These healthier lemon poppy seed ricotta muffins are so perfectly light and fluffy. They are lower in sugar than the typical muffin and pack a good source of protein from the ricotta. These are the best springtime muffins to make.
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Spring is just around the corner and I am itching for a little extra sunshine so these lemon poppy seed ricotta muffins are coming in handy. Around Easter time, ricotta is forever abundant in my house because of all of the Italian recipes. So with the leftover ricotta from cooking and baking Italian recipes, I used the rest in these muffins to make them super light & fluffy yet incredibly moist.
Lemon poppy seed is also such an amazing muffin flavor. I used to get this one from a local bakery back in college and it was incredible. And if you are familiar with most of my muffin recipes, and recipes in general, I like to lower the amount of sugar so that it is a better option for breakfasts without a spike in blood sugar. We are all about that healthy balance over here!
SO… what will you need to make the lemon poppy seed ricotta muffins?
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Eggs
- Lemon
- Part-skim ricotta
- Whole wheat flour
- Poppy seeds
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
Why use ricotta in baking?
Ricotta is a fabulous baking ingredient that needs more recognition! It gives the muffins that extra fluff and lightness but without sacrificing any moisture. Ricotta also packs a good amount of protein, as 1 cup gets you 12g of protein! And if you are worried that you will test the ricotta, you absolutely will not in this recipe. Between the lemon, vanilla, honey and whole wheat flour, it is merely used for its texture purpose here.
How long can I store these for?
You can keep these in a sealed container for up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also store these in the freezer in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 6 months. To heat them up, pop into the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Can I make any substitutions or add more ingredients?
- Whole wheat flour: I cannot recommend any replacement or alternative, as I have not tested one yet and whole wheat flour cannot be replaced 1:1 with any other flour. If you do try, I would recommend all-purpose (regular or gluten free) and reduce the water quantity in the recipe
- Eggs: You can replace with 2 flax eggs
- Honey: Maple syrup or any other liquid sugar would work here
- Olive oil: Any neutral oil or applesauce can be used
- Ricotta: Ricotta has a very unique texture so you could try using cottage cheese or a thick yogurt, such as Greek but I would not recommend a thin, runny yogurt.
- Poppy seeds: Feel free to purely make this a lemon ricotta muffin without poppy seeds!
Need more muffin recipes? Check these out!
- Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Healthy Cinnamon Mini Muffins
- Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Muffins
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Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, part-skim ricotta, water, eggs, juice and zest of lemon and vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds and salt
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and combine until you get a uniform batter.
- Scoop into a muffin tin that is lined with muffin liners or sprayed with oil. Fill each cup about 3/4 of the way up
- Bake for 18-20 minutes and let cool
Notes
- I have not tested any substitutes for the ricotta or the whole wheat flour but if you do and it is a success, please let me know!
- If you want a sweeter muffin, increase the amount of honey or add in granular sugar of choice
- You can replace the olive oil with oil of choice
Pat says
Tried this recipe and absolutely did not work! Just would not cook in middle. Outsides were burning but inside was still wet. I did replace half the oil with applesauce but have done so many times before with different recipes and it has never been a problem.. Were not even edible. Had to throw out.
Natalie Mitchell says
Hi Pat, I am so sorry this happened! Unfortunately I do not know if other factors were different, as I have made this recipe countless times over the years without that happening.