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4.94 from 16 votes

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Easy vegan lemon poppy seed muffins with bakery-style high tops and a luscious lemon glaze! These muffins come together in just 1 bowl with common pantry ingredients.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Servings: 12 muffins
Author: Anthea

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 3 cups (375g) all-purpose plain flour, (note 1 for gluten free)
  • 1 ¼ cup (250g) granulated sugar, (note 2)
  • 2 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, or zest from 2 large lemons
  • 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • Pinch of salt, optional

Wet ingredients

  • 1 cup (250g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
  • ⅔ cup (165g) neutral flavored oil, such as olive oil (note 3)
  • ¼ cup (60g) lemon juice, from approximately 1 large lemon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Topping (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F, note 4). Arrange muffins liners in a muffin pan.

Making the muffin batter:

  • Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix until there are no lumps.
  • Add all of the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix until just combined.
  • Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to divide the mixture into your muffin tin.

Baking the muffins:

  • Optional: sprinkle the flaked almonds on top of your muffins.
  • When you're ready to bake the muffins, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F). Immediately place your muffins in the oven.
  • Bake the muffins for around 22-25 minutes. If you insert a toothpick into a muffin, there shouldn't be any wet batter on it, though some crumbs are fine.
  • Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes then allow them to cool on a wire rack.

Optional: Making the lemon icing

  • Add the powdered sugar and lemon juice to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until combined. The icing should be runny but hold its shape for a few seconds when you drizzle it. To make the icing thicker, add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and mix again. To make the icing thinner, add a few drops of lemon juice and mix again.
  • When the muffins have cooled, drizzle the icing on top.
  • The undecorated vegan lemon muffins can be enjoyed warm. Otherwise enjoy the muffins at room temperature.
  • Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

  1. To make these vegan lemon muffins gluten-free, substitute the plain flour with 1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal and 1 ½ cups (240g) gluten-free all-purpose flour. Some flours such as King Arthur's measure for measure flour may work but I haven't tested it.
  2. This amount of sugar creates moderately sweet muffins, especially when paired with fresh lemon juice. Alternatively, you may use coconut sugar. This will result in darker and less sweet muffins.
  3. You may use melted coconut oil (room temperature) for these muffins. However, coconut oil can solidify when it's cold so will make cakes feel drier than normal. If so, I'd recommend warming up the muffins before you serve them. 
  4. The initial high temperature encourages the muffins to dome higher.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 muffin (without toppings) | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg
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