Yellow Squash Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

5 from 4 votes

Yellow Squash Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

These Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins are tender, moist, full of lemon flavor and rocking an extra good-for-you ingredient...yellow squash! Made with white whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, poppy seeds, and less added sugar than most muffin recipes, these muffins are packed with a cup and a half of grated summer squash! Mixed all in own bowl + done baking in under 20 minutes, these veggie-loaded muffins are a great grab-and-go choice for a healthy breakfast or tasty snack.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: lemon, yellow squash

Servings: muffins

Calories: 153kcal

Author: Taesha Butler

Equipment

Muffin tin

Ingredients

1 ½ cups grated yellow squash (summer squash), measured before squeezing out.
1 Tablespoon lemon zest from 1-2 lemons
⅓ cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg or neutral tasting oil
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
⅓ cup avocado oil or other light flavored oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons poppyseeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners or grease well with extra oil.

Since this muffin recipe uses less added oil than most traditional muffin recipes, I find that silicone liners or disposable liners with a natural food-grade silicone coating (I like If You Care baking cup liners) work best to prevent sticking. If using traditional paper liners without a coating, lightly spray them with cooking spray before filling so the muffins release more easily after cooling.

Place grated squash in a clean kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towel and squeeze out all the excess liquid. Set aside.
Place lemon zest and sugar in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the lemon zest and sugar together. This step is optional, but it helps bring out extra flavor in the zest.
Whisk in the lemon juice, egg, yogurt, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and grated squash.
Add the flour then sprinkle over the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon to mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown around the edges and no longer look wet in the center, 15 to 18 minutes.
If you have a kitchen thermometer, bake until the muffins have an internal temperature of 200℉. This will indicate that the muffins are baked through without over baking.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool for 15 minutes before enjoying.
Once completely cool, muffin can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerated for 3 days. You can also freeze your muffins for up to 2 months.

Nutrition