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!

With summer just around the corner, I thought it was time to introduce a sweet treat that’s easy to make, and suitable for all sorts of summery occasions like:

• picnics
• alfresco breakfast
• lazy brunches
• packed lunches
• road trips
• general travelling!

Why you’ll love these Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:

• they’re moist and fluffy
• they’re not-too-sweet
• they’re zesty and tangy
• they’re refined sugar free
• they’re made in one bowl

• they’re perfect for dessert, breakfast, brunch or a snack!

How to make these Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins:

• 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!

• Divide the batter between muffin cases in a muffin/cupcake tin.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

Inspired by my Lemon Poppy Seed Cake recipe, 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 cake to bake in the oven.

Tips for the lemon syrup:

• 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.

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.

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

• 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 substitute the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts 
• for a nut-free version: substitute the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (1/4 cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 1/4 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 Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins keep for?

These Muffins 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.

For more vegan muffin recipes:

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

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!

4.43 from 28 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: 231kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the muffins:

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
• 10 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 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!

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour

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.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Amount Per Serving

Calories 231 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Sodium 47mg2%

Potassium 93mg3%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 120mg12%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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