Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Eggless, GF Option)

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Delicious and moist vegan lemon poppy seed muffins that can be made just vegan OR vegan and gluten-free, instructions for both ways are included. Plus, you can make them extra special by making a lemony glaze for them or you can just enjoy them plain, they’re delicious either way!

A vegan lemon poppy seed muffin on a white plate with the paper wrapper peeled off.

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If you've browsed around my website a little, it will be clear, pretty quickly, that muffins are a staple around here! (you can see all of my muffin recipes by clicking here)

I've wanted to share a vegan lemon poppy seed muffin recipe for a while but I had a hard time getting the base of the recipe right.

I always mention that vegan gluten free baking can be tricky if you're new to it. Actually, it can be tricky for anyone! I've been doing it for years, but I still get tripped up at times.

Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!

So after another failed attempt with this recipe, I went back to my strawberry muffin recipe and used that as a guide. I made a few changes and happily, it just took a few tests to come up with the recipe I'm finally sharing with you today. So let's get into the details so you can make them, too!

Table of Contents hide

1 Ingredients You'll Need

2 How to Make Them

3 What's the Texture Like?

4 To Glaze? Or Not to Glaze?

5 Recipe FAQ

6 Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients You'll Need

As with all of my other muffin recipes, the ingredients are minimal and simple. If you keep your pantry stocked well, you likely have all the ingredients to make this recipe, right now!

To make vegan gluten free lemon poppy seed muffins, you'll need gluten-free flour, (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour (the one in the red package, not the blue). (NOTE: This recipe can also be made with all purpose wheat flour, see the FAQ and recipe instructions below)

You'll also need unsweetened applesauce, flax eggs, poppy seeds, lemon juice, lemon zest, and a few other muffin ingredient staples.

Overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make glutenfree lemon poppy seed muffins.

How to Make Them

(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)

The first step towards making these delicious vegan lemon poppy seed muffins is to make the flax eggs. Once made, set aside to thicken.

Next, mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. Then add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix well.

After that, fold in the poppy seeds and you're now ready to scoop the batter into your muffin pan.

Two images, image on left shows poppy seeds being added to batter, image on right shows batter with poppy seeds mixed in.

I like to use a scoop for dividing the batter, this is the one I have (you can see it in the picture below). It’s actually an ice cream scoop but it doubles perfectly as a muffin scoop.

The vegan gluten-free version of these muffins can over bake in the blink of an eye which causes them to dry out.

I learned this the hard way when testing the recipe when I baked a couple of batches for a few minutes longer than what was needed, so be sure to keep an eye on them as they come close to the end of their baking time.

Muffin batter being poured by a scoop into a muffin cup that is in a muffin pan.

Once the muffins are done, remove them from the oven and then place each of them n a cooling rack.

You'll then have 12 of the most delicious gluten free lemon poppy seed muffins waiting to be devoured.

A muffin sitting on a small white plate.

What's the Texture Like?

These vegan lemon poppyseed muffins are soft, fluffy, light, moist, and perfect. Have a look below to get a visual of what they look like inside.

And when you bite into one, you'll get a burst of bright lemon flavour, thanks to the fresh lemon juice and the lemon zest, and you'll also get little pops of crunch from the poppy seeds.

A split lemon poppy seed muffin on a plate showing the inner fluffy texture.

To Glaze? Or Not to Glaze?

Many lemon poppy seed muffins include a glaze, so I've included steps on how to make vegan lemon drizzle for these muffins, just in case you want to make them a little extra special.

If you do choose to add a glaze, make sure your muffins are almost cooled, a muffin that is still too warm will soak in all of the glaze and it won't remain on top. They'll still taste good, they just may not look the best.

To avoid that, add the glaze when they've almost fully cooled and right before serving, to avoid any mishaps.

(And if the glaze isn't your thing, how about topping them with a little vegan lemon curd?)

Lemon glaze being drizzled with a spoon onto a muffin.

Recipe FAQ

Can a Different Flour Be Used?

Yes! This recipe was also tested with wheat flour (all-purpose white flour) and the results were great, they just need to be baked a few minutes longer than the vegan gluten free version, all the details are below in the full recipe.

How Should They Be Stored?

Once they've cooled, store them in an airtight container, at room temperature. They will keep for about two days.

I find that the things I bake with gluten-free flour blends start to stiffen up as if they're stale, the day after being made. They're not stale, it's just the nature of the gluten free flour blend. If this happens, a quick few seconds in the microwave will bring them right back to the same delicious freshness from day one.

Can You Freeze These Muffins?

Yes! Once they've fully cooled, wrap them up tightly so they’re airtight, place in a container or freezer bag and freeze. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.

Can They Be Made In a Mini Muffin Pan?

Yes, you’ll need to bake them for less time, though. They will finish in about 7-9 minutes.

Can the Batter Be Made In Advance to Bake Later?

No, because the baking powder and baking soda will become inactive and your muffins will end up flat and gummy. What you can do is combine all the dry ingredients in advance and store it in an airtight container. When ready, mix the wet ingredients together, add it to the dry ingredients, fold in the poppy seeds and you’ll be all set!

Can a Different Oil Be Used or Can the Oil be Substituted with Something Else?

Any neutral flavoured oil can be used for this recipe. I have not tried making this recipe oil-free, however, so I can't say whether substituting it with another ingredient, such as applesauce, will work out well.

Can a Different Sweetener Be Used?

I use organic cane sugar for this recipe because I wanted to keep the colour of the muffins light, but you can substitute with my regular go-to, coconut sugar, and still get a perfect result, the only difference will be that your muffins will be darker in colour. I would stay away from a liquid sweetener since major modifications will need to be made to the rest of the recipe to account for the extra moisture it would add.

Overhead shot of a muffin pan filled with frehsly baked lemon poppy seed muffins.

If You Make This Recipe...

Please let me know! You can do so by leaving a comment and star rating below or you can also share a pic of your vegan lemon poppy seed muffins with me on Instagram, just be sure to tag me so I can see your pic, I'm @delightfuladventures on IG.

If You Like This Recipe...

You may also like these other simple vegan muffin recipes (and you can find ALL of my muffin recipes here --> Vegan Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes):

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)