Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins {Whole Grain}
These lemon poppy seed zucchini muffins are delightfully soft and fluffy (even with whole wheat flour!)…and so easy to make! They make a perfect snack or breakfast!
Ok, so tell me: what’s your zucchini status?
Completely dried out? Never had any to start with? Currently piled on the countertop? Breaking into people’s homes/garages/cars to get rid of your stash?
I’m really, really hoping you either have some of the humble green vegetable OR you know where to get some (scientific data has shown that you probably have an acquaintance within a 1/2 mile wanting to pawn off some of their late summer zucchini).
You are definitely going to want to get your hands on some zucchini ASAP thanks to this lemon poppy seed zucchini muffin recipe.
Perhaps you never thought a lemon poppy seed muffin should meet and merge with a zucchini muffin?
That’s ok. I willingly take on all of those weird food fusion thoughts and experiments for you, promising to only share the ones that work.
So while you will not see a recipe for macaroni and cheese pancakes on this blog…EVER…I’m here to let you know that lemon and poppy seeds and zucchini work like magic together when combined into a soft and fluffy muffin.
I live for zucchini season for so many reasons, and they all involve food (shocker, I know).
I have over 30 zucchini recipes posted here, and honestly, I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite.
Actually, I take that back. Chocolate zucchini cake for the rest of forever win.
But these lemon poppy seed zucchini muffins are a very, very worthy addition to my favorite zucchini recipes.
Based on the wildly popular whole grain “best” zucchini muffin recipe (chocolate chips optional??), this lemon poppy seed version is out of this world good.
While the lemon flavor is subtle, it is definitely helped along by a simple step in the recipe that I want to make sure you do not skip. Promise me, ok?
Rubbing the fragrant lemon zest into the sugar before adding the other ingredients not only will make your hands and kitchen smell amazing, but more importantly, the process releases the oils out of the lemon zest and into the sugar.
Which means a boost in lemon flavor. Which means a boost in yumminess. Which means a total boost in overall mood and happiness.
Incidentally, if you really are swimming in zucchini, one of my go-to “tricks” is to shred all zucchini that are not destined for bread or cake and store the zucchini in the freezer in resealable/ziploc bags (usually quart size).
Very often, all during the year, I grab a bag of frozen zucchini and toss it into spaghetti sauce or taco meat or shepherd’s pie filling or whatever.
I try to thaw the zucchini first (either the night before in the fridge or just quickly in the microwave) so I can drain some of the extra liquid, but that’s probably not necessary in all recipes.
If you have any other favorite ways to use up that zucchini, let me know! You guys have the best ideas.
One Year Ago: My Favorite Fresh Peach Pie {Lattice or Crumb Top!}
Two Years Ago: Piled High Zucchini and Cheese Topped Pizza
Three Years Ago: No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
Four Years Ago: Banana Carrot Bread
Five Years Ago: Coconut Tres Leches Cake Trifle
Shredding the Zucchini: I usually use the fine shredding holes on my box grater or food processor, but sometimes I get all crazy and use the larger holes (box grater or shredding disc). It really doesn't matter. The muffins really do turn out great either way - just keep in mind that the larger the pieces of zucchini, the more "spongy" the muffins might be in spots and the more baking time you may need for them to cook all the way through. Wringing out the Zucchini: you don't need to go crazy wringing the water out of the zucchini here. I simply take handfuls of the shredded zucchini and give a good squeeze over the kitchen sink (with no extra tools like a kitchen towel, etc). No need to squeeze the guts out of the zucchini for this recipe. I've given a weight and general cup measure for the zucchini once it is lightly squeezed. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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I love lemon! And these muffins have the perfect texture ❣️But there is a baking soda taste to them. I followed the measurement exactly. Any ideas for resolving this?
Sorry, Susan, I haven’t experienced that so I’m not sure what the issue may be. What brand of baking soda are you using?
These smelled delicious but I ended up with large streaks/chunks of gooey zucchini. Such a bummer. The good parts were yummy so I want to try again. Do I need to wring it out more? Or mix more?
You can try wringing it out more and also shredding the zucchini more finely.
Can i use lemkn extract or does it hqve to be zest? I’m new to zesting and a lil nervous
I have tons of zucchini and have been making peanutbutter and chocolate chip zucchini bread that everyone is going crazy over!! I also made a butterscotch I love how zucchini can be so versatile
Yes, I think you could use lemon extract!
These are fantastic! We’ve made your best zucchini muffins for years and love them, but I wanted to try this variation since we are swimming in zucchini this year. I finally remembered to buy poppy seeds and lemons to make them and they are so good. Definitely a new favorite.
These are wonderful. I’ve been making them for a year now. The last time I added a cup of fresh currents to the batter at the same time I mixed in the zucchini and they were extra special. I think frozen raspberries would also be great so I’ll give that a try next time. I agree, they are best once cooled, I prefer them right from the fridge on day 2!
