These blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are bursting with juicy fresh blackberries, bright lemon zest, and crunchy poppy seeds in every bite. They’re soft, fluffy, and wonderfully moist thanks to Greek yogurt (or sour cream), while a drizzle of tangy lemon blackberry icing adds the perfect finishing touch. If you love bakery-style muffins with tall domed tops, this easy recipe delivers every time.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since updated it with new photos and additional success tips.
Built from my trusted ultimate muffin recipe—the same one behind my favorite blueberry muffins—these blackberry muffins have a tender crumb, plenty of fresh lemon flavor, and just the right balance of sweet and tart.
If you’re already a fan of lemon poppy seed baked goods, these muffins take that classic flavor combination one delicious step further! Plus, who doesn’t love a lovely light purple-hued icing?
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Blackberry Lemon Muffins
- Soft and fluffy with tall muffin tops
- Filled with fresh, bright lemon flavor
- Made with simple pantry staples
- Finished with an easy lemon blackberry icing
- Easy to freeze
- Like my favorite lemon poppy seed muffins, with a burst of berry flavor!
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
These blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are a variation of my ultimate muffin recipe, which we also use as the base for my favorite blueberry muffins and apple cinnamon muffins. We’ll use pretty much the same ingredients for today’s batter!
- Flour: Stick with all-purpose flour. The flour gives the muffins structure and keeps the batter nice and thick so the blackberries don’t sink to the bottom.
- Poppy Seeds: Can’t have poppy seed muffins without them! Same goes for lemon poppy seed bread and almond poppy seed tea cakes.
- Butter: We’re creaming the butter to make today’s muffins, so make sure to use proper room-temperature butter here. If you’re a beginner baker or if you need a refresher, I also have a helpful video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Sugar & Brown Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the muffins, balancing out the tart lemon. Brown sugar adds depth of flavor, plus extra moisture.
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt: Either creates an exceptionally moist muffin with a soft crumb.
- Lemon: Use both fresh lemon zest and lemon juice for the brightest flavor.
- Blackberries: Fresh blackberries are best, but frozen blackberries work, too. If using frozen, do not thaw before using. If your fresh blackberries are particularly large, cut them in half before adding them to the batter.
You’ll also need a few baking staples including baking powder, baking soda, eggs, salt, vanilla, and milk.
Making muffins is pretty straightforward. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl, then cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer. Beat in the remaining wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
Finally, fold in the blackberries very gently.
Success Tip: If your berries are particularly juicy, they may start to tint the batter a purplish-gray hue.
- To prevent that, you can wait to add the berries until you’re filling the muffin cups. Spoon some batter into each muffin cup, filling it about halfway. Add a few blackberries, top with more batter, then gently swirl with a knife.
- Press a few more blackberries into the tops before baking.
How to Bake Blackberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Tall Muffin Tops
For tall bakery-style domed muffin tops, there are 3 directions to follow closely:
- Make sure your muffin batter is THICK. (This one is!)
- Fill your muffin tins/liners all the way to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a high temperature, and then lower the temperature while keeping the oven door closed. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is reduced, the centers of the muffins bake. I recommend this in nearly all of my muffin recipes.
Lemon Blackberry Icing
For a little something extra, I like to top each muffin with a drizzle of icing. The icing adds another layer of bright citrus flavor and lightly coats each muffin without making them overly sweet.
You only need 4 ingredients: confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, blackberry jam, and milk. Whisk everything together until smooth. Instead of blackberry jam, you can use a few fresh blackberries. Mash them with a fork before whisking into the icing.
These blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are so delightfully summery. The sweet-tart blackberries pair beautifully with lemon and add so much texture to every bite. I know you’ll love them!
Blackberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 14 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins are bursting with juicy fresh blackberries and bright lemon flavor. Greek yogurt or sour cream keeps them extra moist, while creamed butter creates a wonderfully soft texture. Drizzle each with sweet-tart lemon blackberry icing for the perfect finishing touch. See recipe Note below if your blackberries are extra juicy.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 and 1/2 cups (250g) fresh or frozen blackberries (see Note)
Lemon Blackberry Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk (any kind)
- 2 teaspoons blackberry jam, or 3–4 fresh blackberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. You may need a 2nd pan as this recipe makes up to 14 muffins, though you can always bake in batches using 1 pan. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, poppy seeds, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the sour cream, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and beat on medium speed until combined. The mixture will look curdled; that’s OK.
