love the texture of these muffins. I would probably add more lemon juice next time as I love a good lemon punch! Super great recipe as usual from you.
I made these and my husband just tested them; I used about 3 tablespoons of lemon zest, which is double what the recipe called for and I also used Raw sugar on the top after I applied the glaze. Thanks so much for sharing your gifts with us
My daughter requested lemon poppy seed muffins and I knew that I would find a winning recipe from you! These turned out amazing! I used all store bought buttermilk and followed the recipe exactly. Your website is my absolute favorite for recipes. Thank you!
Definitely not light and fluffy. Having read the comments before making this recipe, I was careful to not over-mix the dough and in measuring the dry ingredients. Our muffins were dense and doughy; lemon flavor was minimal – better on day 2. I used sour cream and whipping cream (3 to 1 ratio) in place of the yogurt.
SO good! Love this recipe! I love citrus, and this recipe has lots of lemon flavor! The muffins are so moist and delicious! I make this recipe for my kids lunches! Thank you for posting!
Why is everyone saying these are dense?! You must have done something wrong! They are so fluffy and delicious. Perhaps the problem is over-mixing? Not folding? Zesting too much, past the white of the lemon can lose some of the flavor. I had great success..and I am NOT a baker. They yield 24 muffins. Cooked just as described for 17-20 minutes. Don’t skip the glaze!
just made these but they turned out more like a biscuit instead of a light muffin….any suggestions on how to fix that? they still tasted delicious but i wanted more of the light, fluffy texture like your pictures show. Thanks!
Hi Shar – making sure the dry ingredients aren’t over measured (measure the flour with a light hand) and not over mixing might help!
dough was very thick and had me worried: they turned out good but quite bland.
I followed every instruction perfectly… Used Greek yogurt which was quite dense which made the batter super thick . this recipe was terrible. it was bland with no lemon flavor… It was dense like cake… And it was dry. I don’t know how in the world this had so many good reviews. my kids wouldn’t even eat the muffins!
This was my experience, too. I added a little extra fresh lemon juice than what was called for and the flavor is so so bland. Unfortunately I made a double batch in the hopes of giving some to people, but they’re going in the trash.
I don’t think the oz of flour is correct, my dough turned out way to thick!
Can’t wait to try this recipe this afternoon. What would the cook time be for mini muffins?
Probably right around 7-9 minutes.
I made this into two small loaves, 350° for 50 minutes. I also cut the sugar in half. I didn’t have any buttermilk or yogurt, so I just made my own buttermilk with one and a half cups half-and-half with lemon juice. Delicious!
Although the flavor of the muffins is fine, I did not like the texture. It was too dense. I like the old fashion fluffy muffins I remember as a child.
How long will these be good for on the counter with the yogurt in them?
I keep them at room temp for 1-2 days, well covered.
They are in the oven…but if they are as good as the batter was I’m so excited!! They smell amazing. Can’t wait!
I loved these! I used regular, full fat yogurt. I also baked them in the muffin cups that have foil on the outside so that you don’t need a muffin pan. They came out slightly brown on top giving them a nice crunch, although that was my kids’ least favorite part. The consistency was perfect; I was worried when the batter seemed almost like a dough, but it worked very well! Oh, also, instead of cooked sugar and lemon juice for the glaze, I used powdered sugar with some of the lemon juice without cooking it, and it worked great!
Bummer. Made with buttermilk and so dense. Balanced yet bland. Could they be under mixed? Unclear.
Fantastic recipe. Healthier whole grain version. Modified a little bit by using fresh milled flour (spelt, kamut, soft and red wheat), added fresh ground flax seed, a little almond extract, and extra lemon rind and 1 tbs more butter. Thanks for sharing. It’s a keeper!
So, so, so good! I made these this morning and they are so light and fluffy and the lemon flavor is outrageously good! I didn’t have buttermilk or yogurt so I made my own buttermilk with 2% milk & vinegar. Turned out perfect. The glaze is simple and oh so good! Thank you for another fab recipe!
