Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Fresh and full of bright lemon flavor.
Texture: Ultra tender and moist with those delightful little bites of poppy seeds.
Ease: Super easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: The perfect quick and easy muffin recipe full of lemon flavor.
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I’ve always had a soft spot for muffins, and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are definitely among my favorites.
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.
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Dry, dense muffins? Not in your kitchen! Bake the most tender and moist muffins with our Ultimate Muffin Guide.
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. And I certainly don’t want a dry muffin. I want moist, tender, flavorful muffins that are a joy to eat!
So, if you feel the same or are just curious about the science of muffin baking, check out the tips below.
Sprinkle of Science
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 are a few small streaks of flour remaining, that’s perfectly fine.
Secret Baking Science Tip: Chill Your Muffin Batter!
The very 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 or even marinating meat. By chilling the batter, the starch in the flour is able to absorb more moisture, resulting in a more tender muffin.
Chilling thickens the batter without making it dry, 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 are.
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.
- Portion the batter out in the morning and bake right away. No need to bring it back to room temp!
How Do I Get More Lemon Flavor in These Muffins?
Add 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract along with the juice and zest.
How Do I Stop My Muffins From Sticking to the Liner?
- This can sometimes be caused by the brand of liners.
- This is my favorite brand that I order in bulk from Amazon.
- If this is a common problem for you, check out my post on how to prevent muffin or cupcake liners from sticking here.
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 three of these tins for 6+ years and love them!
How to Store Muffins
Store cooled muffins inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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:
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
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Ingredients
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour,
measured correctly - 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 (237 grams) 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, sifted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 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 cooled muffin top with the glaze. Let set before serving.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2012 and updated with recipe improvements, new photos, and more baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I love these so much, they are delicious and have a wonderful texture. I have made them a bunch of times, they are incredibly easy to make and always turn out great😇😍
I haven’t tried these yet but looking forward to it, I’ve never commented but I’ve had such good experiences with your other recipes! Super interested in the chilling overnight tip-would that ring true for cakes/cake batter containing only baking powder as well??
Not for all recipes – you can learn more in our article on How to Bake Tall Bakery-Style Muffins here 🙂 Excited to hear what you think of these muffins when you give them a try!
I am SO glad I found this recipe and decided to give it a try, because it’s excellent! I followed the recipe and instructions exactly as written and what I got in return were baked goods with divine texture and flavors. There’s nothing quite like lemon + poppyseed + sweetness, and these are IT! Thank you so much.
I just made these after reading the comments and being disappointed by several similar recipes that I made before. These are fantastic! I love how light and flavorful they are plus so simple to make. The texture was exactly what I was looking for so I’m happy to have found your site and look forward to trying more recipes in the future. Thanks for a great recipe!!
So happy you enjoyed our recipe! Thanks for sharing, excited to see what you try next! 🙂
I made them per the recipe. The flavor was great, but I thought they were a little dry. Also, I recommend stirring a little more than the recipe indicates. It was still a bit too lumpy.