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Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

ByMegan Posted on Last updated on
These gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins are so easy to prepare and make a great breakfast treat. Top them with this simple lemon glaze to take them to the next level!
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A white plate with three lemon poppyseed muffins with lemon glaze on It with lemons surrounding it.

If you know me, you know how much I love lemon. Give me a lemon dessert and I’ll be a happy girl. Now give me a lemon breakfast… and I’ll be an even happier girl. That’s where these gluten-free vegan lemon poppyseed muffins fit in. They’re kind of dessert since they have a glaze on them but they’re called muffins which make them totally appropriate for breakfast.

A muffin pan with lemon poppyseed muffins in it with a plate next to it with three poppyseed muffins on it.

Is that a cupcake? No! No! It’s a muffin. So I’m allowed to eat it at breakfast without your judging eyes. Please and thank you. 
 
I legit replayed that scenario in my head on my drive to work with my lemon poppyseed muffins at least twenty times.
You know, for practice in case it came up while I was eating my breakfast… because I’m crazy like that. Was it necessary? Of course not! All that anyone said was… Wow! Those look like a delicious breakfast!
Moral of the story is put as much glaze on your muffins as you want and call it breakfast. And then 12 hours later, eat another one and call it dessert. No judgment here.
A hand holding a vegan gluten-free lemon poppyseed muffin with lemon glaze on it.
These muffins were born out of a donut recipe. I was making lemon donuts for brunch at my house and the fluffy, pillowy donuts that resulted from my experimentation reminded me and my boyfriend of muffins.
I mean they were also great donuts but I like my donuts a little on the denser side and these most definitely were not dense.
They were nice and light and airy which you normally wouldn’t expect from a gluten-free and vegan recipe.
The next day I decided that I needed to try out my new recipe in muffin tins, of course adding some poppy seeds and a lemony glaze for good measure.
The results were exactly what I hoped they’d be! A delicious, lightly sweet lemon muffin that was soft and tender and rose beautifully. Top it with some sweet and tangy lemon glaze and we have a found breakfast jackpot, my friends.
While the glaze isn’t technically necessary, I feel like it is not to be skipped. The muffin itself isn’t terribly sweet so the glaze provides a nice touch of sweetness from the powdered sugar. Plus who wouldn’t want some extra lemon flavor?
This recipe as written makes 12 regular sized muffins, but I think for a brunch making mini muffins would be so cute! How would you make these gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins – regular sized? or cute little minis?
An overhead view of a muffin tin with lemon poppyseed muffins with glaze.

Pucker Up For More Gluten-Free Lemon Treats!

Lemon flavored baked goods are my absolute favorite. The sweet, the sour, the citrus flavor. Swoon! I honestly can’t make enough lemon desserts! If you love these gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins, then you definitely need to try my Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Scones. They’re tender, soft and of course… full of lemon!

There’s always something about combining lemon with another flavor that appeals to me. That’s just because lemon is a star and can pair well with SO MANY other flavors. Especially lavender. Lavender has a special place in my heart and these Gluten Free Lavender Lemon Bars are everything you could ever want in a lemon bar.

Clearly poppy seeds are meant to be in lemon desserts based on these muffins, but they work so well in my Lemon Poppy Seed Cookie Bars too! They’re so easy to make and that lemon glaze? SO GOOD!

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

If you love lemon, you’ll love these gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins. They’re so easy to make and are perfect for a gluten-free brunch or a sweet breakfast on the go! The lemon glaze is optional, but gives the muffin a sweet touch that makes this breakfast staple treat worthy.

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins are so easy to prepare and make a great breakfast treat. Top them with this simple lemon glaze to take them to the next level!
3 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 269kcal
Author: Megan

Ingredients

For the muffin:

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 cups gluten-free flour blend
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 2 medium lemons)
  • 1 3/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For the glaze:

  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 lemon (zested and juiced)

Instructions

  • Combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar for a few minutes until the sugar is very fragrant.
  • Combine lemon sugar with the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppyseeds. Stir to combine.
  • In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
  • Spray muffin tins with either cooking spray (not the baking kind which is not gluten-free) or paper muffin cups.
  • Fill muffin cups with batter.
  • Bake at 375F for 26-30 minutes. Makes 12 large muffins.

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ADashofMegnut or tag #adashofmegnut!

A spoon pouring glaze on a lemon poppyseed muffin in a muffin tin.

about megan

I’m Megan

A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…

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3 from 1 vote

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12 Comments

  1. jack herrer says:

    use five times as much poppy seed and you got yourself a winner

    Reply

    1. Wait! Did you really use over 1/2 cup of poppyseeds??? I’m so intrigued!! If so, I’m baking these again this weekend and adding more to see how it is!

  2. I loved the simplicity of the recipe. But the muffins turned out fantastic. Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Katie! I’m so glad you loved the muffins!

  3. 3 stars
    Taking these to a party tonight, think I’ve mucked up though ? batter looks extremely wet and had made too much, worried I’ve wasted a bunch of ingredients as the recipe wasn’t clear?
    Was it 1 and 3/4 cups of vegan milk or one 3/4 cups.
    I’m just baking them and if they’re wrong I’m going to have to start over

    Reply

    1. Hi Jess, It’s 1 and 3/4 cups of milk which is written out as 1 3/4 cups in the recipe. What kind of milk are you using? It shouldn’t be an extremely runny batter.

  4. Vania Oliveira says:

    Hi, can I use applesauce instead of apple cider vinegar? if so how much applesauce can I add?

    Reply
  5. Vania Oliveira says:

    Hi, can I use applesauce instead of apple cider vinegar? if so, how much applesauce can I ass to the recipe?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Vania, The apple cider vinegar is used as an acid to react with the baking soda and baking powder. You can use white distilled vinegar in it’s place.

    2. Vania Oliveira says:

      Thank you! I will be baking this recipe this week, Thanks again!! 🙂

  6. Can you substitute honey for sugar? How much would you sub in its place? 20g sugar is a lot and trying to cut back sugar for my kids and I. Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Mary, I’m not sure honestly as I haven’t tested it with honey before. Typically, when swapping honey for sugar in a recipe, you’ll want to use less honey than the sugar is called for. Also, since honey is liquid, the overall liquids will need to be decreased. So it won’t be a 1:1 swap for the sugar in this recipe. Since, I haven’t tested it, I really can’t say for sure if this will work or not. If you decide to test it, please let me know! 🙂