Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins {Vegan}

Muffins are always a treat to have on hand, and these moist and not-too-sweet muffins come with a good dose of fresh citrus flavors and poppy seeds for an ideal quick breakfast, light lunch or a snack pretty much any time of day. Light and fluffy, easy to whip up, they are also dairy-free and egg-free.

The perhaps unusual ingredient in these muffins is aquafaba, which serves as a truly wonderful vegan replacement for eggs. Anyone who has opened a can of beans or cooked dried beans will be familiar with aquafaba, even if they haven't heard of it before, because it's the slightly gelatinous liquid that remains in the can or in the pot once they're cooked.

For baking purposes, aquafaba is usually the liquid used to cook chickpeas. The easiest way to get aquafaba is to reserve the liquid from a can of chickpeas, but it can easily be made at home too, by reserving the cooking liquid from a pot of cooked chickpeas, although attention has to be paid to the method used as you want the liquid to have the viscous quality needed to act as a binder. It is a matter of proportion of water to beans, and some cooks recommend boiling rinsed and un-soaked beans for several hours, while others soak the chickpeas overnight, drain and rinse, boil for an hour, and then let the pot sit overnight with the beans and their cooking liquid in the pot before draining the liquid. Sometimes the aquafaba needs to be reduced to minimize the water content. The cooked chickpeas may be used in any recipe where cooked chickpeas are desired.

Until now, I have only sometimes used reserved chickpea cooking liquid for the purposes of thickening up sauces and curries. I'll be exploring the wonders of aquafaba in the future, so stay tuned to Lisa's kitchen for more recipes and methods.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins {Vegan}

Recipe by Lisa Turner
Published on March 2, 2020

Moist lemon poppy seed muffins — made with aquafaba (chickpea cooking liquid) instead of eggs

Preparation: 12 minutes
Cooking time: 18 to 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups spelt flour or unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup aquafaba
1/3 cup oil
scant 3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup almond milk
juice from 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions:

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners or grease with oil. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk the aquafaba until frothy, about 1 minute. Drizzle in the oil slowly, whisking to combine. Gradually add the sugar, whisking again to incorporate. Add the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the middle a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins sit in the pan for 15 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store remaining muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or up to a week in the refrigerator.

Makes 12 muffins