- Add in the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until almost combined. Add the milk and lemon juice and beat on low speed until combined. The batter is thick. Fold in the blackberries. (See Note if your blackberries are extra juicy.)
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C), then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and milk together. Whisk in the blackberry jam until smooth. If using fresh blackberries, mash them with a fork and then whisk into the icing. If desired, add 2–3 more Tablespoons of sifted confectioners’ sugar to thicken the icing. Drizzle over the warm or cooled muffins.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled muffins for up to 3 months. It’s best to freeze the muffins without the icing and add the icing after thawing and before serving. (Freezing them with the icing on is completely fine, but the muffins taste better with fresh icing.) Thaw muffins in the refrigerator or at room temperature before icing/serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds so much moisture. Plain yogurt is a great substitute. I recommend plain Greek yogurt, any fat content.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy. I recommend avoiding nonfat milk, however.
- Blackberries: If using frozen blackberries, do not thaw them. If your blackberries are extra large, cut them in half. If your berries are particularly juicy, they may tint the batter a purplish-gray hue. To prevent that, wait to add the berries until you’re filling the muffin cups. Spoon some batter into each muffin cup, filling it about halfway. Add a few blackberries, top with more batter, then gently swirl with a knife. Press a few more blackberries into the tops before baking.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
- Note on Flour: This recipe is based off of my ultimate muffins recipe. Today’s blackberry version uses slightly more flour to balance out the extra liquid from lemon juice and large blackberries.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These muffins came out perfect! I used blueberries instead of blackberries. Amazing! The lemon flavor really comes through. Beautiful muffin tops. Fantastic recipe
can i use extra yogurt if I’ve run out of milk?
Hi Susie, the muffin batter will be a but too thick with yogurt instead of milk. Any milk, dairy or nondairy, works!
also has anyone cut down on sugar a bit?
I always cut sugar 10-25% – usually starting on the 10% side if it’s a new recipe. I made these with 10% less sugar and they were still delicious – but I did not cut sugar for the glaze btw
can i use buttermilk instead of yogurt?
Hi Susie, You can use buttermilk to substitute both the yogurt and the milk — so use a total of 3/4 cup of buttermilk in place of the 1/2 cup yogurt and the 1/4 cup milk.
Good morning Sally,
I was wondering if I could substitute blackberries and use blueberries instead?
If that is possible would I still be putting in 1 1/2 cups?
Would fresh blueberries be best to use for this recipe?
Hi Jessica, yes, you can certainly do a combination of blackberries and blueberries. Keep the total amount of fruit add-ins to 1.5 cups. Fresh blueberries would be best, but you can use frozen if needed (do not thaw).
Hello @Lexi I would only want to do just blueberries for this recipe and not use any blackberries is this possible?
Hello Sally,
What does 1 Zest of a Lemon equal to either cup, tablespoon or teaspoon wise?
Would whole milk be better for this recipe or would it be best to stick to skim milk like you call for using?
Hi Jessica, an average lemon yields about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. Any milk works! Whatever you have on hand will be fine. Enjoy!
The muffins are delicious. Have made several times as family loves them. However, sometimes – but not always, I don’t get them to dome and they come out flat. Haven’t made any modifications to recipe. Not sure what I am doing wrong as doesn’t consistently happen. Any advice?
Hi Susan! Over-mixing can cause flat, dense muffins. Make sure to mix until *just* combined. Oven temperatures can vary as well – we always recommend using an in-oven thermometer to ensure your oven is the correct temperature. We’re so glad you love these muffins!
I was wondering if I can make this in a bunt pan? Or is it better to just add black berries to your lemon poppyseed bunt cake?
Thanks so much!
Hi Lacey, we’d recommend adding blackberries to our lemon poppy seed Bundt cake as you mention. Enjoy!
should the milk and yogurt be room temperature or cold?
