grapefruit muffins
So. These were not the muffins I intended to post. The ones I intended? They were healthy. They were made with 100% whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt and less sugar and topped with a sprinkling of turbinado sugar.
And those muffins, when they came out of the oven, looked like craggy rocks and tasted like cardboard. Boo hiss.
Instead, I give you these glazed grapefruit poppy seed muffins! The final product. The BETTER product, trust. The product that still has some whole wheat flour in it and less sugar and reduced fat milk but also, all the yums (like that grapefruit glaze, yeahhhhh). Which is really what I was going for all along.
The recipe for these muffins is a variation on the orange almond poppy seed bread from my eCookbook, Quick Bread Love, except with a few changes:
1) Muffins instead of a loaf, obviously.
2) Grapefruit zest and juice instead of orange zest and juice.
3) A fraction of the sugar.
4) Some of the all-purpose flour swapped for some whole wheat pastry flour.
5) DAT GLAZE.
I just couldn’t get the idea of the grapefruit/poppy seed combo out of my head when I passed by a bin full of glorious grapefruit at Target (I mean really, where else would I be this time of year when it’s a -22 degree wind chill out besides in my house, employing the human burrito blanket situation + cozy slippers with a space heater in my face). And then, suddenly, I had a hankering for carbs (you’re shocked, I know). And carbs soon narrowed down to muffins. But I kinda wanted some healthy-ish muffins, because of that whole intentional eating thing I’m trying to do. And so I procured said grapefruit, jotted down some notes on healthy swaps for the muffins and got to work.
And that’s when those ish cardboard muffins happened. And that’s the last time I shall speak of them so we can talk about happier things, like round two of muffins that taste way more amazing. And are still kinda healthy, too, holla!
So here’s what you need to do: Go get some grapefruit (seriously, it’s so super delicious right now I can’t even deal). Stir the zest and juice into a muffin batter along with poppy seeds and all the other good stuff. Scoop them into muffin tins. Bake. Cool. MAKE DAT GLAZE. Dip cooled muffins into the grapefruit glaze, let the glaze set, lick the glaze bowl clean while you let the glaze set. Finally, eat a muffin. Or five. You can eat more because they’re healthy — that’s how it works, right?
Tangy + tart + citrusy + sweet + fluffy + glaze-y. These are a few of my favorite things.

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Muffins
Description
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest from about 1 large grapefruit
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons grapefruit juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups 2% milk
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 to 3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 regular-size muffin tins with baking spray or line 14 muffin cups with paper baking cups.
- In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, rub sugar and grapefruit zest together with fingers until well-combined and fragrant. Add oil, poppy seeds, grapefruit juice, vanilla and egg. Beat on low speed until just combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt.
- To grapefruit-poppy seed mixture, alternately stir in flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until just combined. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, combine ingredients for glaze, adding more grapefruit juice or powdered sugar as needed to achieve desired consistency. Dip top of each muffin in glaze, then return to cooling rack (or a sheet of parchment paper) so glaze can drip and set.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link.
I’m gobbling up all the citrus fruit right now. It’s sooooo good! Can’t stop, won’t stop. Earmarking these beauties for this weekends baking!
Sp lovely and light textured! The combination of poppy seeds in any citrus dessert has to be one of my classic go to for easy yums. You had me at “DAT GLAZE”!
What cute little muffins! Love the grapefruit glaze 🙂
Bring on the muffins! 🙂
Dat glaze is right! Holy mound of delicious low-fat carby goodness, I need these! Pinned.
First thing: GORGEOUS PHOTOS. Second thing: carbs + citrus = I love you. Third thing: Human burritos unite!
Even though you didn’t intend to post these, I sure am glad you did! I love them!
I have a grapefruit sitting on my counter at home…must make these asap!
Citrus!! And that glaze. A match made in carb-y, sweet heaven.
I had plans for the grapefruit I just bought, but I think that might be changing – that glaze!!
Oh these look so good, love that glaze!
These sound amazing! I put all kinds of citrus in my glazes, but I’ve never done grapefruit. Beautiful photos.
hahah for the love of carbs! I’ve yet to go take the survey, it’s bookmarked but I slacked and now I have to because carbs have been mentioned. I’m in a huge grapefruit kick right now and just love these muffins! Their mini size is kinda doing it for me!
Indeed, DAT GLAZE. It’s so perfect and drippy, I can’t even handle. I just raided the on sale grapefruit bin at Whole Foods so I’m thinking these muffins may definitely be in my weekend forecast. YUMZZZ
It is weird that I just fantasized about someone throwing one of these at my face and me catching it in my mouth?
I’m OBSESSED with citrusy poppy seed muffins and I love the grapefruit idea. And that glaze? I’d like to get love drunk off of it.