This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure and privacy policy.
Grain-free vegan lemon poppy seed muffins, made with a combination of chickpea flour and coconut flour! They can be made oil-free, too, with one simple swap.
Table of Contents
- Egg-free Gluten-free Muffins
- Recipe Benefits
- Ingredients for Grain-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- A Great Baking Combination: Chickpea Flour & Coconut Flour
- Step by Step Directions
- Tip: Be Sure to Line the Muffin Tin with Liners
- Baking Tip: Only Fill the Muffin Cups 1/3 Full
- Related Recipes
- Grain-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (oil-free option) Recipe
Egg-free Gluten-free Muffins
I worked, part-time, as a barista between college and graduate school. I love coffee, so the prospect of unlimited coffee drinks (100% allowed) was thrilling.
For about a week. Yes, you can have too much of a good thing.
But the pastries were still a big draw. Unlimited pastries was not allowed (a good thing for everyone!), but we got to sample everything that we sold. My favorite? Lemon poppy seed muffins, which I bought for my break-time snack on many days.
Lemon poppy seed remains one of my favorite muffins of all time, so I am happy to share a grain-free and vegan version. They are wonderful, if I do say so myself!
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (dairy-free, egg-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Oil-free Option
- Made in 1 bowl
- Fast and easy to prepare
Ingredients for Grain-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- nondairy milk (e.g., almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk)
- juice & grated zest of 1 large lemon
- chickpea flour
- natural cane sugar (or sweetener of choice)
- coconut flour
- baking powder
- salt
- vegetable oil (I used safflower oil; I have notes for making oil-free)
- poppy seeds
A Great Baking Combination: Chickpea Flour & Coconut Flour
I used a combination of chickpea flour and coconut flour, which produces a firm but tender muffin with a texture akin to all-purpose wheat flour.
The muffins are a breeze to mix up and require only one bowl. The lemon flavor comes from both lemon juice (used to make a dairy-free “buttermilk”) and lemon zest. A bonus? Chickpea flour has a naturally golden hue, lending a naturally sunny color to the muffins.
Step by Step Directions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 10 cups of a standard muffin tin with foil or paper liners.
- In a small cup or bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, sugar, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk mixture, oil, poppy seeds, and lemon zest; stirring until blended and smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared cups (they will only be about 1/3 full).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and a toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in tin and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tip: Be Sure to Line the Muffin Tin with Liners
It is very important to line the cups of the muffin tin; chickpea flour baked goods, especially those with sugar, brown faster than their grain flour equivalents.
For cookies, lower temperatures often work better, and for muffins and quick breads, a shield (a paper or foil liner for muffins/cupcakes, parchment paper liners for loaves an cakes) helps to regulate even browning.
Baking Tip: Only Fill the Muffin Cups 1/3 Full
The second important point: fill the muffin cups no more than 1/3-cup full. Because of the absence of both eggs and gluten, the muffins will not peak. In order to keep the centers from sinking, the muffins need to rise no higher than the sides of the muffin cup.
That is the extent of the fussiness. The remaining steps are more or less foolproof.
I predict lemon poppy seed muffins may soon be your favorite muffins, too!
Happy baking!
(Below: I am incapable of taking princess bites :))
Related Recipes
Grain-Free Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (oil-free option)
Ingredients
- 1 cup nondairy milk , (I used almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 4.5 tablespoons natural cane sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut flour, 28 g
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, (certified GF, as needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil , (I used avocado oil, see notes for oil-free option)
- 2.25 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line 10 cups of a standard muffin tin with foil or paper liners.
- In a small cup or bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, sugar, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the milk mixture, oil, poppy seeds, and lemon zest; stirring until blended and smooth. Divide batter evenly between prepared cups (they will only be about 1/3 full).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and a toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean.
- Cool 5 minutes in tin and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.
My surface on muffins become quite dry. Do I need to add more oil or ?
