Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

This is an easy muffin recipe that combines some of my favorite flavors and ingredients: lemon, poppy seeds and Greek yogurt. Thanks to the Greek yogurt, each muffin has four grams of protein. By adding the extra step of a homemade lemon glaze, you’re making muffins that everyone will swear came from a high-end bakery.

Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Glaze

I like to bake these lemon poppy seed muffins in bulk and store extras in the freezer. Then in the morning when I want something sweet for breakfast or a snack with my afternoon cup of coffee, I’ll grab one and heat it up in the toaster oven. Because of the glaze, make sure you put down a piece of aluminum foil or the toaster oven’s baking sheet. It will heat up and start to drip and you don’t want to end up starting a fire or making your kitchen really smoky.

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients listed here are for making the muffin batter. However, I’ve broken out the two ingredients for the glaze in their own section. That’s because there is some overlap and I didn’t want to confuse you.

For the Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 zest of lemons
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat) at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk at room temperature

For the Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the granulated sugar until it becomes fragrant and slightly moist. This is the basics of making a flavored sugar.
4. Add the eggs to the lemon-sugar mixture, whisking until smooth. Mix in the Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract until well combined.
5. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Avoid overmixing to prevent tough muffins.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
7. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. While the muffins cool, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice until smooth. If you want a thinner consistency for your glaze, add an additional tablespoon of lemon juice.
10. Once the muffins have cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze over the tops using a spoon. Let set and enjoy.

Notes

You can easily swap other citrus fruits for the lemons in this lemon poppy seed muffin recipe. For instance, you could use orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice to make an orange version. Or use lime zest and lime juice instead of lemons.

Avoid overmixing the batter when combining the wet and dry ingredients. An overmixed batter results in tough muffins.