This easy recipe yields a dozen of the softest, fluffiest, most deliciously buttery blueberry muffins. Topped with a crunchy cinnamon brown sugar streusel, these rival any bakery muffin, but come together quickly in your own kitchen. They’re prepared with simple ingredients, so you can be biting into a fresh, warm blueberry muffin in under an hour.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and helpful success tips.
Muffins are a perennial favorite because they’re quick and easy to make and the flavors are endless (just like scones). Everyone appreciates a fresh batch of muffins and, best of all, muffins double as breakfast and snack. (Or in the case of double chocolate muffins… dessert!)
But when it comes to muffin varieties, blueberry muffins hold the crown. Nothing compares to the classic blueberry muffin, and today I’m showing you exactly how to prepare my very best version.
This is my family’s favorite blueberry muffins recipe, and going by the hundreds of 5-star reviews it’s received, it’s a family favorite for many other home bakers, too!
One reader, Jes, commented: “Best blueberry muffins I have ever hadโno bakery or store or restaurant that Iโve ever visited has ever produced a blueberry muffin that could compare to this. โ โ โ โ โ “
Another reader, Sara, commented: “Best blueberry muffins I have ever had in my 80 years! โ โ โ โ โ ”
And another reader, Kathy, commented: “This truly is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. You just canโt go wrong with it. Everyone loves the streusel topping. โ โ โ โ โ “
Why Are These Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins?
They’re a texture lover’s dream with a buttery soft crumb, juicy blueberries, and a sweet crunch on top. They’re not as large and dense as my jumbo blueberry muffins and have a little more flavor from the brown sugar and butter.
These muffins stand out from the rest because they’re:
- Buttery and moist
- Soft and cakey, not dense
- Easy to prepare
- Made with EXTRA blueberries (and you can use fresh or frozen)
- Topped with an easy 3-ingredient sweet streusel
Since I first developed this blueberry muffin recipe, I’ve baked dozens of variationsโswapping blueberries for apples, peaches, and other fruits. In fact, this blueberry muffin recipe quickly turned into my go-to base muffin recipe, a batter you can turn into infinite muffin flavors. I also have the recipe in my newest cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
How to Make the Best Blueberry Muffins
There are no secret ingredients or complicated steps in this blueberry muffin recipe. You only need a few bowls and a mixer… and a muffin pan, of course!
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Flour, leaveners, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Butter, sugars, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
- Combine wet & dry, then add milk: You can use any type of milk, dairy or nondairy, or even buttermilk (see Notes).
- Spoon into muffin pan: Fill those liners all the way to the top!
- Add streusel topping: Just brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts. See below for suggested alternatives.
- Bake!
That’s it! The sour cream is the magical ingredient because it adds so much moisture and produces the softest blueberry muffins ever. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use yogurt like we do in lemon blueberry muffins. Or you can use buttermilk to replace both the milk and the sour cream.
How to Create the Perfect Tall Muffin Tops
For tall bakery-style domed muffin tops, there are 3 directions to follow closely:
- Make sure your muffin batter is THICK. (This one is!)
- Fill your muffin tins/liners all the way to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a high temperature, and then lower the temperature while keeping the oven door closed. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is reduced, the centers of the muffins bake. I recommend this in nearly all of my muffin recipes. (These crumb cake muffins are an exception to the rule!)
Have I mentioned what a treat these are with a swipe of homemade honey butter, too? Cinnamon butter is also an amazing pairing with these muffins!
It depends on the recipe. My team and I wouldn’t consider these healthy blueberry muffins because they’re made with butter, flour, and sugar. However, they’re homemade and you know exactly what’s in them, vs. something store-bought. If you are looking for a healthier alternative, you’ll appreciate these blueberry banana muffins, bran muffins, or applesauce muffins.
Absolutely. You can simply omit the nuts, or swap the streusel here for the crumb topping from this recipe for peach streusel muffins. Or skip the streusel topping entirely, and just top the muffins with some coarse sparkling sugar for a sweet crunch that’s also pretty!
Yes! If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding to the batter.
You can toss the blueberries with a Tablespoon of flour before you add them to the batter, but it’s not really necessary here because the muffin batter is so thick.
How to Freeze Blueberry Muffins
You can freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Cool completely and then place the muffins in a freezer-friendly container or bag. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator (overnight) or at room temperature on the counter. To warm up, microwave the thawed muffins for about 20 seconds or bake at 300ยฐF (149ยฐC) for 6โ10 minutes.
Blueberry Muffin Variations
- Blueberry Muffin Cookies
- Blueberry Muffin Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Sparkling Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Power Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Casserole (so easy!)
- Homemade Bagels & Homemade English Muffins
- Perfect Homemade Quiche
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Scones Recipe
Description
These blueberry muffins are buttery, soft, and moist. For that bakery-style goodness, add an easy cinnamon brown sugar topping. This thick muffin batter combined with my initial high oven temperature trick guarantees tall muffin tops. Prepared with basic ingredients and a couple mixing bowls, you’ll appreciate this easy breakfast recipe.
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (67g) chopped walnuts (or pecans)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packedย light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream or plain/vanilla yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners. Set aside.
- For the topping: Mix all of the topping ingredients together. Set aside.
