These dairy free lemon poppy seed muffins are bright, zesty and just like a bakery muffin with golden, crunchy tops and a sweet lemon glaze. They’re soft and cake-like, with a satisfying crunch from the poppy seeds. Enjoy these as an easy breakfast or sweet treat alongside and a cup of tea or coffee.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ these are so fantastic. they’re not only easy to make but also delicious. i follow a dairy free and soy free diet, so i use almond milk each time, and i think these are better than any other muffin I’ve made from scratch! – sarah
Lemon is one of my all time favourite flavours, and lemon and poppy seed together is iconic. I just love the fresh, tart flavour of lemon so much that I might even claim that I like a lemon cake more than a chocolate one!
These classic lemon poppy seed muffins are my favourite style of muffins. Just like my dairy free blueberry muffins, they are soft and almost cake-like. Just like you’d get from a bakery and enjoy a treat alongside a cup of tea or coffee.
They have that golden, crunchy top, that is 100% the best part of a muffin, and are finished off with a sweet lemon glaze which is optional but definitely recommended!
If you love this flavour as much as I do, then you absolutely must try my lemon poppy seed cake (it’s my mum’s favourite!) and lemon poppy seed cookies.
Key Ingredients
You don’t need anything fancy for these dairy free lemon poppy seed muffins, just a few every day pantry staples.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Egg – binds the muffins so they aren’t too crumbly and helps keep them light.
- Vanilla – for the best flavour make sure to use vanilla extract rather than vanilla essence.
- Canola oil – keeps the muffins tender and moist. You can use any light tasting oil including coconut oil in these muffins.
- White sugar – for sweetness.
- Lemon – we’re using both the zest and juice to make sure these muffins are filled with lemon flavour.
- Poppy seeds – give the muffins crunch and a slight nutty flavour. If you’d prefer to leave them out (or don’t have any), you can and you’ll be left with a simple lemon muffin instead.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour in the US.
- Baking powder – gives the muffins lift and rise so they are soft and light.
- Dairy free milk – you can use any dairy free milk you like such as almond milk, soy milk or oat milk.
You’ll Also Love: Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and vanilla, then add the sugar and whisk until smooth.
Step 2: Add the lemon juice, zest and poppy seeds and mix through until combined.
Step 3: Add the flour, baking powder and salt and slowly mix in with a whisk. Add the dairy free milk a little at a time until a thick batter forms, then stop mixing as soon as it comes together so you don’t overmix. The batter will be very thick.
Step 4: Spoon the batter evenly into the pan, filling each cup almost to the top. This helps the tops puff up above the pan for that crunchy muffin top.
Step 5: Bake for 5 minutes at 220°C/425°F, then, without opening the oven door, turn the heat down to 180°C/350°F and bake for a further 15 minutes, until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.
Step 6: Make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar into the lemon juice a little at a time, until it’s thick but still drizzly. Drizzle over the cooled muffins and let it set before storing.
👉 Don’t open the oven door! The secret to those crunchy, bakery style domed tops is the heat. Starting at a high 220°C/425°F makes the muffins rise quickly, then dropping to 180°C/350°F bakes them through without burning.
Storage Instructions
These are at their best freshly baked, but they keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, they freeze really well. Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months, then defrost on the counter until room temperature.
To serve, warm one in the microwave for about 10 seconds for that fresh from the oven taste. So good!
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Spoon the batter into a lined mini muffin pan and keep the same high-then-low heat method, but start checking them at around 10 to 12 minutes, since they’ll bake much faster than full size muffins.
Yes. You can swap the plain flour for a good 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend. While I haven’t tested this myself, a reader made these with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 and said the texture was great.
I haven’t tested this so I don’t recommend it as berries add moisture and that may impact the cooking time.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free muffin recipes:
Strawberry and Rhubarb Muffins
Vegan Chocolate Muffins
Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins
Gluten Free Raspberry Muffins
Dairy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 125 ml (½ cup) canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 165 grams (¾ cups) white sugar/granulated sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 300 grams (2 cups) plain flour/all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 125 ml dairy free milk
For the glaze
- 30 grams (¼ cup) icing sugar/powdered sugar approx.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with patty cases/cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 egg, 125 ml canola oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add the 165 grams white sugar/granulated sugar and continue to whisk until combined.
- Add the 60 ml lemon juice, zest of 2 lemons and 2 tablespoons poppy seeds and mix through until incorporated.
- Add the 300 grams plain flour/all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt and slowly mix in with a whisk.
- Slowly add the 125 ml dairy free milk, a little at a time, until a thick batter forms. As soon as the flour and milk are incorporated, stop mixing so you don't overmix. The batter will be very thick.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup almost to the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 220°C/425°F. Then, without opening the oven door, turn the heat down to 180°C/350°F and bake for a further 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly touched. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack before glazing.
- To make the glaze, mix the 30 grams icing sugar/powdered sugar into the 1 tablespoon lemon juice a little at a time until you get a thick consistency that can still be drizzled.
- Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins. Let the glaze set before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This recipe was originally published in June 2020 and has been updated in 2026 with new photos and more helpful information. The recipe remains the same.
Lisa says
These are so good! I only had shortening so I used that instead of oil but they turned out fluffy and delicious but great crispy edged tops. I thought the order of the directions was odd but I followed as written and they turned out great.
Sally says
So glad you enjoyed these muffins Lisa!
Chelsie says
Made these for the first time last night, I struggled getting my muffins to cook thoroughly and had to raise the temp. We also ended up adding blackberries to half and blueberries to half, which may have affected the cook process. They got my husband’s seal of approval though!
Sally says
Hi Chelsie! Yes adding the berries will add additional moisture to the muffins which will impact the cooking time but happy to hear they turned out well!
Jennie says
Any baking time/temperature recommendations for mini muffins, please? Thanks!
Noa says
Very good recipe and tasty!
Sally says
Thanks Noa!
Cali says
Thank you for a great recipe and a clear web page that is so pleasant to visit!
I made these with a homemade GF flour recipe and also with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Flour – the texture was great. I normally use less sugar in recipes, but I found that adding a little more sugar (1/8 – 1/4 c white or coconut sugar) as well as adding lemon extract (2 teaspoons) helped make the flavor and sweetness perfect. It’s possible the lemons I used just didn’t have much flavor as they were a little old.
I loved the tip to get the outside crispy by flash baking it for 5 minutes at a high heat. I have not tried that before. I mistakenly did open the oven and they got a little too crispy on the outside (but still delicious), so I will follow the instructions next time. The gluten free flour might have impacted this too. Also, I am curious if baking them at 350/180 the whole time would make them end up more like the gas station poppy seed muffins (soft and spongy, but cooked through well).
In case anyone if is looking for a versatile Gluten Free flour blend –
GF Flour Blend
1 c coconut flour
1 c tapioca flour
1 c white rice flour (sweet white rice flour is fine)
1 c sorghum flour
1 c corn starch
*Whisk well and ideally store in cool temperatures or fridge
*I sometimes use xanthan gum to help with dryness/etc. depending on what the recipe is. 1/4 teaspoon xanthan per cup of flour in a recipe is a good place to start (source: bob’s red mill)
Sally says
Thank you so much for sharing Cali – so glad you enjoyed the recipe and the website!
Priya says
Hi, can you substitute coconut sugar instead? I know it will change the colour of the muffin and am ok with that.
Sally says
Hi Priya, I personally haven’t tested that so not sure how it would effect the flavour / texture but let me know if you do try it.
Sarah says
These are SO fantastic. They’re not only easy to make but also delicious. I follow a dairy free and soy free diet, so I use almond milk each time for and I think these are better than any other muffin I’ve made from scratch.
Sally says
Thank you so much Sarah, so happy you enjoy these muffins!
Marya says
Pretty good recipe! I think the ratio of lemon to sugar to poppy seeds is spot on. I’m not a huge fan of the texture — I was looking for a recipe that didn’t use butter, because we were out, so if you have the option, I’d recommend using a recipe with butter: it changes the texture for the better, in my opinion. I made this recipe in the form of one cake rather than muffins, though, so it’s likely that that affected the texture and also my subjective preferences for what the texture should be like. The texture in question, by the way, is quite dense but still fairly moist, especially if you take it out of the oven in the earlier part of the range — ironically, the texture I can never get in brownies — so if you’re a fan of that texture, this recipe will work great for you! Thank you, Sally!
Sally says
Thanks Marya, glad you enjoyed the recipe. I have never baked this as a cake myself but the texture you describe sounds like it was due to this. Next time I recommend trying them as muffins and seeing if the result is better for you.
Jennifer Proffitt says
I really REALLY LOVE your recipe! The other day my family ate some lemon poppyseed muffins, they were store bought and picture perfect. I was sad that I was missing out. Until I baked these and found that I had the better deal! They’re soooo delicious! We printed the recipe to use it again! I wanted to cry they were that yummy! I was thinking of all the occasions that they would be good for. They are good for any occasion where you eat them! I will make these muffins again. ❤❤❤❤❤😊
Sally says
Thank you so much Jennifer, so happy to read your comment and hear how much you enjoyed these muffins 🙂
Robyn says
Lemon and poppyseed is such a wonderful combination, and these muffins look so fluffy and delicious. I can’t wait to bake them and bring a little sunshine into the kitchen 🙂
Sylvie says
Lemon and poppy seed is one of my favourite combo ever, especially in muffins! Love that this version is dairy-free too 🙂
Sarah says
Our lemon tree has Heaps of lemons ripening atm so we are going to have an abundance of lemons soon, these look like a fantastic way to use some of them (other than a gin and tonic of course :))
Alex says
I absolutely agree, Sally – classics are classic for a reason, and it can be so fun to enjoy them again. Lemon and poppyseed is a favourite combination of mine – I look forward to making these delicious muffins!