Light and fluffy blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are on a whole new level! Greek yogurt keeps them extra moist, creamed butter creates a wonderfully soft texture, and fresh blackberries add a burst of seasonal flavor. Drizzle each with sweet, tart lemon glaze for a finishing touch.
Today’s blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are fruity and summery, featuring the season’s freshest berries. I love any and all lemon poppy seed muffins (try my orange lemon poppy seed muffins next), but when you introduce berries—it’s a whole new level of awesome. The sweet blackberries cut the tartness of the lemon muffin and add a new texture to each bite. Let’s dive in!
These Blackberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Are:
- Light and tender
- Like soft and fluffy lemon cake
- Easy to prepare—no mixer required
- Made with basic ingredients
- Baked at an initial high temperature for tall muffin tops
- Studded with blackberries
- Drizzled with lemon glaze
- Perfect for summer mornings
Best Ingredients to Use
These blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are a variation of my master muffin recipe, which we also use as the base for my favorite blueberry muffins. We’ll use pretty much the same ingredients for today’s batter! Here are all of the ingredients you need and why each is important:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the base of these muffins.
- Poppy Seeds: Can’t have poppy seed muffins without them! Same goes for lemon poppy seed bread.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Both leaveners help the muffins rise.
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Salt and pure vanilla extract add flavor. Try using homemade vanilla extract.
- Butter: We use creamed unsalted butter for a lighter texture. My orange lemon poppy seed muffins are made with melted butter for a denser, heartier texture.
- Sugar: In my master muffin recipe, I swap between brown sugar and granulated sugar. I like to use granulated sugar in today’s muffins so the lemon flavor really shines, but like to use brown sugar in my blueberry muffins for a little extra flavor.
- Eggs: 2 eggs bind everything together.
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds moisture. Use your favorite yogurt– I prefer nonfat or low fat plain Greek yogurt but regular (not Greek) would be just fine. Try using vanilla flavored, honey flavored, or even full fat. Sour cream works as well.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture. I usually use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Any milk, dairy or nondairy, works.
- Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest: Both add tartness and lots of lemon flavor.
- Blackberries: Fresh blackberries are best, but frozen blackberries work, too. If using frozen, do now thaw before using. You can use blueberries instead, or try raspberries or chopped strawberries. A mixed berry combination would be a delicious option! Keep berries to a total of 1 and 1/2 cups.
Baker’s Tip: It’s important to fill your muffin pan (or cupcake liners) all the way to the top. You’ll have a lot of batter in each cup. Because we bake the muffins at an initial high temperature for 5 minutes, the muffins won’t overflow. In fact, this is what creates tall muffin tops! The high heat raises the muffin tops up, then you’ll reduce the oven temperature for the remaining time which will cook the muffins inside. Not only does this trick create beautifully sky-high muffin tops, it also makes the muffins extra fluffy inside because the tops don’t stay flat.
Optional Lemon Icing
For a little something extra, I like to top each muffin with a drizzle of lemon glaze. You only need 2 ingredients: confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. It’s sweet and tangy and, after an hour or two, sets and becomes reminiscent of doughnut glaze. While totally optional, I always encourage adding extra sweetness!
More Favorite Muffin Recipes
- Banana Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Cream Cheese Zucchini Muffins or regular Zucchini Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Blackberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are on a whole new level! Greek yogurt keeps them extra moist and creamed butter creates a wonderful soft texture.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) Greek yogurt*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk*
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 and 1/2 cups (250g) fresh or frozen blackberries (do not thaw if using frozen)
Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2–3 Tablespoons (30-45ml) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: In a large bowl, toss the flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high until creamed, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just about combined. Add the milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and continue to beat on low until combined. Fold in the blackberries with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. They may bleed a little, so be careful!
- Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each all the way to the top. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C), then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 22–23 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack and drizzle with glaze. Muffins stay fresh stored in the refrigerator for 1 week.
- For the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice together. Drizzle over muffins.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins (without glaze) for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired. Glaze before serving.
- Yogurt: Use your favorite yogurt; I prefer nonfat or low fat plain Greek yogurt but regular (not Greek) would be just fine. Try with vanilla flavored, honey flavored, or even full fat. Sour cream works as well.
- Milk: I usually use skim milk or unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Any milk, dairy or nondairy, works!
- Adapted from blueberry muffins.
Keywords: blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins, blackberry lemon muffins
Can I double or triple this recipe without making any other adjustments?
Hi JJ, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making separate batches rather than doubling or tripling.
Thank you for the advice. I will make separate batches. I’m making muffins for a brunch birthday party for my grandson’s first. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Omg – so thank you to the person below who commented and to you for posting the elevation tips! I moved to CO and have thrown away so many trial and error recipes and decided to try this one with the edits and with my new oven and boom, they came out so good. I will post what I changed based on MY elevation per king arthurs website –
MILK – 1/4th cup plus 2 tablespoons plus 3 teaspoons – add 1 tbsp of butter to make “sweet milk”
Flour – 1 and 3/4THS cups plus 2 extra tablespoons
Use only Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon. No sour cream or yogurt.
