The best poppy seeds lemon muffins recipe without yogurt or dairy. These super moist, healthy vegan muffins will surely brighten your day. What's more, they are low in sugar and are bursting abundantly with an aromatic citrusy flavor.
Try to limit yourself to just one!
Do you know what's the best part? You need no dairy, no yogurt, and no butter to make these tender lemony sweet beauties.
Well, if you're searching for an easy muffin recipe that will please kids and adults alike, look no further. You can also make them ahead and enjoy them throughout the week as a quick grab-and-go breakfast, wholesome snack, or a filling dessert.
You must try these incredibly tasty multi-purpose treats that are ready in 30 minutes with only 10 inexpensive ingredients. Prepare to bake a double batch, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
They disappear really fast in my house. Sometimes, they're gone while still warm, we can't wait for them to cool off 🙂 Warm or cold, they always taste so good!
Healthy Recipe for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
I confess that I'm totally in love with these simple breakfast muffins. They're packed with fresh lemon juice, tangy lemon zest, and crunchy poppy seeds. You'll never guess what's the secret ingredient for this brilliant color. No, no food colorings allowed here. We'll use turmeric powder (an amazing superfood) for an extra nutritional boost and to make that gorgeous lemon color pop, as well.
Moreover, these vibrant lemon poppy seed muffins are great for birthday parties, picnics, and road trips.
To point out, this easy muffin recipe yields super soft and fluffy muffins even without eggs and butter. Being so flavorful and satisfying, they're an ideal lunch box snack your kids will love. Absolutely adorable!
Really, aren't homemade muffins the best?
Lemon Muffins Ingredients
You need a few basic pantry staples to make these bakery-style poppy seeds lemon muffins. Here they're:
- Fresh lemons
- Poppy seeds
- All-purpose flour (use spelt flour or gluten-free flour blend if you're on a gluten-free diet)
- Plant-based milk (I used homemade oat milk, it's healthier and cheaper to make your own)
- Unrefined brown sugar (or regular white sugar)
- Sunflower oil (or any neutral oil)
- Turmeric powder
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Pure vanilla extract
As always, you can find the full recipe with a list of ingredients with measurements in a printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Time needed: 30 minutes
How to make lemon poppy seed muffins from scratch?
- Squeeze and zest your lemons
First, rinse well your lemons and freshly squeeze ¼ cup juice of them. Finely grate 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 392°F / 200°C. If not using muffin liners, lightly grease your muffin tin with oil. I used silicone muffin liners.
- Mix dry ingredients
Next, in a big bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, turmeric powder, and poppy seeds.
- Mix wet ingredients
Then, in another bowl mix dairy-free milk, lemon juice, sunflower oil, white vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- Make the batter
After that, pour out wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and gently mix until well just combined. Be careful to NOT OVERMIX the batter, otherwise, your muffins will be too dense. Once the batter is made, gently fold in freshly grated lemon zest. Make sure it's not clumped together.
- Bake muffins
Finally, fill each muffin cup with the mixture. I used a 12-cup muffin tin and filled each muffin cup about ¾ full. Bake in the center rack of the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes, remove and place on a cooling rack until completely cool and ready to eat. - Serve and enjoy
Serve your lemon poppy seed muffins alongside your morning smoothie, a cup of coffee or tea, or a golden milk latte.
Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Freeze in freezer-friendly bags or aluminum foil for up to 2 months. Let them defrost before serving.
Of course, you can freeze your eggless lemon muffins in freezer-friendly containers or bags for up to 2 months. But allow them completely cool at room temperature first. Let them thaw before serving. They're convenient for busy mornings and quick snacks.
These low-sugar lemon poppy seed muffins can be a part of a healthy breakfast or brunch especially if you combine them with fresh fruit, a creamy smoothie, a cold glass of dairy-free milk, or a handful of nuts. In addition, these are also lower in calories and sugar than traditional store-bought muffins. They'll be a wonderful addition to your clean eating meal plan.
