Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Almond Flour
Make my Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Almond Flour for light and fluffy muffins made healthier with all-natural ingredients, including lemon juice and zest, cottage cheese, pure cane sugar, and poppy seeds. And they’re topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese glaze. This is the perfect easy recipe for a brunch, Easter morning breakfast, or as a delicious snack.
Make my Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Almond Flour for light and fluffy muffins with simple ingredients. These almond flour lemon poppy seed muffins are made healthier with all-natural ingredients, including lemon juice and zest, cottage cheese, pure cane sugar, and poppy seeds. And they’re topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese glaze. This is the perfect easy recipe for deliciously light muffins to serve at a brunch, Easter morning breakfast, or as a delicious snack.
Why You’ll Love This Healthier Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe
- You only need a few simple ingredients.
- It is super easy to make for an impressive result.
- The flavor-rich ingredients make it taste amazing!
- All the ingredients are easily digestible for a gentle tummy.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you need to make the best gluten-free lemon poppyseed muffins:
Cottage Cheese: Substitute an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt, sour cream, or dairy-free yogurt for a dairy-free option.
Light Olive Oil: Substitute with melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, melted butter, or any other neutral-flavored oil.
Fresh Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice can be used interchangeably.
Vanilla Extract: Use vanilla bean paste or almond extract as a replacement.
Almond Extract: You can omit.
Fresh Lemon Zest: Ensure to use fresh lemon zest for the best flavor. Orange zest can be a substitute if needed.
Organic Cane Sugar: Replace with coconut sugar, brown sugar, or a granulated sugar substitute of your choice.
Eggs: For each egg, you can use a flaxseed or chia seed egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed or chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water).
Almond Flour: Hazelnut flour or sunflower seed flour can be used instead. Be careful not to use almond meal. It is not as fine as almond flour.
Tapioca Flour: This is also known as tapioca starch. Arrowroot flour or potato starch can be used as substitutes.
Poppyseeds: You can omit the crunch poppy seeds.
Cream Cheese: For a dairy-free option, use dairy-free cream cheese or coconut cream.
Lemon Juice: You can substitute freshly squeezed lime or orange juice for a different flavor.
Organic Powdered Cane Sugar: Substitute with powdered coconut sugar or a powdered sugar alternative.
How to Make My Healthier Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Almond Flour Recipe
Step 1: Prep the Fresh Lemon
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it lightly.
Zest and then juice one large lemon or two smaller lemons.
Step 2: Make the Muffin Batter
In a blender or the chopper cup of an immersion blender, add the wet ingredients, including cottage cheese, light olive oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract, and organic cane sugar. Mix well until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the eggs.
Add the dry ingredients, including almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppyseeds, and salt.
Stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 3: Bake the Muffins
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups in the muffin pan, filling each about 2/3 full.
Baking Option 1:
Bake in the 350°F preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The tops should be golden brown.
Baking Option 2: To enhance the dome top shape
Bake 425°F for 5 minutes. Leave the muffins in the oven and lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The tops should be golden brown.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4: Make the Cream Cheese Lemon Glaze
In a small bowl, blender, or chopper cup, mix together cream cheese, lemon juice, and organic powdered cane sugar until smooth.
Once the muffins are completely cool, drizzle the cream cheese lemon glaze over the tops of the muffins. Then garnish the muffin tops with a few poppyseeds and lemon zest.
Allow the glaze to set slightly before serving. Enjoy your delicious gluten-free lemon poppyseed muffins!
Gluten-Free Almond Flour Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Recipe Notes
Fresh Ingredients: Use fresh lemons for both juice and zest to maximize the citrus flavor in the muffins.
Baking Time: Keep a close eye on the muffins towards the end of the baking time to avoid over-baking. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Using Baking Option 2 will give the muffins a slightly higher dome shape on top from the early heat boost.
Glaze Sweetness: Adjust the thickness and sweetness of the glaze by adding more or less powdered sugar. You can also adjust the tartness by varying the amount of lemon juice.
Added Fruit: You can add blueberries, raspberries, or cherries to the batter before baking for added flavor.
Do you love muffins? Check out more of my easy and nutritious muffin recipes:
Gluten-Free Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with Almond Flour
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup light olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2-2/3 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon poppyseeds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Lemon Glaze:
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup organic powdered cane sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it lightly.Zest and then juice one large lemon or two smaller lemons.
- In a blender or the chopper cup of an immersion blender, add the wet ingredients, including cottage cheese, light olive oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract, and organic cane sugar. Mix well until smooth.Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the eggs.Add the dry ingredients, including almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppyseeds, and salt.Stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups in the muffin pan, filling each about 2/3 full.Baking Option 1:Bake in the 350°F preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The tops should be golden brown.Baking Option 2: To enhance the dome top shapeBake 425°F for 5 minutes. Leave the muffins in the oven and lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The tops should be golden brown.Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, blender, or chopper cup, mix together cream cheese, lemon juice, and organic powdered cane sugar until smooth.Once the muffins are completely cool, drizzle the cream cheese lemon glaze over the tops of the muffins. Then garnish the muffin tops with a few poppyseeds and lemon zest.Allow the glaze to set slightly before serving. Enjoy your delicious gluten-free lemon poppyseed muffins!
Video
Are the nutrition stats per muffin or for all 12 servings? Doesn’t specify.
Per muffin
The instructions and video list of ingredients mention unsweetened applesauce, however, the list of ingredients does not contain applesauce and the instructions of the video do not show adding in the applesauce. Is there applesauce in this recipe?
Hi Miriam, I’m so glad you asked! No, the recipe should not include applesauce. I apologize it was incorrectly shown in some of the ingredient lists. It’s been removed. I apologize for the inconvenience and I appreciate you letting me know 🙂 Please let me know how these turn out!
We loved this recipe! Great lemon flavor!
Hi Mark, thank you for sharing this with me! I love the lemon flavor, too 🙂
We lived this recipe!
That’s awesome! Thanks, David!