This is the best easy recipe for healthy lemon poppy seed muffins with lemon glaze. Made with gluten free oat flour, Greek yogurt, maple syrup makes these bakery style muffins moist and fluffy!
I'll never forget when my mom used to bring home the plastic cartons of mini lemon poppy seed muffins from our local grocery store once a month. She would rotate between all different flavors, like blueberry, apple cinnamon, banana walnut, and of course, my favorite lemon poppy seed.
And as funny as it is, I was never a lemon loving girl. I almost always preferred something chocolate-y or with peanut butter, but if those muffins were an option, I was picking them.
If you are a huge lemon lover, you should also bake my Lemon Ricotta Cookies next.
I remember one time in specific I was a little too aggressive and decided to each the tops off of each one, leaving only the base of the muffins left. My mom wasn't too thrilled.
So now here I am twenty years later, making my own healthy version of my favorite lemon poppy seed muffins!
A healthy lemon poppy seed muffin that is filled with nutrient dense wholesome ingredients made from real food. One that still tastes delicious without sacrificing flavor just because it is made healthy. Ain't nobody got time for that!
My favorite way to eat them? Warmed up in the microwave or crumbled on top of a Greek yogurt bowl. Yum.
What are the main ingredients in healthy lemon poppy seed muffins?
Oat flour - provides a soft, fluffy texture for muffins. It is absorbent and light in color. I used a gluten free variety of oat flour to ensure that these muffins were gluten free
Greek yogurt - adds the perfect moisture content! Use a Greek yogurt with a little bit of fat in it, it really makes the difference in a higher moisture content.
Maple syrup - one of my favorite natural sweeteners, maple syrup could easily be swapped with honey or agave.
Coconut oil - my favorite oil for baking! Recently have been using refined coconut oil in order to remain completely flavorless and not leave behind a coconutty taste.
Eggs - Help provide some structure to these muffins. Haven't tried with flax egg but if you do, be sure to let me know!
and lots of fresh lemon for that delicious lemon flavor!
How to make healthy lemon poppy seed muffins with lemon glaze:
They are actually quite easy to make and you can prepare the glaze while you are waiting for the muffins to cool, and then in less than an hour you will have beautiful muffins all ready for eating!
You just need to combine your dry ingredients like oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then in a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients like eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to wet, and stir till well combined. Then add in the lemon zest and the poppy seeds and pop them into a lined or greased muffin tin and bake!
While the muffins are baking, prepare the lemon glaze for on top.
In a bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. If you want it a little thinner or a little bit thicker, adjust to your liking.
Once the muffins have completely cooled, dunk them in the glaze or spoon a little bit right on top. I topped mine with additional lemon slices and poppy seeds for garnish.
What's the best way to store lemon poppy seed muffins?
Since there is Greek yogurt in the icing, I stored mine in the fridge in a Tupperware container with a lid. When I wanted to eat one in the morning, I would pop it out and let it sit for about 15 minutes to get to room temperature! Or you can microwave it.
These muffins will also freeze well, so you can do that by putting them in a ziplock bag and freezing for up to six months!
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!
If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!
Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with liners or spray.
- In a small bowl, mix together oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add in maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla. Then add in yogurt.
- Fold in wet ingredients to dry until well combined, then stir in lemon zest and poppy seeds.
- Fill muffin tins ¾ full and bake in oven for 15-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- While baking, make glaze by whisking Greek yogurt, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice together.
- Once muffins are completely cool, dip them in the glaze or drizzle on top.
- Store in fridge and enjoy in 5 days or freeze for later!
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Jessica Harold says
Loved by my family!
Erin says
Hi Jessica, so happy they were a hit!!
Cheryl Dunn says
Sooo good!! Yours are prettier but they worked out!
Erin says
Hi Cheryl, so happy you loved them!!
Steph says
Just made these tonight but in mini size. They came out really well but I feel like mine could’ve tasted more lemony. I didn’t have a zester and a cheese grater took forever so I peeled the rind of the lemon and tried to chop into fine pieces. I’m wondering if that contributed to maybe an uneven distribution of lemon flavor. Overall they were delicious and would definitely make them again.
Erin says
Hi Steph, so happy you loved them and made them your own!
Sarah Stamile says
Hey! Did you have to adjust the time to make them mini?
Erin says
Hi Sarah, yes, I would try 10-14 minutes at first and once a toothpick inserted comes out clean you should be good!! Let me know how your mini muffins come out!
