Orange Poppy Seed Muffins are jumbo, fluffy muffins bursting with citrus flavor and poppy seed crunch. These moist muffins are packed with orange juice, orange zest, and just the right amount of poppy seeds! Plus, I've included a sweet vanilla orange glaze that tastes like a creamsicle (optional, but highly recommended)!
I love lemon poppy seed desserts, and I wanted to try a different citrus spin on the classic flavor combination. These orange and poppyseed muffins turned out amazing and are a great breakfast for a bright start to your day!
Though oranges can usually be found year-round, they peak during the winter! This muffin recipe is the best way to make the most of these sweet citrus fruits. They definitely add a bit of sunshine to my gloomy Chicago winter days!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- These easy orange and poppy seed muffins can be made from scratch in about 30 minutes!
- They keep their fresh flavor in the freezer so you can save and enjoy them throughout the week.
- It uses fresh orange juice and zest, giving the muffins delicious orange flavor in both the batter and the icing.
- It's a fruity twist on the Costco poppy seed muffins and my very own Almond Poppy Seed Muffins recipe!
Ingredients
- Orange juice and zest are used throughout this recipe for lots of citrusy flavor. You'll need 1 or 2 oranges to get the right amount of juice and zest!
- Poppy seeds add a nutty flavor and a bit of a crunch. You can find poppy seeds in the spice aisle of your grocery store or can order them online.
- Buttermilk makes them fluffy and adds a slight tang.
- Vegetable oil keeps these muffins moist throughout the week.
- Baking powder and baking soda ensure a good rise for perfectly domed muffin tops.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in lemon for the orange for a classic lemon poppy seed version.
- Feel free to leave the icing off if you prefer your muffins less sweet.
- Substitute grapefruit in place of the orange for a more sophisticated flavor.
- You can make these muffins regular or mini sized by switching the size of your muffin tin. Making smaller muffins will require less cook time. See the recipe card notes below for more details.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, orange zest, and juice.
Step 3: Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 4: Fill jumbo muffin liners with batter, and bake at 425°F for 6 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 375°F until the muffins are fully cooked. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Step 5: To make the glaze, whisk orange zest, milk, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar until smooth.
Step 6: Drizzle fully cooled muffin tops with the icing.
Expert Baking Tips
- Zest your orange before juicing it! This will make zesting much easier. Also, use a good quality zester, like a Microplane fine grater.
- To keep your muffins light and fluffy and not dense, don't overmix your batter.
- Test to see if your muffins are done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are done. If there is still some wet batter stuck to it, keep cooking the muffins until it comes out clean.
- Be sure to use large muffin liners. If you can't find any, you can easily make your own jumbo muffin liners at home with parchment paper!
Recipe FAQs
Poppy seeds add a subtle nutty, almost spicy flavor to baked goods. They also add a great crunch.
No, this recipe does not require soaking the poppy seeds.
Rub a very fine grater along the outside of a clean, dry orange. This will remove the outer orange lining, which is the zest. It contains the natural oils with sweet orange flavor. Be careful not to grate the white part of the peel underneath the orange layer - that will add a bad, bitter taste to the muffins.
Storage
Room Temperature
Store cooled, unglazed orange poppy seed muffins in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Freezing Instructions
Store cooled muffins, glazed or unglazed, in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month and thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying!
Did you try this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Orange Poppy Seed Muffins with Glaze
Equipment
- Jumbo Muffin Pan with liners
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Whisk
- Fine grater/zester
Ingredients
Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour weighed in grams or spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil or other neutral oil
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature
- ¼ cup 100% orange juice fresh squeezed recommended (about 1 large orange)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 large orange
Vanilla Orange Glaze (Optional)
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
- Preheat oven to 425°F and fill a jumbo muffin pan with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and poppy seeds.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, orange juice, and orange zest.
- Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until the flour streaks disappear.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin liners and bake at 425°F for 6 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (without opening the door) and bake until a toothpick comes out of the center clean (12-16 more minutes; about 18-22 minutes total).
- Let the muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Vanilla Orange Glaze (Optional)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
- Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled muffins. Enjoy!
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