Quick and easy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, sour cream, and poppy seeds. Make these moist and flavorful muffins for your morning coffee or evening dessert. These bakery-style muffins are drizzled with a simple two-ingredient lemon glaze. They stay fresh for days, and they freeze and thaw like they are fresh out of the oven.
How to make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
First, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Then in a large bowl, stir together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixing just until combined. Fill the muffin tins just shy of the top with the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing them from the tin to wire racks to cool.
After fully cooling the muffins, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle it over the cupcakes and let them sit for several minutes for the glaze to set.
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Line the cupcake/muffin tin with liners. They help keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. I really like the unbleached chlorine-free ones. They peel away perfectly from muffins and cupcakes.
- Fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest are a must with these muffins.
- Warm the eggs to room temperature.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda have not expired and are still good, as this can make a huge difference in the rising and falling of your baked treats. See How to Test if Baking Soda or Baking Powder is Expired.
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until combined and no further. Overmixing the batter can cause overactive gluten leading to tough and gummy muffins.
- Do not overbake the muffins. Cook just until a toothpick inserted in the top center of one of the muffins comes out fairly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. See below for more about freezing muffins.
How to freeze Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- First, let the muffins fully cool by removing them from the tin 5-10 minutes after you remove them from the oven. Place the muffins on a wire rack to cool. Do not wash the tin yet.
- Once the muffins have fully cooled, place them back in the tin. Place the tin on a flat-level surface in the freezer.
- Once they are fully frozen, place them in a heavy-duty freezer zipper bag removing as much air as possible, or a freezer-safe storage container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Muffin Recipes
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe
Deliciously moist Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins made with sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and an easy lemon glaze for the best lemon flavor. Bake a batch for your family today and freeze half of them for a future treat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: breakfast
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Lemon muffins
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon drizzle
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixing just until combined. Fill the muffin tins just shy of the top with the batter.
- Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing them from the tin to wire racks to cool.
- After the muffins have fully cooled, whisk together the powdered sugar and the lemon juice. Drizzle over the cupcakes and let them sit for several minutes for the glaze to set.
Notes
- Line the cupcake/muffin tin with liners. They really help keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. I really like the unbleached chlorine-free ones. They peel away perfectly from muffins and cupcakes.
- Fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest are a must with these muffins.
- Warm the eggs to room temperature.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda have not expired and are still good, as this can make a huge difference in the rising and falling of your baked treats. Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until combined and no further. Overmixing the batter can cause overactive gluten leading to tough and gummy muffins.
- Do not overbake the muffins. Cook just until a toothpick inserted in the top center of one of the muffins comes out fairly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
- Store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. See below for more about freezing muffins.
Keywords: how to make lemon poppy seed muffins, lemon poppy muffins, poppy seed muffins, recipe for lemon poppy seed muffins
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Sandra
Love these muffins! They’re so good with coffee or tea!
★★★★★
sonal
omg these look so moist and delicious. I am bookmarking this recipe to try soon.
★★★★★
Angela
Love these muffins! The flavors were spot on and they were so soft and moist. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Angela!
Claudia Lamascolo
These lemon muffins were perfect! We just loved these flavors and certainly a keeper, Will make again for sure!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Claudia!
Nathan
These muffins are SO tasty, especially that lemon glaze. And they turned out super moist and tender! I’ll definitely be making this recipe again!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Nathan! So glad that you liked the muffins!
Mirlene
This was a delicious poppyseed muffin recipe. I loved the lemon drizzle and the muffins came out moist.
★★★★★
Juliane
The whole family loved these! I can’t wait to make them again!
★★★★★
Catalina
What a great idea to add poppy seed to these muffins. Must make them for the Sunday brunch!
★★★★★
Erin
Thanks for the great recipe. The muffins were so moist and flavorful!