Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Fresh, vibrant, and tangy lemon balanced with a sweet glaze.
Texture: Soft and tender inside with tall, domed tops and slightly crisp edges.
Ease: Simple mixing method, no mixer or special equipment required!
Why you’ll love this recipe: The quickest and easiest way to turn your kitchen into a fancy cafe.
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Most lemon poppy seed muffins fall into one of two camps: ultra tall and pretty but dry. Or, moist yet flat. I wanted both.
After multiple test batches, I found the sweet spot comes down to three things: a slightly higher bake temperature, a mix of butter and oil, and letting the batter rest (just for 15 minutes!) before baking.
The result? Muffins that rise high with a soft, almost plush crumb and actually taste like lemon without any funky ingredients.
Recipe Ingredients
Muffins are simple, so each ingredient packs a powerful punch.
All-Purpose Flour: Measured correctly (preferably by weight). Too much flour = dense and rubbery muffins.
Buttermilk: This is key for tenderness and flavor. The buttermilk acidity prevents too much gluten formation and the thick texture creates taller muffins. Use plain kefir as 1:1 substitute.
Butter + Oil (Important!): Butter brings flavor, while oil keeps the muffins soft for longer. In testing, using only butter made the muffins slightly drier the next day. Use any neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, etc.).
Baking Powder: This recipe uses a full tablespoon for strong lift. If you’re at altitude, you may need to reduce the measurement slightly.
Lemon Zest + Juice: Zest is where the real flavor lives! The icing contains both juice and zest for maximum lemon flavor, so don’t skip it. You’ll need about 4 medium lemons total (I always buy more in case I’m stuck with a dry lemon).
Poppy Seeds: Always check freshness. If they smell stale or oily, they’ll taste that way in the muffins. I learned this the hard way!
Almond Extract (Optional): In addition to the vanilla, a tiny amount of almond extract enhances the lemon flavor without making the muffins taste almondy. I highly recommend trying it!
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Step by Step)
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt.
Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet.
Stir gently to combine. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Don’t overmix.
Rest the batter. If time permits, allow the batter to sit for 15-20 minutes so it thickens slightly for taller muffins.
Fill muffin tin. Line every other cavity with liners and fill completely full for tall muffins. Use two tins, or bake in batches, cooling tin between bakes.
Bake. For 18-19 minutes, or until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Make the glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until a thick icing forms. It should fall off the whisk in ribbons.
Glaze. Using a spoon, pour icing over cooled muffins.
Garnish with lemon zest. This isn’t only pretty, but adds extra lemon flavor!
Tessa’s Tips for Taller Muffins
- Fill your muffin tin cavities completely full with batter. This will result in taller muffins with more pronounced muffin tops (and those slightly crisp edges!).
- Space out your muffins. Fill only every other cavity with muffin batter. This is done most easily with two muffin tins. This allows extra room for the muffins to rise tall, as well as enough air flow to cook the muffins more evenly.
- Rest your batter for at least 15 minutes before baking. You can do this in the mixing bowl or in the muffin tin. Rest up to overnight, covered.
Sprinkle of Science
While the batter rests, the starches in the flour have time to absorb more liquid. This thickens the batter without adding extra flour, allowing the muffins to rise higher without creating a drier or denser texture.
This also allows the baking powder to activate to aerate the batter. It’s double acting, meaning it activates once when exposed to liquid, and again with the heat of the oven.
Storage & Make ahead
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To make ahead, mix the batter and refrigerate overnight, then bake straight from the fridge.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze unglazed muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature. Glaze after thawing for best texture.
Test Kitchen Notes
The first version of this recipe was published in 2012, then revamped and updated in 2020. Recently, in 2026, I decided to make the recipe and felt underwhelmed by the results.
I’ve learned a lot in just 6 years, so I began testing out some tweaks to achieve taller, more flavorful muffins without sacrificing a soft and tender texture.
1. Adjusting Ratios
I increased the flour and sugar slightly for better structure, as well as switching to buttermilk for better flavor and height, and adding more lemon zest. Lastly, a touch of oil alongside the melted butter helped create a tender texture that stays soft for longer.
2. Baking Temperatures
Next up I experimented with baking temperatures. The key to tall muffins is a high temperature, but I didn’t want the edges to burn!
3. Resting Batter
The original recipe recommended an overnight rise, so my recipe tester experimented with resting intervals and we learned we really only needed a 15-minute rest (but an overnight rise works too if you want to prep ahead).
Frequently Asked Questions
Fill the muffin cups completely full, fill every other cavity, and let the batter rest before baking. These three steps create a thicker batter and better heat circulation, which leads to higher domes.
Yes, but your muffins won’t rise as tall. Even 15 minutes makes a noticeable difference in height and texture. Which is about the time it takes to preheat the oven and clean up!