It came out so good. I like not too sweet. So I put less sugar. I think original recipe is already good amount of sugar. Mine was little missing sweet but adjust sweetness with lemon glaze. I also baked in loaf pan, so I have to bake little longer time. Inside is very moist and outside is very crispy. This is one of my favorite recipe!!
Thank you for sharing!!
My son got an egg from his preschool teacher’s chicken and wanted to make muffins. We picked this recipe and couldn’t be happier that we did!!
I read a few comments about theirs being gummy and I wonder if it has something to do with the pan, I used two different kinds of muffin tins and one came out perfect texture and beautiful browned bottoms the other came out a little less cooked looking and has a slightly funnier texture. But still DELICIOUS!!
Made lemon muffins, very good. Nice texture, I did use 1 cup of reg. Milk, 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yougurt. That’s what I had. Put extra lemon, would def. make again. Thank you! Debby
Tastes like summer! I was out of yogurt, so I did the vinegar/milk trick. It worked fine, they muffins were light and fluffy.
Hi! Do you think it would drastically change things for the worse if I put in less sugar than a cup? I do this to all my recipes….but what if I added only 1/2 a cup?
I haven’t tried that – good luck if you decide to experiment!
Can someone tell me step by step instructions on how to simmer the glaze?
These were absolutely PERFECT, living up their name! They were light and fluffy inside, with just the right amount of lemony flavor. And that tangy glaze on top made them scrumptious. I will most definitely be making them again… Sooner than later, because these delicious muffins are not going to last long in my house. One cannot possibly just eat one in a sitting… 🙂 Thank you, Mel!
Glad you loved them, Gabriella! Thanks for the comment!
I am 39 weeks pregnant and obsessed with all things lemon right now. I saw your recipe and just had to make them! SOOOOO good! Perfect balance of sweetness and lemon, and that glaze gives the perfect pop of tart on top! I did half white and half wheat flour and the crumb and texture are perfect. Not that I didn’t think they would be, your recipes have yet to let me down!
I made these and I didn’t have either yogurt or buttermilk so I soured some milk added about 1/3 cup of strawberry cheesecake yogurt and about 1/4 to 1/3 of a package of instant vanilla pudding mix til the consistency was right. These are absolutely the best lemon poppyseed muffins I’ve had, maybe ever!!
I made lemon poppy seed muffins from America’s test kitchen and they were the best I’ve ever had so when I saw your recipe I was interested to see how the recipes compared….then I saw your recipe source best muffins ever! I did use Greek yogurt thinned down to the consistency of regular yogurt with whole milk and they were perfect.
Just made these. I would have liked a little more lemon flavor in the muffin itself. I even added extra lemon zest, but that didn’t seem to increase the flavor at all. The only lemon flavor I could taste was from the glaze which was delicious. My kids still love them though.
These turned out great. I cut the recipe in half, and got 11 good-sized muffins. I used Dannon whole milk plain yogurt, because that’s what I had on hand. The glaze makes these special! They freeze well, too.
These were delicious! I love the lemon glaze. Only changes I made were I halved it because we didn’t need 24 muffins and I used half Greek yogurt, half whole milk after reading the comments and Mel’s note. Be warned though, mine were done after only 12 minutes!
Do you think I could make Orange Poppyseed Muffins. I have a bunch of oranges that I want to use so they don;t go to waste.
I think it sounds like a great idea!
Soooo good! Thanks Mel! My kids are on spring break so we made these together and they turned out delicious. I used half white flour and half white whole wheat flour. I also used half buttermilk half yogurt. Turned out perfect! The glaze really does put them over the top.
My kids are starting to call you “Aunt Mel” because we cook from your site so often. 😉 Thank you! These look so amazing. I made them last night to use for breakfast today and only used a very thick greek yogurt because that’s what I had on hand. I tried not to over mix, but the batter was so gooey and thick and sadly the muffins turned out very tough and dry. I can tell from other comments that this is not normal, so I will try again with half yogurt and half buttermilk. Hoping for the best!
Thanks for the report, Kate! I’ll add a note to the recipe about Greek yogurt. The Greek yogurt I’ve used for these when I’ve made it with the yogurt variation doesn’t sound quite as thick as yours.
