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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

    Last updated - July 10, 2021; Published - May 25, 2021 By Rhian Williams 73 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of two Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins photos

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are moist and fluffy, zesty and tangy and healthy enough for breakfast! They're also refined sugar free, and come together in one bowl.

    Three gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins in brown muffin cases

    Tips for baking with lemons

    • For optimum lemon flavour, I would recommend using fresh lemons (not ones that you've had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.
    • You have to be careful when baking with lemon juice as the acidity and lemon flavour can really vary depending on the lemons you use.
    • I would recommend tasting the lemon juice you're using and adjusting the amount of lemon juice you use accordingly.
    • For the lemon zest, make sure you use unwaxed lemons.

    How to make this recipe

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

    Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!

    Raw gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffin batter in a bowl
    • Divide the batter between muffin cases in a muffin/cupcake tin.
    Two muffin cases filled with raw gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins batter
    • Bake for 20 minutes.
    Three gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins in brown muffin cases

    Tips for the lemon syrup

    I decided to make a sweet, tangy lemon syrup to pour over the muffins. The syrup is refined sugar free and easy to make, and adds a little extra zippy sweetness. Plus, you can quickly mix it together whilst you're waiting for the muffins to bake in the oven.

    • I recommend pouring the syrup over the muffins straight out the oven while they're still hot, so that it gets properly absorbed.
    • It's optional so you can definitely leave it out if you want.

    Substitutions you can make

    • You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
    • You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
    • You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
    • You can replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
    • For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds.
    • You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you're not gluten-free.

    How long do these keep for?

    These do taste best when fresh, but they do keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days. You can reheat them in the oven or an oven toaster if you like.

    A halved gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffin on a marble slab

    For more vegan muffin recipes

    • Carrot Muffins
    • Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins
    • Chocolate Muffins
    • Apple Muffins
    • Blueberry Muffins
    • Muffin Tin Sushi Cups
    • Chocolate Banana Muffins
    • Orange Muffins

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Watch how to make it

    A halved gluten-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffin on a marble slab

    Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are moist and fluffy, fresh and tangy, and healthy enough for breakfast!
    4.39 from 59 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free lemon poppy seed muffins, gluten-free vegan muffins, vegan lemon poppy seed muffins
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 12 muffins
    Calories: 241kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the muffins:

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 180 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
    • 8 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
    • 12 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pinch salt
    • 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

    For the syrup (optional):

    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 4 tablespoons maple syrup

    Instructions

    For the muffins:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, poppy seeds and ground almonds.
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
    • Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry.
    • Transfer the mixture between muffin cases in a muffin tin.
    • Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.

    For the syrup:

    • Whilst the muffins are baking, mix together the lemon juice and maple syrup.
    • Drizzle it over the muffins as soon as they’re out of the oven - it will soak into the muffins better when they're hot.
    • These muffins taste best eaten on the day they’re made, but keep for a few days. They can be reheated in the oven or an oven toaster if you like!

    Video

    Notes

    *You can alternatively use almond flour.
    • For optimum lemon flavour, I would recommend using fresh lemons (not ones that you've had sitting in your fruit bowl for weeks!) and organic ones if possible.
    • You have to be careful when baking with lemon juice as the acidity and lemon flavour can really vary depending on the lemons you use.
    • I would recommend tasting the lemon juice you're using and adjusting the amount of lemon juice you use accordingly.
    • For the lemon zest, make sure you use unwaxed lemons.
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 241 Calories from Fat 117
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 13g20%
    Saturated Fat 5g25%
    Sodium 46mg2%
    Potassium 103mg3%
    Carbohydrates 30g10%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Sugar 17g19%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin C 6mg7%
    Calcium 122mg12%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Hannah

      April 22, 2021 at 6:19 pm

      5 stars
      Made these twice now and absolutely love them! First time I couldn't find poppy seeds any where and made them with chia seeds and they were amazing and it is now my preferred way to make them.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 22, 2021 at 6:33 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

      • Gymnastgold

        January 17, 2022 at 12:55 am

        5 stars
        I love this recipe I’m gluten and dairy egg free it was nice to enjoy it and my daughter made it for me.

      • Rhian Williams

        January 17, 2022 at 5:01 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    2. Anne

      May 01, 2021 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      Lovely lemon muffins , I will definitely be making them again. I really like the way your recipes give so many possible substitutions , I’m always confident I’m making a fairly forgiving recipe. I need this !! Thanks

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 01, 2021 at 7:33 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    3. Louise

      May 15, 2021 at 10:59 pm

      I just tried these.. they are totally “glue-like” I tried cooking them a little longer to see if that would help .. but no luck .. followed the recipe exactly.. any idea why ?!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 16, 2021 at 1:13 pm

        Hi - I'm sorry to hear that. What type of gluten-free flour did you use?

    4. Kelsey

      May 05, 2022 at 2:37 am

      I got the same result as one of the other reviews. It is totally gummy. And I used the same gf flour as you suggested. The mixture as pretty dry so I added a couple splashes of extra milk. Maybe that was my mistake? They have a nice taste, but super bummed about he texture.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 05, 2022 at 8:00 am

        Hi - I'm sorry to hear that. What type of gluten-free flour did you use? Did you make any substitutions?

    « Older Comments

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    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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