Yes, poppy seeds are generally considered safe to eat in small quantities such as in muffins, bagels, or other baked goods. They're rich in healthy compounds and micronutrients like manganese and copper. Furthermore, these tiny seeds and their oil are an excellent source of polyphenols - a type of antioxidant that boosts your digestion and brain health, as well as protects you from heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
For the purpose of this recipe, we'll use ¼ cup of poppy seeds. This recipe yields 12 muffins, which means about 3 grams of poppy seeds for a muffin.
There are 165 calories in one poppy seed lemon muffin.
Why you'll love these vegan poppy seeds lemon muffins? They're:
- Light
- Lemon infused
- The perfect mix of sweet & tart
- Not overly sweet
- Studded with poppy seeds
- Kid-friendly
- Travel-friendly
- Egg-free
- Shearable
- Affordable
- Cute
- A crowd-pleaser
- Not complicated
- Beyond delicious!
More Simple Muffins Recipes
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Refined Sugar-Free)
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Strawberry Muffins
- Yummy GF Carrot Pineapple Muffins
📖 Recipe
Best Poppy Seeds Lemon Muffins Recipe (Vegan & Without Yogurt)
Equipment
- 1 standard muffin pan 12 cup
- 2 Bowls
- 1 lemon squeezer
- 1 citrus zester or cheese grater with small holes
- 12 paper or silicone liners for muffin tin optional
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 + ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup unrefined brown sugar
- ¼ cup poppy seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Wet ingredients
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup oat milk you can use any dairy-free milk
- ¼ cup sunflower oil or any neutral oil like canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- First, rinse well your lemons and freshly squeeze ¼ cup juice of them. Finely grate 1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 392°F / 200°C. If not using muffin liners, lightly grease your muffin tin with oil. I used silicone muffin liners.
- Next, in a big bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, turmeric powder, and poppy seeds.
- Then, in another bowl mix dairy-free milk, lemon juice, sunflower oil, white vinegar, and vanilla extract.
- After that, pour out wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and gently mix until well just combined. Be careful to NOT OVERMIX the batter, otherwise, your muffins will be too dense. Once the batter is made, gently fold in freshly grated lemon zest. Make sure the zest is not clumped together.
- Finally, fill each muffin cup with the mixture. I used a 12-cup muffin tin and filled each muffin cup about ¾ full. Bake in the center rack of the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes, remove and place on a cooling rack until completely cool and ready to eat.
- Serve your lemon poppy seed muffins alongside your morning smoothie, a cup of coffee or tea, or a golden milk latte. Store any leftovers at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. Freeze in freezer-friendly bags or aluminum foil for up to 2 months. Let them defrost before serving.
Notes
- To make them gluten-free, substitute all-purpose flour for GF baking flour at a 1:1 ratio. Also, you can use spelt flour for an even healthier version. Almond flour or coconut flour won't work for this recipe.
- Since the size of lemons will vary according to the type of lemons you'll use, use the exact measurements for lemon juice and zest as given in the recipe ingredients above.
- It's crucial to not overmix the muffin batter once you combine the dry and wet ingredients. You don't want to end up with thick and dense muffins. That's why it's essential to mix GENTLY mix everything until just combined.
- Make sure you check your zest before stirring it into the batter. See if it's clumped together and is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Nutrition
Did you try these lemon poppy seed muffins? If yes, please rate it, leave a comment below, and share your photo on Instagram with the tag @go_eatgreen and hashtag it #go_eatgreen. I would love to hear about your experience and your comments just make my day!
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Love, Marinela💚
Aneta says
Delightful lemon muffins 💛
Marinela says
Thank you so much, Aneta, glad you like them!
nancy says
i love this classic lemon poppy seed muffins - we've been enjoying these every. morning on the go!
Marinela says
I'm glad you enjoyed them, Nancy! Thank you for sharing!