About
Work with Me
Contact
Shop
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • RSS Feed
Fit Mitten Kitchen
  • Explore
    • Recipe Filter
    • All Recipes
    • Recipe Videos
  • Course
    • BreakfastWe LOVE breakfast here at Fit Mitten Kitchen. Whether you’re looking for a casserole to feed a crowd, favorite cinnamon rolls for brunch or the best vegan scones, take a look around!
      • Egg Dishes
      • Oatmeal & Granola
      • Pancakes & Waffles
      • Scones
      • Smoothies
    • DessertsDESSERTS – My favorite meal. (Only kidding.) But truly desserts are one of my favorite things to make. Here you’ll find balanced desserts for all kinds of diets: paleo brownies, whole grain cookies, healthier cheesecake and more.
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes & Cupcakes
      • Candy
      • Cookies
      • Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
      • PIes, Tarts & Crisps
      • Cinnamon Rolls
    • Healthy DrinksHealthy drinks here from smoothies to ACV tonics to Golden Milk Lattes, matcha and the best dairy-free Peppermint Mocha Creamer.
    • Lunch & DinnerWhether you’re looking for healthy meal prep lunches or easy dinners, you’ll find great gluten free options, vegan friendly and Whole30 meals too. Try the reader favorite Kale u0026#038; Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad, Vegan Thai Tempeh Buddha Bowl,  Stuffed Greek Turkey Burgers or Thai Chicken Curry.
      • Appetizers
      • Bowls
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches & Wraps
      • Sides
      • Soups & Chili
    • SnacksSnack time is the best time! FMK’s healthy snack recipes are made from whole foods and easy to make. Whether you’re looking for protein bars, energy balls, muffins and breads, there’s loads to choose from. These Peanut Butter Protein Oat Bars are a reader favorite, and if you’re looking for a variety of flavor options, check out How To Make Homemade Protein Bars.
      • Bars & BallsAll about the no-bake bars and energy balls! They’re the easiest thing to make, everyone loves ’em and they often double as a healthy treat! Everything from vegan friendly, gluten free, paleo and Whole30® friendly. My favorites: Dirty Chai Energy Balls and Banana Bread Date Nut Bars.
      • Muffins & Breads
      • Nut & Seed ButtersHomemade nut and seed butters are another one of my favorite things to make. There are so many flavor options – the combinations are endless! Be sure to check out Espresso Cashew Butter for coffee lovers, Vanilla Bean Banana Cashew Butter for something fun, and Double Chocolate Almond Pecan Butter for the chocolate fanatics.
  • DietaryIf you’re looking for a recipe that fits into a specific dietary category, you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re cooking for yourself or friends and family with special dietary needs, be sure to check out these recipes. Dietary restrictions or not, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten-Free
    • No Added Sugar
    • Nut-Free
    • Oil-Free
    • Paleo
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Whole30
  • Method
    • Food Processor & Blender
    • Freezer
    • Grill
    • Instant Pot
    • No-Bake
    • Oven
    • Slow Cooker
    • Stovetop
  • Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
    • Holiday
Search

DF Dairy Free VG Vegetarian
Home  ›  Recipes  ›  Course  ›  Snacks  ›  Muffins & Breads

Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

See Recipe Review

Posted:

03/02/20

Updated:

09/10/24

By:

Ashley Walterhouse

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

A healthier take on a classic flavor, these Whole Grain Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are made using whole grain flours, a little oil and happen to be dairy-free. Moist, flavorful and perfect for lemon lovers!

glazed lemon poppy seed muffin

  • A Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe
  • Let’s Talk About How Lemon Muffins
  • Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Want to Save This Recipe?

Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading

Recipe and post originally published in March 2016. Photos and recipe slightly updated (with better results!) March 2020.

Is anyone else obsessed with lemon poppy seed? It’s one of my FAVORITE flavors and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are one of my top favorite muffins.

