These lemon poppy seed muffins are made with buttermilk and fresh lemons, making them perfectly moist and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Plus, learn how to make TALL bakery-style muffins!

lemon poppy seed muffin on a white plate with muffin paper partially pulled off surrounded by more muffins and lemon slices

There is nothing like pulling warm muffins out of the oven at home, filling your kitchen with the smell of homemade muffins! Lemon poppyseed muffins had to make it into my collection of muffin recipes.

Packed full of zesty lemon flavor, these poppy seed muffins make the perfect breakfast, afternoon snack, or my favorite – the late night snack! Muffins are good any time of day or night, and the perfect lemon poppy seed muffin, made with fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest, will make your day a little brighter!

The tartness of the lemon in this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe pairs perfectly with the nutty flavor of the poppy seeds. The crunchy poppy seeds also add a nice texture to these tender muffins. Not only are these delicious muffins, but I’m sharing all my best tips for creating gorgeous bakery-style muffin tops below. Happy Baking!

a lemon poppy seed muffin with lemon slices in the background

Why You’ll Love These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • Perfect any-time food
  • Best flavor with fresh lemons
  • Can be made ahead and frozen
  • Beautiful bakery style muffins

How to Properly Measure Flour

The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams. 

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method. 

  • Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
  • Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
  • Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
close up of a pile of lemon poppy seed muffins in a pan with lemon slices and lemon peels, with the top muffin having a bite out of it and a bowl of poppy seeds in the upper right corner

What You’ll Need for Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These simple ingredients make the best lemon poppy seed muffins! Keep scrolling to get the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card below.

  • All purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Poppy seeds
  • Large eggs
  • Buttermilk
  • Butter: Make sure it’s melted and cooled
  • Lemon zest: Fresh lemon zest is best
  • Fresh lemon juice: Juice from fresh lemons is best for a stronger lemon flavor!
lemon poppy seed muffins arranged around, some on their sides and some sitting upright, surrounded by lemon slices

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These easy lemon poppy seed muffins look like they came from a bakery, but are so easy to make! Get the entire recipe in the recipe card below.

Note: This recipe requires that the batter rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.  I cannot guarantee the same results if the batter doesn’t rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. 

Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.

Combine wet ingredients. In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, melted and cooled butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine with a fork or spatula for 30 seconds. 

Combine all ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be very thick!

Let batter rest. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. I cannot guarantee the same results if the batter doesn’t rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Add batter to muffin tin. For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other.

Fill liners. Fill the paper liners super duper full with batter – see this photo. My muffins probably had about 8-10 heaping tablespoons of batter in each muffin liner. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

lemon poppy seed muffin batter in a muffin pan

Refrigerate batter waiting to be baked. While one pan is baking, be sure to refrigerate the other pan if it has batter in it. Or refrigerate the remaining batter if still in the bowl.  

Bake. Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.

Add extra sanding sugar. I like to sprinkle a little extra sanding sugar on my muffins right when they come out of the oven. 

close up of a pile of lemon poppy seed muffins in a pan with lemon slices and lemon peels

How to Create Bakery-Style Muffins

Bakery-style muffin tops are known for their domed taller muffin tops. Plus, who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have domed tops.

1. THE REST PERIOD

Let the batter rest for 30 minutes, covered, in the fridge after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper).

2. BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE INITIALLY

Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, setting the outer surface of the muffin, producing a domed shape.

3. FILL THEM TO THE TOP

Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard, but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.

For a true bakery style muffin, top the final product with coarse sanding sugar, also called sparkling sugar, or sugar crystals. 

4. FILL EVERY OTHER MUFFIN CUP

This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.

two plates of lemon poppy seed muffins piled up, some partially eaten, arranged with lemon slices and a bowl of poppy seeds

Substitutions & Variations

  • Chia seeds: Use chia seeds instead of poppy seeds if you don’t have poppy seeds or can’t eat them.
  • Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Instead of all-purpose flour, you can use a gluten-free flour blend. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.
  • Simple Lemon Glaze. Add a simple sweet lemon glaze to make these moist muffins even more decadent.
  • Lemon Blueberry Muffins. Make these into lemon blueberry muffins just by adding fresh blueberries.

Storing & Freezing Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

To store this lemon poppyseed muffin recipe, make sure your baked muffins are completely cooled before you store or freeze them! You can store these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 or 4 days.

You can also freeze these in a freezer safe container. I like to wrap mine two at a time, end to end, in plastic wrap and store my wrapped muffins in a freezer zip lock bag. You can thaw them individually to satisfy a sweet tooth whenever you want to! To thaw, you can leave them out on your kitchen counter or heat them in the microwave for 15-second intervals until they’re thawed completely.

More Lemon Recipes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe

4.50 from 6 ratings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 10 muffins
These lemon poppy seed muffins are made with buttermilk and fresh lemons, making them perfectly moist and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. Plus, learn how to make TALL bakery-style muffins!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cups all purpose flour, 420 grams
  • 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup butter, melted and cooled
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • This recipe requires that the batter rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking. I cannot guarantee the same results if the batter doesn’t rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
  • In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.
  • In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, melted and cooled butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine with a fork or spatula for 30 seconds.
  • Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be very thick!
  • Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. I cannot guarantee the same results if the batter doesn’t rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
  • For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other.
  • Fill the liners super duper full with batter – see this photo. My muffins probably had about 8-10 heaping tablespoons of batter in each muffin liner. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
  • While one pan is baking, be sure to refrigerate the other pan if it has batter in it. Or refrigerate the remaining batter if still in the bowl. Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.
  • I like to sprinkle a little extra sanding sugar on my muffins right when they come out of the oven.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Beth
Calories: 416kcal, Carbohydrates: 71g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 64mg, Sodium: 571mg, Potassium: 116mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 378IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 163mg, Iron: 3mg
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