lemon poppy seed muffins

About These Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These lemon poppy seed muffins are hearty and flavorful, and filled with lots of poppy seeds and tangy lemon buttermilk flavor. They also have super tall and domed muffin tops! Each muffin top is crispy, distinctively cracked, and sprinkled with lots of sugar. The sugar gives the muffins more crunch and flavor.

@hummingbirdhigh poppy seeds are healthy right #bakingrecipe #muffins #bakingtiktok ♬ Chill Vibes – Tollan Kim

It is a part of my Bakery Style Muffin Recipe Collection. All the recipes make muffins with super tall and domed crispy muffin tops!

The best part? The lemon poppy seed muffin recipe is small batch. It makes only 4 muffins, enough for a small household between 2 to 4 people!

Why I Developed The Recipe

I made these muffins after several of you requested a lemon poppy seed muffin recipe in the style of my internet famous copycat Levain Bakery blueberry muffins (and its small batch version). Levain Bakery is a bakery in New York City famous for their gigantic cookies. However, I’ve long been intrigued by their blueberry muffins. Their muffins have distinctive tall, wide, and sugared muffin tops.

Inspired by those muffins, I made these tangy lemon poppy seed muffins!

lemon poppy seed muffins

Why You Should Make The Recipe

Now let’s talk about all the reasons to make these muffins:

The recipe is based on a trusted, fan-favorite blueberry muffin recipe on Hummingbird High.

This recipe is based on one of the most popular recipes on my blog to date, a copycat version of Levain Bakery’s Blueberry Muffin recipe (and its small batch variation). So many of you have made both the full sized version on my blog and the small batch version, sharing your rave results with me!

Specifically, I made a lemon poppy seed version of those muffins because SO many of you DMed and/or emailed me requesting this flavor variation. So of course, I had to deliver!

The recipe is small batch.

Most muffin recipes make at least a DOZEN muffins. That’s a lot, especially if there’s nobody around to share it with! But luckily, this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe makes a grand total of just FOUR muffins. It’s perfect for a small household of 2 to 4 people.

That being said, if you need to make lemon poppy seed muffins for a crowd, I got you! I also included instructions on how to turn this small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe into a regular-sized batch one.

This is the perfect recipe for beginners looking to step up their baking game.

This is the perfect recipe for folks who have mastered basic baking recipes like cookies and brownies, but want to take things to the next level. This lemon poppy seed muffin makes bakery-style muffins, but with techniques that are attainable for any home baker.

lemon poppy seed muffins
lemon poppy seed muffins

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make this small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Shopping List for Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • all-purpose flour
  • baking powder
  • kosher salt
  • granulated sugar
  • fresh lemons
  • buttermilk
  • lemon oil OR lemon extract
  • unsalted butter
  • large eggs
  • poppy seeds

And let’s talk about some of the recipe’s key ingredients and their substitutions:

Fresh Lemons

You need at least 1 small or medium lemon to make these small batch lemon poppy seed muffins. You’ll first need to zest the lemon, then squeeze the lemon for 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.

I only have pre-squeezed lemon juice—you know, the kind that comes in a bottle and is shelf-stable. Can I use that instead, or do I really need both fresh zest and fresh lemon juice?

In a pinch, you can skip the fresh zest and use pre-squeezed lemon juice. However, your lemon poppy seed muffins likely won’t be as flavorful as mine. Why? Lemon zest adds a TON of lemon flavor because it holds all the essential oils of the fruit.

Can I use another kind of fruit besides lemon to make these lemon poppy seed muffins?

Yes! You can substitute the lemon zest and juice for another kind of citrus fruit like lime, grapefruit, or even orange. Just note that using another kind of fruit will remove most of the lemon flavor from these lemon poppy seed muffins. Instead, your muffins will taste more like whatever fruit you used. I know that seems obvious, but you’d be surprised by some of the questions I get on this blog (lol).

Buttermilk

You need ¼ cup buttermilk to make these small batch lemon poppy seed muffins.

I don’t have buttermilk. What can I use instead?

Substitute the buttermilk with milk. Whisk together ¼ cup whole milk with the 1 teaspoon lemon juice and ¼ teaspoon lemon oil in a small liquid measuring cup. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken, then use as directed in the recipe. Although you can technically use non-fat or skim milk, I don’t recommend it. These non- and low-fat versions will lead to less flavorful baked goods.

That being said, this variation alters the flavor of the lemon poppy seed muffins. The muffins won’t be as tender, soft, and fluffy.

