Tender, fluffy lemon muffins sprinkled with poppyseeds and topped with lemon glaze. Simple and classic, these muffins are an easy breakfast or brunch recipe you need to try!

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These muffins were a big deal to me. Two years ago, I was newly pregnant and wanted to mark each week by baking something the size of my baby. But I was so sick that I couldn’t stand the idea of baking anything. I thought I’d go back and catch up once I felt a little better, but I never got the chance.

Over a year (and a few more losses) later, I had no more reason to believe this baby would make it than any of the previous pregnancies, but I went ahead and started baking each week anyway. With my daughter in school, I had just spare time to bake and photograph one thing each week, so I did. And hoped these bakes and bump photos wouldn’t be painful reminders but celebrations.

Now, I’m writing this at 3am next to my beautiful little girl (who is a blessing and also trying to destroy me slowly by never letting me sleep again…).

It’s crazy to think she was the size of a poppyseed not that long ago. She definitely was easier to take care of then!

Why this recipe works

I tried something new with these muffins, hoping for a more rounded top that still had a light, tender crumb. I used all butter (rather than butter and oil) to help create more rise. I also used all granulated sugar, which helps recipes rise (who knew?!). However, butter doesn’t retain moisture for very long, so I also used applesauce, which really packs in that moisture and creates a super tender crumb. And since I also needed lemon juice (obviously), I increased the flour a bit so these weren’t so wet that they fell apart. The result was perfect: a beautifully rounded top with a lovely, light, tender crumb.

And then the flavor. I made sure to use both lemon zest and lemon juice in the muffins, along with plenty of zest in the crumble. The key is mixing the zest with the sugar to help release the oils (and thus the flavor). The result was just the right hint of lemon that is bright but not cloying. In addition, using lemon juice in the glaze really brings out that sweet/tart contrast that is so addicting in lemon treats! It plays perfectly with the earthy flavor of the poppyseeds, making these a well-rounded muffin!

Key ingredients

Flour. Always spoon then level your flour to avoid packing it in and creating a dry baked good.

Baking powder. I use just the right amount to get that perfectly rounded muffin top!

Salt. Sea salt is my go-to, since it has a better flavor and is supposed to be healthier.

Lemons. You’ll need zest and juice for these, so it’s best to use fresh lemons instead of the bottled kind.

Eggs. Be sure these are room temperature and fresh!

Applesauce. Use plain, unsweetened for this!

Butter. Melt this then let it cool while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.

Sugar. Sugar helps give the tops that roundedness. Plus, it’s ideal for mixing with the lemon zest to release the oils.

Pure vanilla extract. Use pure extract, not imitation.

Poppyseeds. Obviously! A little goes a long way, both in flavor and texture, so a small jar is fine.

Powdered sugar. This is for the glaze, which is optional, but definitely worth a try.

How to make lemon poppyseed muffins

1. Melt the butter. You could actually melt the butter for the muffins and topping at the same time, if you have a scale and can correctly divvy it up between the two. I’m not as bright as I’d like to think and melted the butter in two batches.

2. Sift and whisk the dry ingredients. Sifting helps make these so, so fluffy!

3. Whisk sugar and lemon zest. This is key to getting that lemon flavor. Whisk or stir until you smell the lemon.

4. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and applesauce. Make sure they’re well, well blended.

5. Whisk in cooled butter. Doing this separately ensures you don’t accidentally scramble the eggs if the butter hasn’t fully cooled.

6. Fold in dry ingredients and poppyseeds. It will be lumpy, but don’t worry! It all bakes out nicely.

7. Fill muffin tins. Aim for about 3/4 full so you get a nicely rounded muffin top.

8. Bake. The crumble should just start to look golden and a toothpick should come out with moist crumbs (not clean, as this usually signifies they’re over baked).

