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Lemon & Seed Muffins

Premium

35 min

Snack

Dessert

Freezer-friendly
Lemon and poppy seeds are a classic combination, but since poppyseeds can sometimes be tricky to find, we substituted them with black sesame seeds. The sesame seeds give a very mild nutty flavour to the muffins, which is the perfect pair with the sweet and tart icing.

Servings

Total

35 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

25 min

Contains

Gluten symbol

gluten

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Soy symbol

soy

Sesame symbol

sesame

Free from

Peanut symbol

peanut

Treenut symbol

tree nut

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Ramona - May 23, 2026, 1:56 p.m.

Delicious😊i swapped the sesame seeds for frozen blueberries🙊came out really great😊☀️

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Adriana Fernandez - March 14, 2026, 10:41 a.m.

Is it possible to make the muffins without adding any type of yogurt? Does this ruin the consistency in any way?

PUL small logo PUL Team - March 14, 2026, 11:21 p.m.

Hii Adriana, thanks for the question! We've heard a positive review from Caitlin who used more plant milk in place of the yogurt. You could add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk to thicken it, which will help keep the moist texture 🤗

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Sanny - Jan. 15, 2026, 7:15 a.m.

Can i also use a normal cake tin for this recipe? I find it hard to figure out if i can transfer cupcake recipies to tin recipies and how :)

PUL small logo PUL Team - Jan. 15, 2026, 4:21 p.m.

Hiii Sanny! We imagine the original recipe for these muffins could make an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake. We haven’t tested it that way ourselves, but you could bake it for an extra 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to keep an eye on it and adjust the time as needed 🤗

If you’re open to alternatives, we also have a "Blood Orange Poppy Seed Loaf" on the app, which you could swap the orange with lemon and poppy seeds with sesame seeds! Happy baking ✨

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Nathalie - Nov. 23, 2025, 7:03 p.m.

Delicious 🍋🤩 Swapped the toasted sesame for poppy seeds and they came out so well. Without the glaze they’re very subtle and not overly sweet, which I like very much. Topped with the glaze they’re sweeter and tangier. Would recommend either way 💛

PUL small logo PUL Team - Nov. 23, 2025, 10:41 p.m.

Thanks for trying our the recipe, and for the recommendation! It means so much, Nathalie ☺️

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Elena Ruxandra Neagu - Oct. 15, 2025, 10:49 a.m.

The muffins were absolutely delicious! Every bite was perfect. I made them for a work event, and they were gone so fast! Everyone loved them. Thank you PUL team for this great recipe ♥️♥️

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Danny - Aug. 29, 2025, 11:34 p.m.

They rise beautifully! Keeper recipe!

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Nynke de Graaf - June 4, 2025, 8:35 p.m.

Bit to salty, it does need a bit more lemon for my taste. But I do like the consitancy. I'm gonna try again.

PUL small logo PUL Team - June 4, 2025, 10:37 p.m.

Hi Nynke, thanks for trying the muffins and sharing your experience with them! In case it helps, a lemon for us usually yields around 30 mL (2 Tbsp) of lemon juice 😊

Nynke de Graaf - June 4, 2025, 10:47 p.m.

Yes , and I saw in the extra notes it was about 1/4 a cup. So that's what I used. The glaze has a lot off flavour tough and makes up for a lot of it. Still gonna try an fine tune it. For our taste. And I used poppy seeds. Perhapse sesamseeds have a better balance with the salt. But I will still enjoy them.

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Kate Prasolek - April 15, 2025, 12:56 a.m.

I love this recipe, the batter came out super fluffy! What is your tip to prevent them from sticking so much to the paper liners???

PUL small logo PUL Team - April 15, 2025, 10:05 a.m.

So glad you loved the muffin, Kate! For less sticking, you could try using parchment-style liners, which tend to release more easily. We find that muffins that are still warm tend to stick to the liners more than fully cooled muffins 😊

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Caitlin - Jan. 16, 2025, 7:35 p.m.

Hi! Would these muffins still turn out well if I substituted the plant yogurt with more plant milk? Thanks!

PUL small logo PUL Team - Jan. 16, 2025, 7:43 p.m.

Hi Caitlin, yes, more plant milk should work! Also, adding a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk will thicken it and help keep the moist texture 🙂

Caitlin - Jan. 17, 2025, 4:19 a.m.

Nevermind! I ended up trying it and it worked!😊 The muffins tasted great! They were fluffy but had a nice crispy crunch too!!

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Luiza Alice - Dec. 19, 2024, 2:53 a.m.

Hi, can I replace poppy/sesame seeds for chia, or sth bad will happen ?
Each time I experiment with baking alternating sth else than adding less sugar, it’s a flop and comes out unbaked ..:(
Also , where can I use rye flouer, please ? Hopefully in desserts 🤓

PUL small logo PUL Team - Dec. 19, 2024, 3:24 p.m.

Hey Luiza, chia seeds absorb moisture which would likely affect the baking. You could swap the poppy/sesame seeds for hemp or cacao nibs instead! We don't have any recipes with rye flour so we've added this to our list of ideas for the future 😊

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Alexandra Salahoru - Nov. 30, 2024, 2:03 p.m.

Made this for a dinner with friends and oh my god. They were so good. Something I will be making again many times for sure. The lemon flavour for me is perfect, you can really taste it but It doesn't overpower the rest. Chef's kiss.

PUL small logo PUL Team - Nov. 30, 2024, 5:41 p.m.

Thanks a bunch, Alexandra! So happy your friends loved it and hope you enjoy it again (and again) 🍋💛

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Anaelle - Nov. 27, 2024, 8:37 a.m.