Hello! Just wanted to add that we did give the recipe another go with half buttermilk, half plain yogurt and they turned out much much better. The glaze is really special. I would like a bit more lemon flavor. I added more lemon juice and zest but still want more! 🙂 Would lemon extract be a logical step for me? Or maybe lemonade concentrate? I’ll experiment next time and report back!
Meh…..mushy/gummy texture because of the yogurt/buttermilk…but, ok….we can get used to that. Better than dry. Hardly any lemon flavor but maybe I like lemon baked goods stronger in flavor. The flavors get better/more intense with allowing them to stand a few hours. I would never call this recipe ” the best”..it has an unattractive crumb. Recipe was made as written from an experienced baker/chemist!
To each her own, I guess, because these definitely are “best of” quality for me, although I’e never had the mushy gummy result that you report, so maybe that’s why I love them so much. 🙂 Sorry you didn’t love them!
rather dry; right amount of sugar and lemon, though
I used a very thick Greek yogurt only, I love so many of your recipes, but this was a disappointment. 🙁
Sorry they didn’t work out for you, Emily!
Great recipe, followed as stated and it made 24 large muffins. I used half buttermilk half sour cream and it worked just fine. Next time I will use more lemon zest and possibly more juice, 3 large lemons didn’t produce enough lemon flavor for my personal preference. They also stuck quite a bit to the muffin liners so next time I’ll grease the tins instead. Will be making again! Thank you for so many awesome and fun recipes!
These turned out great even with last minute substitutions of sour cream and whole milk for the yogurt and buttermilk. My kids really liked them and I loved that it made enough for all of us to enjoy a few.
Another hit! I absolutely love large-amount muffin recipes and these ones are the best to have many of. Light, moist and so very tasty. They got my daughter out of bed in record time this morning (a promise made the night before when, at bed time, the muffins were too hot from the oven to try) for which I’m eternally grateful. I’ve come to the conclusion that you can do no wrong in the kitchen, Mel! Thanks so much for sharing these. 🙂
Oh! and I used 100% buttermilk 😀
Thanks, Christin! These really are miracle muffins if they can get kids out of bed! 🙂
Delicious, especially the sugar/lemon glaze on top. I had a hard time trying not to over mix. Mine are on the edge of tough. Will make these again!
Hello, Mel!
These are THE BEST lemon poppy seed muffins I’ve ever tasted! (No competition whatsoever ). The fresh lemon juice and zest gives the perfect flavor to these delectable muffins. A perfect way to start any day! Thanks so much for posting!
Hello, Mel!
Here are literally THE BEST lemon poppy seed muffins I have ever tasted! (No competition whatsoever ) The fresh lemon juice and zest give a great flavor to the muffins. A perfect way to start any day! Thanks so much for posting!
These are really yummy! I had 2 huge lemons and that seemed like enough! I didn’t read the recipe all the way through and mixed the melted butter with the yogurt/egg mix, so it did clump and resulted in a very thick batter. I was nervous because it was hard to stir, so I added a splash of buttermilk!
Also, my oven is on the fritz (my new one with convection!!! is coming next week) and it jacked itself up to 500 degrees at some point until I took them out and saw the oven thermometer I had in there!
But, they were still good and I’ll make them again with a more reliable oven 🙂 I’ll probably add more zest and lemon juice next time, because I just love lemon that much!
Oh, glaze that you put on top with the sugar makes the recipe!
Yea! This recipe is now at the top of this weekend’s baking list! I can’t wait!
Delicious. As always. I don’t really love lemon stuff but it was difficult to stop eating these.
That’s the sign of a good muffin, right? Thanks for checking back in to let me know!
I had to half the recipe because somehow I only had an exact one and a half cups of flour! But they still turned out great and the family loved them! Thanks for the great recipe!
Way to improvise, Colleen! Glad you loved them. 🙂
My husband said these are the best muffins I have ever made! I even used homemade buttermilk and 2/3 whole wheat flour-yum! Thanks!
Yay!
I made these last night! So yummy and so easy to make! The muffin top is the BEST part–always splurge for the raw sugar! I’ve never made muffins from scratch so I was really worried about over-mixing them. Your instructions were easy to follow and they turned out beautiful!
