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Who needs some bright yellow, lemon-y, tangy and sweet Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins in their life?! The answer is you and everyone else forever and always, each and every day! Okay, maybe not each and every day but trust me when I say that you are going to crave these muffins! They are fluffy and tender and moist (<– sorry for anyone who hates that word but sometimes it’s the ONLY word to describe the texture of a muffin. Besides no one wants a dry muffin, amiright?!). ANYWAYS, they are studded with crunchy poppy seeds and topped with a tangy, lemony, super delicious glaze!
These Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are like a cozy, bright ray of sunshine that is needed on a rainy day. They’re light, fluffy, tender, and refreshing – and somehow they are just a little indulgent because of that tangy cashew glaze, but not so indulgent that you can’t enjoy one as part of your breakfast or brunch. YOU GUYS these muffins are EVERYTHING you ever wanted a lemon poppy seed muffin to be – and I am in LOVE!!!!
Best part about these Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins is that they are gluten free, grain free, and MOSTLY dairy free. What I mean by the mostly dairy free part is that that glaze is dairy free – it’s made out of soaked raw cashews and lemon zest, and lemon juice, and honey, and coconut oil and OMG it’s heaven! It’s sooo smooth and creamy and rich without being too heavy, it reminds me of lemon curd or lemon bars and who wants a DAIRY FREE LEMON CHEESECAKE?!?! (<- because I might be all over that!) ANYWAYS, so that cashew frosting is wonderful because it is made with wholesome cashews that provide healthy fat and 100% refined sugar free! WIN WIN WIN! I promise, no one will be able to tell that the glaze is diary free or made from cashews. I just dare you to try it and see for yourself! Truth be told you could leave the glaze off for a lighter muffin option, which would still be amazing. But WHY would you leave behind creamy lemon goodness, just why?!
Ooops I almost forgot to explain the almost dairy free part – in the batter I use a little bit of Greek yogurt, but you could easily swap that yogurt for some vegan coconut yogurt or even some applesauce. Dairy free adaptable, check!
So about that grain free part of the cupcakes. I used coconut flour which is a great option for a gluten free flour because it’s inexpensive as far as gluten free/grain free flours go. Coconut flour is also lower in carbs, higher in fiber, protein, and healthy fats than other flour which makes it lower on the glycemic index. Also that extra fiber, protein, and fat helps our bodies to absorb sugar and carbs slower which helps our bodies maintain stabilized blood sugar levels! Go coconut flour, you rock! The only thing is coconut flour can be a little tricky to work with, it can yield dry and crumbly food, which is the reason for so many eggs in the recipe to give moisture and stability to the muffins. Guys, these muffins are so tender, and soft and fluffy, they don’t fall apart and are anything but dry (refer to the word that everyone hates that I used in the first paragraph!). No one will be able to guess that these muffins are grain free/gluten free and actually a little bit healthier for us because of the magic that is coconut flour!
I have dreams and visions of these Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins being served on Easter breakfast or brunch tables alongside eggs and bacon and potatoes and maybe a mimosa (because why not?). These muffins are also perfect for a Mother’s Day treat. OR even just to make on a rainy day because you need something refreshing and bright.
Quick story about these Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins – see that picture there? The one above this paragraph? See how many beautiful muffins there are all composed in an eye catching way?! I spent some time styling that shot and was loving it. I was debating sprinkling some poppy seeds right on top of that glaze when I went to adjust a camera setting and dropped my camera right on top of the muffins!!!!! UGH you guys, it was one of those moments where time slows down and your first thought is did that just happen?!?! Followed by a few choice words said out loud, followed by a moment of what do I even do now?! Then I thought, the muffins are ruined, my life is over! Followed by a moment of snapping the behind the scene bloopers on Instagram stories and Snap Chat so that you can at least make someone else laugh even though it is anything but funny in that exact moment. And then I tried to fix the situation as best as I could: my poor, poor camera was covered in the glaze, including the lens, and two muffins were smashed beyond repair (don’t worry we still ate them though). I took a deep breath, rallied my energy and cleaned my camera off as best as I could – I fear it may never be the same – and removed the two muffins, added some more glaze to a few that got grazed and rearranged the set up and finished photographing them. At least the muffins provided a soft landing for my camera and it didn’t break. It’s okay, you can laugh at this story, I’m almost there! I just wanted to share this behind the scenes/bloopers moment with all of you – and now you just might appreciate these photos a little bit more, right?!
