This is our favorite blueberry muffins recipe! They’re extra buttery, soft, and moist. For that bakery style goodness, top with cinnamon brown sugar streusel. Prepared with basic ingredients and a couple mixing bowls, you’ll appreciate this easy breakfast recipe.
If blueberry muffins are your favorite, you have to try these cake-like blueberry muffin cookies and super easy blueberry muffin bread.
If you’ve tried my simple Pumpkin Muffins or Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins, or bakery style Chocolate Chip Muffins, you know I’m serious about muffin recipes. Muffins are a favorite because they’re easy to make, quick to bake, 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 best version:
Why Are These Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins?
Originally published on this day in 2014, these blueberry muffins are a personal and reader favorite. I found myself baking the muffins often, swapping 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.
These muffins stand out from the rest:
- Easy to prepare
- Made with EXTRA blueberries
- Buttery and moist
- Not dense
- Soft and cakey
- Tall muffin tops
- Delicious cinnamon streusel
They’re a texture lover’s dream with soft centers and a crunchy cinnamon brown sugar on top! They’re not as dense as jumbo blueberry muffins and have a little more flavor from the brown sugar and butter.
Overview: How to Make Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping
There are no secret ingredients, tricks, or complicated steps in this blueberry muffin recipe. You only need a few bowls and a mixer, which is perfect for hungry tummies in the morning.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, leaveners, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: butter, sugars, eggs, sour cream or yogurt, and vanilla.
- Combine & add milk
- Spoon into muffin pan
- Add streusel topping: just brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts
- 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.
How to Create the Perfect Tall Muffin Tops
For big bakery-style muffin tops, there are 3 directions to follow closely:
- Make sure your muffin batter is THICK. (This one is!)
- Fill your muffin tins all the way to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at an initial high temperature, then lower it. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the 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!
Are Blueberry Muffins Healthy?
It depends on the recipe. We wouldn’t consider these healthy blueberry muffins because they’re made from butter, flour, and sugar. However, they’re homemade and you know exactly what’s inside the batter. For some reason, they feel better than eating blueberry pie for breakfast! If you are looking for a healthier alternative, you’ll appreciate these blueberry banana muffins or applesauce muffins.
How to Freeze Blueberry Muffins
Freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Cool completely and then place the muffins in a freezer-friendly zipped-top bag or container. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator (overnight) or at room temperature on the counter. To warm up, microwave on high for about 20 seconds or bake at 300°F (149°C) for 6–10 minutes.
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Casserole (so easy!)
- Homemade Bagels & Homemade English Muffins
- Perfect Homemade Quiche
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Scones Recipe
Blueberry Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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
Brown Sugar 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 flour (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) packed 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 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners. Grease/line a second pan with 2 liners because this recipe yields about 14 muffins. Set aside.
- Mix all of the topping ingredients together. Set aside.
- 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 2 minutes. 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 no flour pockets remain. 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 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 23–25 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):Â 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 substitute. Unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana may also be used.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy.
- 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.
- For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
- 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 items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
Just made these and wow, they are GOOD. Omitted the nuts, used lemon flavoured yogurt cos that’s all we had, and used frozen mixed berries. Giving them to a friend who’s just had a baby but will have to make myself a batch too!
Thank you!
Can I use a greek yogurt? If so how much?
Hi A, you can use greek yogurt in place of the sour cream in a pinch. Same amount.
Do I have to put the nuts in the topping ? My husband has nut allergies.
Hi Connie, you can skip the nuts so it’s just a little brown sugar/cinnamon on top of each muffin. Or skip the topping entirely.
I made these this morning and the husband and I have nearly wiped out the pan! I used stevia instead of sugar and a little more than half almond flour. They were a little crumbly but OMG! They are fantastic!
These are so tasty! I use Sally’s baking addiction for any recipe that i can. Everything about the muffins turned out perfect!
These muffins are amazing! Thank you for providing a great recipe for blueberry muffins that can use frozen blueberries. The only change I made was using 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup coconut sugar and they were just the perfect amount of sweet for breakfast. I also did not make the topping- they are great in their own!
Sally I love your recipes this one I only have frozen thawed blueberries can I still make them and have them turn out?
Hi Debbie, if using frozen, it’s best to not thaw them before adding. The thawed berries will release too much liquid into the batter. You could try refreezing the blueberries and then using them in this recipe. Let us know how it goes!
The whole family loves this recipe and that’s honestly rare. I subbed roasted sunflower seeds for the walnuts to keep it nut free for school and it was delish. I could personally do without the brown sugar topping but the kids LOVED it. Cooking times were perfect. My muffin tops didn’t really rise but that could be due to many other factors. Taste wise delicious. I am making another batch today – 3 days later.
How’s far ahead can I make the batter before baking? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, we don’t recommend making muffin batter in advance. Best to bake right away for the fluffiest muffins!
These were the best muffins I have ever made. The only change I made was to cut the white sugar in half Also one batch of the topping was all I needed to make 3 batches. Reheated them in my air fryer so they tasted like they were fresh out of the oven. Yum!
LOVE! Successfully made them gluten-free – Yayy!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made this recipe exactly but using King Arthur’s measure for measure 1:1 **gluten-free**flour and they turned out PERFECT! I was so nervous as this was my first GF baking try and loved all your recipes before having to change over to a gluten-free diet. Sharing in case this helps anyone also wanting to know about GF variation.
