These lemon poppy seed muffins are gluten-free and the perfect brunch treat! Each bite is tender, moist, and filled with fresh citrus flavor. Drizzle each muffin with a lemon glaze for a delicious, bakery-style finish.
If there’s one lemon poppy seed muffins recipe to make this spring, this is the one. These muffins are light, fluffy, perfectly moist, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor with poppy seed crunch in every bite. Absolutely great for a grab-n-go breakfast or a fun brunch treat paired with Mimosas. Even better? These lemon poppy seed muffins are completely gluten-free. It’s as easy as swapping all-purpose for 1:1 gluten-free flour!
Why I Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins On Repeat
- A brunch favorite. I love brunch, and lemon poppy seed muffins are the perfect small bite to satisfy a sweet tooth alongside a savory frittata or breakfast casserole. They’re always on the table at Easter or Mother’s Day!
- Easy method. Baking muffins, even gluten-free ones, is so simple. With a few easy techniques, these gluten-free poppy seed muffins come out perfect every time. You can even add a creamy lemon glaze on top that takes minutes.
- Moist and flavorful. These lemon muffins are so soft and tender, with tangy lemon flavor and little pops of crunch from the poppy seeds. This is a classic muffin recipe, and I’ll show you how to make bakery-style gluten-free muffins at home!
Key Ingredients
These are the important ingredients in this easy lemon poppy seed muffins recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for the complete list with exact amounts.
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour – To replace all-purpose flour in equal parts. See my recommendations below. If you’re not making these muffins gluten-free, you can use all-purpose instead.
- Maple Syrup – Or honey, to sweeten the batter.
- Greek Yogurt – Yogurt adds moisture and makes the muffins tender. Sour cream is a good substitute.
- Coconut Oil – Melted to its liquid state. You could use another oil, like canola, if you’d prefer.
- Eggs – It’s best to bring the eggs to room temperature if you can.
- Lemon – You’ll need the zest and juice. Zest first, then juice! Fresh lemon is a must when baking lemon poppyseed muffins.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract is best, rather than imitation. Because, well, it’s imitation!
- Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Salt – Check the expiration dates and buy fresh baking powder/soda if needed.
The Best Gluten-Free Substitute for All-Purpose Flour
I like to use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour substitute. In my opinio,n it gives you the most similar texture and flavor. Here are my favorite brands to use.
How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
These are the muffin version of my lemon poppy seed bread. Like a quick bread, these muffins come together in a few easy steps. Here’s how to make them:
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Meanwhile, line your muffin tin with cupcake liners or coat it lightly with cooking spray.
- Mix the dry Ingredients. First, mix the gluten-free flour with lemon zest, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients. To a new bowl, add the maple syrup, Greek yogurt, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and eggs. Whisk that together until combined.
- Combine. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix everything with a spatula until the batter is well combined, but don’t overmix. This batter will be very thick. But don’t worry, your muffins will come out tender, fluffy, and moist with a crunchy top nonetheless.
- Fill your muffin pan. Now, scoop your muffin batter into the prepared pan. Fill each muffin liner 3/4 of the way full. Alternatively, you can fill the liners all the way full for bakery-style muffin tops.
- Bake. Bake these lemon poppy seed muffins at 375ºF for 14 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool.
Easy Lemon Glaze for Muffins
Honestly, these muffins are fluffy and delicious on their own. But if you want to jazz them up a bit, a simple lemon glaze does the trick. To make it:
- Mix. Just mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. The glaze will still be somewhat thick.
- Glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they’re warm. Afterward, leave the muffins to cool so the glaze can set, about 10 minutes.
Tips for Bakery-Style Poppy Seed Muffins
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. This is rule #1 when making most baked goods. Overmixing deflates the air pockets in the batter, which leads to dense, tough muffins instead of tall, fluffy ones.
- Fully preheat the oven. Muffins need the high heat of the oven to rise up quickly into perfect domes. If the oven hasn’t come to temperature, the muffins won’t rise properly.
- Glaze the warm muffins. It’s optional, but the creamy lemon glaze puts a fresh finishing touch on these lemon poppy seed muffins. I highly recommend it adding it to the still-warm muffins so it can melt in slightly.
How to Store
- At room temperature. These gluten-free lemon poppy seed muffins can be stored on the counter at room temperature. I like to move the cooled muffins to a plate and loosely cover them with tin foil or plastic wrap. They will last for 3-4 days stored this way.
- Freeze. Wait for the muffins to cool. Place the muffins on a baking sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes. Afterward, transfer the muffins to an airtight container or freezer-safe storage bag, and put them back in the freezer. Muffins can stay frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, wrap a muffin in a paper towel and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Gluten-Free)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These lemon poppy seed muffins are gluten-free and the perfect brunch treat! Each bite is extra moist and filled with fresh citrus flavor, especially when you add the 2-ingredient lemon glaze.
Ingredients
For the Muffins:
- 2 cups gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon Glaze: (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- To a large bowl add gluten free flour, lemon zest, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Next, to a medium bowl add maple syrup, greek yogurt, melted coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk together until combined.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix together with a spatula until everything is well combined.
- Scoop your batter into muffin pan – filling 3/4 of the way full or all the way full for bakery style muffins.
- Bake for 14 to 17 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly browned on top.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Lemon Glaze: (optional)
- For the lemon glaze, mix powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice together until there are no more clumps and mixture is smooth.
- Drizzle over each muffin while hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 223 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 36 mg