I do not have avocado so I used olive oil. Lazy to melt coconut oil.
Hi Tracy,
Was it just the surface of the muffins? If so, you may need to do something as simple as adjust your oven racks (if the muffins are close to the top of the oven, they can cook more rapidly on the top since they are close to the hot oven ceiling). The type of oil should not make a difference regarding the tops.
I see below that you using allchickpea! flour with additional water and baking soda should work. I don’t have coconut or the flour so all chickpea is my option. I want to make this as a loaf instead of muffins. Would that! Work and if so, how long should I bake it for?
Hi Natalia,
I advise sticking with muffins or very small loaf pans— this does not work as a full size loaf (center will collapse— it needs smaller size pans to bake properly) Trust me— I’ve tested and had the failed loaves so that you do not have to waste your ingredients testing it 🙃
Okay, thanks for the info. If I want to use all chickpea flour, only water no non dairy milk and bake mini muffins. What total amount of water and cooking time do you reccomend?
Hi Natalia,
You can follow the guidelines I suggested to Hoda: add 3 to 4 tablespoons more liquid, increase sweetener slightly. For mini muffins: it will depend on how full the cups are, but perhaps start checking at 9 minutes. Keep in mind that I have not tested the recipe with these changes, just suggested to Hoda that it could work out. It may take some tweaking to get right! 🙂
Got it, thanks!
All thanks to you and your kindness!
You’re welcome, Hoda ☺️
Thank you! And I just finished baking the chickpea biscotti with toasted almonds and dark chocolate chips with some left over orange zest. Amazing recipe! Your recipes allow me to enjoy baking for family and friends since I cannot have wheat and dairy. It’s a happy kitchen😀
Oh my goodness, the biscotti with orange, dark chocolate and toasted almonds sounds heavenly! I am over the moon to know that my recipes are helping you enjoy and share your baking with your family and friends, Hoda :).
Dear Camilla, thank you for all these so delicious recipes! Can I use the total amount of flour as chickpea flour only? And if yes what adjustments do I need to make? I appreciate your time and assistance thank you
Hi Hoda! Yes, I think you can, without a problem. I would make the total amount of chickpea four 1.5 cups, increase the milk by 3 to 4 tablespoons, and increase the baking powder to 2 and 1/4 teaspoons. You might want to add a bit more sweetener, too. Coconut flour has a faintly sweet flavor; an extra tablespoon or 2 more sweetener would offset the savory flavor of the chickpea flour. Cheers!
Instead of chickpea flour, could I use another flour, like a nut or seed flour? I usually use ground hulled pumpkin seeds for a grain free flour. If I did this, would I need to alter anything, like the nondairy milk?
Hi Kyme,
Alas no, nut or seed flour will not work in this recipe. Such flours require binders to hold together in bread form ; chickpea flour can be used solo without such binders.
I am absolutely loving your recipes, as a gluten free vegan who does workshops showcasing healthy foods!! Can I use another kind of sweetener here, or will it affect the outcome? Maple syrup, coconut sugar, would either of those work? Thanks in advance!
I am so glad you are excited about the recipes, Angela!
Yes, you can definitely use other sweeteners. I have gone in to the recipe and added the options in the notes. I use coconut sugar most often, but I wanted to make these muffins lighter in color (hence cane sugar over coconut sugar). Maple syrup or agave nectar will also keep them light in color. 🙂
@Camilla,
Thank you so much! I’m actually baking them as we speak, and I’ve used xylitol to keep the light color. Excited to share these tonight with my workshop attendees! Our topic is Lemon + Loving Other Humans
Angela
Hey sorry this is my third comment tonight:/:) can I add some lemon extract to get more lemon flavor? Will it be overpowering? And should I adjust the liquids accordingly? Thank you so much for your recipes:)
Yes, lemon extract would be fine! You only need to use the extract in small quantities, so no need to adjust the liquids.
I love these, they came out perfect!!!!!
Yay! So glad you like them!