So alternatively, you can also make your own buttermilk with yogurt. I learned this neat trick from my friend Izy at Top with Cinnamon. She thins out ½ cup natural, unsweetened, and unflavored yogurt with ¼ cup water to use in place of buttermilk. She says that you can also use a thicker yogurt (like Greek yogurt), but you’ll likely need to use more water to get it to the consistency of buttermilk. Similar to my note above, use whole yogurt if possible. Non- and low-fat yogurts will result in less flavorful baked goods.

Can I use powdered buttermilk?

Yes! Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make ¼ cup buttermilk. Use as directed in the recipe.

Lemon Oil OR Extract

You need ¼ teaspoon lemon oil OR extract to make these small batch lemon poppy seed muffins.

Wait, what’s lemon oil?

In a fancy gourmet ingredient shop, you’ll see bottles of lemon oil alongside bottles of lemon extract. Here’s the difference between the two: extracts are made by extracting the flavor of the source ingredient into alcohol. For instance, manufacturers typically make vanilla extract by steeping vanilla beans in alcohol for an extended period of time. Similarly, manufacturers sometimes make lemon extract by steeping lemon rinds in alcohol. More likely, however, manufacturers artificially recreate lemon flavor for extract in a food lab.

On the other hand, manufacturers make flavoring oils by squeezing essential oils from the ingredient itself. That means that lemon oil is actually made from oils squeezed out of lemon rinds and zest. As a result, lemon oil is much more concentrated and intense than lemon extract. Its flavor is much purer and clearer, without any of the sharp alcohol taste you can sometimes get from extract.

You can learn more about the differences between flavoring extracts and oils in this Kitchn article.

That sounds great! Now where do I get lemon oil?

You can sometimes buy lemon oil in fancy grocery stores like Whole Foods, as well as specialty herb and spice shops. However, lemon oil is also readily available online. I use Boyajian Pure Lemon Oil, which you can buy through Amazon or King Arthur Baking Company.

At the end of the day, lemon extract is more accessible than lemon oil. So if you don’t want to source lemon oil, rest assured that these lemon poppy seed muffins are plenty tasty with lemon extract. You can find lemon extract in the baking aisle of any major supermarket, typically in the same section as the vanilla extract.

I don’t have either lemon oil OR lemon extract. What can I use instead?

Hm… are you sure you want to make LEMON poppy seed muffins? Because sure, in a pinch, you can omit lemon oil or extract from the recipe. However, I don’t recommend it. The truth is that lemon zest and juice can only take you so far. These muffins won’t be especially lemony or flavorful without either lemon oil or extract. Furthermore, you’ll end up with even worse muffins if you skipped the zest and used shelf-stable lemon juice. Sometimes it’s worth it to go to the grocery store… 😜

lemon poppy seed muffins

How To Make Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Here are the basic steps to make this small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe from scratch:

  1. Prep all the ingredients for the lemon poppy seed muffins. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
    To make the best muffins, it’s important to pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe. That means bringing the buttermilk, butter, egg, and lemons and poppy seeds (if refrigerated) down to room temperature. Using cold ingredients will lead to muffins that won’t rise and dome as well as mine. 

  2. Make the lemon poppy seed muffin batter. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    Thankfully, the lemon poppy seed muffin batter comes together in just 10 minutes. Simply cream together the butter, sugar, and egg, then add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in two parts, followed by the poppy seeds.

  3. Assemble the lemon poppy seed muffins. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    One of the secrets to super tall and domed muffins is to fill up each cavity in the muffin pan with a generous amount of batter. Using the right tools—like this 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop—will make the job go by quicker and faster. Be sure to check out the baker’s notes for links to my favorite batter scooping tools! Sprinkle the lemon poppy seed muffins with both granulated sugar and extra poppy seeds to finish.

  4. Bake the lemon poppy seed muffins. (Bake Time: 20 to 22 minutes)
    This small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe bakes for 20 to 22 minutes. Note that if you’ve replaced part of the all-purpose flour partially with an alternative flour, you may need to adjust Bake Time. Check out the ingredients section above for more specifics!
lemon poppy seed muffins

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

FAQ: What Equipment Do I Need?

Why don’t you use muffin liners for this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe? Can I use muffin liners for this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe?

I tested this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe several times. One of those trial runs included following convention and baking the muffins in paper liners. The muffins baked in the paper liners never rose as tall as the unlined muffins. Instead, their tops spread more and baked up flatter. Even worse, turning out the muffins from the pan was a low-key nightmare. It was far too easy to “decapitate” the muffins. The muffin tops would come out of the pan easily, while the bottoms stayed in the pan. So please trust the recipe and skip the paper liners!

