These vegan lemon poppy seed muffins are made with simple ingredients in 1 bowl and bake up moist and delicious every time! The perfect balance of sweet and tart, they will be a hit for sure!
These are my favorite muffins to make for brunch or bring to an event. They're always a hit with both vegan and non-vegans, they work great with gluten-free flour, and they still taste great the next day if you bake them a day ahead.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's dairy-free, egg-free, and can easily be made gluten-free as well.
- These are easy to make with simple ingredients found in most grocery stores.
- They make the perfect grab and go vegan breakfast or snack.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Flour - either white or whole-grain wheat or any gluten-free flour mix.
- Sugar - to sweeten the muffins. Make sure to use vegan sugar. You can use any other granulated sweetener that you wish.
- Baking Soda - to help the muffins rise.
- Baking Powder - to help the muffins rise.
- Salt - for flavor.
- Apple Sauce - to make the muffins moist and to replace the eggs in traditional muffins.
- Oil - to make the muffins moist. Any neutral-flavored oil like canola, refined coconut oil, or light olive oil. (You can replace the oil with equal amounts of more apple sauce if you want oil-free muffins).
- Plant-Based Milk - to make the muffins moist. Soy, almond, cashew, or rice milk will all work.
- Lemon Juice - for flavor. Fresh squeezed will give the best flavor. You can also add some lemon zest for more lemon flavor.
- Lemon Extract - for extra flavor.
- Lemon Zest - optional for extra flavor. This has a strong sour lemon flavor. I leave it out when I make it for my kids, but adults usually love it.
- Poppy Seeds - for a pretty added crunch and mild flavor.
🥄 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Put all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir.
- Pour in the wet ingredients and stir with a whisk until wet and dry ingredients are mixed. (Don't over mix).
- Scoop into muffin tins that have been oiled or are lined with paper liners.
- Fill the muffins 3/4 of the way full to allow room for them to rise.
- Put the muffin tins in the oven and turn down the heat to 375° F.
- Bake at 375° F for 22 minutes. (for standard-sized muffins).
To make the Lemon Drizzle: (optional)
- While the muffins are cooling, mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice to create a lemon drizzle.
- After the muffins have cooled, use a fork to splash the lemon drizzle on top of them.
Note:
Cook time will vary depending on the size of the muffin tin that you use and how full you fill them.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Starting off with a hotter oven helps the muffins to rise better when they first go in the oven.
- Don't over mix the batter; just stir enough to get the ingredients mixed together. (If you stir too much, it won't rise as much).
- Only fill the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full or they will overflow when baked.
Serve these muffins with some savory vegan breakfast options like vegan scrambled eggs, vegan corned beef hash, or some tempeh bacon.
🍞 Gluten free instructions
If you need these to be gluten-free, simply swap out the flour with a gluten-free flour mix and add a tsp of xanthan gum to the dry mix. (If your mix doesn't already have xanthan gum added). I've made these muffins numerous times with a variety of gluten-free flour mixes and they always come out well. (I have not tested it with almond flour and I am not sure how they will bake up with grain-free mixes).
🌟 Make this into a loaf
Follow the recipe the same as you would for the muffin batter. Then pour it into a greased loaf pan and bake it at 350° F for 45 minutes.
✨ More muffins recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Spinach Muffins
- Healthy Vegan Muffins with Hidden Veggies
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
A classic lemon-flavored muffin made vegan and easily made gluten-free.
- 2 cups flour white, whole wheat or gluten-free mixes all work well.
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 1/3 cup canola oil any neutral-flavored oil will work or swap with extra apple sauce for oil-free.
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon extract
- 1 tablespoons lemon zest (optional)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
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Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
-
Put all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir.
-
Pour in the wet ingredients and stir with a whisk until wet and dry ingredients are mixed. (Don't over mix).
-
Scoop into muffin tins that have been oiled or are lined with paper liners.
-
Fill the muffins 3/4 of the way full to allow room for them to rise.
-
Put the muffin tins in the oven and turn down the heat to 375°F (190°C).
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Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 22 minutes for standard muffins. (18 minutes for mini muffins or 30 minutes for extra-large muffins).
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While the muffins are cooling, mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice to create a lemon drizzle.
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After the muffins have cooled, use a fork to splash the lemon drizzle on top of them.
Pro Tips for perfect muffins:
- Starting off with a hotter oven helps the muffins to rise better when they first go in the oven.
- Don't over mix the batter; just stir enough to get the ingredients mixed together. (If you stir too much, it won't rise as much).
- Only fill the muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full or they will overflow when baked.
To make gluten-free muffins:
- Swap the flour for a gluten-free flour mix and add 1 tsp of xanthan gum if your mix doesn't already contain it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Did you make this recipe? I would love to hear from you! Please take a minute and leave a quick comment and a star review below. Thanks!