Rebecca A. says
My sister was diagnosed with celiac this year and so I made these in an attempt to find her some good recipes. BLOWN AWAY!! Erin did it again. This is a bomb recipe I may never make another muffin again!
Erin says
Hi Rebecca, so happy they were a hit and yes, lots of GF recipes on my site for you her to make!! 🙂
Tammy R. says
Oh, these are delicious! We are not gluten free, but being more conscious of eating more whole grains. I made oat flour from old fashioned oats; it couldn't be more simple. I loved the added protein of the nonfat Greek yogurt I used. I can see these would freeze beautifully, but they didn't last long enough to get to the freezer. My picky 12 year old devoured these. I am hoping to more this weekend. Thanks!
Erin says
Hi Tammy, so happy they were such a hit and great addition! 🙂
Charlotte says
Good taste but sooo dry and forms a paste in your mouth. However, I did use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. Also, I would definitely do a few flours—not just oat flour.
Erin says
Hi Charlotte, I'm sorry that you did not like the recipe! I've heard tons of good things about this one, bummed it didn't work out for you.
Sophie says
Loved 'em! However, I used honey instead of maple syrup, chia seeds instead of poppy seeds, and..... wait for it.... COMPLETELY forgot to add yogurt..... um. So yeah. They still tasted absolutely bakery-worthy, although I only got 10 muffins instead of 12. I made them again with greek yogurt, and I've got to say, I like the non-greek yogurt one better. It's fluffier and has a more tender texture (the greek yogurt one is pretty dense.)
Erin says
Hi Sophie, so happy you loved them so much!!
Cathy says
Are the poppy seeds dry seeds?
Erin says
Hi Cathy, yes they're dry! Let me know how your muffins come out!
Aaron says
I cannot eat any dairy. Is there a substitute for the Greek yogurt like applesauce that I could use instead?
Erin says
Hi Aaron, I would try dairy free yogurt. Let me know how they come out!
Melissa says
I have used extra creamy oat milk in its place and it was great!
Bre says
Loved it! So yummy with oat flour!
Could I also make this will regular AP flour?
Erin says
Hi Bre, so glad you loved it and you could try! Just check the ratio. Let me know how they come out!
Bre says
Love love love this recipe!! I would like to use it to make a bundt cake for easter, do you think doubling the recipe would be sufficient?
Erin says
Hi Bre, so glad you love it and that should work! Let me know how it comes out!!
Ciara says
Absolutely love love this recipe. I have been looking for this exact bun! However, just for yourself it’s very hard to find on the internet. When I first discovered it I never saved it and had to really search to find it again. I found it in google images!
Thank you so much! <3
Erin says
Hi Ciara, so glad you found it and loved the muffins!
Jade says
I made these and mine were also too dense. I didn't stir them too much. Is there a different gf flour that would make them lighter? If I want to add more lemon and poppy seeds would I need to adjust anything else?
Emma says
I made this as a loaf instead of muffins, it was very good, but would crumble and fall apart when cutting into it. not sure what I did wrong, or what to add to help it hold together better.
It's super tasty though and I'll definitely try making it again
Angie says
Oh em gee! Made these lemon muffins today since I was craving a lemon flavored dessert. So good! I used olive oil and it turned out great. I only had non-fat yogurt on hand so I used a heaping 1/3 cup of olive oil to somewhat combat for the fat loss from the yogurt. I didn’t make the glaze because I didn’t want to include so much sugar, but WOW! You don’t even need it, it’s so perfectly moist and delicious. Thanks! God bless
Erin says
Hi Angie, I am so happy you loved the muffins and made them your own!! 🙂
Beatrice! says
Can you use regular flour instead of oat?
Erin says
Hi Beatrice, yes that should work! Just check the flour ratio first. Let me know how they come out!
krista says
OMG these are AMAZING! First time ever making muffins and was a little intimidated, but they were so easy and turned out PERFECT - so moist and fluffy! I cannot wait to make more ELW muffin recipes!
Erin says
Hi Krista, so glad you loved them! Thanks for your kind words!!
Amy says
I made this with 1 cup almond flour and 1 1/4 cup gf all purpose flour. I also made it as a loaf and baked at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Didn’t have to cover it or anything! It turned out soooo good and amazing. I didn’t have quite enough zest so I just put a little more lemon juice in and it was still really tasty.
Erin says
Hi Amy, so glad you enjoyed them and made it as a loaf!