These lemon poppy seed muffins are light and tender, with a bold and bright lemon flavor from fresh lemon zest, lemon oil and lemon juice! Poppy seeds dot the muffins and add an extra pop of texture to each bite. A simple lemon glaze blankets the top, adding tart sweetness. These easy, citrus-packed muffins are perfect for breakfast, brunch or a quick snack.

Lemon poppy seed muffins on a ceramic plate with a large bite taken out of a muffin in the foreground, showing the crumb and poppy seeds inside.

These muffins are light and fluffy, with just the right balance of sweetness and citrus zip. I developed this recipe from the same base I use for my cinnamon streusel muffins, making a few changes to create a bright, lemony version.

I use butter in these muffins for its rich flavor and add a small amount of vegetable oil to help keep them soft and tender. I find that the oil makes a noticeable difference after the first day, when muffins can start to lose some of that fresh-baked softness.

The best part? These muffins are incredibly easy to make. You don't need any fancy equipment or complicated techniques - just a few simple ingredients and a muffin tin. Whether you're an experienced baker or this is your first ever batch of muffins, you'll be making (and eating) these in no time.

These muffins are delicious served for breakfast or brunch, or as an afternoon snack with tea or coffee.

For more muffins, definitely check out these pumpkin banana muffins with chocolate chips, too. They're extra moist, and I love the little pockets of melted chocolate from the mini chocolate chips.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Muffin Tips
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Ingredients

* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

Unsalted butter - Butter should be at room temperature. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for butter to soften out of the refrigerator. Cut the butter into small cubes to speed up the process.

Vegetable oil - I add a small amount of vegetable oil to help keep these muffins soft and tender, especially after the first day. The muffins are primarily made with butter for its rich flavor, while the oil helps with moisture and keeping quality.

Lemon zest - For this recipe, you'll use one large lemon. Freshly grated lemon zest adds bright lemon flavor and a pop of color to the batter. Save the lemon after zesting; you'll need the juice for the glaze.

I use a Microplane grater to finely grate the zest directly into butter and sugar mixture. This helps capture the fragrant citrus oils released during zesting.

Lemon oil - I use lemon oil in this recipe to add an extra boost of flavor to the muffins. Lemon oil is concentrated and helps achieve a powerful citrus tang. It provides a more concentrated lemon flavor than many lemon extracts.

Baking powder - Baking powder provides the leavening to give these muffins a fluffy, delicate texture and nice domed appearance.

Poppy seeds - Poppy seeds add a subtle nutty flavor and a pleasant little crunch to each bite. They also add some texture to the tender muffin crumb.

Milk - I use whole milk in most of my baking because the higher fat content adds richness and flavor. You can use any type of milk in this recipe, including non-dairy milk.

Powdered sugar - For a smooth glaze, sift the powdered sugar well to avoid lumps.

Instructions

These photos provide visual cues. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card.

Dry ingredients for muffins in a white ceramic bowl.

Whisk flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

Lemon zest, butter and sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar and lemon zest.

Creamed butter, sugar and lemon zest in a clear mixing bowl.

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

Eggs and extracts added to creamed butter and sugar in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Add the egg, vegetable oil, vanilla, and lemon oil.

Wet ingredients mixed with butter and sugar in a clear glass bowl.

Mix until fully incorporated.

Dry ingredients added to wet batter in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Add half of the dry ingredient mixture.

Batter with the first addition of flour incorporated in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Mix until just incorporated.

Milk added to muffin batter in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Add all the milk.

Dry ingredients on top of wet batter in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Add the remainder of the flour.

Batter for lemon poppy seed muffins in a clear glass mixing bowl.

Mix until just a few streaks of flour remain. With a spatula, use a few gentle strokes to incorporate the last of the flour.

Hint: Mix your muffin batter as little as possible in order to achieve a light, tender crumb. Overmixing the batter crushes air bubbles and overworks the gluten. This can lead to tough, chewy muffins.