Hi!!! Always love your recipes! Do you skin your zucchini first? I always have in my other bread recipes but noticed the dark green in the pictures
Nope! I don’t peel before shredding the zucchini.
Very good!
A-mAzing. Seriously. My husband wasn’t sure about them, but once he tasted them he was hooked. 😀 These are now my go-to breakfast muffins!
I loved how these were dairy free muffins! With a daughter that is dairy and egg free, I could easily swap out the eggs for bananas or applesauce and still follow the recipe. They were tasty and moist. Since we have summer squash still going crazy. I appreciated the new recipe.
Thanks again for all your recipes. I view your blog just about daily!
Website. 🙂 not a blog anymore.
I seriously wish you had an App. Thats seriously how many times I visit your site a day.
Thank you so much, Katie! Maybe an app someday??
Yes! Totally love the app idea! I use the Paprika app for recipes and 95% of them are yours anyway!!
These are probably some of the best muffins I’ve had in my life. I used all purpose flour since I was making it for a choir “treat” but I know it’s going to be equally delicious when I use whole wheat flour. They were tender and fluffy and lemony and divine
As a side note, I like to find a good deal on lemons, buy a ton, take them home and juice them all, and freeze the juice in ice cube trays. I usually throw away the juiced lemon halves, but last time I threw the halves in a ziplock in the freezer to see if I could zest them in the future. It worked perfectly! I thawed the frost off, but they were still hard enough that it wasn’t too soft to zest. I’m so happy to always have “fresh”lemon zest on hand!
So happy you love these muffins and SUCH a great tip about the lemon zest. Thank you!!
This sounds great. I just made an zucchini orange loaf last week, but never thought of rubbing the orange zest in with the sugar. I bet these muffins would be great using orange zest instead of lemon as well. I just have yellow zucchini this year, my green ones didn’t germinate, but they work just fine in any zucchini recipes. Now I have to go find that turkey zucchini burger recipe.
These look delicious, can’t wait to make them today! Quick question: I want to make these into mini muffins, how long should I bake them for?
Probably 7-9 minutes.
Just made these today and they are the bomb Dot com! Another home run Mel. I made these thinking I could freeze them and have kids eat as a snack or quick breakfast. Pretty sure thy won’t last long enough to make it to the freezer.
Love, love to hear this, Brenda! Thank you!
I can’t wait to try these! My zucchini situation…things were going great until 3 weeks ago when we had a major hailstorm and my garden was turned to shreds in about 5 minutes. I cried. Literally. Fast forward, and my zucchini plant has come back from the dead! I picked my first one in three weeks today. Woot! Nature is pretty darned amazing.
What?? I was so sad reading your comment…and then totally amazed. That’s amazing! Way to go, zucchini!
I recently made lemon poppyseed yellow squash bread that turned out OK. Do you think I could substitute yellow squash for the zucchini in this recipe? I have a lot more yellow squash this year than zucchini.
Usually yellow squash subs great for zucchini in baked goods like this! (I don’t peel zucchini when I use it, but personally, I’d peel the yellow squash if the skins are thick and/or bumpy)
These look so good! My zucchini plants were all dead when we came back from vacation a few weeks ago. I would be SO happy if someone left a pile in my car. I didn’t come close to getting my fill.
I wish you were my neighbor and your dreams would come true!
This is so funny you posted this today, because I was craving lemon zucchini muffins yesterday and converted a bread recipe I had and made some! I thought it would be fun to add poppy seeds but didn’t do it. Nor did I massage the zest into the sugar, which would make it even better! I’m so glad to have a go-to recipe now and can’t wait to try it next time. Poppy seeds gives it an extra little flair and demands it be taken seriously! 🙂 Also, the last time I made lemon zucchini muffins I added fresh blueberries, and oh my, those were amazing! Thanks for another great muffin recipe!
Looks like we were on the same wavelength, Jana – I’m just a little bit behind. 🙂 Your comment about the muffins being in serious territory with the poppy seeds made me laugh out loud.
Can i make these will regular all purpose flour?
The recipe lists ap flour as an option.
Yes, Beth! Whole wheat or all-purpose flour will work.
In the Deep South we are done growing zucchini by the first part of July due to the heat, but can start another crop now. I wish I had my own to make these muffins. There is a great recipe for turkey burgers with shredded zucchini. Thanks so much for the shred and freeze tip. I have sliced and frozen but am having a palm face moment for not thinking if shredding it.
I’ll have to search for the turkey burger recipe – sounds delicious!
Skinnytaste has a great zuchinni turkey burger! I made a “Greek” orzo salad to serve wjrh. So good!
Thanks!
That is the one!