It’s best if they’re room temperature!
how much is the zest of one lemon?
Hi Addie, it will depend on the size of your lemon, but the zest of one medium size lemon should yield about a tablespoon of zest. Feel free to use a bit more / less depending on your flavor preference.
These are FANTASTIC! This website is my go-to for any baking recipe, and I will be making these muffins over and over again. I used the zest of two full lemons and the juice of one lemon to make them extra lemony, but opted to not add the blackberries. I also used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and it was totally fine- no taste of almonds in the finished product. These have amazing tops and are so fluffy! The glaze takes them to a whole other level. Thank you for sharing your fabulous recipes!
I haven’t made these yet but I was wondering if you can make this recipe in a loaf pan instead of muffins. If yes, how would the recipe need to be adjusted?
Definitely. We guess it would need at least 45-50+ minutes at 350F.
THESE ARE PERFECTION.
I use every recipe from Sally’sBakingAddiction when I’m baking because it -always- turns out great, no matter what. Especially as a gluten-intolerant person, it’s hard to find recipes that work since the cup-to-cup flours don’t always work exactly right in every recipe.
The ratios in the muffins especially are perfect for gluten free substitutions. My only note just from experience is to add an extra half teaspoon or so of baking powder to help get the additional rise that normal flour has and gluten-free flour lacks.
I added the zest of 2 lemons and an extra splash of lemon juice because I like my muffins really lemon-y. Delish!
Hey Sally ☺
Tried the recipe without the berries and it was just as good. Do you think it would come out as perfect if it were a sponge?
Hi Buhle! That would require some recipe testing. You may love these recipes for Lemon Cupcakes With Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting or Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake instead!
I tried this for the first time, worked great! Modifications: used 1 cup wheat flour and 3/4 cups all purpose flour; whipped cream cheese instead of sour cream; baked 12 minutes @350 after the 5 minutes @425; glazed with one tbsp powdered sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice then sprinkled white sugar lightly. Breakfast for 3 days! Thank you so very much
I love all the recipes. My Mom is diabetic and I want to try them for her. I think the skinny recipes will be a nice treat without all the guilt and regret. The website is easy to use and navigate and the recipes actually print without going through hoops. Thanks for that!!! The brownie recipe and the muffin recipe that can be adapted to what is in my cupboard-Great idea! I will get back to you when the baking is done today…Happy Baking!
My husband Is diabetic and I use Splenda instead of white granulated sugar and use Splenda brown sugar and the recipes turn out perfect.
My MAN. You have just made my LIFE. I cannot believe I just made a perfectly sweet (but not too sweet), tart (not too tart), light, fluffy, delectable muffin with the perfect dome and it’s all thanks to this amazing recipe. It’s impossible to express the bliss I felt while eating that freaking muffin. I never wanted the moment to end. I’m not sure if my life is even worth living anymore, because I’ve just hit my peak, and it was when I took the first bite of that muffin. All my troubles and worries have melted away and are dripping off of my soul like a sweet lemon-y glaze. In conclusion, good recipe.
I just made these and they are delicious! They are definitely the best muffins I’ve ever had or made! Would definitely recommend!
Made the muffins, they are great. I did however substitute the milk for lemon sparkling water. So moist and flavorful
These turned out amazing!
Made them for my father in law who loves lemon.
Sally any suggestions of making the batter have an even stronger lemon flavor?
Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Hi Erica, So happy you loved them! You can try adding more lemon zest next time, especially if your lemons are smaller – try the zest of 1.5 or 2 lemons instead of 1.
If I want things to be extra lemony, I’ll reduce my lemon juice by boiling it on the stove for a little while. It’s amazing in glazes especially!
Hi Erica,
We have a Meyer lemon tree in our backyard, and I’m often making lemon desserts and other delicious things requiring citrus. I have a suggestion for a stronger lemon flavor: King Arthur’s lemon juice powder, and Boyajian’s pure lemon oil (available on the King Arthur website). Use sparingly, and to taste.
delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly and this came out nicely.