Can I use a cupcake pan instead of a muffin pan for this small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe?

Errr… I thought they were the same thing. Wait, are they not? In any case, I use this muffin pan any time I bake either muffins OR cupcakes. If your cupcake pan is similar, you should have no problems!

Can I use a silicone muffin pan for this small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe?

Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. A big part of the reason why these muffins get so tall has to do with the metal pan that the muffins are baked in. Metal conducts heat evenly and efficiently, encouraging the rising and the browning that gives these muffins their signature look.

Silicone, on the other hand, can insulate heat. If you bake these muffins in a silicone pan, you’ll end up with some tasty muffins, but ones that are on the shorter and lighter side. You can read more about the pros and cons of silicone pans in this Fine Cooking article, along with this Serious Eats article that discusses how different types of muffin pans affect the same muffin recipe.

FAQ: Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe Technique

How do I make a regular-sized batch of these lemon poppy seed muffins?

Easy! Simply triple the ingredient amounts below to make a regular-sized batch of 12 muffins. And instead of filling the remaining empty cavities of the muffin pan with water, simply fill them with 5 Tablespoons of muffin batter each. You’ll need to add the eggs to the batter one by one, but aside from that, there’s no need to change anything else in the recipe. Bake Time will remain at around 20 minutes.

The best part? If doing basic math sounds too hard, I already did it for ya. Simply head to the recipe below and keep scrolling down. I’ve included a “variation” for a regular-sized batch of these lemon poppy seed muffins. I list all the ingredient quantities you need. There’s no need to do any calculations yourself!

Help! My lemon poppy seed muffins don’t look as tall and domed as yours. What did I do wrong?

Okay, first things first. Did you see my note in the section above and in the baker’s tips below about why it’s important to use room temperature ingredients? If you used cold buttermilk and eggs, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine.

Next—did you follow the recipe’s instructions to fill each muffin cavity with 5 Tablespoons of batter? It’s scary, I know! It seems like there’s too much batter and that the muffins will overflow. But trust the recipe! Overfilling each muffin cavity is the secret to super tall and domed muffins.

Help! The sugar topping on the lemon poppy seed muffins didn’t melt completely. There was still some sugar left on the muffin tops. What did I do wrong?

Absolutely nothing! This small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe is designed to leave granulated sugar on the muffin tops. I learned this technique from when I was recreating Levain Bakery’s famous blueberry muffins at home. All that unmelted sugar gives the muffins a wonderful, sugary, crunchy texture.

FAQ: Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Storage

How to Store Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

The muffins are best on the day that they’re made, but can be individually wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively, if you want to reduce your use of single-use plastic, invest in a cake dome! Store the muffins on a plate underneath the cake dome for up to 2 days.

Can I refrigerate the unbaked lemon poppy seed muffin batter to save it for for baking later?

Yes, with reservations. You can refrigerate the unbaked lemon poppy seed muffin batter for up to 36 hours. You can refrigerate the muffin batter all together in its bowl, OR divided into muffins in the muffin pan. I recommend covering both with plastic wrap until ready to bake.

That being said, I don’t particularly recommend doing so. Why? Cold lemon poppy seed muffin batter never bakes up as tall and domed as room temperature muffin batter. You may also need to add a few extra minutes of Bake Time to the recipe when working with cold batter. To avoid these issues, you can bring the lemon poppy seed muffin batter back down to room temperature before baking.

Can you freeze the baked lemon poppy seed muffins?

Yes, but with reservations. You can freeze any leftover muffins by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator the night before you’re planning on eating the muffin. Rewarm in the microwave or the oven before serving.

However, in general, I don’t recommend freezing the lemon poppy seed muffins. Once frozen and thawed, the muffins will no longer have their crispy muffin tops.

Best Recipe Tips

Ingredient Tip

  • Pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe (please don’t miss this—they’re even written in bold). The secret to super tall and domed muffin tops starts with your ingredients. If any of them are colder than room temperature, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine did.

Equipment Tip

  • This recipe instructs you to fill your muffin tin with a generous portion of batter (5 Tablespoons per cavity). The batter is fairly thick, so it will keep its shape before and during baking, resulting in sky-high domes. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each cavity evenly and efficiently with the right amount of batter.

Technique Tip

  • Once you’ve filled four cavities with muffin batter, scrape your mixer bowl down SUPER well with a stiff rubber spatula. Doing so will result in 1 additional tablespoon of lemon poppy seed muffin batter. Divide this additional batter evenly between the four muffins to get EXTRA tall muffin tops!