Basically if I am picking baked goods it’s:

  1. chocolate (and/or peanut butter)
  2. banana (and/or peanut butter)
  3. lemon

Not necessarily in that order… it definitely depends on the baked good or dessert.

A Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe

These lemon poppy seed muffins use a mix of whole wheat white flour and oat flour. I like using oats here for a little fiber boost but between you and me… I’ve made this recipe with just whole wheat pastry flour and the results are just about the same.

However you decide to make these muffins, they’re moist and bursting with lemon-y goodness.

AND They’re made with some healthier ingredients including >>

  • whole wheat white flour
  • oat flour
  • freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • a non-dairy milk of choice
  • coconut oil
half lemon muffins on pink plate

Let’s Talk About How Lemon Muffins

Muffins are easy peasy, lemon squeezy. You can use an electric mixer to speed things up, or mix by hand.

Get out all of your ingredients, bowls, measuring cups and muffin pan and let’s get to it.

Step 1 – lemon juice + milk

We’re essentially making a homemade buttermilk here by adding the lemon juice and milk together. I like to use my glass measuring cups for this.

Step 2 – mix dry ingredients

Add the flours, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in one bowl and set aside.

Step 3 – mix wet ingredients

Whisk together the sugar with oil, then add in eggs and the milk-lemon mixture.

Step 4 – time to combine

Now it’s time to combine the ingredients together to create the lemon poppy seed muffin batter.

mixing bowl with lemon poppy seed muffin batter

Step 5 – transfer to muffin pan

You can spray with oil, use liners, or use a silicone pan.

Evenly distribute muffin batter into the 12-cup muffin pan, filling about 3/4 way full.

lemon poppy seed muffin batter in muffin pan
Top with even more lemon zest if you’d like!

Want my Top 5 Muffin Recipes?

blueberry muffins image next to block of teal text: Healthy Muffins recipe book.
Click Here to Download

Step 6 – Now we Bake

Bake the muffins at 375ºF for about 15 minutes – check with inserted toothpick at this time for wet batter. If just little crumbs (or no crumbs) comes out on toothpick, your muffins are done!

cooled lemon poppy seed muffin in pan

And a little lemon glaze is always a good idea with muffins. You can mix about 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1/2 tsp lemon juice for a drizzle glaze.

You could also opt for melted coconut butter!

Or leave plain…

half of lemon poppy seed muffin with glaze

Whatever you decide, these muffins need to get on your list!

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn about the recipe too! Xx Ashley

5 from 4 votes

Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 15 minutes minutes
Total: 25 minutes minutes
A healthier take on a classic flavor, these Whole Grain Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are made using whole grain flours and coconut oil. Dairy free!
glazed lemon poppy seed muffin
SaveSaved! Pin Print
Author: Ashley Walterhouse
Prevent your screen from going dark
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole wheat white flour, or whole wheat pastry
  • 3/4 cup oat flour
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2.5 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • zest of 3 medium lemons
  • 1/4 cup room temperature non-dairy milk, oat, cashew, coconut, etc.
  • 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, approximately 3 small lemons
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled (or avocado)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract, or vanilla

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF and line muffin pan with liners or grease with oil; set aside.
  • In a glass measuring cup add lemon juice and milk together, set aside.
  • In a medium bowl stir together both of the flours, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl whisk together oil, sugar and egg; slowly stir in lemon-milk until combined.
  • Add dry ingredients to bowl of wet ingredients, slowly stirring until just combined (don’t overmix).
  • Evenly disperse batter into greased muffin pan, filling about 3/4 way full. 
  • Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes, checking muffins at 15 minutes with inserted toothpick. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack. 
  • Store muffins in container at room temperature – best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
★ Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

Recipe Notes:

FLOUR: You can also use unbleached all-purpose flour. I would add 2 more tablespoons if going this route.
*When using melted coconut oil, it is always a good idea to use the rest of the ingredients at room temperature, as to make sure the coconut oil does not solidify. Just set out your egg and milk about 30 minutes before prepping the rest of the ingredients.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g, Calories: 204kcal (10%), Carbohydrates: 32g (11%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 6g (9%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 16mg (5%), Sodium: 238mg (10%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 12g (13%)
Like this?Leave a comment below!

