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5 from 2 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

By Britney Brown-Chamberlain
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Resting Time: 20 minutes
Total: 56 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
lemon poppy seed muffins next to sliced lemons.
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Bake up a batch of these moist lemon poppy seed muffins in under an hour! This lemon poppyseed muffin recipe has a sweet lemon glaze that packs delicious citrus flavor in every bite.

Equipment

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Ingredients 

  • 1 1/4 cups (250 g) Sugar
  • 3 tbsp Lemon Zest
  • 2/3 cup (148 g) Vegetable Oil
  • 2 tbsp (28 g) Salted Butter, (melted)
  • 3 large (150 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
  • 2/3 cup (160 g) Sour Cream, (room temperature)
  • 1/3 cup (80 g) Whole Milk, (room temperature)
  • 3 tbsps (45 g) Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp (15 g) Lemon Emulsion, (you can also use lemon extract)
  • 1 tsp (4 g) Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tsp (2 g) Almond Extract
  • 2 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp (360 g) All Purpose Flour, (sifted)
  • 2 tbsps Poppy Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt

Lemon Simple Syrup

  • 1/4 cup (60 g) Water
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) Sugar
  • 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest. Pinch the zest into the sugar with your fingers until it becomes fragrant and the sugar takes on a pale yellow color, about 3 minutes. Add vegetable oil, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, whole milk, lemon juice, lemon emulsion, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk everything together until smooth, about 1 minute. 1 1/4 cups Sugar 3 tbsp Lemon Zest 2/3 cup Vegetable Oil 2 tbsp Salted Butter 3 large Eggs 2/3 cup Sour Cream 1/3 cup Whole Milk 3 tbsps Lemon Juice 1 tbsp Lemon Emulsion 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
  • Then add poppy seeds, baking powder, and kosher salt and continue to whisk together until combined. 2 tbsps Poppy Seeds 1 tbsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • Use a sifter to sift in the all purpose flour and once all of it is added to the bowl, gently whisk until all of the flour is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight. 2 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • While the muffin batter is rest, make the lemon simple syrup. Combine water and sugar in a pan over medium low heat. Stir until the sugar is just dissolved, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and add in lemon juice and stir. Set aside to cool. 1/4 cup Water 1/4 cup Sugar 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grab a 12-cup muffin pan. Lightly grease every other muffin cup with melted butter, then add a touch of flour to coat, ensuring the entire cup is coated in the flour. Tap off any excess flour.
  • Fill the muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the batter - to the top. Fill the empty muffin cups with water, about 1/2 way up. This prevents the muffins from drying out and also prevents the pan from warping in the oven.
  • Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to bake for 12-16 minutes, until when you gently (and carefully) press the tops of the muffins, they spring back. You can also insert a toothpick and when it comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter), it's done.
  • Fresh out of the oven, brush generously with the lemon syrup. Gently move the muffins around/twist to ensure that the muffins don't adhere to the pan, then let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and place onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Do not overmix your batter. Mix batter until just combined to avoid tough muffins. 
  • Use fresh lemons for the lemon zest and lemon juice. If you can find meyer lemons, I recommend using those as they have the best flavor!
  • The secret to the best homemade muffins is to let the batter rest in the refrigerator before baking. This allows the flour in the batter to absorb the moisture, yielding a fluffy tender muffin that has those sky high domes like a bakery muffin!
  • If you don't have fresh lemons for zesting, you can use store bought lemon juice. Just be sure to add an extra teaspoon of lemon juice.

Nutrition

Calories: 486kcal, Carbohydrates: 71g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 341mg, Potassium: 126mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 218IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 121mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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