These paleo lemon poppy seed muffins are made with cassava flour, dairy free yogurt and fresh lemon. They are soft and fluffy with a rich lemon flavor and are topped with a sugar free icing. This easy cassava muffin recipe is the perfect brunch side dish or lunch addition.
Lemon poppy seed is a summer necessity! And these paleo lemon poppy seed muffins will not disappoint.
Honestly, I've been meaning to get a recipe like this on my blog for years, but it just kept getting pushed back.
See, lemon has never been one of my go-to flavors. I'm a chocolate and vanilla girl through and through (when it comes to desserts at least). But wow! I amazed myself with these gluten free poppy seed muffins.
They're light and fluffy and their bold lemon flavor screams summer! I may have just been converted into a lemon dessert lover 😉
Recipe Highlights
- Paleo friendly
- grain free & gluten free: made with cassava flour and coconut flour
- nut free: that's right, these are nut free paleo lemon poppy seed muffins
- dairy free: uses a plant based yogurt, no butter
- refined sugar free: sweetened with honey
These cassava flour lemon poppy seed muffins are soft, fluffy and moist - not gummy or dry. They are topped with a sugar free glaze that really takes them to the next level. If you're fond of lemon flavored desserts then these muffins are a must!
Ingredients
Here's a list of what you need to make these paleo lemon poppy seed muffins.
For the Muffins:
- cassava flour: these are cassava flour lemon poppy seed muffins and I have not tested any other flour in its place.
- coconut flour: for the muffin texture. Do not omit or substitute this ingredient!
- poppy seeds: optional, but recommended as these are lemon poppy seed muffins
- paleo baking powder & baking soda: for the rise
- salt: to enhance the flavors
- dairy free yogurt: I used Kitehill almond milk yogurt, but have also tested these muffins with a coconut milk yogurt. If you tolerate dairy, a grass fed yogurt should work too.
- large eggs: I do not recommend an egg replacement
- raw honey: these muffins have only been tested with honey, but maple syrup should work as a replacement
- lemon juice & lemon zest: I needed one large lemon, used zest from the whole lemon and juiced about half of it.
- vanilla extract: for flavor
For the Glaze (optional)
- powdered monk fruit sweetener
- tapioca flour
- water or almond milk
How to Make Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
These gluten free lemon poppy seed muffins are really easy to make. Here's what you need to do:
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 8 paper muffin liners.
Make the Muffins
In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Then, pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and whisk until well combined.
Let the batter rest for 30 seconds. It will fluff up and get a weird sort of texture - this is normal! Then, grab a spatula and mix the batter a few times (just a few, don't over-mix).
Scoop the batter into the lined muffin pan (making 8 muffins).
Next, place the muffins in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Lastly, remove the muffins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Make the Glaze
Once the lemon poppy seed muffins are cooled to room temperature, make the glaze. To do this, combine all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and spoon it over the muffins.
How to Store Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
These paleo lemon muffins are best stored in the fridge up to 2-3 days. Keep them in an air-tight container or baggie. You may freeze them for longer storage, but they are best fresh.
More Cassava Flour Muffin Recipes
I enjoy baking with cassava flour, as it's often to over-consume nuts on a paleo diet. But, cassava flour is nut free, grain free and gut friendly. I use it in quite a bit of my baking. Here are some great cassava flour muffin recipes to check out:
- Raspberry Banana Muffins
- Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Blueberry Cassava Flour Muffins
- Carrot Cassava Flour Muffins
Enjoy!
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Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (with Cassava Flour)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 muffins 1x
Description
These paleo lemon poppy seed muffins are made with cassava flour, yogurt and fresh lemon. They are soft, fluffy and delicious - the perfect paleo muffin!
Ingredients
Muffins
- ½ cup cassava flour (70g)*
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour (14g)*
- 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp paleo baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup dairy free yogurt (I used Kitehill almond milk yogurt)**
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp raw honey
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze (optional)
- 1 Tbsp powdered monk fruit sweetener
- 2 tsp tapioca flour
- 1 tsp water or almond milk
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a muffin pan with 8 paper muffin liners, set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. This includes the cassava flour, coconut flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients. This includes the yogurt, eggs, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and whisk until well combined.
- Let the batter sit for 30 seconds - it will fluff up.
- Stir the batter a couple times with a spatula (do not over-mix)*** then scoop it into the lined muffin pan.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the baking pan, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
Glaze
- In a small dish, combine all glaze ingredients. Mix until smooth.
- Spoon glaze onto cooled muffins.
Notes
*For best results, measure cassava flour and coconut flour by weight. I recommend Otto's Cassava Flour, as it bakes better than any other brand.
**Any type of yogurt should work. I've tested these muffins with Kitehill's coconut milk yogurt (a great nut free, dairy free option). A grass fed cow's milk yogurt should work well too.
***It is important to let the batter rest a few seconds, then stir it gently with a spatula to get the right texture. The muffins won't bake properly if you skip these steps!
Katie
These are my favorite lemon muffins - so soft and fluffy with a lovely lemon flavor!
Josephine
These look so delicious! However, I cannot have coconut! Is there any kind of substitution for that flour to maintain texture? Thanks!
Katie
Hi! Unfortunately no. Coconut flour is necessary for the proper texture. You can try substituting with more cassava flour but the muffins won't turn out quite the same.
Kate
These were perfect! I hate coconut flour so I was hesitant to stay true to the recipe, but it was fine! I used coconut yogurt, but only had about 1/4 cup so I topped up the 1/2 cup measure with goats milk with no issues. My 12 year old loved them! Springy, light, yummy!
Katie
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed them even though you don't like coconut flour 🙂 Thank you for sharing your substitutions and leaving a review!!
B
Do you think the yogurt could be subbed for homemade coconut milk?
Katie
No, I would keep the yogurt. A coconut yogurt should work though.
B
Thanks for your response! I prefer to use unfermented foods right now, so that is why I was asking about a substitution. Could heavy cream work?
Katie
Hmm, I'm really not sure. I've never tried using cream in place of yogurt. You can try it, but I cannot guarantee good results. I'm so sorry!
Julie
Texture is the closest I have found to a traditional muffin. I added blueberries to mine. So good!!
Katie
I'm so glad you like them! Blueberries sound like a great addition.
Nally
Hi there, I cannot consume eggs at the moment but everything else in the recipe works out. Is there a substitution or just not add eggs into the mix?
Katie
Hi! This recipe has only been tested with eggs and unfortunately I don't think omitting the eggs or using an egg replacer would work well. I think the muffins would have trouble baking through and turn out gummy.
Stacy
You could try making flax eggs and using that. It’s just ground flax and water- you’d have to google the ratio I can’t remember. I use flax in almost all my baking recipe’s and it works great, however I haven’t tried it in this recipe. I’m going to try to make this with almond and cassava flour because I don’t have coconut flour at the moment. I’ll report back on how it goes.
Katie
Yes, please report back how the recipe works with almond and cassava! I find that using flax eggs with cassava flour often results in a gummy, undesirable texture.
Gina
Hello,
Great smelling and tasting recipe! Thank you for posting. Could you use chia seeds instead of the poppy seeds, as they are a lot healthier.
Katie
So glad you like them! Chia seeds would probably work as a substitute, but I haven't tried it myself. If you do, let me know how it turns out 🙂
Marge
I use lactose free Greek yogurt. I bought some kitehill almond yogurt and the runiness was to off-putting so I threw it out. Would the Greek yogurt work as a replacement or do you need the extra liquid?
Katie
Any yogurt will work. The texture may vary a little bit, but not much.