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    Home » Recipes » Muffin Recipes

    Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins

    Published: Aug 21, 2020 · Modified: Mar 3, 2024 by Libby Hakim · 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Do you love your local cafe's Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins? This recipe will help you easily re-create your favourite treat at home. And, dare I say, the results are so good you may decide to skip the cafe for good. 

    orange and poppy seed muffins on cake stand.
    Jump to:
    • Love at first bite
    • How I developed the best cafe-style muffin recipe
    • Ingredient notes
    • Variation ideas
    • How to make Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins
    • Top tips
    • Enjoying your muffins
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More mouthwatering muffins
    • Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins

    Love at first bite

    The warm, fluffy, zesty inside. The crisp, sweet, orange-y, exterior. The ever-so-subtle nutty flavour of the poppy seeds – not to mention the big health benefits that attach to those little seeds.

    Out of all the wonderful muffin flavours out there, this one is surely a top contender for "best ever" muffin.

    And this particular recipe for Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins is highly rated by readers and one I use myself over and over again. I forget exactly when I discovered the Orange and Poppy Seed Muffin. But, whenever it was, it was surely love at first bite.

    (Psst – if you have lots or oranges on hand and need more orange recipes, check out my Old-fashioned Orange Cordial Recipe and Orange and Walnut Cake.)

    How I developed the best cafe-style muffin recipe

    So as a big fan of these cafe-style muffins, I made it my mission to develop the best recipe out there.

    First, of course, I went to Nana Ling's collection. With little success, I'm afraid. Sorry, Nana Ling, but your muffin recipes just don't cut it in today's world. 

    Over the years, I've tried quite a few modern muffin recipes from cookbooks and the web. I've found some nice recipes, but never quite nailed it.

    So, I turned to Google and researched my way around what makes a perfect muffin to come up with my own recipe. It's based on this research, the many recipes I've tried over the years and my extensive experience in sampling this product in cafes! 

    Some of the "secrets" to great muffins that I've incorporated in this recipe include:

    • adding yoghurt along with milk, for added moisture
    • using both oil and butter, oil to get a little crispiness on the outside and the butter for a richer flavour
    • using fresh orange juice and zest, for that real citrus flavour
    • avoiding over-mixing (to avoid gluten formation) to ensure that classic muffin texture
    • baking at a higher temperature before lowering the temperature, to get a nice rise and crispy muffin top. 

    I'm so pleased with the results and, best of all, this recipe is so, so simple.

    Ingredient notes

    Have you got everything on the ingredient list?

    Here are a few extra notes about the ingredients:

    • SR flour – or just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to each cup of plain/all purpose flour
    • yoghurt – use greek or natural yoghurt
    • oil – vegetable oil works best as the flavour is not too strong and it bakes well
    • eggs – as always, fresh is best, and use eggs at room temperature for best results.

    If you're going to add the icing, you'll also need some icing sugar along with some extra orange juice and poppy seeds.

    Ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

    Variation ideas

    • Gluten free – a reader has told me that this recipe works well with gluten free SR flour
    • Up the citrus hit – try adding more orange zest to the mixture or adding some zest to the icing mixture.
    • Glaze instead of ice – I sometimes glaze my muffins with homemade orange marmalade rather than icing them, too. Get the marmalade ready for glazing the muffins as soon as they are taken out of the oven. You may need to warm the marmalade slightly so it will spread and cut any larger chunks of rind.

    Equipment

    You'll also need to make sure you have the right tins. You can use a cupcake size tin, to make 12 muffins, or a larger Amercian-style muffin tin (usually measuring about 35 x 26cm/9 x 4cm) to make 6 larger muffins. 

    There are cooking times for both in the recipe card below. 

    How to make Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins

    Before you get to sit down with a cuppa and sink your teeth into a freshly baked muffin, there are a few steps to get through. But it won't take long. Promise!

    Prepping

    Start by pre-heating the oven to 220 degrees celsius / 430 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced).

    Prepare the muffin pans by greasing well or spraying with oil. If you have the large cafe-style muffin tin, this mixture makes 6 muffins. If you have a cupcake-size tin, it makes 12.

    Mixing

    Next, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and poppy seeds and stir to combine.

