Simply Perfect Blueberry Muffins
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The most perfect blueberry muffin recipe ever! These muffins are light and moist, studded throughout with sweet berries, and sprinkled with a buttery, lemon-y crumb topping.
*This post originally published on May 7, 2014. I thought it was about time for a refresh. Hopefully you'll enjoy these blueberry muffins as much as my family and I do.*
Wow. All I can say is, I really hope you guys like blueberry muffins, because an awful lotta love has gone into this post.
I think my family wants to kill me. I have been force-feeding them blueberry muffins for weeks. And my neighbors too.
This recipe has been tested, tasted, tweaked, and re-tested so many times I've completely lost count. But the good news is, I really, really, REALLY think I've nailed it.
These are the blueberry muffins of your dreams. They are tender. They are buttery-tasting. They are studded throughout with sweet berries. They are light-as-air, thoroughly encrusted with crumbly streusel, and, well- just look at them!
I hate to toot my own horn, but I mean, come on! Are those not the most gorgeous blueberry muffins? How about the shape on those beauties? Is that not exactly what you're imagining when that blueberry muffin craving hits?
HOW TO MAKE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Blueberry muffins fall into that baking category known as "quick breads." They are a bread that doesn't have yeast. Instead, they get their "lift" from baking powder.
Quick breads are easy to make, and they always follow the same simple formula:
- Mix the dry ingredients together.
- Mix the liquid ingredients together.
- Stir the liquid into the dry.
- And bake!
One of the most important things to remember (with all quick breads) is not to overmix the batter. This can develop the glutens in the flour and cause toughness.
It's ok (it's actually best!) if there are still a few streaks or lumps of flour in the batter when the blueberry muffins go into the oven. Don't worry, they will bake out! And you'll be happy, because your muffins will be as tender as can be.
Muffins, certain breads, pancakes, waffles, scones, shortcakes, biscuits, and baked donuts all fall into the quick bread category. So, many of them are sort of interchangeable. In other words, you can bake a muffin recipe in a donut pan or a loaf pan, or put a pancake batter in a waffle maker.
As always, if you choose to do this, it can affect the yield and bake time, so just keep an eye on them as they bake. You'll know your quick breads are done when they feel springy and light, and a toothpick inserted in the thickest part comes out clean.
Here are a few of my favorite quick bread recipes, just to get you inspired:
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Coconut Bread
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Cheddar Chive Biscuits
- Baked Strawberry Donuts
- Raspberry Cream Scones with Rosewater Glaze
- Double Chocolate Scones
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits
- Baked Chocolate Crumb Donuts
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Stuffed Banana Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Iced Lemon Loaf
- Whole Wheat Greek Yogurt Freezer Waffles
- Toasted Pecan Pancakes with Brown Butter Bourbon Peach Syrup
- Coconut Lime Glazed Muffins
SHOULD I USE FRESH OR FROZEN BERRIES?
I have made this blueberry muffin recipe with both fresh and frozen blueberries, and either way, you won't be disappointed!
Since we are on the cusp of blueberry season right now, I used fresh blueberries for the muffins you see in these photos. The fruit becomes soft and jammy as the muffins bake, there are pockets of juicy blueberry in every delicious bite.
But I have to say, I really prefer frozen berries in my blueberry muffins!
And not just any frozen berries; frozen WILD blueberries! They are in a class by themselves. They're small and they pack such an intense blueberry flavor punch. Because they're so tiny, you get tons of them running all throughout your muffins.
They're easy to find in most US grocery stores, right in the frozen foods section. I highly recommend keeping a bag in your freezer at all times, for whenever that blueberry muffin craving strikes!
Just fold them into the muffin batter while they're still frozen solid. That way they won't bleed quite so much juice.
HOW LONG DO BLUEBERRY MUFFINS KEEP?
You can keep these blueberry muffins at room temperature for a day or two. Normally, I would say to put anything freshly baked in an airtight container, but quick breads are different somehow. They tend to get soggy, so I prefer to just *lightly* cover them with plastic wrap or foil. Enough so they don't dry out, but with a little air flow so they don't become wet either.