Video Tutorial

Use the video player below to watch my Instagram Story tutorial on how to make these small batch lemon poppy seed muffins! The arrows to the left and right of the frame allow you to skip through the different recipe steps. You can also hit the “pause” or “enlarge” buttons on the upper right hand side of the frame to pause or enlarge the frames accordingly.


Alternatively, head to my Instagram profile to watch these Stories on mobile! The circles underneath my bio indicate saved Instagram Story highlights for various recipes. Click on one of the circles to play the video tutorial for the recipe. You may need to swipe left or right to find this lemon poppy seed muffins recipe.

Get the Recipe: Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • 1 and ¼ cups (5.65 ounces or 160 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) granulated sugar
  • fresh zest from 1 small or medium lemon
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces or 57 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon oil OR extract
  • 4 Tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Assembly

  • canola or vegetable oil cooking spray
  • 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • poppy seeds, for garnish

Equipment

  • a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop

Instructions
 

For the Small Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • Prep your oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a muffin pan by spraying 4 cavities with cooking spray. If you're using a standard muffin pan, position the pan so that its short side faces you. Then, prep the pan by spraying down one column of the cavities with cooking spray. Pour water into the remaining cavities, filling them at least ⅔-rds of the way full.
  • Prep the ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar—this will infuse the sugar with oils from the zest. In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon oil.
  • Make the muffin batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, lemon zest, and butter. Beat on medium-high until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg.
  • With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two equal parts, adding the second half only when the first half has been just combined. Beat until just combined, then scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on low for an additional 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the buttermilk mixture in a steady stream down the side of the bowl and beat until just combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then add the poppy seeds all at once. Beat on low until just combined.
  • Assemble the muffins. Use a 1-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each prepped cavity with 5 Tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle the top of each muffin, aiming for the batter and avoiding the pan, with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Garnish with poppy seeds.
  • Bake the muffins. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins are domed and golden brown around the edges. A skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with few crumbs attached. Cool the muffins in their muffin tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn the muffins out onto the rack. Turn out the muffins by gently pinching an individual muffin around the base of its muffin top and lifting it out of the pan.
  • Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Notes

  • Pay attention to the temperatures of the ingredients as they are listed in the recipe (please don’t miss this—they’re even written in bold). The secret to super tall and domed muffin tops starts with your ingredients. If any of them are colder than room temperature, your muffins won’t rise and dome as well as mine did.
  • This recipe instructs you to fill your muffin tin with a generous portion of batter (5 Tablespoons per cavity). The batter is fairly thick, so it will keep its shape before and during baking, resulting in sky-high domes. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each cavity evenly and efficiently with the right amount of batter.
  • Once you’ve filled four cavities with muffin batter, scrape your mixer bowl down SUPER well with a stiff rubber spatula. Doing so will result in 1 additional tablespoon of lemon poppy seed muffin batter. Divide this additional batter evenly between the four muffins to get EXTRA tall muffin tops!
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!

Variation: Regular-Sized Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

So you made the small batch lemon poppy seed muffin recipe above and loved them SO much. Now, you want to share a muffin with 12 of your closest friends. What do you do?! Well, instead of baking the small batch lemon poppy seed recipe three times, simply make the regular-sized version of the recipe! The recipe below is for a regular-sized batch of lemon poppy seed muffins. The quantities will yield 12 lemon poppy seed muffins.

Regular-Sized Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Ingredients

For the Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

  • 3 ¾ cups (16.85 ounces or 478 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) granulated sugar
  • fresh zest from 2 large or 3 medium lemons
  • ¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¾ teaspoon lemon oil OR extract
  • ¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoons poppy seeds

Assembly

  • canola or vegetable oil cooking spray
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

Regular-Sized Batch Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe Instructions

Follow the recipe instructions for prepping the oven and muffin pan. However, instead of spraying only 4 of the muffin pan cavities with cooking spray, spray all 12 cavities. Proceed with the recipe instructions for combining the flour, baking powder, and salt; granulated sugar and lemon zest; and buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon oil. Beat the sugar, lemon zest, and butter as instructed in the recipe. Then, add the eggs, one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one is fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients as instructed in the recipe.

Divide the lemon poppy seed muffin batter between the 12 prepped cavities, filling each cavity with 5 Tablespoons of batter as instructed in the recipe. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar from the ¼ cup granulated sugar for assembly. Garnish with poppy seeds. Bake and serve as instructed in the recipe.

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Michelle holding Weeknight Baking cookbook covering her face.

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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.