I’m so happy your first foray into making muffins was a hit, Megan! Thanks for letting me know! I agree that the muffin top is the best part. 🙂
I searched your website last Friday for a lemon poppyseed muffin recipe, ha ha, and was shocked you didn’t have one! I tried a different recipe…Guess I’ll have to make another batch now that my most trusted source came through!
Oh man, wish I had gotten this recipe up sooner! 🙂
Any ideas on a dairy free substitute for the yogurt or buttermilk? I typically use coconut milk in place of milk in recipes but worry that it won’t be thick enough in this recipe. And I usually use coconut oil in place of butter with no issues.
I actually think both of those would be a fine substitute – although I’d probably up the fresh lemon juice to 1/4 cup maybe?
Hi. I haven’t tried it in these muffins yet but I usually substitute applesauce for sour cream or yogurt in baked recipes for my milk allergy daughter. I’m hoping that will work here!
Mel, do you ever use the dried buttermilk powder? If so, do you think it is comparable to real buttermilk?
I haven’t used it for a really long time. I used to use it in certain recipes (like potato salad). I know some people swear by it, but it’s been too long for me to give a good opinion. Sorry!
I’ve been on a muffin kick lately and these sound great! I had a question…when you say yogurt what kind do you mean? Plain, Greek, Vanilla flavored? Just curious. Thanks for you continuation of amazing recipes that make me and my family happy and full!
I just updated the recipe for more clarification (sorry about that), but you can use Greek or regular plain yogurt…and probably even a vanilla yogurt if it isn’t overly sweet.
Hi Mel, can I mix the melted butter together with the liquids and mix them together with the dry ingredients in one time? This way we won’t over mix the batter? Will this method change the texture of the muffins? Can’t wait to make them.
Hey Michelle, the only reason I didn’t include it that way in the recipe is because if your yogurt mixture is cold, the butter will form small clumps and that can sometimes cause a different texture in the baked muffins. But if your yogurt mixture is room temp, it would probably work just fine!
Mel- I have been searching for a good lemon poppyseed muffin as I loathe boxed muffin mixes. Thoughts on freezing these? Have you tried with whole wheat white? We need a quick healthy breakfast
I haven’t tried with white whole wheat flour yet, but I’m *fairly* positive at least a 50/50 mix of white and wheat flour would work well. And they freeze great!
My 14 year old son was asking last week about lemon poppy muffins with glaze. I can’t wait to get some lemons to make this. In this past week, I have made two triple batches of your pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. My kids have quite enjoyed them and I’m sure they will love the lemon muffins too. Thanks for all your work!
Thanks, Stacy!
I’m so excited to make these! I was going to make your lemon yogurt loaf but I’ll make these instead! I even ordered poppyseeds with my spices from Penzey’s this weekend…they should come in a day or 2! Can’t wait!
Love Penzeys! 🙂
Hi it’s me again I just noticed that lovely blueberry cake you posted next on the list to make. I have a tip if you put your blueberries in a plastic sandwich bag with 1 teaspoon of flour and shake them up the blueberries do not sink when baking at all. Just thought I would share.
Thank you! 🙂
Oh my goodness Mel I just got the recipe and made them they are so fluffy and flavorful and came right in the nick of time. Friday we are baking for a bake sale at church and what a lovely muffin to bake they will all love them I’m sure. Thank you once again for all of your hard work . I just ate two and honestly could really keep eating them non stop that glaze puts them over the top with the sugar scrumptious.
Good luck with your bake sale!!
Makes me think of the world’s most wonderful lemon poppy seed muffins in beautiful Beaver Dam, Wisconsin!! Worth the trip. But on this snowy day I will stay home and bake a batch myself. Thanks for the recipe.
These look delicious, Mel!
I think I have made all of your muffins–love them all so much. This looks fantastic; can’t wait to try it. We are having a big Nor’easter here in CT so I am making Alton Brown’s granola and the best chocolate walnut biscotti to pass the time. Then have a date with the shovel!
Oh, hang in there with all that snow!!