Jumbo Lemon Zucchini Muffins with Poppy Seeds

Recipe

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Super moist lemon poppy seed muffins with zucchini are healthier than the coffee shops and just as tasty!

This recipe yields the most delicious lemon zucchini muffins with poppy seeds, which you can easily make in a standard or jumbo muffin tin.

a basket of lemon zucchini muffins with poppy seeds

Zucchini Lemon Muffins

Zucchini on muffins? Not the obvious ingredient for sure, but wait until the first bite and you'll know that zucchini in muffins is 100% perfection. The zucchini adds nutrition and moisture without tasting like vegetables, only a moist lemon poppy seed muffin.

Ingredients

Along with zucchini, these muffins call for classic baking ingredients: all-purpose flour (regular or gluten-free flour), sugar, baking powder and baking soda to yield fluffy muffins, salt, eggs, and coconut oil or butter. For the epic flavor and texture, you’ll also need poppy seeds, whole milk yogurt or low-fat yogurt, and lemon (juice and zest).

How to Make Jumbo Lemon Zucchini Muffins

While in the video below, I show you how easy it is to make these zucchini lemon poppy seed muffins, here is a quick overview of the process:

Grate the zucchini.
Grating the zucchini with a grater is super easy. Once done, place it in a kitchen towel to squeeze it; this veggie has a lot of water!
Make the batter.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and whisk the yogurt, melted coconut oil or butter, lemon juice and zest, and eggs in another bowl. Then, add the dry mix to the wet ingredient bowl. Combine and add the grated zucchini, mixing gently.
Bake the muffins.
For jumbo muffins, bake for about 25 to 27 minutes; for regular-size muffins, bake for 20 to 22 minutes. When tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean, you'll know muffins are ready!

How to Freeze Lemon Zucchini Muffins

You can freeze lemon zucchini muffins before or after baking them. I prefer to freeze muffins after baking to save time.

To freeze baked muffins

Allow them to cool down, place the muffin pan in the freezer for about one hour, then transfer the muffins to a freezer-safe zip bag to store for up to 2 months. To eat them, microwave for 30 minutes.

To freeze unbaked muffins

To freeze muffin batter, follow the recipe and once you scoop the batter into the muffin pan, place it in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Once frozen, remove the paper liners from the pan and store the uncooked muffins in a zip bag for 3 months. To cook them, place them back in the muffin pan and bake following the recipe (adding a few extra minutes).

Lemon Zucchini Muffins with Poppy Seeds

Servings: 6 muffins

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Super moist lemon poppy seed muffins with zucchini are healthier than the coffee shops and just as tasty!

5 from 14 votes

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Ingredients

1 cup zucchini, grated
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ⅓ cups whole milk yogurt or low-fat yogurt
½ lemon (zest from the whole lemon), juiced
2 large eggs
⅓ cup coconut oil or butter, melted
Decorating sugar for topping, optional

Instructions

Prep:

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease or use liners in a 6-jumbo muffin pan or a regular 12-muffin pan.
Use a cheese grater to grate the zucchini. Place the grated zucchini on a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture.

Make the batter:

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, melted coconut oil or butter, lemon juice and zest, and eggs.
Gradually, add the dry ingredients to wet ingredient bowl, and use a spatula to fold them in to combine. Once the mixture is cohesive, add the grated zucchini to the bowl and fold it into the batter.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling them almost to the top.

Bake:

Bake the jumbo muffins for 5 minutes at 400F. Lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake them for an additional 20 to 22 minutes. They are done when tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Bake regular-sized muffins for 5 minutes at 400F. Lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake them for an additional 15 to 17 minutes. They are done when tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool down to room temperature before removing them from the pan.

Serve & store:

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Warm them up slightly in the microwave for 15 to 30 seconds if desired.