In the fridge, they'll last up to a week.
But my favorite way to store them is in the freezer. Just pop them into a zip-top bag, and at breakfast time, thaw them in the microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds. They come out perfect! Just like the day they were baked.
They should stay good in the freezer for several weeks.
With Mother's Day coming up, I think this would make a lovely breakfast-in-bed. A cup of coffee, a little fresh fruit, juice, maybe some soft butter and/or lemon curd to spread on the muffins...
I know I'd be a happy mommy if these appeared on my bedside table on Sunday morning!
And since they only take about 15 minutes of prep, they're easy enough to whip up in a hurry, so she can enjoy them freshly baked and warm as toast 😉
A FEW MORE OF MY FAVORITE BREAKFAST RECIPES:
More great breakfast recipes on my "Breakfast & Brunch Recipes" Pinterest board!
This post contains affiliate sales links.
Ingredients
For the streusel crumb topping
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter,, melted
- 1 ½ cups (187.5 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) lemon zest
For the blueberry muffins
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) kosher salt
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, , melted
- 1 cup (230 g) sour cream, (Greek yogurt or buttermilk* can be substituted)
- ¼ cup (61 g) milk
- 2 (100 g) large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons (6 g) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (296 g) fresh blueberries, (or 1 ½ cups frozen wild blueberries)
Instructions
To make the streusel crumb topping:
- Toss the melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest together with a fork, until crumbly.
To make the blueberry muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and lightly mist a muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla together in a large liquid measure until well incorporated.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, and stir together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, just until ALMOST combined (you should still see streaks of flour).
- Add the berries, and fold carefully. (Overmixing will cause the berries to bleed and the muffins to be tough.)
- Divide the batter equally between each well of the muffin tin, and top with the reserved streusel.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F, then turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F (without opening the oven door), and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of a muffin comes out clean.
Notes
Allie, still can't print out the recipe on my IPad. When I hit the print button
it prints all the pictures and ads...like four pages of wasted ink. Don't you have
a printer friendly button for just the recipe. Hate making things off my iPad as I am afraid of getting my computer dirty...thanks...love your recipes but want to print.
What am I doing wrong? Sandy
Hey Sandy. I do have that, dear- it's right on the recipe card. If you scroll almost to the bottom of the post, you see the recipe card there? There is a print button at the upper left hand corner, just above the title of the recipe. When you click that, it opens another window that has ONLY the recipe, in black and white, none of the other junk. I can't imagine it'd be any longer than a page. I have an iPad air and it seems to be displaying fine on there. I'm going to email you screenshots, ok? Check your spam folder if you don't have something in the next hour or so. We're going to figure this out 😉
These look so delicious!! Pinned to my breakfast board!
Hey Jaren! Thanks so much for the pin! I'm so happy you stopped by. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe- it's become a family favorite for us. Hope to see you here again and thanks for the sweet comment 😉
Congratulations on your feature at the Sweet and Savory Sunday link up! These muffins look amazing!
Thank you for the sweet comment, Amy! I'm so excited to be featured! 😀
Allie, these look great. I love blueberry muffins and with the streusel top I think I love them now even more. This has been featured as one of my favourites over at Sweet and Savoury Sunday. Stop by, grab a button and link up again with us this week. Have a great day!
Thank you so much Laura! I just linked to you at the end of the post. I'm so happy for the feature! Thanks again and hope you are feeling better sweetie.
Oh Allie! These muffins truly look perfect! So gorgeous!! Pinned!
Allie, these DO look perfect. Blueberry muffins are one of my all-time favorite ways to start the day. I love how chock-full these are with blueberries. And that streusel topping looks undeniably addictive. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
My pleasure Jamie! I had a lot of fun working it out and I was really happy with the end result! I'm so glad you enjoyed. Thanks for the great feedback, sweetie!
