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Made with buttermilk for tender texture and fresh lemon for tangy flavor, these lemon poppyseed muffins are easy to whip up, and just the thing for breakfast on the go, weekend brunch, or a simple snack.
A round, black cooling rack filled with lemon poppy seed muffins surrounded by lemon slices, a whole lemon, and a prep bowl of poppy seeds.
Photos by Tom Pitera | Styling by Erika Pitera

These lemon poppy seed muffins strike the perfect balance between sweet and citrusy, and this version keeps things light and flavorful. They come together quickly and bake up golden and moist – no mixer needed.

If you love lemon flavor and like your baked goods just sweet enough, it’s a good bet you’ll like these muffins. Buttermilk keeps the crumb tender and moist, and lemon juice, zest, and extract give them a clean, bright flavor. We like them served warm with a little butter and a dab of store-bought lemon curd for extra zing.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.

A labeled overhead view of the ingredients for lemon poppy seed muffins; flour, lemon juice and zest, vanilla and lemon extracts, poppy seeds, butter, eggs, and buttermilk.
  • BUTTERMILK: Buttermilk adds tangy flavor and keeps the muffins’ texture tender and moist. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make a substitute by mixing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with just under 1 cup of whole milk. Let it set for 10 to 15 minutes until it looks slightly curdled before using.
  • FRESH LEMON: Freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh lemon zest give these muffins their bright citrusy flavor. We don’t recommend substitutions, but if you must, omit the vanilla extract and replace it with more lemon extract.
  • POPPY SEEDS: Poppy seeds lend a mild nutty flavor, subtle crunch, and a bit of visual appeal to these muffins without overpowering the lemon flavor.

How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Buttermilk Recipe)

Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Preheat the oven and coat the muffin tin with nonstick spray.

An overhead view of two glass mixing bowls, one with all the dry ingredients for lemon poppy seed muffins, the other with blended wet ingredients and a whisk.
An overhead view of a standard size muffin tin filled with lemon poppy seed batter, a gray silicone spatula in the bottom left corner.

GATHER THE INGREDIENTS: Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and extracts until smooth.

FINISH THE BATTER: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, combine until smooth, then add the poppyseeds, and mix until thoroughly combined.

A close up view of a lemon poppy seed muffin a bit removed to show the texture of the muffin, a cooling rack with more muffins in the background.

BAKE AND SERVE: Spoon the batter into the muffin tin and bake until the muffins are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack immediately. Serve warm with butter.

More Lemony Recipes You’ll Love

If you like lemony flavor in baked goods, we’ve got a few more recipes for you to try. Like these lemon poppy muffins, our pineapple mini muffins are flavored with lemon zest and lemon extract. Their mini size makes them perfect for a mid-morning snack or lunchbox treat.

If you want a super tasty lemon dessert recipe, you’ll definitely want to try our easy lemon blueberry loaf cake. In addition to lemon zest, this recipe uses frozen lemonade concentrate for bold lemon flavor.

An overhead view of lemon poppy seed muffins on a cooling rack with lemon a lemon wedge and a whole lemon in the background.
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A round, black cooling rack filled with lemon poppy seed muffins surrounded by lemon slices, a whole lemon, and a prep bowl of poppy seeds.
4.37 from 25 votes

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

By Lynne Webb
Made with buttermilk for tender texture and fresh lemon for tangy flavor, these lemon poppyseed muffins are easy to whip up, and just the thing for breakfast on the go, weekend brunch, or a simple snack.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons poppyseeds
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a standard-sized muffin pan.
  • Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract and vanilla extracts.
  • Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then add the poppy seeds and combine thoroughly.
  • Spoon the batter into the muffin pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Transfer muffins from the pan to a cooling rack immediately.

Notes

FOR EXTRA SWEETNESS: These muffins are purposely not too sweet. However, if you prefer baked goods on the sweeter side, you can top the batter with a sprinkling of coarse sugar before baking.
STORAGE: Once fully cooled, lemon poppyseed muffins can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or refrigerated for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can wrap them individually and freeze them. We recommend warming them before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 184, Total Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 235mg, Carbohydrates: 26g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Protein: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Lynne Webb and Erika Pitera, creators of MyGourmetConnection in the kitchen, working on a soup recipe for the website.

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4.37 from 25 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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8 Comments

  1. Can paper liners be used or will the muffins stick to the paper?  Always looking for easy cleanup 😉

    Reply

    1. Hi Carolyn,
      I have not ever used paper liners for this recipe, so I can’t say for sure that the conventional pleated type wouldn’t stick. However, you may want to try the type made with parchment paper. There are quite a few brands and all are supposedly non-stick.

      Reply

    1. Hi Brenda,
      I don’t think you need to add extra lemon juice, the zest should provide plenty of lemon flavor. If you’d like, increase the vanilla extract from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. Also, based on a batch of muffins I made the other day, I’ve adjusted the egg and oil quantities a bit (two eggs instead of one and a little less oil).

      Reply

  4. Oh my heavenly days! I LOVE lemon, I LOVE poppy seed, and I LOVE buttermilk! These muffins look and sound scrumptious! I can’t wait to try them! Thank you!

    Reply

  5. I made these this weekend and took a few over to my neighbor as a thank you gift. These were light and moist and delicious! thank you for a wonderful recipe 🙂

    Reply