Photos by: Erin Alvarez.

Ashley Walterhouse Avatar

About

Ashley Walterhouse

Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • RSS Feed
5 from 4 votes

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




56 responses

  1. Nicole @ Fitful Focus
    March 11, 2016

    The perfect LOOK!-It’s-Spring! muffin 🙂 YUM!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 14, 2016

      Haha, yes! Thanks Nicole 🙂

      Reply
  2. Rachel
    March 11, 2016

    You really just need to open up a FitMittenKitchen bake shop.

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 15, 2016

      lol maybe one day, Rachel! That would be awesome 😀

      Reply
  3. Kaitlin
    March 11, 2016

    I bet that lemon flavor is divine! I always find that no matter the way in which I zest, most of it ends up on the zester and not my bowl!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 14, 2016

      I am going to have to get myself a microplane STAT, then come back and share another recipe and compare 😉 Thanks Kaitlin!

      Reply
  4. Gretchen | Gretchruns
    March 11, 2016

    Yum! Lemon and poppyseed is one of my favorite combinations! This looks so good and perfect for spring!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 14, 2016

      Mine too! Thanks Gretchen 🙂

      Reply
  5. Maggie Unzueta
    March 11, 2016

    5 stars
    These muffins looks so yummy. Pinning for later. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 14, 2016

      Thank you Maggie! And thanks for pinning 🙂 I appreciate it!

      Reply
  6. Chrissa – Physical Kitchness
    March 11, 2016

    I’d say your ability to make amazing treats trumps your crappy zesting abilities! These look AMAZEBALLS! I love love love baked goods with lemon flavors. So light and perfect for breakfasts. Dang girl, you nailed it again!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 14, 2016

      Lol THANK YOU Chrissa, you’re the sweetest <3

      Reply
  7. Robin | CaliGirl Cooking
    March 11, 2016

    Yum! These look super tasty! Can’t wait to try them!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 15, 2016

      Thank you Robin! Would love to hear back if you do!

      Reply
  8. Shannon
    March 11, 2016

    These look so good! I love lemon flavored everything…it reminds me of summer!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 15, 2016

      Thanks Shannon! Definitely a sucker for a good lemon treat too. Summer can come any day now 😉

      Reply
  9. Emily
    March 11, 2016

    Isn’t it awesome that God created the world with SO many different types of foods that we can pair with each other to make things like LEMON POPPY seed muffins? :))) Lemon poppy seed is one of my favorite light, spring time flavors. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 15, 2016

      🙂 Thank you Emily!

      Reply
  10. Meg Taylor
    March 11, 2016

    This is my husband’s FAVORITE combination!! He would absolutely love this recipe – thanks for sharing!

    Meg, Borrowed Heaven

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 15, 2016

      Oh that’s awesome Meg! Let me know if you try em 🙂

      Reply
  11. Liora (Allthingsloveli)
    March 11, 2016

    I’ve had lemon poppy muffins on my list of things to bake for so long. I haven’t had in forever and am dying to try making some gluten free ones. Yours look amazing, I’ll have to do a few swaps but you have definitely inspired me to make it happen!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      Oh thanks Liora! You may be able to just swap the whole wheat flour for all GF oat flour, they just may turn out a bit more dense, but still good I am sure! Let me know if you try it 🙂

      Reply
  12. Annmarie
    March 11, 2016

    So I am not a huge lemon fan but I am a huge lemon poppy seed fan…weird right? I will have to make a GF version of these and give them a try!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      lol yes weird! 😉 Let me know if you try the GF version, would love to hear how it turns out 😀

      Reply
  13. Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
    March 10, 2016

    Girl these look SO wonderfully refreshing! I’m a huge lemon baked good-freak, so these are right up my alley! Thanks for linking up to my recipe, too! <3

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      Thank you Alexa! And no problem, I love muffins, the more the merrier 😉

      Reply
  14. rachel @ athletic avocado
    March 10, 2016

    lemon poppyseed muffins are the best!!! Perfect spring-like breakfast with a cup of coffee 🙂

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      I agree! It’s hard for me to pass up on a lemon poppy seed. Thanks Rachel 🙂

      Reply
  15. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious
    March 10, 2016

    I haven’t made poppy seed anything in awhile. These look so delicious! I feel like there should be zested lemon at the store already to buy for those of us (like me) who are lazy.