Next time I’d like them to be a little more moist so I’ll aadd some more liquid to the batter and make sure i work it a little less. My muffins didn’t dome up nicely like the photos but i didn’t use room temp butter so maybe that’s on me…
Also, for the topping I used less sugar (3/4 cup) and liked the extra lemon flavor since the base is pretty mild in lemon flavor.
Sally’s blueberry streusel muffins were the first I ever made and they came out amazing! So I knew I had to try these. I replaced the blackberries with raspberries and it was phenomenal! My sisters boyfriend loves lemon poppyseed muffins and he ate 8 of them in one sitting. I used whole fat yogurt and baked exactly as the recipe(but only baked the second temp for 10 minutes as my oven runs hot). I would recommend using liners because the fruit tends to stick to the pan! Thank you sally for another amazing recipe <3
I made these. They tasted good but they spilled over while baking and didn’t make the dome that’s pictured. However, the taste is great. Thank you
Made these and I’m in love!! If I wanted to make the in mini muffins, how wold I adjust/change cooking time for the size?
Were you able to convert these to mini muffins?
Hi Chandra! For mini muffins, the blackberries are pretty large, so we would cut them so they are a nice size for mini muffins. Bake at 350°F (177°C) the whole time for about 11-13 minutes, give or take.
I bake in a convection oven so the changing temperature technique messed up my muffins. They overflowed and browned too quickly on top. It was a huge mess. How long should I bake if I want to do at a constant 180°C?
Hi Muskaan, I would simply bake until the centers are cooked through. I’d say that time would be anywhere between 22-26 minutes in a convection oven.
Hi Sally, I just made these, and although they taste absolutely delicious, the texture is a bit of a disaster. Instead of doming up nicely, the batter spread all over the muffin tin as it rose, dripping down into the oven and making a mess. The muffins also stuck to the thouroughly greased non-stick pan and although they are fully cooked, they are so soft that they pretty much fall apart if you look at them the wrong way…
I’m sure this is not an issue with the recipe, given the rave reviews, and it has happened to me before when attempting to make muffins. Any idea what I could have done wrong? I followed the recipe exactly, except that I used almond milk and frozen blackberries (which I didn’t thaw).
Hi Robin, I wonder if your batter is much too thin. It should be fairly thick, does it look like the photos above? Be sure you are measuring your ingredients correctly. Also are you starting the oven at 425°F (218°C) and then lowering the temperature after five minutes without taking the muffins out of the oven? This should help the tops rise without spilling over. If using frozen berries your overall bake time may be a couple of minutes longer.
The batter consistency seemed perfect! Very thick and airy like the pictures, but once in the oven it became very runny, the butter seemed to melt before the batter had time to set… For measuring I use the metric system, so I can’t imagine having gone wrong there… I did start the oven at 218 C (I’m in Europe) but by the time I lowered the temp the batter was already spilling. Maybe my oven temp is just very off? I quite often find myself baking things for significantly longer than indicated in recipes, in order to fully cook them. I wonder now if my oven is just not hot enough. Would that explain the issue?
My son is obsessed with all things lemon, so we gave this yummy recipe a try. It came out delicious. I ran out of vanilla extract so substituted 1tsp of almond and 1/2 tsp of lemon. I also used raspberries instead of blackberries which made the perfect summer snack. So good! I’ll have to try the lemon poppy seed donuts next.
If you were like me and indecisive between a couple of lemon poppy seed muffin recipes, thinking “which one looks more promising?” Answer: THIS. ONE. RIGHT. HERE.
I didn’t have an plain yogurt so I used sour cream and that seemed to work just fine!
I made these into “extra large” bakery-style muffins-using only 9 of the 12 spots, also came out great (just adjusted the baking time to ~19-20 minutes)!
Thank you for a great recipe that I’ll keep forever!
Fantastic recipe, as usual. SBA hasn’t failed me yet.
I just made these with a serving of Activia vanilla yogurt (happened to have this on hand) and no berries, they are seriously the most light and fluffy muffins/cupcakes, delightful. Wolfed down two immediately. Thank you so much for this excellent and easy recipe!