Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Gluten-Free)
Light, fresh, and bursting with flavor, these healthy lemon poppy seed muffins are made with oat flour, and are naturally gluten free, dairy free (no yogurt!), and sweetened with applesauce.
About this Recipe
These oat flour lemon poppy seed muffins are bursting with lemon flavor, and naturally sweetened with apple sauce and a little maple syrup.
The poppy seeds add a little crunch, and the tender oat flour muffins are reminiscent of a decadent bakery treat, without the extra sugar.
We love lemon poppy seed no yogurt muffins with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream, traditional whipped cream, or even a simple buttercream frosting, and take them from an everyday treat into fun cupcake territory.
If you have the time, I highly recommended this option.
Of course, these gluten-free lemon poppy seed muffins are delightful just as they are, and couldn’t be easier to make, as they can be whipped up in just one bowl.
More One-Bowl Gluten-Free Muffins You’ll Love
Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Easy Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Notes & Adaptations
Top the muffins with Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Coconut Whipped Cream for a lightly sweet take on cupcakes.
Skip the poppy seeds if you don’t have them on hand, the muffins will still taste amazing.
These muffins can also be made with almond flour for another gluten free option, or whole wheat flour will also work.
Make your own oat flour for this recipe by placing 2 ⅓ cups whole rolled oats in a blender and blending until a coarse flour forms.
You can purchase pre-made oat flour at many grocery stores and natural food markets or online.
If you are gluten-free be sure to buy oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free.
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, or other neutral flavored oil such as avocado
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ⅓ cups gluten free oat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F.
- Prepare a 12-section muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Add the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until well incorporated.
- Add the lemon zest and poppy seeds, stirring until just combined.
- Fill each section of a 12-section muffin tin with roughly ¼ cup batter, then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then cool the rest on a cooling rack.
My husband isn’t a fan of poppy seeds so I added blueberries instead and they were fantastic!
Brianna, I thought about blueberries! So glad you tried and they turned out. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Just made a batch and they turned out great. Moist and bursting with flavor. Weekly treat now I reckon. Thank you for this natural, healtht and delicious recipe.
Cristina, yay, so glad you enjoyed these!
Fabulous! Will make again and do the whipped coconut cream hint. Can’t wait to share with my work friends.
Kari, the whipped coconut cream really does take these over the. So sweet of you to share them with work friends. I hope they enjoy!
I rarely leave comments, but these muffins were fantastic and I felt compelled to report back. I love lemon poppyseed muffins so I made these this weekend and have been having 1-2 a day for the past few days.
I followed the recipe as closely as possible but made two edits out of necessity: I ran out of maple syrup so I used raw honey and it worked great. Also, halfway through baking I realized I was out of poppy seeds (mild panic) but I successfully substituted chia seeds for the poppy seeds and the texture stayed lovely, even though chia have a tendency to absorb more liquid. They are great topped with a bit of coconut oil and a little extra honey for a weekend treat.
The only additional feedback I’d give is that these required more than one bowl for me, but it was definitely worth the little bit of effort. Thank you for the recipe! Will be making again!
Julia, yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! And so glad the adaptations worked for you.
These are Delicious! The whole family loved them. Thank you
Rachel, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one!
Is there a sub for coconut oil; can I use table salt instead of Kosher salt
Hi Joe, any neutral flavored oil such as canola would work in place of coconut oil, as would melted butter. If you are using table salt go ahead and use half the amount called for. Hope you enjoy!
These muffins will add a little sunshine to your day! They are SO easy to make and just as tasty. I enjoyed them so much that I printed off the recipe and sent it to one of my best friends.
Thank you, Robyn! This recipe is a gem.
XOXO,
MH
Thank you so much for your kind words! So happy to know you’re enjoying this one–a little sunshine all year round. 🙂
Will these keep on the counter or do you have to put them in the fridge? Also, I know commonly muffins like these need xanthan gum? Is that something I could add or is it okay without them?
Hi Sarah, in an effort to keep things simple I don’t use gums or the like – these muffins seem to come out well with just the ingredients listed! I store them on the counter for up to 3 days, and then in the fridge after that. They also freeze well. Hope you enjoy!