It has been a long winter. Between having a newborn (and a toddler), winter snow storms, the Richmond water crisis, power outages, and below average temperatures, to say I am ready for spring is an understatement. I decided to celebrate daylight savings and sunnier skies with these healthier lemon poppy seed muffins. They are light, citrusy, and not overly sweet.
How are these lemon poppy seed muffins healthier?
Traditional lemon poppy seed muffins are made with granulated white sugar, whole milk, and butter. This recipe not only incorporates honey for natural sweetness, but also Greek yogurt and applesauce for both volume and moisture (instead of the milk and butter). These three ingredients decreases both the sugar and fat content.
Tips for making these lemon poppy seed muffins
- I wanted to make bakery-style jumbo muffins, but feel free to use a regular muffin tin instead. Yield and bake time will differ, and you can find more information in the recipe note.
- If you would rather use melted butter or oil, you can do so in place of the applesauce.
- I highly recommend drizzling your muffins with my healthier monk fruit glaze.
Healthier Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Lemon poppy seed muffins are the perfect spring baked good. They are light, citrusy, and not overly sweet. Made with honey, applesauce, and Greek yogurt for a healthier version of the springtime treat.
Equipment
- Mixer or whisk
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour gluten-free if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt I used 0%
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed from about 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a jumbo muffin tin with liners (or use a regular muffin tin. See note).
- In a medium mixing bowl or bowl of a stand-mixer, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, Greek yogurt, applesauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Fold in the poppy seeds.
- Divide the muffin batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling each one about ⅔ to ¾ of the way to the top. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean (if using a regular muffin tin, bake time will be less. See note).
- Let the muffins cool slightly in the muffin tin (about 10 minutes) before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, you can drizzle with the monk fruit glaze if using (see note).
Notes
If using a regular muffin tin, recipe will yield about 8 to 10 muffins. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Monk fruit glaze
