These lemon poppy seed squash muffins are a fresh take on classic zucchini bread, swapping warm spices for bright citrus and a soft lemony crumb. They bake up light, freeze beautifully, and taste like a proper bakery muffin, not a health compromise.
When April hits, I always get the urge to garden. I head to the nursery with no real plan and leave with whatever looks good at the time. This particular year, I had just bought a spiralizer and decided zucchini noodles felt like a responsible life choice. What followed was an aggressive amount of yellow squash.
One plant. Endless squash.
I grilled it, spiralized it, gave it away, turned it into pasta situations—and eventually landed here. These muffins became the favorite. I tested them as loaves and muffins, but the muffins won out. They’re easier to portion, less messy, and far more acceptable to casually hand to coworkers without explanation.
They taste like lemon poppy seed muffins. The squash disappears completely, adding moisture without flavor, and the yellow color blends right in. You get the baked-good satisfaction with a quiet “I ate a vegetable” bonus.
Notes From the Kitchen
Use a food processor if you can. The grating attachment makes quick work of squash and saves your knuckles.
Remove excess moisture. If you don’t have a cloth to squeeze the squash, let it sit in a fine mesh strainer for about an hour. Too much water will throw off the texture.
Muffins freeze well. Let them cool completely, then freeze in a single layer before transferring to a bag or container.
Yellow or green squash both work. Yellow squash blends in visually, but the flavor result is the same.
Lemon Poppy Seed Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups Shredded Zucchini (I use yellow)
- 1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1-2 tbsp Poppy Seeds
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 Lemons zested plus the juice of 1 lemon
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1/2 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and line a standard muffin tin with paper muffin liners
- Grate your zucchini (I use my food processor to make this go faster) and ring out some of the excess water using a clean towel or cheese cloth. Set off to the side.
- In a large bowl combine your dry ingredients (Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seed and salt) and whisk together until well combined.
- In a separate bowl combine your wet ingredients (oil, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract) and lemon zest, whisk until well combined.
- Pour your wet mixture into your dry mixture and wisk together. Do not over mix, this should still be a bit lumpy. Stir in the shredded zucchini until everything is combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes. When they are done you should be able to insert a toothpick without pulling out batter. Depending on your over this could take a few extra minutes.
- Let these cool and enjoy!