    Add the remaining muffin ingredients, and stir gently to combine.

    TIP: Don't over-stir. This can negatively impact the texture of the muffin.

    Spoon mixture into tins. (The cups should be close to full)

    orange and poppy seed muffin mixture.

    Baking

    Place into the oven and bake for 5 minutes before turning oven temperature down to 190 degrees celsius / 375 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced).

    If you're using a smaller cupcake tin, bake for a further 10-12 minutes (or until a metal skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean). If using a cafe-style larger muffin tin, bake for a further 18 minutes (or until a metal skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean).

    Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before easing each muffin from the tin and placing on a cooling rack.

    Icing

    The icing is optional, and you'll need to wait until the muffins are completely cool before icing them.

    Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add orange juice, one teaspoon at a time, until you have a slightly runny mixture.

    Spoon icing over muffins once they are completely cool and sprinkle some poppy seeds over the icing before it sets.

    Top tips

    When mixing the batter, go easy. Over-mixing is the enemy of lovely, fluffy muffins.

    During the baking process, you need to remember to adjust the temperature. Set a timer so you don't forget!

    Enjoying your muffins

    Put the kettle on because it's time to sample your homemade muffins. You can enjoy them warm or at room temperature.

    Recipe FAQs

    How long will these muffins keep?

    The muffins are best eaten within a few days. Store them in a container that breathes a little or a paper bag.  

    Can you freeze the muffins?

    You can wrap them or place in a freezer bag and store for up to three months. When you'd like a muffin, simply allow to thaw to room temperature or thaw and heat in a microwave, oven or air fryer.

    Are poppy seeds safe?

    Poppy seeds sometimes contain trace amounts of opiates, since they come from the seedpod of the opium poppy. During harvesting the seeds can absorb the opium extract (which is used to make morphine, codeine, heroin and the like).
    Since it's a trace quantity at most, and you are eating such a small quantity, you won't experience any opioid effects – however it can be enough to produce a false positive to a drug test so keep that in mind. 

    More mouthwatering muffins

    Here are some more favourite muffins recipes:

    • Blueberry Muffins
    • raspberry white chocolate muffins
      Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins
    • chocolate zuchhini muffins on wooden serving board.
      Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
    • banana choc chip muffins stacked with choc chips scattered in foreground
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    orange and poppy seed muffins.

    Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins

    Libby Hakim
    Bake up Orange and Poppy Seed muffins that'll taste even better than your local cafe's.
    4.86 from 28 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Australian, British, New Zealand
    Servings 12 small muffins
    Calories 257 kcal

    Equipment

    • muffin/cupcake pan regular (5.5 x 2.5cm cups) or large (9 x 4cm cups)

    Ingredients
      

    Muffins

    • 2 ½ cups SR flour (385 grams) (or 2 ½ cups plain/all purpose flour + 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder)
    • ¾ cup caster sugar (160 grams)
    • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
    • ¼ cup milk (60 ml)
    • ½ cup greek or natural yoghurt (unsweetened) (125 ml)
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil (60 ml)
    • 75 grams butter (melted)
    • 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
    • ¼ cup fresh orange juice (from approximately one orange)
    • 2 teaspoons fresh orange zest (from approximately one orange)

    Icing (optional)

    • 1 cup icing sugar / confectioners sugar
    • 4-5 teaspoons orange juice
    • ½ tablespoon poppy seeds

    Instructions
     

    Muffins

    • Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees celsius / 430 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced).
    • Sift flour into large mixing bowl. Add sugar and poppy seeds and stir to combine.
    • Add remaining muffin ingredients, and stir gently to combine. Don't over-stir.
    • Prepare muffin tin by greasing well or spraying with oil. If you have the large cafe-style muffin tin, this mixture makes 6 muffins. If you have a cupcake-size tin, it makes 12.
    • Spoon mixture into tins.
    • Place into oven and bake for 5 minutes before turning oven temperature down to 190 degrees celsius / 375 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced). If you're using a smaller cupcake tin, bake for a further 10-12 minutes (or until a metal skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean). If using a cafe-style larger muffin tin, bake for a further 18 minutes (or until a metal skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean).
    • Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before easing each muffin from the tin and placing on a cooling rack.

