Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

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These Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are naturally sweet with bright citrus flavor. They’re whole grain, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins- naturally sweet and perfectly moist + only 134 calories per muffin! (gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free)

I think I’m starting to get really spoiled with these blender muffin recipes. I can’t be bothered to take out bowls and spoons, or measure flour anymore. I mean, who has time for that?

Muffins are so easy to make this way that I’m afraid I’ll never go back to “normal” baking.  And when they’re easily adapted to whatever flavor you’re currently craving, as you’ve probably seen me do here, here, here and here, there’s not much reason to.

But in all honesty, adapting this particular muffin recipe really gave me a run for my money. I made three batches in one day before finally achieving success. The first two turned out like little hard, dense hockey pucks. I was so frustrated that I was ready to throw them at the wall but I was worried they might leave a hole.

Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins- naturally sweet and perfectly moist + only 134 calories per muffin! (gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free)

After crying in misery and chewing my way through a couple of lemon-flavored hockey pucks, I decided to start doing some research to figure out where I went wrong. Eventually I managed to find some helpful information on a random baking forum that said the acids in the lemon juice react with the baking soda and that there’s a second reaction that takes place in the oven which causes them to rise. Well apparently the second reaction wasn’t taking place, which I *think* might be due to the fact that everything is combined at once in the blender.

Have I lost you yet?

Anyways, using a base (like yogurt) to balance the acids might have helped but you guys know I like my muffins dairy-free so I wasn’t about to go that route. Ultimately I decided to nix the lemon juice and instead up the amount of zest to give them more of a lemon flavor. It felt like an eternity as I waited in anticipation, peering nervously through the oven door, but eventually I saw those pretty little muffin tops rise like mountains.

Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins- naturally sweet and perfectly moist + only 134 calories per muffin! (gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free)

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Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins- naturally sweet and perfectly moist + only 134 calories per muffin! (gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free)

So the moral of this (very boring) story is that I don’t recommend using lemon juice in this recipe unless you want to replace the applesauce with yogurt. Although, I can’t definitely confirm that will work because I haven’t tried it myself, but my suspicion is that it would.

Even without the lemon juice, they still have a delicious lemon flavor from the zest. I topped them with a simple glaze (just to make them look extra pretty for the pictures) which gives them even more lemony flavor, but you’ll probably want to leave that out if you’re looking for a healthy everyday muffin.

Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins- naturally sweet and perfectly moist + only 134 calories per muffin! (gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free)

 

Flourless Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

  • 1 cup non-dairy yogurt*
  • 2 eggs**
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 and 1/2 cups rolled oats, divided
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest (from approx. 3 large lemons)
  • 2 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Lemon Icing

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F then grease or line a muffin tin for 12 muffins and set aside.

In a blender or a food processor, layer the yogurt, eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, coconut sugar, 2 cups rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder and lemon zest (make sure they are in that order- you want the liquid items to be on the bottom). Add the melted coconut oil last then blend on high for about 20 seconds, until smooth. Lastly, add the poppy seeds and the remaining 1/2 cup of oats to the blender and blend for a few seconds so that they’re evenly distributed.

Pour the batter into the muffin tin so that each is filled approximately 3/4 of the way full then bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until light golden brown.

If you’re making the icing, combine the powdered sugar and the lemon juice in a small bowl and stir vigorously until smooth. Once the muffins have cooled, drizzle about one teaspoon on each and sprinkle with lemon zest.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

*UPDATE: I edited this recipe to include yogurt instead of applesauce because I find that it yields a more consistent result. I made them with non-dairy almond milk yogurt but you can use any kind of non-dairy yogurt you prefer.

**I’ve had readers mention that 2 flax eggs work well as a substitute but I cannot verify this as I haven’t tested it myself. They probably won’t rise as much with flax eggs.

Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by rating the recipe, leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! heart

by Sarah on February 25, 2016  //  Breads and Muffins, Breakfast, Muffins
62 Comments »