Fluffy, sweet and bursting with citrus flavor, these gluten free lemon poppy seed muffins make a perfect snack or on the go breakfast. And they’re gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free so you can feel good about treating yourself!
Lemon poppy seed muffins are a classic – that slight tartness from the lemon zest, the tiny bit of crunch from the poppy seeds and the ultra soft interior. They’re a muffin recipe you’ll get asked for over and over again.
This recipe takes everything you love about light muffins and adds a kick of citrus. They’re definitely not a dense and hearty muffin that you’d find in say these blueberry oatmeal muffins. I compare them to something like a muffin-cupcake. But without the super sweetness. Incredibly light and tender, and with no refined sugars!
The recipe is dairy free and refined sugar free as written, but if you’d like to use dairy products or other substitutes, see the ‘Substitutes’ section below.
Love muffins? Enjoy these other delicious muffin recipes:
- Gluten Free Carrot Muffins
- Gluten Free Apple Muffins
- Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
What do I need to Make These Muffins?
The bright, refreshing flavor of the muffins comes from the healthy dose of lemon zest. Other than that star ingredient, you’ll need these ingredients:
Almond milk – use the unsweetened variety of almond milk
Poppy seeds
Gluten free flour mix – find the recipe for the flour mix here: How to Make Gluten-Free-Bread's Flour Mix
Almond flour – the Nuts.com brand is the one used in the recipe
Baking powder – be sure it states gluten free, not all baking powder is!
Xanthan gum – Bob’s Red Mill is the brand used here
Salt
Plant based butter – the one used in the recipe is Country Crock with Almond Oil
Swerve brown sugar – find it at most grocery stores or order it online here: Swerve brown sugar
Eggs – use large eggs in the recipe
Vanilla extract – make sure it’s pure vanilla extract, not vanilla flavor or imitation vanilla extract
Substitutions in the Recipe
The recipe is gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free as written. But you can easily make substitutions for cow’s milk or granulated sugar. Cow’s milk is a one-for-one swap for almond milk, as is the butter – regular butter can be swapped for the plant based with no other modifications. And instead of the Swerve brown sugar, regular brown sugar would be the way to go.
Substituting the flours is a bit more challenging… the recipe has not been tested with another gluten free flour mix, other than the one we make here. That’s not to say another one won’t work, it just hasn’t been tested. And for the almond flour - as long as you have the same weigh in almond flour, it should work great.
What’s the best way to store these muffins?
After the muffins have cooled completely, store them in a plastic zipper bag on the counter for up to 2 days. After 2 days, seal the bag well and place it in the freezer for longer storage.
How to Make Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
The ingredients
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Let the eggs sit in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature.
Milk-poppy seed mix
Prep the poppy seeds by letting them soak in the milk for about 5 minutes before adding them to the batter.
Dry ingredients
Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. These will be added alternately with the milk-poppy seed mixture to the butter.
Cream the butter
If you’ve never used plant-based butter, it’s worth trying it out. It bakes, cooks and tastes just like butter so it’s quite a nice find. It'll get nice and creamy when beaten with the brown sugar.
Add the eggs
-
- Mixing gradually
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- After all eggs are added
The eggs are added one at a time to the batter. Add an egg, then mix it well. Then add another and mix again. The final egg should leave the batter a bit smoother than when you first started.
Alternate the ingredients
Starting with the dry ingredients… Add 2 heaping spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the creamed butter in the stand mixer. Mix it until combined. Then stop the machine and add about ⅓ of the milk mixture and mix it well. Then add 2 more spoonfuls of dry ingredients and mix again. Do the same thing until everything is completely mixed.
Stir in lemon zest
Once the batter is ready, use a sturdy spoon and stir in the lemon zest and vanilla. It should only take a few stirs.
Bake and enjoy
Use either a muffin scoop or a large spoon to fill the muffin tin to the top of each cup. The baking time may vary a little, but should be very close to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and then enjoy!
Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins {Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free}
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup poppy seeds
- 179 g. gluten free flour mix about 1 ⅓ cup
- 25 g. almond flour about ¼ cup
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 stick dairy free butter softened
- ½ cup + 3 Tbsp. packed Swerve brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- grated zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or place paper muffin liners in a 12-count muffin pan.
- In a 1 cup measuring cup or small bowl, warm the milk to 80 F. Add the poppy seeds to the milk. Let cool until just slightly warm.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the gluten free flour mix, almond flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until well blended. Add the Swerve brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Beating well after each addition.
- Start combining ingredients… Starting with the dry ingredients – add 2 heaping spoonfuls of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until blended.
- Add ⅓ of the milk-poppy seeds and mix again. Add another 2 heaping spoonfuls of dry ingredients and mix again. Continue alternating with the milk-poppy seed mixture until fully mixed.
- After those are mixed in, stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until they test done with the toothpick test; the top should spring back when pressed gently.
Notes
- Cream the butter and sugar first before adding the eggs.
- Alternate the milk-poppy seed mixture with the flour mixture.
- Portion each muffin cup with batter.
- Recipe is dairy free and refined sugar free as written, but can be made with dairy and sugar with no other modifications.
Nutrition
Recipe originally published 2/28/2013. Updated 3/19/2020 with updated pictures and better directions.
Next check out these delicious gluten free recipes:
- Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Gum Free Dinner Rolls
- Hearty Gluten Free Dairy Free Brown Bread
- Say Hello to Gluten Free Pigs in a Blanket
- Best Ever Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
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