These Gluten Free, Fluffy, Moist Lemon Poppyseed Muffins pack in the flavor and will leave you thinking that *just one* isn’t enough.

I woke up this morning with a hankering for some lemon poppyseed muffins. I’m not sure what spurred this craving, but challenge accepted! There are certain criteria that truly make a good muffin. You know what I mean, fluffy, moist, moan-out-loud with the first bite type of good. At one point or another, we have all grabbed for a muffin expecting it to meet those criteria, only to be met with lack luster disappointment. Let me be clear, I am not here to disappoint. These Gluten Free, Fluffy, Moist Lemon Poppyseed Muffins hit every mark of a great muffin.
My wife and our lovely daycare folks all gave rave reviews and couldn’t get enough of these special muffins. Hillary’s husband (a self proclaimed muffin hater) also said it was one of the best breakfast treats he’s ever had. Also conveniently, it’s a simple and straightforward recipe (which we know doesn’t always happen in gluten free community of baked goods). As I continue to post, you will realize that I really dislike additional steps; they complicate, discourage, and most importantly, waste time. As much as possible I’ll combine steps to keep the process moving (and avoid extra dishes).




What Makes these different?
Back to the muffins…sweet rice flour is one of the biggest factors in developing the quality of light fluffiness. Its light binding characteristics help hold in air allowing the batter to rise to that perfect consistency. My preferred brand for flours is Bob’s Red Mill, time and again they have proven to be consistent tasting by using high-quality ingredients. You can shop their flours here. I’ve tried this recipe with other combinations of flours and some have turned out well, but I feel this combination of brown rice and sweet rice flour delivers the most consistent results with the best flavor. Try it out! I’m sure this will fix your muffin hankering as it did mine!
Can I freeze these?
Yes! You absolutely can freeze these. After cooking the muffins, let them cool completely and then place them on a sheet pan to freeze for 20 minutes. Then pack them into an airtight container or bag. DO NOT FROST. When you want to eat them, pop them into a preheated 350 oven for 5-8 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed. While they are in the oven, whip up the frosting (3 minutes) and frost them after removing them from the oven.




Make these for any holiday!
Instead of using turbinado sugar for a more traditional looking muffin, you can replace it with any color of sugar sprinkles. I tried using a variety of Easter colors that would make this super special for Easter morning. You could change the sprinkle color for any holiday or occasion…baby reveal anyone?
Recipe Tips and Tricks:
- You can use the batter with a cup of blueberries in a bread pan to make a pound cake. Grease the pan well and bake at 375 for approximately 30 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean)
- Don’t skip whisking the dry ingredients! Xanthan gum tends to clump together when liquid is added if it isn’t ‘protected’ by the other dry ingredients.
- Don’t mix the lemon zest with your mixer, as they zest will stick to the mixer paddles and won’t add the same impact of flavor/look, fold it in gently with a spatula.
- 4 TBS of lemon zest will take about 2 large lemons.
- To save time, zest & juice the lemons for the batter and the frosting at the same time. Then reserve the lemon juice and zest for the frosting until ready to use.
- If you don’t keep sour cream on hand, you can replace it 1:1 for plain greek yogurt.
If you made this recipe, please come back and let us know what you think! We love to hear your comments and feedback.
Those look delicious!