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      Oh my gosh Megan I can’t tell you how many times was thinking that as I was banging the zest out against the bowl. Angry zesting Ashley is not a pretty site. Thankfully my husband wasn’t home :-p

      Reply
  16. GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth
    March 10, 2016

    These sound and look AMAZING! I’ve never made lemon poppyseed anything, but they’re one of my favourite baked goods to buy so I know I’m gonna love the heck out of these. <3

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      Ah you gotta try baking them! It’s the best. The more lemon zest, the better for sure 😀

      Reply
  17. Christina
    March 10, 2016

    Thanks for sharing my muffin recipe! These are gorgeous, I seriously lovveeee lemon in baked goods. These look so moist and sweet and YUM. Also I thought you should know that I am actively refraining from using the ‘butter your muffin’ Mean Girls quote right now.

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      HAHA, love that movie (duh).

      Reply
  18. Les @ The Balanced Berry
    March 10, 2016

    Lemon poppyseed muffins are the key to my heart – so glad you posted this recipe! I feel you on the hate for seating lemons. I hate it too – maybe because I use the small holes of the cheese grater my mom has had since 1991. Could be time to upgrade to the real deal like you did 😉

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      I haven’t upgraded yet! But when I do, you can bet I’ll be snapping you my purchase and force you to do the same. Then maybe we can love zesting lemons together 😉

      Reply
  19. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
    March 10, 2016

    Lemon poppy seed goodies rock!!! I just made lemon poppy seed muffins the other week! It really is the flavor of spring, but I think my favorite muffin would be the simple blueberry! My favorite as a kid so I guess they still as now!

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      Mmm nothing beats a simple blueberry. Although when I was a kid I was SUPER picky, and I think something about the juicy texture difference with the blueberries got to me, so I think banana muffins (or chocolate chip, let’s be real) were my favorite. Thanks Rebecca!

      Reply
  20. Michele @ paleorunningmomma
    March 10, 2016

    These loos so perfectly spring-like and yummy! Lately I’ve been obsessing over lemon poppy (I guess the time of year) and you nailed it! Also I have a little crush on your backdrop, lol 🙂

    Reply
    1. Ashley
      March 11, 2016

      Lemon poppy seed is def one of those spring flavors that I will probably NEVER get sick of. It’s too good.

      And thank you for the comment 😉

      Reply
1 2
Newer Comments→

Hey there!

I’m Ashley – I started Fit Mitten Kitchen in 2015 to share healthier recipes. Here we balance real food with desserts and healthy snacks making life easy, nutritious and delicious.

Learn more

Save your Favorites

Use the heart button at the bottom right of any post to save it.

Open my Recipe Box

Currently Trending

  • Homemade Cashew Butter

    Homemade Cashew Butter

  • Lactation Energy Bites

    Lactation Energy Bites

  • Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

    Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

  • Cottage Cheese Waffles

    Cottage Cheese Waffles

  • Healthy White Chicken Chili

    Healthy White Chicken Chili

  • Ginger Chicken Power Bowls

    Ginger Chicken Power Bowls

  • Whipped Feta Dip

    Whipped Feta Dip

  • Homemade Protein Bars

    Homemade Protein Bars

Browse More
Fit Mitten Kitchen
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • RSS Feed

Browse by Diet

Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
Vegan
Paleo
Disclaimer
Privacy Policy

© All Rights Reserved. Branding by MRD. Theme by OC.

Back to Top

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.