Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside.
Combine wet ingredients: To a small bowl, add 1 cup plant-based milk, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, then let sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Make lemon zested sugar: To a small bowl or plate, add 2 tablespoons lemon zest and ½ cup granulated sugar. Using your hands, mash the zest into the sugar to help release the lemon zest oils to coat the sugar. This will provide a very strong lemon taste for the muffins.
Combine dry ingredients: Combine the 2 cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup poppyseeds, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and the lemon zested sugar from step two into a large bowl. Use a whisk to combine ingredients.
Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients: Slowly drizzle in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a baking spatula. Keep folding until all ingredients are combined, but do not over mix.
Bake muffins: Fill muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full, which is about 1/4 cup of the batter. Then bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean with no batter residue. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place muffins on a baking rack until cool. Then serve or store to enjoy later.
Notes
Prep ahead: You can prep the lemon zested sugar ahead of time to reduce prep, or make the batter up to two days ahead of baking (however, the muffins will be much thicker if you prep the batter ahead).Leftovers and storage: Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Freeze in a freezer-friendly bag or container for up to one month. To thaw, remove from the freezer into the refrigerator for 24 hours before enjoying.Nutrition notes: Nutrition information is an estimate using all listed ingredients. This recipe uses all plant-based ingredients and can be made gluten free using a gluten free all-purpose or spelt flour (I have not tested this).