- For the muffins: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Hereโs a helpful tutorial if you need guidance onย how to cream butter and sugar.) On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until combined. Batter is thick and creamy. Fold in the blueberries.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Spoon brown sugar topping on each, gently pressing it down into the surface so it sticks. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Bake for an additional 18โ20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 23โ25 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links):ย 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds so much moisture. Plain yogurt is a great substituteโI recommend plain Greek yogurt, any fat content. Unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana may also be used.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy. I recommend avoiding nonfat milk, however.
- Can I Use Buttermilk? Yes, you can use buttermilk in this recipe. Use it to replace BOTH the sour cream and milk. Use 3/4 cup (180ml).
- Blueberries: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw.
- Can I Make the Streusel Without Nuts? Yes! You can simply omit the nuts, or swap the streusel here for the crumb topping from this recipe for peach streusel muffins. Or skip the streusel topping entirely, and just top the muffins with some coarse sparkling sugar for a sweet crunch that’s also pretty!
- Why the initial high oven temperature? As instructed, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at an initial high temperature, then lower it. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up and sets the tall muffin top. Once the temperature is lowered, the centers of the muffins bake. I do this in all my muffin recipes including zucchini muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, and banana muffins, too.
- Jumbo & Mini Muffins: For a jumbo muffin pan: 425ยฐF for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350ยฐF for 22โ25 minutes for a total of 27โ30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350ยฐF (whole time) for 12โ14 minutes. Makes about 36โ40.
- Quick Bread: Here is my blueberry muffin bread, which is essentially the same recipe in a loaf pan.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated ingredients should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These were delicious, but even though I used the indicated 1.5 cups of frozen blueberries, many of them sank, creating a wet/soggy bottom. Could have been user error — maybe my blueberries were too big or I didn’t coat them in enough flour. Not sure if I should use fewer blueberries or stick to fresh?
Hi Veronika! Frozen berries do tend to sink a bit more since theyโre heavier. Whether youโre using fresh or frozen blueberries, though, you can toss them in 1-2 Tbsp of flour prior to adding to the batter. That helps!
Milk! When were we meant to add the milk! * standing here with my milk less muffins already in the oven โโ๏ธ
Hi Danni, see step 4 of the Instructions – With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until combined.
Do you have to use cinnamon?
You can skip it.
I did something incorrectly because mine were too moist (they sort of โleakedโ over the top of the tray while baking and they seemed like there was too much butter or not enough flour). I am not sure where I went wrong, but they taste delicious so I will definitely try again to figure out where the operator error occurred.
Excellent recipe. Just made it with gluten free flour and they came out fantastic!
I have tried several recipes using gluten free flour and finally think my search is over! I like this recipe very much. I used Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour, the mashed banana instead of sour cream, and Silk Vanilla Creamer instead of the milk and vanilla. I always let my gluten free batter “rest” for at least 30 minutes before baking (to hydrate the flour), and the muffins came out delicious and moist. This made 18 regular size muffins for me. This recipe is a keeper!
We love these blueberry muffins. I bake them every time my friend from the lake comes to visit and send what is left of the batch home with her. The recipe is easy to follow for success. (No topping for us).
They are spectacular, everyone said best they have ever tasted.
QUESTION; I watched your video on importance of creaming the butter and sugar. But when the recipe calls for white and brown sugar do you cream at the same time or white first then add the brown sugar. Hard to tell by the color when creaming at the same time.
Thanks Ron
Hi Ron, we’re so glad the muffins were a hit! You can cream with brown sugar too/at the same time as the white sugar. The color will still change!
Good morning from Vienna, Did you toast the walnuts and then chopped them? Thank you.
Hi Sandra, we do not toast them. Enjoy!
These blueberry muffins are so good!!! Iโll be having one with breakfast in the morning.
These blueberry muffins are so good!!!
Easy to make and easy to eat. So delicious I just ate 4 (breakfast and lunch)! They have fruit so they are healthy, right?!
By far the best blueberry muffins weโve ever had. The addition of the brown sugar topping really puts these over the top. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldnโt change as thing. Thank you for this recipe!
I made this morning and love them, Iโll stick with this recipe. I did swap coconut sugar for the quarter cup brown in the batter with good results.
Been making the easy banana muffins for years now . This is another keeper, thanks!
My family loved these muffins. Thank you for easy to follow recipes and tips.
Every recipes I have baked from your pages has been a success.
Too runny. As a result, the blueberries sink to the bottom. Also, the topping doesnโt have any flour or butter like it should so it burns and caramelises, especially with the high initial heat.
Hi Sally , I make these delicious muffins often . Theyโre a hit with family and friends ! Can I use cake and pastry flour instead of AP.?
Hi Maria, you can certainly try cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. The muffins will be very light and may not hold their shape outside of the muffin wrappers though. For best results, we recommend sticking with the recipe and using all-purpose. Let us know what you try!
Good morning Sally ! I used white cake and pastry flour in this recipe. I added an extra tablespoon of flour. Baked according to instructions. They were light and airy , sooo delicious .
Thank you !
They were absolutely divine, could not get enough of them .
Thank you .
I couldn’t stop eating the muffins. Thank you for the great recipe Sally!