It’s that time of year where I just want to make EVERYTHING lemon. I think this recipe for moist lemon poppy seed muffins with honey butter is a great place to start. They have the perfect amount of that lemon tartness and are so easy to make. To add a little extra something, I threw in a simple honey butter that makes these lemon poppy seed muffins taste extra special!
How to make these easy lemon poppy seed muffins
I tested this recipe FIVE times so you know they’re perfection! That lemon flavor really shines through and with each test, I kept adding more and more. They toe the line between moist cupcake and dense muffin which is why I absolutely love this recipe.
Plus, they’re so easy to make! Start by zesting and then juicing your lemons. This recipe takes a total of about 3-4 large lemons. Make sure to use FRESH lemon juice, not the bottled stuff.
Next, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and zest in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix together all of your wet ingredients:
- Melted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- Lemon juice
- Eggs
Once combined, dump it into your dry mixture and fold everything together, careful not to over mix. It might be a little tough to combine but it will eventually come together, just keep folding!
Prepping and baking your lemon poppy seed muffins
The beauty of muffins is that you can fill the liners all the way up to the top when baking. For this recipe, you can use a standard cupcake tin with cupcake liners. It will make 12-15 muffins depending on the size of your tin.
Because muffin batter is much thicker than cupcake batter, and contains more leaveners, your muffins will grow UP rather than out. If you’ve ever over filled a cupcake tin, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Your cupcakes just end up looking like mushrooms!
So, for this recipe, fill your liners almost all the way to the top. Then bake at a higher temperature to help the muffins puff up in the oven. You’ll also get a few golden brown bits on top. That’s when you know they’re done.
How to make honey butter
It’s honestly the easiest thing you’ll ever make. Yet, you’ll want to smother it on everything!
All you need is unsalted butter, honey, and a tiny pinch of salt. With the butter at room temperature, mix all three ingredients together and just like that, you have honey butter!
You could also mix in more lemon zest or poppy seeds to up the flavor. I like mine all on its own.
Spread it on your warm muffins to make them even MORE moist. The combo of honey + lemon is SO freakin’ good. Store in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge.
When you want to use it again, either warm it up in the microwave or spread it on top of something that’s already hot enough to melt it.
How long do lemon poppy seed muffins keep?
For BEST flavor and texture, consume these the day you make them. Otherwise, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you need to eat them later, warm them up and spread on the honey butter. They’ll taste like new!
Although, muffins do dry out pretty fast so these should be consumed within 3 days of making them. Luckily they won’t last long because they’re just that good!
For more muffin recipes, check out my:
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make these lemon poppy seed muffins with honey butter. I love seeing my recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Honey Butter
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12–15 muffins 1x
Description
These EASY lemon poppy seed muffins are not only moist and delicious, but they’re also topped with a simple homemade honey butter. Talk about the best ever!
Ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 heaping tbsp lemon zest (3–4 large lemons)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3–4 large lemons)
Honey Butter
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tsp honey
- Tiny pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and line a muffin tin with 12 liners. Depending on the size of your tin, you’ll end up with 12-15 muffins.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds, and lemon zest.
- In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and fold to combine. The batter will get pretty thick but just keep folding until it comes together.
- Scoop the batter into your liners almost all the way to the top (see top photo in this post).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the center has risen and a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Let them cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then remove and place them on a cooling rack.
- While they cool, make the honey butter. Mix together all of the ingredients and spread on your warm muffins. This is the best time to eat them so enjoy!
Keywords: lemon poppy seed muffins, honey butter
Can these be made gluten free??
You could try swapping the flour for gluten free all purpose flour. I haven’t tested it but that’s what I would do!
If I don’t want to use 1 cup of butter, should I just use less and substitute with olive oil? Thank you!
I haven’t tested it with oil, but you could make a 1 for 1 swap. They might not turn out as fluffy.
Could you cut this recipe in half if you only want 6-8 muffins?
Absolutely!