Prepare yourself, because baking these orange poppy seed muffins fills your house with the smell of fresh citrus. It may or may not cause your teenager to emerge from their room to investigate, LOL.

These tender homemade muffins are bursting with orange flavor and they bake up with picture perfect tall tops. They make a delicious addition to any breakfast table or lunchbox!

Several gluten free orange muffins sitting on a wood cutting board.

If you love baking muffins as much as I do, you should check out my collection of all my favorite gluten free muffin recipes.

Jump to:

Ingredient Notes
Substitutions & Variations
How to Make Orange Poppyseed Muffins
Expert Tip
Storage
More gluten free muffins recipes to try:
Recipe

Ingredient Notes

This easy recipe uses a handful of simple ingredients that can be found in most grocery stores. It is both gluten free and dairy free as written.

Ingredients for orange poppyseed muffins sitting on a marble counter.

Fresh Orange - There really is no replacement for fresh oranges in this recipe. You will need both the orange zest and the orange juice to get the most citrus flavor. I've used navel oranges here, so depending on the size of your oranges, you will need 1-2 pieces of fruit for this recipe.
Gluten-Free Flour Blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 flour for this recipe. I haven't tested any other gluten free flour blends. You can use your preferred brand, but results may vary. If you do choose another brand, ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder.
Oil - I use extra light olive oil for most of my cooking any baking, but another neutral oil like vegetable oil or coconut oil would also work well here.
Non Dairy Milk - I used unsweetened coconut milk in this recipe, but any plant based milk will work fine. If you're not dairy free, use regular milk in the same measure.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

Substitutions & Variations

Not Dairy Free - Swap the plant based milk for regular milk. The measurements are the same.
Citrus Swap - If you prefer lemon, check out my classic lemon poppy seed muffins recipe.
Almond Extract - Almond and orange flavors pair wonderfully. You can add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract to this recipe with no other changes.

How to Make Orange Poppyseed Muffins

I always use the muffin method for my muffin recipes, which does not require a mixer. You're going to love how easy these delicious orange muffins are to prepare.

Combining the mixing method with chilled batter and a higher oven temperature is what leads to the tall muffin tops and great texture inside, so don't be tempted to take any short cuts.

Step by step photos showing the wet ingredients being mixed in a small bowl and the orange zest being rubbed into the sugar.

STEP 1: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until they are frothy like soap bubbles.
STEP 2: Add the milk, orange juice, oil and vanilla extract to the bowl with the eggs. Whisk again until smooth. Set the bowl aside.
STEP 3: Add the orange zest and sugar to a large mixing bowl.
STEP 4: Rub the zest and sugar between your fingers to impart the orange oil into the sugar. The sugar should be a light orange color.

Step by step photos showing the wet and dry ingredients being mixed together and the muffin batter portioned into a baking pan.

STEP 5: To the bowl with the orange sugar, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds. Stir well to mix.
STEP 6: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold together with a spatula until just combined, about 15 strokes.
STEP 7: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 400F.
STEP 8: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper liners. Portion the muffin batter into the prepared tin being careful not to disturb the air bubbles too much. The batter should fill the muffin cup. I like to use an ice cream scoop to do this. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar and bake.

Expert Tip

To check the muffins are done, gently poke the top center of a muffin with your finger. It should spring right back if it is baked through. If it leaves an indentation, bake another 1-2 minutes and check again. If you underbake, the tops will deflate as they cool.

Several orange poppy seed muffins sitting on a wood cutting board.

Storage

Allow leftover muffins to cool completely before storing. If you will eat them within a few days, you can line an airtight container with paper towels and place the muffins inside. They can be stored at room temperature.

You can also freeze these muffins. Once cooled, wrap each muffin individually with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

You can warm up leftover muffins by microwaving for 10-15 seconds immediately before serving.

A muffin cut in half sitting on a small plate next to a cup of coffee.

More gluten free muffins recipes to try:

If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.

Recipe

Tiffany

Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.