These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are incredibly delicious, easy to make, packed with lemon flavor, and topped with a simple lemon glaze. Perfect for breakfast or dessert!

A marble cake stand with lemon poppy seed muffins being topped with an easy lemon glaze.

The other day I realized that it’s been far too long since I’ve shared a lemon recipe with you. With spring just around the corner, I felt like it was time to whip up something lemony so I got to work creating the perfect lemon poppy seed muffin recipe.

These lemon poppyseed muffins are packed with lemon flavor and topped with a simple lemon glaze. They’re also incredibly simple to throw together for an easy breakfast or dessert. In fact, you don’t even need a mixer to make these muffins.

If you don’t have any poppy seeds on hand, you can simply leave them out for regular lemon muffins. This is also a wonderful recipe that you can prepare the night before and enjoy for breakfast the next morning!

A glass bowl holding lemon poppy seed muffin batter being mixed with a rubber spatula.

How To Make These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

To make these lemon poppy seed muffins, you’ll start by whisking together your dry ingredients:

  • All-Purpose Flour: As with all of my recipes, you’ll want to make sure to spoon and level your flour. Even though these are muffins, you still don’t want too much flour in your batter.
  • Poppy Seeds: These add a wonderful look and crunch to the muffins. Feel free to leave them out if you don’t have any on hand.
  • Baking Powder & Salt: The baking powder helps the muffins rise and the salt enhances the flavors.

Then, you’ll whisk together your wet ingredients:

  • Sugar: I usually love to add brown sugar to recipes, but for these muffins, we’ll just be using granulated sugar to sweeten them.
  • Sour Cream: The sour cream adds so much moisture to these muffins and helps keep them moist too. Don’t have any sour cream? You can replace it with the same amount of plain Greek yogurt.
  • Oil: Canola, vegetable, or coconut oil all work well in this recipe. If using coconut oil, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature so the coconut oil doesn’t solidify.
  • Lemon Juice & Zest: These muffins are made with lemon juice and zest for maximum lemon flavor. I recommend using fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
  • Eggs & Vanilla: The eggs add structure by binding everything together and the vanilla adds additional flavor to the muffins.

Once the wet and dry ingredients are each mixed up, you’ll mix them together until just combined. You may see a few lumps in your batter, this is okay!

A muffin pan holding batter in muffin liners.

Then, you’ll line a muffin pan with liners and evenly distribute the batter between all 12. I typically fill each one almost all the way to the top. Once the muffin batter is added to the pan, just pop them in the oven and bake them for about 20 minutes.

When the muffins are done, remove them from the oven and carefully remove them from the pan. You’ll want to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the glaze.

A close up of lemon poppy seed muffins with lemon glaze on top.

For the glaze, you’ll be using some powdered sugar and lemon juice. I suggest starting with about 1.5 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and then adding more as needed. 

If the glaze is too thin, you can add more powdered sugar, and if it’s too thick just add more lemon juice. Once the glaze is ready, drizzle it over all of the muffins and allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes to harden.

FAQ’s

Can you freeze these muffins?

Yes, these muffins freeze really well! You can freeze the muffins in a freezer bag/container for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving. 

How many lemons will I need for this recipe?

One medium lemon will usually yield about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. You’ll need 3-4 medium lemons to have enough juice and zest for the muffins and the glaze.

Can I omit the glaze or use a different one?

Absolutely! You can leave the glaze off or use the vanilla glaze in this recipe.

Two muffins stacked with lemon glaze on top and running down the sides.

Baking Tips

  • When measuring your flour, make sure to spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
  • Don’t have any poppy seeds? You can simply omit them from the recipe.
  • If you don’t have any sour cream on hand, plain Greek yogurt will work just fine too!
  • Make sure to only mix the dry and wet ingredients together until just combined. You may still see a few lumps in your batter, this is okay! 

More Lemon Recipes To Try

A marble cake stand with lemon poppy seed muffins being topped with a lemon glaze.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

5 from 1 rating
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are incredibly delicious, easy to make, packed with lemon flavor, and topped with a simple lemon glaze. Perfect for breakfast or dessert!
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Ingredients

Servings: 12 muffins

For the lemon poppy seed muffins:

  • 1 and ¾ cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
  • 1 and ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (240 grams) sour cream
  • ½ cup (120 ml) oil
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • Zest of 2 medium lemons
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the lemon glaze:

  • 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1.5 - 2 tablespoons (22-30 ml) fresh lemon juice

Instructions
 

To make the lemon poppy seed muffins:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
  • In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, sour cream, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Evenly distribute the batter between all 12 liners in the prepared muffin pan.
  • Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and carefully remove the muffins from the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the lemon glaze:

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until well combined and no lumps remain. If the glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice to thin it out and if the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar to thicken it.
  • Drizzle the glaze on top of all 12 muffins and set aside for 10-15 minutes to allow the glaze to harden.

Notes

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing Instructions: Muffins will freeze well in a freezer bag/container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Sour Cream: You may replace the sour cream in this recipe with plain Greek yogurt.
Oil: Canola, vegetable, or coconut oil all work well in this recipe! If you use coconut oil, I recommend using room temperature ingredients so that the coconut oil doesn't solidify when you mix everything together.
Lemons: One medium lemon will yield about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. You'll need about 3-4 medium lemons for the batter and the glaze.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.