9. Make the glaze. Stir until smooth. I like to do this right before using it, since it thickens as it sits.

10. Drizzle on cooled muffins. You can drizzle warm muffins with glaze, but it will spread out and melt into them, so just be aware if you just can’t wait!

Enjoy!

Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe

Don’t mix the flour in completely!

Weird, but true. This is one of the things I first learned about baking from my mom. I thought it was so weird that you don’t mix the muffin batter until smooth. What kind of madness was this?? Mixing too much causes gluten to develop, which we don’t want too much of here or we’ll get dense, chewy muffins. So, I only mix the flour until it’s combined (but not smooth). Those lumps of flour will dissolve as the muffins bake, creating the perfect crumb.

Use finely grated lemon zest

I love this microplane zester my mother-in-law gave me. It makes it much easier to avoid the pith (see next tip) and gets the zest nice and fine. There’s nothing worse than having to chew your zest while eating lemon loaf.

Don’t zest the pith

It won’t be the end of the world if you get some pith, but it’s best to zest lightly to avoid the white pith. It’s rather bitter and won’t add any extra lemon flavor.

Spoon then level your flour

Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.

Can these be made ahead of time?

Certainly! You can make them 1-2 days ahead, but try to reheat them briefly in the oven, as they are best enjoyed warm. They can be frozen and thawed at room temperature, but they won’t be quite as soft and fluffy.

How do I know it’s baked through?

I always use a toothpick, but a small knife or kebab skewer will work, too. You want to catch the muffins when they’ve just barely stopped being raw, as they will cook a little more in the pan while they cool. So try to use a toothpick to check for moist crumbs but no raw batter.

My muffin tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making these muffins. Affiliate links provided.

Handheld whisk (this is always my go-to whisk)

Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy muffin)

Cupcake pans (I’ve used many over the years and these are the most consistently successful.)

Microplane zester

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Blackberry Lemon Loaf

Blueberry Lemon Loaf Cake

Strawberry Basil Lemonade Cupcakes

Double Crumb Greek Yogurt Cake

Lemon Crumble Muffins

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Print recipe

prep time: 5-10 minutes
bake time: 20-25 minutes
total time: 35 minutes

servings: about 16 muffins

Ingredients:

for the muffins

1 ¾ cup (238g) flour, spooned and leveled
2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2g) fine ground sea salt
1 tablespoon (6g) finely grated lemon zest
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
½ cup (about 150g) unsweetened applesauce
⅓ cup (77g) lemon juice
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted (reduce salt to a couple pinches if using salted butter)
2 tablespoons (18g) poppyseeds

for the lemon glaze

1 cup (130g) powdered/confectioner’s sugar
1-3 tablespoons (14-42g) fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350F/175C. Line the wells of two muffin pans with liners (or you can simply spray each well lightly with baking spray and skip the liners).
Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift then whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Zest lemon with a fine microplane zester. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and lemon zest until fragrant. Add the applesauce, lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs until very well combined, about one minute. The sugar should be partially dissolved.
Slowly stream in the butter while whisking quickly to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Add the flour mixture and fold in gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. (If you’re unsure what folding means, you basically run a rubber spatula along the edge an entire turn around the bowl the pull the spatula toward the middle once you’ve come fully around the bowl, “folding” the batter on the edge into the middle part.)
Fill each muffin tin about ¾ or so full with batter.
Divide the crumble topping evenly over each muffin, covering it until no batter is visible. Feel free to press the crumble a bit so it sticks. Don’t be stingy with the crumble topping!
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops of each muffin have rounded slightly and a toothpick inserted in one of the middle muffins comes out with some moist crumbs. Check early so they don’t over bake–each oven is different. Let cool in pan 5-10 minutes then remove.
While the muffins cool, stir glaze ingredients together until smooth and desired consistency (I usually go for a thicker consistency, a bit thicker than syrup). You can drizzle glaze on slightly warm or completely cooled muffins. Glazing warm muffins will cause it to spread out and melt into them a bit, which is still delicious!