    Icing

    • Sift icing sugar into a bowl and add orange juice, one teaspoon at a time, until you have a slightly runny mixture.
    • Spoon icing over muffins once they are completely cool and sprinkle some poppy seeds over the icing before it sets.

    Video

    Notes

    Storing: The muffins are best eaten within a few days. Store them in a container that breathes a little or a paper bag.  
    Freezing: You can also wrap them or place in a freezer bag and store for up to three months. When you'd like a muffin, simply allow to thaw to room temperature or thaw and heat in a microwave, oven or air fryer.
    Nutrition: The nutrition information is an automatically generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
    Tips:
    • When mixing the batter, go easy. Over-mixing is the enemy of lovely, fluffy muffins.
    • During the baking process, you need to remember to adjust the temperature. Set a timer so you don't forget!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 226IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?If you love it, let me know!

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    Comments

    1. Curtis

      September 07, 2023 at 12:30 pm

      Is that 504 cal per muffin or total shared over all 6?

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim

        September 07, 2023 at 4:41 pm

        Hi Curtis. I'm thinking it's per serve (which is per muffin) but I agree it's not clear. This is a recipe plugin that pulls out the information automatically so I will check on this. Thanks.

        Reply
    2. Kerry

      June 06, 2023 at 6:49 am

      5 stars
      I’m about to serve these to the Aussie U12’s Cricket Comp in the NT with a game being held at our local Nightcliff oval today. They’ll love em.

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim

        June 06, 2023 at 2:57 pm

        Woohoo! Love it 🙂 Hope they all had an amazing day, fuelled on by the Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins 🙂

        Reply
    3. Donna

      December 15, 2022 at 8:32 am

      May i know what is SR flour? Can I substitute it for all purpse flour? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim

        December 16, 2022 at 4:32 pm

        Hi Donna - SR flour is simply all purpose flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder added for each cup of flour 🙂 I'll add that to the recipe. I'm gradually updating all my recipes for the those who aren't Australian 🙂 Happy cooking!

        Reply
    4. Anna

      November 14, 2022 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      Really yummy. I used gluten free SR flour out of necessity and it adapted really well. Didn’t make any other changes. If anyone else was thinking of trying gluten free, give it a go.

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim

        November 14, 2022 at 9:15 pm

        Wonderful! Thanks for the rating and feedback, Anna. I might pop that info about substituting gluten free flour into the main post. Happy cooking! Libby x

        Reply
    5. Kat

      August 07, 2022 at 7:22 pm

      5 stars
      Great muffins, even without marmalade (I didn't have any).

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim

        August 07, 2022 at 8:43 pm

        Hi Kat. Thanks so much for the feedback! Enjoy 🙂

        Reply
    6. Tash

      August 19, 2021 at 6:37 pm

      5 stars
      What a great recipe! My muffins rose high and are super moist and tasty. I skipped the marmalade on top and only used 1/2 cup sugar as my partner likes barely sweet things. Super delicious and highly rated!

      Reply
      • Libby Hakim

        August 19, 2021 at 8:04 pm

        Awesome! So glad you loved the recipe, Tash. I still make these often. Enjoy! Libby 🙂

        Reply
    7. Susan O'Grady

      September 05, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      5 stars
      Best muffins ever, said my husband when I made these for him. I thought they were good to. Full of moisture and flavour

      Reply
      • Libby

        September 05, 2020 at 6:03 pm

        Your husband had good taste! 🙂 So glad you both enjoyed the muffins. Thanks for commenting and your 5 star rating - much appreciated. Libby

        Reply
    8. Trish Roberts

      August 29, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      5 stars
      Very good texture, no doubt from yogurt. The muffins rose high and good colour. Poppy seeds are a good addition. The use of orange really makes these special; the juice zest and especially the marmalade glaze.

      Reply
      • Libby

        August 31, 2020 at 2:27 pm

        Thanks for your lovely feedback Trish! 🙂

        Reply
    4.86 from 28 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Libby, a recipe collector and writer. I love everything about home cooking and share modern classics and recipes that have been passed down for generations – I hope you find a few that bring back treasured memories.

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