Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Muffins
Ten minutes is all it takes to whisk together these Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Muffins. Loaded with 2 cups of zucchini, lemon zest, and juice, they are moist, fluffy, and deliciously lemony! These muffins are perfect for anyone who has allergies to dairy and nuts. It can be enjoyed in the morning, during brunch, or as a mid-day snack.
For this recipe, I decided to add extra virgin olive oil instead of butter, simply because I didn’t have any, and well, I’m Italian.
So to my surprise, it made this lemon zucchini poppy seed muffin recipe even more delicious! Make these muffins moist and dairy-free!
The lemon icing is made with just 3 simple ingredients! Fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and powdered sugar.
Topped with a sprinkle of poppy seeds to garnish. Perfect!
But, I only glazed half of my lemon zucchini muffins because some members of the family prefer these muffins without any icing.
(Sometimes my husband can be a little dry, sorry honey!)
Can We Taste The Zucchini in These Muffins?
Nope! You can’t taste it at all. The zucchini is completely hidden in these muffins.
Why Make These Muffins with Zucchini?
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Zucchini not only adds moisture to the muffins, but it makes them light and fluffy.
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Zucchini contains zero fat and is high in water and fiber.
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It also contains significant amounts of vitamins B6, riboflavin, folate, C, and K, and minerals, like potassium.
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Zucchini makes these muffins overall healthier!
Easy Steps to Make Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Muffins!
1. First, you will need one whole egg and one egg yolk. Place the egg and egg yolk into a large mixing bowl along with the sugar. Whisk for about 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns into a light, pale yellow color.
2. Next, while continuing to whisk, pour in the olive oil and vanilla extract. Then set it aside.
3. Use a mini chopper or a food processor to mince the zucchini into very tiny pieces. Pulse until it gets all the bits and pieces as little as possible, to a complete minced.
4. Whisk in the 2 cups of minced zucchini.
5. Zest one large lemon, then juice the lemon as well. I used 2 heaping tablespoons of lemon zest in these muffins to give them enough zesty lemon flavor.
6. Then whisk in the zest, lemon juice, baking soda, and salt.
7. Finally, whisk in the flour. Then add and whisk the poppy seeds. The mixture will be very thin. Divide the mixture evenly into the muffin pan and fill each one to the top.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 to 33 minutes, depending on your oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cook’s Notes and Tips:
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If you have extra zucchini minced, DO NOT add it to the mixture; it will ruin the recipe. Because I have tried that once and it didn’t work. Save any extra zucchini or minced zucchini for another recipe.
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The mixture will be very liquid, and that’s OK. Divide it evenly among the 12 muffin liners.
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Always WASH your lemon before zesting it. Wash thoroughly with either safe vegetable soap, and rinse well.
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No fancy equipment is needed for this recipe. Just a good whisk will do!
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This recipe makes 12 muffins.
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Do we need to squeeze out excess water from the zucchini? No, I never do! These muffins need the extra moisture from the zucchini to give them their super moist texture.
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My girls loved these muffins after they cooled down, and even better when chilled! Try these muffins at room temperature.
Lemon zucchini poppy seed muffins are perfect for your morning coffee or tea.
After one bite, I think you’ll agree with me when I say, these are the best-tasting muffins!
A great recipe for you to try.
These muffins will stay fresh on your counter for up to 2 days and fresh for up to one week refrigerated if they last that long!
ENJOY!!
If you love baking healthy muffins and snacks, then try these!
- Death by Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins with Icing
- Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins
- Mint Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies
- No-Bake Carrot Cake Bites
- Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins
- Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Blueberry Lemon Oat Muffins
If you LOVE the flavor of LEMON in recipes as much as we do, you might enjoy some of these too:
- Italian Lemon Cookies with Lemon Glaze
- Bakery-Style Lemon Raspberry Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Crumble Bars
- Lemon Ricotta Silver Dollar Pancakes
Yield: 12 muffins
Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Muffins
One bowl and 10 minutes to whisk all the ingredients, these Lemon Zucchini Poppy Seed Muffins are loaded with 2 cups of zucchini and enough lemon zest and lemon juice to make them moist and lemony delicious!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 whole egg, plus one egg yolk
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (or melted butter)
- 2 cups packed minced zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. of lemon zest (zest of an ex-large lemon)
- scant 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 + 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds, and extra for garnish
For Lemon Icing:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest (zest of half lemon)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F (180C). Line the muffin pan with paper cupcake liners Set aside.
- Arrange and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
- In one large mixing bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolk with sugar until it turns to a light pale yellow color, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk in olive oil and vanilla extract. Set it aside.
- Mince the zucchini in a mini chopper and spoon it into a (1 cup) measuring cup, packed, and add 2 cups to the mixture. Whisk in the zucchini until well combined.
- Next, whisk in salt, baking soda, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
- Finally, Slowly whisk in the flour into the mixture until well corporate, about 1 to 2 minutes or 50 strokes. Then whisk in the poppy seeds.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture into 12 muffins cups evenly, and fill each one to the top.
- BAKE for 28 to 32 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean in the center.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before drizzling the icing on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of poppy seeds on top.
- Makes: 12 lemon zucchini poppy seed muffins
Directions for Lemon Icing:
- Place powdered sugar into a small bowl, With a fork or small whisk, whisk in the lemon zest and lemon juice. If the icing is too thick, add a few more drops of lemon juice.
- Use a teaspoon to glaze the tops of the muffins. The icing is enough to glaze 6 to 8 muffins.
- Sprinkle on top with some poppy seeds, as a garnish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12 muffinsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 239
Hi! These look delicious! I just had a question about the ingredients. Are we supposed to use baking soda or baking powder? The ingredient list calls for baking soda, but you mention baking powder in the steps. Thanks!
Oh my, did I miss that? Let me check! I only see it says “baking soda” in the steps…unless I wrote it somewhere else. But if I did, I will go back in and edit that! But for now, it’s definitely baking soda!
Thanks so much, Euri!
Anna
Ooh, that frosting alone looks totally worth it!
Thanks so much for your kind words Jeff! 🙂
These look and sound really wonderful, but three months ago, I cut out sugar and have gone gluten-free. Some recipes I can adapt, but I don’t think this one would work. The gluten-free flours work very differently!
Hi Sandra!
I totally understand. I have a friend who is gluten-free and she makes my recipes using almond flour, and she also suggests you can use Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free flour. She also uses Baking Stevia in place of sugar,
and she said, 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of baking stevia = 1 cup sugar. Also, if you use pure powdered stevia, the stevia-to-sugar ratio is much lower. Only 1 teaspoon of powdered stevia = 1 cup of sugar. Plus,you can find conversion charts on the internet for sugar to stevia. I hope this helps! 🙂