Love this recipe, however, „one lemon, juiced“ is not an exact measure. I ended up making one batch that is too bitter and one batch that is too sour. For all who are wondering, I found that 50ml is the perfect amount of lemon juice.

Anaelle - Nov. 27, 2024, 8:38 a.m.

I mean, 100ml. 50ml was for 6 muffins

PUL small logo PUL Team - Nov. 27, 2024, 10:34 p.m.

Hi Anaelle, thanks for sharing your experience with the recipe. In case it helps, a lemon for us usually yields around 30 mL (2 Tbsp) of lemon juice for us 🤗

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Aruna - Aug. 16, 2024, 7:18 p.m.

This is another favourite of mine. My kitchen (and perhaps my street) smells so good while baking this muffin. I replace sesame with chia seeds due to food allergies, tastes amazing. I love the recipe ideas in this app; it allows me to modify it and make it meet my dietary needs.

PUL small logo PUL Team - Aug. 17, 2024, 10:46 a.m.

Haha I love it! So glad you're enjoying the recipes, Aruna - thank you for making them 🤗

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Yara Alves - July 27, 2024, 6:19 p.m.

hi! can i make this in the form of a loaf/cake? if so, do you know how I have to adjust?

PUL small logo PUL Team - July 28, 2024, 8:10 p.m.

Hi there, Yara, we imagine the original recipe for these muffins could make an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake. We haven't tried baking it as such, but if you bake it for an extra 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on it and adjust the time as needed. We also have a recipe for a blood orange and poppy seed loaf, which can easily be swapped for lemon and sesame seeds. https://belly-vanish.info/r%E2%80%A6%3C/a%3E 🤗

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Elia - July 1, 2024, 9:02 p.m.

Tasty muffins! they keep stuck to the paper and it is very difficult to take the paper off.
Also, I used only baking soda instead of baking soda and bicarbonate. They didn't rise as much as I hope but they were delicious anyway.

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Inu - May 4, 2024, 9:12 p.m.

Do NOT skip the lemon topping! Great & tasty but simple to make muffins 🥰🥰

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Astrid - April 3, 2024, 9:21 p.m.

Delicious :D

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Earl Grey - March 28, 2024, 12:03 p.m.

Delicious! I used poppy seeds and it worked great too! I olny had the „problem“ that the sugar coating sort of melted into the cupcake?

PUL small logo PUL Team - March 29, 2024, 10:23 p.m.

Hey there, Earl, we're glad you enjoyed the muffins! The sugar coating melting into the cupcake could be due to the warmth of the muffins when you applied the icing. Next time, you could try letting the muffins cool completely before dipping them in the icing to prevent the melting. You can also consider double-coating (as is often done with donuts) to create a thicker glaze 😊

Earl Grey - April 6, 2024, 9:59 a.m.

Thank you for the tips, I will try that next time! :)

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The Lazy Artist - Jan. 14, 2024, 6:47 p.m.

I'm wondering if it’s fine to use a madeleine baking tray, or if it's too smal...?

PUL small logo PUL Team - Jan. 15, 2024, 12:51 a.m.

Hey there, we haven't had a chance to make a madeleine recipe yet, but are excited to have one in the future. We think you could adjust this recipe to use a madeleine tray. The wells are smaller and shallower. You could try halving the recipe so there isn't too much batter and see how that goes. If you give it a try also be sure to keep a closer eye on the pan as the smaller size will likely need less time in the oven 🤗

The Lazy Artist - Jan. 15, 2024, 10:27 a.m.

Yes, it makes sense! Thank you!! Looking forward to a madeleine recipe 🥰

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Josephine H. - Dec. 26, 2023, 11:13 a.m.

How to I get the flaxseed gel to combine with the wet ingredients? Mine is just so clumpy...🤷‍♀️

PUL small logo PUL Team - Dec. 27, 2023, 1:23 a.m.

Hey Josephine, the clumping is normal! It's likely the result of the lemon juice reacting with the protein in the soy milk (which together is called buttermilk). It's a desired texture in baking. So long as you mix the flaxseed gel mixture into the liquids with a few whisks, that should already do the trick. I hope the final muffins were enjoyed!

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Arch S - Dec. 13, 2023, 5:25 a.m.

Excited to try this :) could I swap the flaxseeds for chia seeds?

PUL small logo PUL Team - Dec. 15, 2023, 1:26 a.m.

Hey Arch, yes you can substitute ground flaxseeds for ground chia seeds. We hope you enjoy the muffins! 🤗

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Sara - Nov. 27, 2023, 7:27 a.m.

So good and easy. Not too sweet. Just perfect.

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donnie - June 21, 2023, 11:50 p.m.

It’s been a long time since I have baked - really enjoyed making these and already have requests to make them again! Used poppy seeds in lieu of sesame as that’s what I had to hand. Worked well.

PUL small logo PUL Team - June 22, 2023, 4:25 a.m.

Mmm sounds lovely, Donnie - thank you!

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Lara - May 6, 2023, 6:03 p.m.

Very delicious! I swapped the lemons for oranges and it worked really well, just had to add some more flour since the oranges contained more juice. These muffins have such a mild, wonderful flavour and the sesame seeds are such a great idea!

PUL small logo PUL Team - May 6, 2023, 6:36 p.m.

Ooo a lovely twist, Lara - thank you 😃

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Karin - April 19, 2023, 5:29 p.m.

These Muffins are delicious, my kids liked them too! I just needed a little bit more milk, to soften the dough.

PUL small logo PUL Team - April 20, 2023, 7:05 a.m.

So happy to hear, Karin, thank you!

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