Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe: Bright and Refreshing for Spring

Easy breezy…lemon poppy seed? Oh, we think so. We recently got this lemon poppy seed recipe and knew that we just had to share for spring. So bright and refreshing and good for you, these come from the kitchen of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau who leads the 30-Day Vegan Challenge program. As one might expect from a gal like that, they’re vegan, too. But you’d never know it. So move aside Cover Girl…it’s easy breezy time, and we’re hungry for lemon poppy seed muffins!

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe

Sweet enough for dessert and flexible enough to be sweetened less and served for breakfast, this is a favorite muffin of mine that is also the perfect accompaniment to a tea party or coffee klatsch.
Yield: 12 to 16 muffins (depending on the size)
Ingredients
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 c + 1 tbsp water
3 c all­‐purpose or whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 c organic granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp lemon zest (from the three lemons you use for the juice below)
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp salt
1 15-­ounce can coconut milk
1/3 c fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
3/4 c canola oil or melted nondairy butter, such as Earth Balance
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil one or two muffin tins.
2. In a blender, food processor or in a bowl using an electric hand mixer, whip the flaxseed and water together, until you have a thick and creamy consistency. The result should be rather gooey. This can all be done by hand, but a food processor/hand mixer does a better job in about 1 minute. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, poppy seeds and salt.
3. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then add the flaxseed mixture, coconut milk, lemon juice, oil and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour batter evenly into the prepared muffin tins.
4. Spoon about two tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup. You will have enough batter for 12 to 16 muffins, so either bake in two batches or use a second lightly oiled muffin tin. (Tip: If you’ve already oiled all of the cups of the muffin tin but don’t fill all of the cups with batter, add a small amount of water to each cup that doesn’t contain batter. Baking an empty, greased cup makes for hard clean-up!)
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Recipe Notes

• Instead of coconut milk, you may use almond, soy, rice, hazelnut, hemp or oat.
• You may also make as a bread. Pour batter into lightly oiled loaf tin (or mini loaf tins) and increase the cooking time to 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
• These vegan lemon poppy seed muffins are soy-­free if using oil or soy-­free Earth Balance, tree-­nut-­free, peanut-free.

What’s your favorite spring treat? Do you love lemon poppy seed muffins, too? Happy you have a vegan version now? —Jenn