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I’ve always had a soft spot for muffins, and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are definitely among my favorite.
In high school, muffins were the little treat to break up the monotony. There would be a muffin cart in the main hallway once a week.
I’m pretty sure the muffins were from Costco. They weren’t wonderful, but it was nice to have a little sweet indulgence to look forward to.
Muffins will probably always have a place in my heart.
They’re truly a multi-purpose treat. They’re perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or even for dessert.
Unfortunately, most muffins are bland. And in my experience, the muffins that often look the prettiest with the tallest muffin tops are often super cakey and dry – even from a good bakery.
I prefer a nice moist muffin with a bit of a springy texture. I don’t want pound cake. Or cake at all. Which I find is what most packaged muffins feel like. And I certainly don’t want a dry muffin. I want MOIST muffins… everyone’s favorite word 😉
So if you feel the same, or are just curious about the science of muffin baking, check out the pink box below for my tips.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Don’t Overmix Your Muffin Batter!!
- Be very very careful not to overmix the batter once you combine the wet + dry ingredients. This will create rubbery muffins.
- Gently stir until *just* combined.
- If there’s a few small streaks of flour remaining, that’s perfectly fine.
Secret Baking Science Tip: CHILL The Muffin Batter!
- The BEST thing you can do to make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (or any muffins!) more tender and even a little taller is to cover and chill your batter in the fridge overnight before baking.
- It’s very similar to chilling cookie dough.
- Think of it like marinating.
- By chilling the batter, the starch in the flour is able to absorb more moisture, resulting in a more tender muffin.
- It also thickens the batter without making it drier, which helps encourage taller muffin tops without that crumbly or cakey texture.
- This technique works particularly well with muffin batter, which is usually made from melted butter or oil (not creamed butter + sugar) and uses only baking powder as the leavener, which is double acting. Meaning, it’s activated both by the moisture of the batter and the heat of the oven. Baking soda is only activated by acid in the batter, not from the heat of the oven.
- If you don’t believe me, just look at the comparison below. And what the image doesn’t quite capture is just how much more TENDER the chilled batter muffins turned out.
How to Chill Muffin Batter:
- Chill the batter in one large bowl, as opposed to chilling it in the individual muffin cavities, to prevent it from drying out.
- Bake directly from the fridge.
How Do I Get MORE Lemon Flavor in These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins?
Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract along with the juice and zest.
How Do I Stop My Muffins From Sticking to the Liner?
What’s the Best Muffin Tin?
I typically don’t like nonstick bakeware, which is why I was so surprised when I fell in love with the Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick Muffin Pan. They bake evenly and achieve lightly golden brown edges and clean up beautifully. I’ve had 3 of these tins for 6+ years and love them!
Can You Freeze Muffins?
Yes! Unglazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter until room temperature. Refresh in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes if desired. If desired, glaze once thawed and at room temperature.
More Muffin Recipes
More Lemon Recipes
-
2
cups
(254 grams) all-purpose flour
-
3/4
cup
(150 grams) granulated sugar
-
2
tablespoons
poppy seeds
-
1
tablespoon
baking powder
-
1/2
teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/2
teaspoon
fine salt
-
1
cup
whole milk,
at room temperature
-
1
stick (113 grams) unsalted butter,
melted and cooled
-
1
large egg,
at room temperature
-
2
tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
-
1 1/2
tablespoons
fresh lemon zest
For the lemon glaze:
-
1
cup
(125 grams) powdered sugar
-
2
tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, egg, juice, and zest. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix - there should be a couple streaks of flour remaining.* Divide evenly among the muffin tin cups.
-
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool until barely warm.
-
Serve, or store in an airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Make the glaze:
-
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon juice with a fork until a smooth and thick glaze forms. Drizzle or dip each muffin top with the glaze. Let set before serving.
*If time permits, cover and refrigerate the batter overnight for taller more tender muffins. Chill the batter in one large bowl, as opposed to chilling it in the individual muffin cavities, to prevent it from drying out. Bake directly from the fridge.
If you prefer muffins with a stronger punch of lemon flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract along with the juice and zest.