5 mins at 450, decrease to 335 for the remaining 13 minutes.
They were’t the moistest things I’ve ever made but we will get there eventually! Thank you!
★★★★★
Lovely, Delicious, High Muffins w/No sinking middles at 8000’!
THX for your High Alt., changes. What is your elevation?
Made Half a recipe w/an extra Egg yolk bc I had one & left out 1 1/2 T Milk to compensate. Added 3>4 T Candied Lemon peel to batter for more flavor.. Baked in muff cups 450* 6 min; 375* 8 min; 350* ~5 min in convec/micro oven.
Can I use sour crem instead of yogurt
Hi Leah, sure can!
These sound delicious, I cannot wait to try them. Do you think this recipe could be baked in a loaf pan?
Yes! Any muffin recipe yielding around 12 standard size muffins doubles as a quick bread recipe. You can use this batter and follow the baking instructions for our Blueberry Muffin Bread.
When I made these muffins, the tops didnt rise into a dome at all and simply went out. Also, the blackberries sank to the bottom and soaked in the bottom of the muffins. I dont know if this is a high altitude thing or if i just did something wrong.
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Hi Mocat, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
See my post above for high altitude if you haven’t tried it already!
Have never had this happen before but on step 3 when I put mixer at high speed as directed my mixture completely separated and turned to liquid. What went wrong?
Hi Susan, were all of your ingredients room temperature? When ingredients are varying temperatures, it can sometimes cause batter to split.
Could I make the batter to step 4 and then freeze it in cooked/portioned? Then thaw and bake it later? Thanks!
Hi Emily, unfortunately, batter isn’t the best to freeze as the leavening agents are activated once mixed with the wet ingredients. You can freeze the baked muffins for up to three months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
Hi! Can I use 1/2 cup of honey instead of 3/4 cup sugar in the muffins without making any other changes? Thanks!
Hi Dana, We haven’t tried the recipe this way, but it should work! Let us know how it goes.
Do you think these would work if I left out the blackberries without making any other changes?
Yes, definitely!
Hi Irena,
I didn’t see your comment fast enough. I made them with the cake flour. They turned out very flat. I followed the recipe very closely.
Can I make these muffins with cake flour?
Hi Nadia, We fear cake flour would be much too light for these muffins. They would likely be flimsy and you’d have a hard time taking them out of the wrapper. Best to stick with all-purpose flour here!
Do you have any tips for creaming the butter without any mixer? Can I do it with a whisk or baking spatula?
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Hi Sally. Very excited to start my muffin journey with the help of your clever base recipe plus add-ins approach. Have tried these lemon and poppy seed beauties. They taste great however after forming perfect domes during baking they partly deflated afterwards and formed funny peaks. Followed the recipe to the T. Set oven to bottom heating only and without the fan. Is that correct? Would appreciate any other suggestions before I tackle the apple walnut muffins. Many thanks.
Hi Irena, If they are deflating after you take them out of the oven then it’s likely that they are simply a bit underbaked. Next time, leaving them in the oven for even an extra minute should help. We use conventional heat (not fan forced) and the heating elements are on the top and bottom. If you have the ability to use top and bottom heat that should help also!
I have. Question: why did my muffins turn out dry? I baked them at 425 for 5 min and 15 min at 350 with a crumb on toothpick I followed recipe
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Hi Donna, how are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or weight measure) your flour to ensure you’re not adding too much flour to the dough. Too much flour can lead to dry muffins. Hope this helps!
I made a HUGE mistake!! I poured the batter in a 6 count muffin pan (that’s all I have) and the remaining into a small bundt pan. The muffins in the muffin pan turned out tall and PERFECT. However, the batter in the small bundt pan overflowed and made a mess…..still tasty and edible.
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Hi Sally! I love all your recipes and can’t wait to try these. I am having a bridal shower brunch and I want to make mini muffins instead of regular size muffins. Do you happen to have the adjusted bake time? Thank you!
Hi Melissa, For mini muffins, the blackberries are pretty large, so we would cut them so they are a nice size for mini muffins. Bake at 350°F (177°C) the whole time for about 11-13 minutes, give or take.
Super delicious, great recipe! These muffins were light and fluffy and just the right combination of sweet and tart. I love that you use non-dairy milk alternatives. I used oat milk for mine and they turned out great. Thank you, Sally!
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I just made these so delicious! Note: I didn’t have yogurt so substituted 4oz cream cheese ( room temp) and no poppy seeds. They were so yummy. I can’t wait to try them with all the ingredients. Thank you
★★★★★
These are the most delicious lemon muffins ever! Every flavor is in perfect balance. Super moist. And the blackberries add a wonderful touch.
★★★★★
These are seriously some of the best muffins I have made in a long time. Light, moist and a nice mix of sweet and tart. Thanks for this recipe. Just FYI, I used sour cream instead of yogurt. I just took some out of the freezer and they held up so well.
★★★★★