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An unwrapped poppy seed muffin on top of a metal grate with two muffins in the background.

Vegan Orange Poppy Seed Muffins

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 9 jumbo muffins 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

These vegan orange poppy seed muffins are bursting with bright orange citrus flavors. They are big, fluffy and easy to make in advance for a fun treat.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar
  • Zest of one medium orange
  • 6 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
  • 1/4 cup orange juice (about 1/2 a medium orange juiced)
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1/4 cup plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or oat milk
  • 2 tbsp plant-based butter, melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cup (295 g) all-purpose flour (if using measuring cups, spoon and level your flour)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp poppy seeds
  • Coarse sugar to top with (like Sugar in the Raw), optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Using your hands, rub the zest into the sugar for a minute to release the oils from the orange peel.
  2. Add the aquafaba and whisk well until the mixture starts to foam around the edges. Then whisk in the orange juice, oil, yogurt, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract, and stir well until evenly mixed and smooth.
  3. Next, stir in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
  4. Add in the flour and poppy seeds, then using a spatula, fold the ingredients together just until the ingredients are combined. Do not overmix!
  5. Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. While waiting, prepare two jumbo muffin tins by greasing or spraying with a little oil or using paper liners.
  6. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling each well about 3/4 of the way full. Top the batter with a small sprinkle of coarse sugar then place in the oven to bake for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the heat of the oven to 350F and continue to bake for 17-20 minutes or until the tops appear golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for at least 15 minutes before enjoying.

Notes

Rub your zest with sugar. The sugar is rough, which when rubbed with the zest will help break open the cells of the zest and naturally release their oils, which are loaded with that orange essence.

Measure your flour appropriately for best results. I recommend a scale to ensure that you are getting the most accurate flour weight, which will lead to more consistent muffins.

Avoid overmixing the batter. Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense and dry. Just fold the flour into the wet batter until just combined.

Use an initially higher temperature when baking. Backing the muffins at 425F for 5 minutes helps the muffins bake taller, giving you the classic dome shape for our muffins.

You can swap the jumbo muffin tin for a regular muffin tin. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time. This recipe will make 9 jumbo muffins and 12 regular sized muffins. Bake the smaller muffins at 450F for an initial 5 minutes then reduce the heat to 350F and bake for 13-15 minutes.