This recipe was originally published in 2012 and updated with recipe improvements, new photos, and more baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Hi! Just want to be sure, if I plan on freezing them should I hold off on glazing them until I’m ready to thaw and eat? Or do they freeze and thaw well already glazed?
Yes, it’s best to wait until they’re thawed to glaze them, for best results 🙂 Let us know how you like these muffins once you have given them a try 🙂
these came out great!!! I used oil instead of butter and they were great. lemon flavor could be stronger. I dipped the muffins in the glaze and they were perfect. I will make again for sure! wish I could post a picture!
Can the poppy seed muffins be cooked in the mini muffin pan?
Can the cooked muffins be frozen to use later?
Hi Ann! We haven’t tried baking these muffins in a mini muffin pan, but it should work just fine! Please see the last item in the pink tip box (above the recipe) for freezing information and instructions. Happy baking!
Hi what is one cup of milk in m pleasel? As a UK resident we don’t use cups to measure!
Hi Emma! One US liquid cup = about 237mL. I hope that helps! Let us know what you think of these muffins once you’ve given them a try! Happy baking 🙂
The recipe for poppy seed lemon muffins says 1 tablespoon of baking powder – shouldn’t it be one teaspoon?
Hi Sue! Yes, 1 Tablespoon of baking powder is correct for this recipe. This produces tall, beautiful muffins with a fabulous texture. Let us know what you think of these muffins once you’ve given them a try 🙂
If I halve this recipe to make six muffins, can you advise how I can still use one egg? Reduce the milk maybe to compensate?
Thank you!
Hi Alex! If you ever need to cut a recipe in half that calls for one large egg, crack the egg into a small bowl and beat well. Let it settle, then measure out two tablespoons for the recipe. I wouldn’t suggest reducing the milk. Good luck!
These muffins are incredible!!! Not too cakey, tall, beautiful full of bright lemon flavor!! Everyone loved them! Thank you Tessa!
Really nice
Super good! I added 1 tsp lemon extract based on other comments that these were not quite lemony enough. Even then, I think they could use more lemon flavor. I think I’d add more lemon zest and/or more extract. That being said, these were delish. Very moist.
Batter was super easy to make ahead and bake fresh the next morning. Most of the lemon flavor is coming from the icing, so I would add more zest to the batter in the future (especially if skipping the icing). Fill the batter at least 3/4 of the way in the cupcake tin (more than you would think), they rise but not quite as much as a standard cupcake. I was able to divide evenly among 12 cups and they came out at the right height.
Delicious. Soooo much better than store bought. We put a little extra zest in the batter and some in the glaze – tasted super fresh and bright!
Fantastic! Nice and moist and lemony
I made them egg and dairy free with an egg replacer , almond milk and coconut oil instead of butter. Still really good
So happy to hear your substitutions worked well, Sam!
These are really good and I will be refrigerating the batter of every muffins I make moving forward. The only critique I have is that the lemon is very subtle. Next time (and there will be a next time) I would strongly recommend using lemon extract or bumping up the amount of lemon zest which has been recommended by others.
Made this recipe for the second time following the metric measurements. Love it! Subbed whole milk for unsweetened almond milk since that’s what I had.
Selected this recipe because it didn’t use yogurt. Used lactose free whole milk, added 1/4 TSP lemon extract, left dough in refrigerator overnight, baked at 350 degrees for 25 minutes- EXCELLENT
A coworker brought in lemons from her tree for all of us. I’ve always loved lemon poppyseed muffins but never made my own. Yours was the first recipe that popped up and is the recipe I will be using from today on.
very yummy
Hi, came across your receipe and my son’s favorite muffin lemon poppyseed. if I use skim milk instead of whole milk will my muffins still rise?
Hi Kuldip! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure sorry! They should still rise, but the crumb might not be quite as nice. Let us know how it goes if you give that a try 🙂
Holy cow. I’m not ever a fan of lemon desserts and these muffins blew me away! Especially with the glaze on top. I followed the metric measurements and it yielded 12 beautifully fluffy muffins with cracks in the tops.
delicious moist and loads of flavor. very fresh.