Anyways, I hope you love these Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins as much as we do. They will 100% be a repeat in my house, which is saying a lot as a food blogger because my job is to always create new recipes. If you are looking for more amazing Gluten Free Spring time treats try my Lavender Lemon Cookies, Spiced Carrot Muffins, Gluten Free Chocolate Blackberry Sage Scones, Banana Rhubarb Bread, and my Coconut Banana Chia seed Pudding (<– one of the most popular recipes on the blog!). Enjoy!
Grain Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 23 mins
- Total Time: 33 mins
- Yield: 11 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack, Side
- Cuisine: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free
Description
These muffins are fluffy, lemon-y muffins topped with a tangy cashew glaze. This recipe is perfect for parties, brunch, or breakfast. These are some of our fave muffins!
Ingredients
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch (can try subbing corn starch although I haven’t tested this)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 1/2 to 3 lemons)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt* (I used nonfat)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Lemon Glaze
- 3/4 cup raw cashews soaked in water for at least 6 to 8 hours (or over night)**
- 1/4 cup honey (or more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 3 to 5 tablespoons of filtered water, if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a muffin pan, set aside.
- Make the batter In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients: coconut flour, salt, arrowroot starch, baking soda, and poppy seeds together until well combined. In a seperate medium size bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, vanilla until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine. NOTE: you will notice that the baking soda is reacting to the acidity of the lemon juice by fizzing. Don’t worry, this is expected and yields a really light, delicate muffin. Just try of work quickly to get them into the oven at this point.
- Transfer the batter into the muffin tins Evenly divide the batter between 11 muffin cavities, about 1/4 cup for each muffin. I like to use a large ice cream scoop. Top each muffin with a few extra poppy seeds, if desired.
- Bake: Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes or until a tooth pick removes cleanly from the center of a muffin and the edges are browned. Allow them to cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and allow them to cool complete on a cooling rack.
- Make the Lemon glaze: While the muffins are baking make the glaze. Drain the cashews that have been soaking. Add the drained cashews, honey, coconut oil , lemon zest, lemon juice vanilla, salt to a high speed blender. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is smooth. The consistency should be thick but easy to spread, if it’s too thick add a tablespoon at a time of filtered water until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. Keep in mind that the glaze will thicken a little as it cools.
- Decorate Muffins Once the muffins have cooled you can spread on some of the glaze. You might have some glaze leftover. You can save it for future muffins or spread it on cookies, pancakes, or even mix it into your oatmeal. Keep in mind that the glaze does dry out slightly as it is sitting out in the open. If serving these to guests or at a party it is best to frost them just before displaying or serving them.
- Store leftover muffins: Store leftover muffins in the fridge for up to 1 week, or at room temperature for 3ish days.
Notes
This recipe makes 11 muffins. Although I wanted that extra muffin the recipe turned out perfect and I didn’t want to mess with the proportions to get another muffin out of it and maybe have the recipe not turn out, sorry for the odd number. But trust me, they’re worth it!
*To keep this recipe dairy free you can try subbing unsweetened, unflavored coconut yogurt. You could also try subbing in plain, unsweetened applesauce for slightly different results.
**Normally I suggest that if you forget to soak your cashews over night that you can soak them in very hot water for 1 hour. For this recipe I found that I got the best results with the smoothest glaze when I soaked the cashews for at least 6 hours. However, if you have a super high powered speed blender this might not be as much of a concern.
Recipe adapted from Detoxinista.
Nutrition facts are calculated for 1 out of 11 muffins. Remember you will have some lemon cashew glaze leftover (lucky you!) so this calculation isn’t 100% accurate. Also if you do want a lighter muffin you could skip the lemon cashew glaze, but it is sooo worth it!
On the short list for things to do this week!
Awesome. Let me know how you like them. Paul loved them! 🙂
I am going to try this. It will be perfect for Easter
Yaay! Let me know how you like it, Hazel! 🙂