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These Gluten Free Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins are the perfect summer bake for picnics and lunchboxes. They are light and airy, with a zesty lemon punch and speckles of poppyseeds to make them look and taste fabulous!

A tray of gluten free lemon and poppyseed muffins.
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Zesty and Delicious Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins

A lemon and poppyseed muffin with a bite taken out of it.
  • Why choose this recipe? These gluten free lemon and poppyseed muffins are so light and moist, deliciously zesty, and oh-so-easy to make. They’re super easy to adapt to dairy free too.
  • Top Tip for Getting Tall Muffins: The trick to getting a great rise on gluten free muffins is to bake them on a high heat, before turning the oven down. This gives them an initial quick rise (similar to if you were making something like a gluten free Yorkshire pudding). You then turn down the oven so they don’t dry out or burn before they’re cooked completely.
  • Topping Alternatives: I love smothering these lemon muffins in zesty lemon icing as per the recipe card below, but you could also keep them plain or use a lemon syrup like in my lemon drizzle cake.
  • Love Lemons? If you love this recipe be sure to check out my lemon drizzle cupcakes, gluten free lemon bars or my lemon and blueberry loaf cake next.
Lemon and poppyseed muffins on a pink worktop with one cut in half in the background.

Don’t just take my word for it…

Deborah left ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and said: “Just made these and they are lovely, light and fluffy and great taste. Being new to gluten free I’ve struggled to find recipes for cakes that actually are close a cake and these you can’t tell their gluten free.

Ingredients and Substitutions

There’s a printable recipe card below for these gluten free lemon and poppyseed muffins with the full quantities. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any swaps.

  • Butter: You can swap this for a margarine like Stork for a dairy free recipe.
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Natural Yoghurt: Or you can use Greek yoghurt. Both full-fat and non-fat work, as does dairy free yoghurt such as coconut yoghurt. This helps keep the muffins moist.
  • Self-Raising Gluten Free Flour: I use the FREEE flour as it’s readily available in the UK. You can also make your own using plain gluten free flour and gluten free baking powder – see the recipe card notes for details. I also recommend adding xanthan gum to your muffin mixture if your flour doesn’t contain it already.
  • Lemon: I use lemon zest, juice and lemon extract in this recipe. Feel free to use one or the other and adjust depending on how zesty you like it!
  • Milk: Any dairy free milk will also work in this recipe.
  • Poppyseeds: Just double check for ‘may contain’ warnings when buying these. You can omit these if you prefer a plain, gluten free lemon muffin instead.
  • Bicarbonate of Soda: Or baking soda in the US – this just helps with the rise.
Ingredients for lemon and poppyseed muffins with text labels.

How to Make Gluten Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy these gluten free lemon poppyseed muffins are to make.

The wet ingredients for the muffins mixed together.
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients into the gluten free muffin batter.
The lemon and poppyseed muffin batter in a bowl.
Step 2: Mix together the rest of the ingredients so you have a smooth batter.
The lemon and poppyseed muffins before baking.
Step 3: Portion the batter between the muffin tin cases and bake.
The baked lemon and poppyseed muffins in a tin.
Step 4: Allow the baked muffins to cool before decorating with icing.
Icing being poured onto a gluten free lemon poppyseed muffin.
Step 5: Mix up the icing and pour onto the cooled muffins. Decorate with extra poppyseeds.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

TO STORE: These lemon and poppyseed muffins will easily keep in an airtight container for up to a week. Keep an room temperature – refrigerating gluten free cakes can actually cause them to go stale a lot quicker.

TO FREEZE: Freeze the muffins without icing ready to be defrosted and decorated. Or freeze them iced and then defrost whenever you need a cake fix!

More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes

If you like this gluten free lemon and poppyseed muffins recipe then make sure you check out these other gluten free muffin recipes too…

Have you tried this recipe?

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A tray of gluten free lemon and poppyseed muffins.
5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins Recipe

These gluten free lemon and poppyseed muffins are zesty and delicious, topped with a tangy lemon icing and filled with crunchy poppyseeds. A super easy gluten free bake.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
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Ingredients 

  • 100 g unsalted butter, (softened)
  • 175 g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 140 g plain, full-fat natural yoghurt
  • 250 g self-raising gluten free flour, (see notes if using plain GF flour)
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp lemon extract, (optional, if you like it extra lemony)
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 0.25 tsp xanthan gum, (omit if your flour blend contains this)
  • 20 g poppyseeds

For the icing:

  • 120 g icing sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 tbsp poppyseeds

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6 / 180C fan. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 12 tulip muffin cases and set aside.
  • Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy.
  • Add the eggs, yoghurt, lemon zest, milk and lemon extract (if using) and beat again on a low speed with the whisk until fully combined and forms a very wet batter Don't worry if it starts to curdle – this will be resolved in the next stage!
  • Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and xanthan gum in a bowl and then sift into the cake batter. Add the poppyseeds and fold the flour in using a spatula or wooden spoon. Once the flour is folded in (and won't form a dust cloud!) beat for a minute with a wooden spoon until the mixture is fully combined and there is an even distribution of poppyseeds. It should form a thick batter.
  • Spoon the mixture evenly between the muffin cases and then place in the centre of a hot oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the temperature down (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR!) to 180'C / Gas 4 / Fan 160'C and bake for a further 15-18 minutes.
  • The muffins will be ready when they are well risen, golden on top, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before icing.
  • To make the icing, mix the lemon juice and icing sugar in a bowl and stir together until it forms a thick, white paste. Drizzle the icing over the muffins and sprinkle with some extra poppyseeds to decorate.

Notes

  • Storing: These muffins will keep for around a week in an airtight container. They can also be frozen.
  • To Use Plain Gluten Free Flour: Mix 250g plain gluten free flour with 2.5 tsp gluten free baking powder.
  • Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups/imperial. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
  • Step-by-Step Photos: If you prefer a visual aid, check out the post above for photos to guide you through how this recipe should look at each stage.
  • Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and a little comment sharing how much you loved this Gluten Free Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins! It really helps to support my website and get my recipes out there to everyone who needs them! xx

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 250kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: -4g
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About Sarah Howells

Hi, I'm Sarah! Diagnosed with coeliac disease 20 years ago, I'm on a mission to create the best gluten free recipes since sliced bread. No fruit salads or dry brownies here.

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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3 Comments

  1. Lemon is such a great cake flavour and I’m loving the addition of poppy seeds to the mix. x

  2. Just made these and they are lovely, light and fluffy and great taste. Being new to gluten free I’ve struggled to find recipes for cakes that actually are close a cake and these you can’t tell their gluten free. Definitely will make again

  3. Hi Can I use Greek yoghurt instead of natural? ( I have some and thought I’d use that up first rather than buy) I’ve made these twice before and they are delicious!