Terrific recipe – straight-forward and easy-to-follow. I omitted the nuts from the topping because some of my guests don’t like them – so I sprinkled some raw sugar on top for a little crunch and then topped them with the brown sugar & cinnamon (no nuts) topping. My blueberries were large so the batter filled 15 muffin cups. I am very pleased with the results.
I will be using a dark pan. Any changes needed?
No changes needed! Just keep an eye on them as they may bake slightly faster.
I made these today and they turn out amazing. I had lots of blueberries so I put about 400g. I also used up the last of a tub of creamed cottage cheese. So even with me not sticking to the recipe they were still awesome.
If you do not have a mixer, how would you suggest mixing the ingredients? Thanks
You can use a wooden spoon and some arm muscle to cream the butter and sugar!
Delicious. Made a vegan version: soy milk, 2 tbsp soy flour with 4tbs water (for the eggs) and vegan yoghurt
Thanks a lot
Love these muffins but could you please tell me how many calories are in them thank you
Hi Clara, we’re so glad you enjoyed these muffins! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Amazing muffins recipe. My husband just loves them.
Hello! Do you have an alternative crumb topping recommendation that doesn’t include the walnuts or pecans for someone with a nut allergy? I was thinking of using the crumb topping from your apple cinnamon crumb muffins, do you think that should work fine? Thank you!
Hi Sam! You can use that other crumb topping recipe or you can leave out the nuts from this one. Happy baking!
These were delicious but any tips on how to stop all the blueberries sinking to the bottom and creating a soggy base? I used frozen berries and did not allow them to thaw beforehand. I coated them in a little flour before adding to the mix. Thank you.
Hi Nicola, unfortunately, this is a common issue when using frozen blueberries. You’re doing everything right–not thawing, and coating in flour–so if they are still sinking, it’s best to just stick with using fresh blueberries.
Yum! These were the best blueberry muffins that I’ve ever had. I left the topping off of a few for my daughter, but the topping is a must for me. I will definitely be making these again!
I live in blueberry country and have tried many, many recipes trying for the best.
These muffins are absolutely perfect. I made them half size, not mini, baked them fir 30 minutes, they were just right. I froze a dozen, thawed as recommended and was proud to serve them again.
Thank you so much. Made them tonight with the buttermilk. These muffins are the absolute best. Hubby also loves them. Thank you for your quick reply to my question.
These are fabulous. They made 14 muffins. I halved the brown sugar and cinnamon in the topping and they were still plenty sweet. I have an old Wedgewood gas oven that runs hot, so used a 350 setting for them. They took between 20-30 minutes to cook.
Gracias Sally, we love this recipe as well.
I just have a question about all recipes. Can I set my oven to Baking on the “Convection Bake” for your Recipes or should it be on just “Bake”. It could be nice to have a specific Mode, just like the temperature. So everything comes out beautiful
Nobody specifies this and I usually do Convection because it warms up faster but somethings things are a tad dry.
Hi Georgina, thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes! All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
I have made this Muffin recipe three times using convection baking. The manual of my GE Profile says the oven adjusts temperatures automatically so I set it to 425 followed by 350 and cooked for the recipe times – 5 minutes and 25 minutes. The muffins came out perfectly; evenly cooked and all browned the same. The GE replaced a 12-year old KitchenAid after its convection fan stopped working. In the interim, I found my chocolate chip cookies baked without convection were unevenly baked. Those is the center of the baking pan needed extra time in the oven. I suppose results depend on the oven, but, for me, convection has worked just fine.
These are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made.
Can you tell me why the milk is added after the dry ingredients, and not with the wet? I ended up not using it all as I thought it might be for extra moisture if necessary, and it wasn’t. They turned out great.
Hi Alison, when adding the milk to the wet ingredients, they can curdle and separate (more than they already do). So, like with many cake batters, you add the milk after the dry ingredients to sort of thin out the batter. Glad you enjoyed these!
Our local grocery had fabulous fat blue berries so I bought some for nibbling. Then, it struck me that I hadn’t made blueberry muffins in a while. So, I went to my favorite baking web-site and found this recipe. I followed it to the letter and the muffins came out wonderfully. My wife, ever conscious of calories, took a taste and said “that is one of the best things you’ve ever baked”. She promptly ate another half muffin and forbade me from giving any more away. The only problem is they do shed some of the sugar topping so you always need to have them on a plate.
I resisted the temptation to add a few chocolate chips. However, could I substitute chocolate chips for the blue berries and do a chocolate frosting on top?
Best muffins ever!!!
Delicious batter!! My husband loves them after baking too.
Question for you; could I substitute almond flour in this recipe, I am gluten sensitive . Thanks much!
Hi Cher, so glad these were a hit! We don’t recommend using almond flour in this recipe. It has very different baking properties than all purpose flour and isn’t always a 1:1 swap. You might enjoy these blueberry almond power muffins instead — those use oats and almond flour.
I use Bob’s red mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour, and it always comes out perfectly!
Hey Cher, I am also gluten sensitive and I found a heritage wheat that I am able to eat. You can order it from sunshine flour mill. It has been amazing to be baking again and able to eat gluten.
These muffins are delicious but not so pretty. Only a bubble rose in the middle of half of them. Where did I go wrong?
LOVE all your baking tips! for this can i use almond milk? does it compromise the moisture of the muffins???
Hi Jana, you can use almond milk in a pinch.
These blueberry muffins are the best ones I have ever tasted. Everyone who tries them raves about them and ask for more! Please keep sending out more flavors for us to try.