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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These lemon poppy seed muffins make the perfect grab-and-go vegan breakfast or snack, plus they are egg and dairy-free and easily made gluten-free too!
🧾 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. You can swap this out with any vegan egg replacer that you like. I have a complete list of options in my post about substituting eggs in any recipe.
- 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 (204° 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).
- Bake at 375° F (190° C) 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.
- You can also use some vegan buttercream or vegan icing on top of your muffins.
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 vegan bacon or 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 (176° C) for 45 minutes.
✨ More muffins recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Bannna Muffins
- Spinach Muffins
- Vegan Egg Muffins
- Healthy Vegan Muffins with Hidden Veggies
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Zucchini Muffins
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
A classic lemon poppy seed 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 but recommended for more lemon flavor)
- 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).
-
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 22 minutes for standard muffins. (18 minutes for mini muffins or 30 minutes for extra-large muffins).
-
While the muffins are cooling, mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp lemon juice to create a lemon drizzle.
-
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.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