These are really good and easy to make.
BUT I also had issues with the cooking time, my muffins were done by the 15 minute mark.
If I would’ve left them in the whole time I think the would’ve burned.
I do have an oven thermometer and it said it was at the correct temperature.
When I made these I baked them for the 20 minutes stated and they were burnt, they’re a lot better at 15 minutes or less and I refrigerated them for 20. Also I would definitely use lemon extract as well next time because the lemon flavor is barely there.
Hi Mary! I’m sorry to hear that your muffins were burned! I wonder if your oven might be running a little hot. Do you have an oven thermometer to check that? Check out Tessa’s article here about ovens, full of tips!! If you don’t have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the temperature it says it is, invest in one now! They are inexpensive and really help your baking so much! This oven thermometer is one of Tessa’s favorites. We hope you give these muffins another try sometime (adding in the suggested lemon extract, for extra lemony deliciousness!) as they really are so good 🙂 Happy baking!
Great recipe! Cooking time needs to be adjusted. Mine came burnt at the top with 4 min left!
Hi Alexa! I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins! It sounds like your oven might be running a little hot. Do you have an oven thermometer to check that? Check out Tessa’s article here about ovens, full of tips!! If you don’t have an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the temperature it says it is, invest in one now! They are inexpensive and really help your baking so much! This oven thermometer is one of Tessa’s favorites. I hope that helps 🙂
I made these for a church event and they were DELICIOUS. Everyone loved them and I brought home an empty bowl! I’m making another batch right now for those who requested more muffins. Thanks for a great recipe!
I love lemon & poppy seed recipes; we have an old recipe for a cake with a pudding frosting. Anyway…
If time for the overnight chill is the muffin batter already portioned into the tin?
Hi Rita! Tessa talks about this in the pink tip box, above the recipe: “Chill the batter altogether in one bowl as opposed to chilling it in the individual muffin cavities to prevent it from drying out. Bake directly from the fridge.” I hope that helps 🙂 Happy baking!
Was looking for a lemon poppy muffin recipe that wouldn’t use yogurt or sour cream, and this one really delivered. Muffins were moist and flavorful, with just the right amount of sweetness and lemon flavor. Mine only needed 17 minutes in the oven and yielded a great texture with a sturdy crumb. Highly recommend using this recipe!!!
So glad I found this recipe, totally delicious!!! Next time I will try the overnight with the batter. Thank you.
Easy batter to make, they are being refrigerated now. Looking forward to baking them tomorrow. I don’t bake muffins often but this batter won’t “pour” into the muffin papers. It’s pretty stiff, should I add more liquid until the batter actually pours? I am in a very dry state at altitude but I don’t think that had anything to do with it.
Hi Anne! The muffin batter should be relatively thick, but if it’s exceptionally thick, it’s possible something happened along the way! How do you measure your ingredients? By volume (using cups), or by weight (using a digital kitchen scale)? When measuring by volume, it’s so easy to mis-measure ingredients (namely flour) and throw off the entire chemistry of a recipe, resulting in things like overly-thick muffin batter. Tessa talks about how to best measure ingredients to ensure accuracy every time, in this article here! Fingers crossed your muffins will still turn out beautifully and taste delicious! 🙂
I was a bit skeptical because all other recipes used yogurt and it seemed like a lot of baking powder. I didn’t have whole milk so I substituted water and half and half. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract. Not only did these muffins look great – they tasted incredible! I did cut the baking time down to about 16 minutes. Had the right amount of brown and crunch. Added the glaze (cut in half) to make this great muffin even better. Highly recommend.
Happy to hear how much you enjoyed these muffins, Diane!
The overnight refrigeration did not work for me… super small/ dry after 20 mins… wouldn’t bake again
Hi Dee! I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work well for you! Was your muffin batter well covered, and still in the bowl? Or did you pre-portion it out into the cups?
