Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Dairy-Free Vegetarian Lemon Poppy Muffins made with Fresh Lemon Zest

Jan 12, 2008
Donna Diegel

Fresh Lemons - lemon drop,sxc

Sweet and tart Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with fresh lemon juice and zest are tempting hot from the oven. Dairy-free, egg-free vegan muffins. Healthy Baking Made Delicious!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are a favorite with just about everyone. Just the thought makes you salivate! These delicious vegan muffins have a tender, moist crumb and the poppy seeds give them a light crunch when you bite into one. Although they have lemon icing on the top, you can omit it if you need to stay away from refined sugar.

About Honey:

Some vegans claim that honey is an animal product and will not use it. Others believe it is an animal by-product and therefore it is allowed. Purists can substitute barley malt, maple syrup, molasses or corn syrup in it's place. It will however, alter the flavor a bit.

Tips, Tricks and Techniques:

Use the "Mother" recipe for Flaxseed Egg Substitute.
Wet stuff means just that, anything liquid.
Dry stuff means all dry ingredients.
Lemons: Use fresh, clean lemons. Zest them first using a Microplane Grater for fluffy zest. After zesting, cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice from them, discarding the seeds.
Poppy seeds: They can go rancid fast. Keep them stored in the freezer in an airtight container.
Muffin pans: Texas size, regular size or mini muffin pans. Non-stick pans like Baker's Secret are great, or use muffin papers. This recipe can also be baked in mini loaf pans. Increase baking time accordingly.
Baking: All ovens were not created equal. Baking time may vary from oven to oven. Always preheat. Resist opening the oven for the first 15 minutes of baking.
Freezing: This recipe makes 30 muffins, making it a great breakfast and snack choice for Once-a-month cooking. Use an airtight container, layer muffins between wax paper or paper towel.

The Recipe: Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Wet Stuff:

1/2 cup soy, rice or almond milk
1 cup flaxseed egg substitute
1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups honey or substitute
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp lemon extract

Dry Stuff:

7 cups whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 - 3/4 cup poppy seeds
Zest from 2 lemons, see above

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Muffin How-To's:

Sift all dry stuff into large bowl and set aside.
Whip all wet stuff 2 - 3 minutes with a high-speed mixer.
Fold wet into dry using a spatula or wooden spoon. Do NOT over mix.
Spray muffin pans with vegetable spray, or use muffin papers.
Using a cookie scoop, fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
Bake at 375 degrees for 22-28 minutes, or until muffin springs back when touched.
Mix icing ingredients together and drizzle on top of cooled muffins.
Makes 30 regular size muffins

For the non-vegan: Substitute eggs and regular milk.

Once-a-month Cooking, also known as Freezer Meals, or baking in this case, are big time savers for the large and/or busy family. It basically involves committing one or two days of menu planning and shopping, then one or two very full days of cooking, baking, packaging, labeling and freezing. Most cooks will get together with a few friends and prepare 5-7 different recipes, double, triple or quadrupling them for variety. For the rest of the month, they thaw out whatever suits their fancy overnight or the next morning. Baked goods are an important addition to once-a-month cooking, as it provides breakfasts and desserts to round out the daily menu.

For more recipes in the series "Healthy Baking Made Delicious"

Refer to the article Kitchen Supplies for Vegan Bakers for tips on; Appliances, Ingredients, Tips, Gadgets & Techniques for Vegan Baking. It will tell you what some of these ingredients are, where to get them and how to make vegan baked goods.