The best substitute is plain kefir. Adding lemon juice or vinegar to milk just doesn’t have the same effect but can work in a pinch if you’re out of options.
Overmixing is the most common cause. Stir just until combined, lumps are okay. Too much flour or expired baking powder can also lead to dense muffins.
Yes! Bake and store for up to 2 days, or freeze without glaze for longer storage. You can also mix the batter and refrigerate overnight, then bake straight from the fridge.
Yep, just omit them! The muffins will still have great flavor.
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Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 1/4 cups (286 grams) all-purpose flour,
measured correctly - 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds*
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (240 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado or canola)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest**
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract, optional
For the lemon glaze:
- 1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest, for garnish**
Instructions
Make the muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two standard muffin tins with 9 paper liners, spacing them in every other cavity to allow for air flow and larger muffin tops.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, cooled melted butter, oil, eggs, lemon zest, juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using). Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- If time permits, rest the batter at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes to encourage taller muffin tops. You can also chill this batter, covered, overnight in the fridge. Bake from the fridge.
- Fill each muffin liner completely full with batter. The batter should mound slightly above the rim.
- Bake until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 19 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until a smooth, thick glaze forms. Drizzle or dip the cooled muffins. Top with lemon zest. If transporting or storing, let the glaze set beforehand.
- Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
This recipe was originally published in 2012 and updated in 2026 with recipe improvements, new photos, and more baking tips. Photos by Joanie Simon.
Great recipe! The muffins turned out a little less moist than expected, so I’d cook for one minute less next time. I dropped the temp to 375 (oven runs hot) and it was perfect!
Can I use silicon baking cups instead of paper liners for this recipe?
Hi Julie! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure, sorry. Feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes. Happy baking! 🙂
Can we use chia seeds instead of poppy seeds?
Hi Meyan! We haven’t tried that! Feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes 🙂
amazing recipe, cut down the sugar a bit for my mom yet it was still DELICIOUS. Trust the process with this one!!!!!
I wanted a dense, sweet, lemony muffin with enough seeds for a good tasty crunch. Perfect without a fuss. I used glaze in place of the icing because I was out of powdered sugar. Saved last bite for pic but it was a near thing!
A tablespoon of baking powder seemed like a typo so I only used a teaspoon – they turned out great. Easy, quick and perfectly lemony!
Hi there! So glad to hear that you enjoyed these muffins! The baking powder amount is not a typo, and will yield beautifully tall muffins with a fantastic texture, so give it a try next time you make these! Thanks so much for the comment and Happy Baking!
I made these a few days ago for my brother’s birthday and they were incredible. Thank you for the recipe!!!
I have two questions though 😅
1. Can I make these with just lemon juice and leave out the peel? And how much more juice would I need? Lemons are quite expensive were I live and after peeling three lemons that I bought, I still didn’t have the amount needed, but more than enough juice.
2. What kind of poppy seeds do you use? The ones I bought worked beautifully in the batter, but I wasn’t sure whether I could sprinkle them on top because the package said that they needed to be heated up before consumption.
I’m so glad they were enjoyed! Unfortunately, skipping the lemon peel would greatly diminish the lemon flavor in this recipe. You could potentially experiment with adding lemon extract or lemon oil instead, but I’m such a fan of fresh lemon peel that I have no specific advice to offer. I’ve never had any issues garnishing with a small sprinkle of poppyseeds, but I’ve also never seen that warning on any package here in the U.S. so I would heed the package warnings!
I just made these and they came out beautiful and yummy. I dint have a lemon to zest so I added 3Tb juice and 1/2-1 tsp lemon extract-not an exact amount because it’s 7am, I have been up for 24 hours straight so I poured it too fast and spilled it while measuring it into the bowl🤣. I also used all of my lemon juice while making the muffins so to make the icing I used 2Tb whole milk, 1c powdered sugar and 1/4tsp lemon extract.
For an egg sub, do you think applesauce would work okay? Maybe a flax egg?
Hi Margaret! Unfortunately, we have not found anything that quite replicates everything an egg does in baking. Eggs provide so much moisture, structure, stability, and more. Feel free to experiment as you like, though!
Perfect recipe
Fantastic recipe…really loves this, quick and easy
Easiest recipe I found, and they came out super light and fluffy with the perfect lemon flavor. I subbed in 3/4 cup oat milk and 1/4 cup whipping cream just because it’s what I had available. I also added a light splash of vanilla because why not. Definitely making these again!
Can you substitute milk with oat milk?
Hi Omi! We haven’t tried that, so we can’t say for sure! Feel free to experiment and let us know how it goes 🙂
I’ve just tried these with Oat milk and they work amazing!!