Happy with how these turned out! I made the recipe almost exactly, however I did add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice. I used fresh lemons I just picked and refrigerated the batter over night. Next time I might use a touch less sugar as I find them quite sweet (my lemons might have been on the sweeter side). I haven’t got around to add on the glaze, which I’m sure it will give it an extra lemony flavour. I am always a fan of more lemon, but I think the lemon in these was well balanced. I overcooked them a bit but still very moist.
Hi Mikaela! Glad to hear that you enjoyed these muffins!! Just be cautious about lowering the sugar next time; yes, sugar obviously contributes to the sweetness, but it also moistens, provides tender structure, assists with gluten formation, extends the shelf-life (meaning it will be fresh and moist longer), and assists in creating a taller and lighter finished product – just to name a few things! Reducing the sugar content in a recipe doesn’t just lower sweetness; it messes with the recipe’s chemistry and creates a totally different baked good. Of course, feel free to experiment as you like, but I just wanted to mention that! Happy baking 🙂
Simple and delicious. My girls helped make this and we all love them. Great recipe.
Yay! So happy to hear that you and your girls enjoyed these muffins so much, Rebecca!
I just made these; I refrigerated over night, result was tall moist muffins. My only issue was they were burnt at 17 minutes, I’ll have to watch them more closely. They will likely be done at 15 minutes. I wanted a little more of a kick with the glaze, so I added a bit more lemon juice, but that made it too runny, this wasn’t a deal breaker. Live and learn, I’ll make them again for sure and maybe try lemon extract. Thank you.
Hi Ron! I’m glad you enjoyed these muffins, even if they got a little dark on top! Just a thought: perhaps your oven runs a little hot? Ovens are almost always lying to us about their real temperature! We recommend using an oven thermometer, to ensure accuracy, and make sure your baked goods are baking correctly! Tessa talks about oven temperature accuracy and using an oven thermometer, in this article here! As for your glaze, I definitely recommend lemon extract, as you mentioned, for a great lemon punch, without adding too much excess liquid! Good luck with your next batch! Happy baking 🙂
I have made this recipe many times and I love it. It also works as a lemon loaf which I’ve done a few times with the same recipe. Only difference is you have to adjust for a longer baking time and when the toothpick comes out clean you know it’s done. For the reviewer who said it wasn’t enough lemon flavour, I think it’s a preference. There’s no harm in adding more zest or juice to your liking. You can add lemon extract as well but also make sure your lemons are fresh. I also find the flavours come out more when you put the batter in the fridge over night like Tessa posted. The next day it smells way more lemony than when I just made it.
Hi Nina! So happy you enjoyed these muffins (or as a loaf, too- fun tip there!!).
Thanks for the other tips to other readers about the lemony flavor, too – I think you’re totally right, and there’s never any harm in adding more zest or a teaspoon or so of lemon extract. A little bit more lemon juice should be okay, but too much more will add too much liquid to the recipe and throw off the proportions. Great tips, though – thank you again! 🙂
Delicious! Well balanced in flavor and texture. The muffins alone taste lemony, but the lemon glaze sharpens up the whole effect. I’m at high altitude (5800 feet) so I lowered the baking soda and baking powder just a bit and they rose perfectly. I had a good result at 18 minutes cooking time. Thank you for the work you go through to provide nice recipes like this to us amateur bakers.
I’m so excited to hear that these muffins were not only delicious, but worked for you at high altitude with little adjustment! Thank you for taking the time to let us know! 🙂
Rubbish flavour
Barely any lemon in these
Bad reviews must get deleted
Hi Hannah! I’m sorry to hear you did not like these muffins. I just want you to know that we never delete reviews; if you scroll down, you can actually see a couple of bad reviews on this recipe alone! I’d love to help you troubleshoot, because we really believe that these muffins are delicious! Did you also use the full 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in your muffins, as well as the full 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon zest? Tessa does suggest adding 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract along with the juice and zest if you want ever more lemon flavor in your muffins (mentioned in the pink tip box above the recipe!). Also, refrigerating the batter overnight before baking not only helps give you taller, prettier muffins, but can help intensify the flavor, too! I hope that helps, and I hope you give our lemon poppyseed muffins another try!