Thank you for all the hard work that went into this recipe because they seriously look PERFECT!!! That crumb topping is my favorite part - can't wait to try these!!
Oh my word Allie, these are the prettiest blueberry muffins ever! Blueberry muffins are my absolute favorite muffin and I can't get enough streusel topping and love how high you piled it on. Lol, too funny - I made 4 batches of blueberry muffins last month and still have some left in the freezer but something tells me I have got to make one more batch of yours because they really do look perfect 🙂
Thanks Kelly! I'm so glad that I finally hit on a recipe I love- and I'm sure I'll be making them often now. Thanks for the sweet comment, dear! xoxo
Wow! These muffins certainly do look perfect! Great work, and I am so glad that we all can benefit from your persistence on perfecting this blueberry filled delight! Love it!
Oh ya, I'm relentless! Lol, it's not always a good quality, but when it comes to muffins it works to my advantage 😉 Glad you enjoyed, Tahny!
Allie, these are the most beautiful, impressive blueberry muffins I've ever seen. The shape is perfect, the crumb on top is perfect, and WHOA lady did you ever pack a ton of blueberries in there. I'm a huge fan of frozen wild blueberries - I have them in my freezer year round and I can totally attest to the fact that they're the best for baking. My problem is that no matter what I do, if I just fold them into my batter, they always bleed and the entire muffin/loaf/cake/whatever is purple. How did you get them to not bleed here?! You're a miracle worker. These are indeed simply perfect!
Oh I know, the bleeding is always a problem. Mine did bleed a little, but I mean, I barely stirred them in. The less you manhandle them the better! Thank you so much for the awesome feedback, Nancy, I wanted so badly for them to look like those beautiful bakery muffins, so I'm so glad you appreciated the shape! xoxo
Wow - these blueberry muffins couldn't be any more beautiful, Allie. Love the tips about using blueberries in baking. Wish I could have read your post before figuring it out the hard way :). The crumble topping is my favorite - nothing better than a perfectly buttery and scrumptious blueberry muffin 🙂
No arguments here, Kathi! I love muffins and blueberry muffins, I mean, of course they are my favorite, lol. Thanks so much for the sweet comment! xoxo
These really do look like the perfect blueberry muffins! And blueberry muffins are my favorite - how'd you know?? : ) My husband always wants to kill me when I keep tweaking and re-tweaking a recipe and I make him eat it a little too often haha ahhhh the life of living with a food blogger!
Good to know I'm not alone, Ashley! Thanks so much for the sweet comment. Hope you have a great weekend, dear!
I don't think there's anything better than a perfect blueberry muffin, love your photos!
So true! A blueberry muffin + a cup of coffee = perfection! Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Sue!
The muffin top, says a lot about the muffin. It's totally the BEST part!! These look like knockout blueberry muffins Allie, really. I feel like there are so many blueberry muffin recipes that are kinda blah...if you know what I mean. This one is far from that! I buy wild blueberries too!! My family actually goes and picks them every summer at the end of August! They taste SO SO much better than the regular ones at the store. I buy the wild ones from Canada at Trader Joes! Anyways- thank you girl 🙂
Thank you, Kelly, for the great feedback! I totally agree with you about the top being the best part, and honestly, that was what took me so many tries to perfect! The first time I tested the recipe, right out of the gate it was delicious, but I wanted that puffy top! And you are so right about the wild blueberries- the flavor is incomparable!
Those muffins DO look simply perfect! I wish I had some for breakfast this morning. All that streusel OMG!
I know, the streusel was really like the icing on the cake. My son went crazy for it! I'm so happy you stopped by, and thanks so much for the sweet comment!
I don't mind you being 'bossy' at all here, Allie. These muffins really do look perfect. Just look at all those blueberries packed in there! And I loved all your tips.
This one is getting pinned for sure!! Thanks!
Thank you so much, Helen! I'm so glad you like it, I was really happy with the final result 😉 xoxo