These Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are light and fluffy, with a slightly sweet lemon muffin base (packed with poppy seeds), and topped with a lemon glaze. They're great for a sweet breakfast or brunch treat!
Why you'll love this recipe
- These muffins are light and fluffy, and topped with a delicious lemon glaze. They're packed with lemon and poppy seed flavor!
- Interested in more lemon recipes? Try this Sourdough Lemon Loaf Cake and these Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Scones.
- This recipe is made with sourdough discard, but you can easily modify to use active sourdough starter, if you prefer.
- These muffins come together with just 20 minutes of hands-on time. Perfect for a weekend morning!
- Looking for more easy sourdough discard breakfast recipes? Try this Sourdough French Toast Casserole and these Sourdough Discard Waffles.
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Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to bring these muffins together.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part flour and 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest: This is where you'll get the lemon flavor for this recipe! You'll need about 2 whole lemons for this recipe.
- Looking for more lemon recipes? You might also love these Sourdough Discard Lemon Sugar Cookies and this Sourdough Lemon Blackberry Cake.
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to make this recipe with active sourdough starter, you can! To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You don't need to change any other ingredients in the recipe.
- Try a different citrus - Rather than lemon, try this recipe using orange juice and orange zest for a different flavor!
- Looking for other sourdough discard muffin recipes? Try these Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins and these Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins.
How to Make Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
There are only a few key steps to bring this recipe together. The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Mix together the dry ingredients.
- Step 2: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients, mixing until smooth and combined.
- Step 4: Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Step 5: Use a cookie scoop to fill lined muffin cups about ⅔ full.
- Step 6: Bake until golden. Let the muffins cool before topping with the glaze, then serve!
Expert Baking Tips
- Use metric measurements for at least the flour and sourdough discard. These are two ingredients where there can be a huge variation in using cups vs. metric measurements. Using a kitchen scale for metric measurements for at least these two ingredients will set you on the right path!
- Use muffin liners to make it easier to remove the muffins from the pan. They'll also help with making a larger muffin!
- Make sure your butter is room-temperature so that it creams together with the sugar correctly.
- Don't skimp on the lemon zest! This is where the most lemon flavor comes in, so buckle down and zest those lemons!
- Let the muffins cool completely before adding the glaze.
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to make them soft and warm again.
Freezer Storage: Once fully cooled, transfer the muffins to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the muffins thaw at room temperature, then reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Recipe FAQs
They're accurate! I use the metric measurements for my own baking, especially with the flour and sourdough discard, so I recommend you do the same! There can be such a huge variation in cups measurements, particularly for those two ingredients.
Yes! This recipe would work well with orange or grapefruit as well!
I suggest using muffin liners as they make it easier to get the muffins out of the pan, but they also help you make a larger muffin. I prefer these tulip muffin liners. But if you want to skip them, you can (just make sure to grease the muffin pan).
More Sourdough Discard Breakfast Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Equipment
- Microplane for zesting
- Cookie scoop for filling muffin cups
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons yogurt non-dairy or regular dairy
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons milk non-dairy or regular dairy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190℃) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer on medium speed to cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sourdough discard, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, lemon zest, poppy seeds, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until no dry spots remain (no need to over-mix!).
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to fill the lined muffin cups about ⅔ full with batter. Bake for 30-32 minutes until lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before adding the glaze.
- While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Whisk until smooth and combined. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins, then serve.
Jessica Vogl says
Love the flavor combination here! And my toddler LOVES these muffins!