Absolutely delicious!
So happy you loved these muffins, Gerpha!! 🙂
Oh my goodness! These are delicious and so easy! I was skeptical because: 1. No yogurt for moisture and 2. I was worried they’d stick to the muffin cups because it doesn’t call for spraying the cups first. I am so glad I followed the recipe as written because they are perfect! I read some of the comments about not being sweet enough, I think they are plenty sweet, as does my 7 year old. This will be our new go-to, as we love lemon baked goods! Thank you 🙂
PS I didn’t add lemon extract, just used the called for fresh lemon juice and zest. I also just chilled the batter for about 2-3 hours and the muffins are super light and fluffy with the perfect touch of crunch on top.
Hi Marta! I’m so happy you loved these muffins – and that your son loves them, too!! Happy baking 🙂
I’m trying to find the video of the lemon poppy seed muffins cuz I have a question what to do
What to do with the icing sugar and lemon juice
Hi Patricia! Apologies for the confusion. We do not have a video for every recipe, unfortunately. We are in the process of updating our recipe templates, so recipes without a video will no longer show this option. To answer your question, the icing sugar and lemon juice are the ingredients for the glaze! Simply mix in a small bowl with a fork until a thick, smooth glaze forms, and drizzle or dip the top of each cooled muffin with the glaze. Let set before serving. I hope that helps 🙂
I made these muffins today and they are absolutely awesome. I followed your recipe to the T, and also added lemon extract, and refrigerated overnight. They are popping with flavor and the only adjustment I made was baking off at 375 degrees because I do not like to bake anything at 400 degrees. I tested at 21 minutes and they were done. Thanks for a fabulous recipe.
These were some of the best muffins I’ve ever made and had! They were so nice and fluffy with the right amount of sweetness and lemon flavor. Also do not skip letting the batter sit overnight, I really think it made that much of a difference!! Also super easy to make and come together!
Happy you enjoyed this recipe, Thalia!
Honestly, I don’t understand the high ratings on this recipe at all. They were average at best, like other reviewers have said they had no lemon/ flavour and were a waste of time. I won’t be using this blog again for recipes.
Thanks for the easy-to-follow recipe and tips. The muffins turned out yummy and tall.
These muffins were delicious, light and lemony. Ever since I’ve read your tips on the perfect muffins I haven’t had any problems with my baked goods. I didn’t want to wait overnight to bake these so I put the batter in the fridge for about 4 hrs, then baked. They came out looking like they were made in a bakery!
They came out to be great. Thanks for this amazing recipe Tessa!
Hey.. I made these just today. Kept the batter in the fridge overnight. They look amazing. Tall and soft. But I feel they are not lemon-y enough. Infact I added a little more zest + lemon extract to the batter. Still I could hardly taste the lemon.. Any thoughts on why that would be or what I could do next time?
Hi Kanika! Just to confirm, did you also use the original 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in your muffins? Or did you only use lemon extract and zest? Tessa does suggest adding 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract along with the juice and zest if you want ever more lemon flavor in your muffins. I hope that helps!
I feel like this has to be a negative-comments-get-deleted sort of blog, because this recipe is… fine. The muffins turned out and look great, but they’re not sweet enough and kind of bland. Also, the advice to chill muffin batter overnight is pretty puzzling. Baking powder works immediately by interacting with liquids. It’s going to lose its effectiveness if you let it sit overnight.
Thanks for your feedback! Baking soda works immediately, whereas baking powder is double acting, meaning that it reacts twice- once when added to liquid, and a second time when it hits the heat of the oven. Because this recipe has both, you may lose just a little bit of browning on the muffins while they bake after chilling overnight, but thanks to the baking powder, you’ll still achieve that lift. I hope that helps! You can find out even more details in this article here on How to Bake Tall Bakery Style Muffins.
These muffins are great! Not too sweet, and easy to make. I added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Was going to add almond extract but I was out! I refrigerated the dough overnight, and was impressed with the outcome. 20 minutes was a bit too long in my oven. I will be making these again and using the tips!
So happy you loved this recipe, Erika!