Not all muffins are high in calories or loaded in saturated fat. These Lemon Poppy Muffins are perfectly sweetened, moist, fluffy and delicious. There’s no guilt involved when making these lemony Spring breakfast delights.

Does anyone still make muffins anymore? I hope so. I know I do. If you’ve strayed away from making them because they are unhealthy, I hope you give these lemon poppy muffins a try. We’ve lightened them up by adding whole wheat flour to them, replaced butter, which is high saturated fat, with olive oil and cut the sugar almost by a THIRD!
Let’s get started!
Tips for Making the Perfect Lemon Poppy Muffins
- First, make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before starting. This will allow for easier mixing and create a more uniform batter.
- When mixing the batter, be careful not to overmix as this can lead to tough, dense muffins. Combine the dry ingredients first and then add in the wet ingredients until just combined.
- For an extra burst of lemon flavor, we added lemon zest to the batter. To make sure you get the most flavor out of your lemons, roll them on a hard surface before juicing them.
- When measuring out the poppy seeds, lightly crush them to release their oils and enhance their flavor.
- When baking the muffins, it’s important to fill each muffin cup to about ¾ full to ensure even baking. And don’t forget to let the muffins cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This will help prevent them from crumbling or sticking to the tin.
Ingredients
Dry – Whole wheat + A/P Flour, Baking powder & soda, salt and poppy seeds
Wet – Buttermilk + Whole milk, Olive oil, Egg, Fresh Lemon juice and Vanilla extract

How to Make Lemon Poppy seed Muffins
Preheat your oven to 350°F (190°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a food processor, pulse the lemon zest and sugar until combined. Add the wet ingredients and pulse until combined..
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don’t overmix!).
- Fold in the poppy seeds.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Variations:
- One way to jazz up your muffins is to add a lemon glaze. Simply whisk together some powdered sugar and lemon juice and drizzle it over the muffins once they’ve cooled. This adds a sweet and tangy zing that complements the poppy seeds and lemon flavor.
- Another variation is to incorporate other flavors into the muffins. Try adding some fresh blueberries, raspberries, or diced strawberries for a burst of fruity goodness. You could also stir in some shredded coconut or chopped nuts like almonds or pecans for a crunchy texture.
- For those who love a good spice blend, adding a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger to the batter can add warmth and depth of flavor.
Looking for More Healthy Breakfast Ideas?
- Nothing goes better with some eggs than Diced Home fries.
- A Triple Layered Blueberry Banana Smoothie would be a great addition to these lemon poppy muffins.
- Nothing says Sunday like Homemade Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, pass the syrup please!
LEMON POPPY MUFFIN RECIPE
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Lemon Poppy Muffins
- Total Time: 33-35 minutes
- Yield: 12 small or 6 large 1x
Description
Not all muffins are loaded with saturated fat and high in calories. These muffins are bright, lemony, moist and airy.
Ingredients
- Zest from 2 lemons
- ⅓ Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- ¼ Cup Whole milk
- ⅓ Cup Olive oil
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ Cup Whole wheat
- 1 ½ Cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. Poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a regular muffin tin with 12 liners or a large muffin tin with 6.
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar.
- Add the buttermilk, milk, oil, egg, lemon juice and vanilla to the food processor and pulse until blended.
- Gently whisk the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine.
- Add the buttermilk mixture and stir until just blended. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
- Place on middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 316
- Sugar: 11.1
- Sodium: 465 mg
- Fat: 13
- Carbohydrates: 43.5
- Fiber: 1.2
- Protein: 6.9
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
Instead of using vanilla extract I always use lemon extract when I bake anything lemon. I find 1/2 teaspoon is all you need and it really ups the lemon taste!!
★★★★★
Hi. I’ve been searching for a recipe like this FOREVER, and these sound right up my alley. Quick question…. Do you have the nutrition information on these?
Absolutely perfect! Made them this morning and I wouldn’t change a single thing!
These sound yummy. I love anything lemon. I do try to avoid wheat, for the most part, but I do lapse and it’s so tasty when I do.
Love your whole anti-GMO thing! I share that passion and am radically anti-Monsanto. In general, we try to eat a mostly organic diet. It’s not cheap but, these days, it’s the best and easiest way to eliminate GMOs. Thanks!