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Moist Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins Easy Recipe with Cream Cheese Drizzle

lemon poppy seed zucchini muffins - featured image
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These Moist Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Muffins balance sweet, tart, and earthy flavors with a tangy cream cheese drizzle, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or snacks.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil (neutral oils like canola preferred)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ½ cup (120 g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1½ cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini), squeezed to remove excess moisture
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • For the Cream Cheese Drizzle:
  • 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
  2. Grate the zucchini finely and squeeze out excess moisture using a clean kitchen towel.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and vegetable oil until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  5. Stir in Greek yogurt (or sour cream), lemon zest, and lemon juice until fully mixed.
  6. Fold the shredded zucchini gently into the wet mixture.
  7. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula just until combined; batter should be slightly lumpy.
  8. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full and smooth the tops lightly.
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  10. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. Prepare cream cheese drizzle by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable.
  12. Drizzle cream cheese mixture generously over cooled muffins.

Notes

Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender. Squeeze zucchini well to avoid soggy muffins. Use fresh lemon zest and juice for best flavor. Baking on the middle rack ensures even heat distribution. Tent with foil if tops brown too quickly. Cream cheese drizzle can be made ahead and refrigerated; bring to room temperature before use.

Nutrition

Keywords: lemon muffins, zucchini muffins, poppy seed muffins, cream cheese drizzle, moist muffins, easy baking, brunch recipe, healthy muffins

Find it online: https://bakebelle.com/moist-lemon-poppy-seed-zucchini-muffins-easy-recipe-with-cream-cheese-drizzle/