Bakery-Style Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

5 from 7 votes

There’s nothing better than a batch of homemade bakery-style lemon poppy seed muffins fresh out of the oven. These muffins have a bright citrus flavor, a satisfying crunch of poppy seeds, and a perfectly moist texture. Whether you’re making them for a weekday breakfast or an afternoon snack, they’re a great way to enjoy the classic combination of lemon and poppy seeds.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Servings: 8 Muffins

Author: Maria Corcuera

Equipment

1 muffin tin
8 muffin liners
1 medium bowl
1 whisk

Ingredients

Muffins:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon Poppy seeds
1 1/4 cup Lemon Lifeway Kefir room temperature
1/2 cup full-fat milk room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large lemon zest

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

Line muffin liners in muffin tins and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 400 F
In a medium sized bowl mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds, until very well combined
2 1/2 cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour, 3/4 cups (150 g) granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon (0.3 teaspoon) baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt, 3 tablespoon Poppy seeds
In a separate small bowl mix Kefir, milk, oil, egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest
1 1/4 cup (300 g) Lemon Lifeway Kefir, 1/2 cup (118.3 ml) full-fat milk, 1/2 cup (118.3 ml) canola oil, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 large lemon zest
Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and mix by hand until just combined. It is very important that you do not over mix your batter or your muffins could turn out tough! you will have lumps in your batter, and this is perfectly normal!
With an ice cream scoop, fill your muffin tins to 2/3 full (about 2 scoops). Bake for 5 minutes and reduce heat to 375 F, bake for an additional 17-20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean
Let muffins cool in the baking tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely
Mix all of your glaze ingredients until no lumps are visible, and drizzle on top of cooled muffins. Enjoy!
1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon heavy cream

Notes

Add-ons & Substitutions

Want to adjust some things for these muffins? Try these swaps and add-ins:

Swap canola oil for olive oil or coconut oil for a slightly different flavor
Use whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt instead of kefir for a thicker texture
Add blueberries for a fruity twist on classic lemon muffins
Replace poppy seeds with chia seeds for a similar crunch and added nutrition
For an even more lemon flavor, brush warm muffins with simple syrup made from lemon juice and sugar

Tips and Tricks for making the perfect muffins

To have soft and fluffy muffins, there are a few things to consider before starting to make them:

Make sure your egg, milk, and Kefir are at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge 2 hours before using
Use the muffin mixing method: mix your wet and dry ingredients separately, then add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and mix by hand until JUST combined
Do not overmix your muffin batter, or you could end up with tough, doughy muffins. I would say this is the most common mistake! It’s ok if you have some lumps in your batter, as long as you don’t over mix!
Use an Ice cream scoop to spoon the batter into your tins and have evenly sized muffins. For my muffin tins, 2 scoops worked perfectly

Nutrition