Muffin batter scooped into paper liners in a metal muffin tin.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin liners.

Baked lemon poppy seed muffins in white tulip shaped paper liners.

Bake muffins at 425°F for 8 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°F and bake for 12 more minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to rack to cool fully.

White glaze in a glass measuring cup with a whisk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

Baked muffins with white glaze on top in white parchment paper liners.

Divide the glaze between the cooled muffins, spreading it onto the muffin tops with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle tops with poppy seeds while glaze is still wet, if desired. Let glaze set before serving.

Glazed lemon poppy seed muffins on a speckled ceramic plate.

Substitutions

Milk - Feel free to use any type of milk in this recipe, including non-dairy milk. The muffins may be a bit less rich when made with lower-fat or non-dairy milk.

Alternatively, if you're out of milk you can also use an equal amount of half and half, or combine half evaporated milk and half water.

Lemon oil - If you don't have lemon oil, you can substitute lemon extract, although the lemon flavor won't be quite as concentrated. I recommend keeping the fresh lemon zest in the recipe, since it adds both flavor and color.

Variations

Feel free to mix things up! Here are a few variations to try out:

Orange poppy seed muffins: Replace the lemon zest and juice with orange or tangerine zest and juice for a sweeter citrus variation. Use orange oil in place of lemon oil.
Lime poppy seed muffins: Use lime zest from 2 limes, and juice in place of the lemon for a bright, tangy lime variation. Omit the lemon oil.
Glaze: Change up the glaze by using orange juice or another citrus juice in place of the lemon juice.

Lemon poppy seed muffins topped with glaze on a plate with some muffins tipped to the side to show the crumb and golden color.

Equipment

Muffin pan - I love USA Bakeware pans for their excellent quality. Here I've used their standard 12 well muffin pan.

Cookie scoop - I use a medium cookie scoop to easily portion muffin batter into tins. The quick release handle helps release the batter tidily and it's easier to measure out similar amounts for each muffin.

Microplane grater - I use a stainless steel Dreiss microplane grater. The fine teeth make quick work of zesting and produce very fine pieces of zest that blend easily into the muffin batter.

Storage

Store: To keep muffins fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. As with most muffins, they're always best on the day they're baked, although the added vegetable oil helps keep these muffins soft and tender after the first day.

Freeze: You can freeze these muffins for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap and place in a labeled, dated freezer-safe bag or container. Defrost muffins (unwrapped) at room temperature or on a low temperature defrost setting in the microwave.

Reheat: If you'd like to reheat a room temperature muffin, you can microwave one for about 10 seconds. Be careful, they get hot quickly! Alternatively, use a toaster oven and watch to make sure the top doesn't burn.

For an extra rich treat, cut a muffin in half horizontally, butter the cut sides, and toast it in a pan over medium heat until golden brown and crispy.

Muffin Tips

Have your ingredients at room temperature - When the butter, milk and egg are at room temperature, it's easier to incorporate your ingredients together. This helps ensure an even textured batter that is smooth.

Zest the lemon directly into the batter - Use a fine Microplane grater to zest the lemon directly into the butter and sugar mixture. This helps capture the fragrant lemon oil released during zesting instead of leaving it behind on a cutting board or in another bowl.

Don't overmix the batter - Overworking the batter can cause the gluten to overdevelop, which can lead to a tough, dense texture rather than a light and tender crumb. Instead, mix the batter just until it comes together.

Start baking the muffins at a higher temperature - Start the muffins at a higher temperature of 425°F for 8 minutes, then drop the temperature to 350°F for the remainder of the baking time.

Adjusting the temperature down partway through baking might seem like too much work, but the higher starting temperature helps the muffins achieve a faster rise and a puffier, more domed top. It's worth it!

Lemon poppy seed muffins on a ceramic plate surrounded by lemons, a bowl of poppy seeds, a juicer and a pale blue linen napkin.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins