Simply Perfect Blueberry Muffins
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This Blueberry Muffin Recipe is the one you've been searching for. Light and moist, studded throughout with sweet berries, and topped with a buttery, lemony streusel crumb topping. If you're looking for a big bakery-style muffin, you are in the right spot!
I tested, tasted, and retested this recipe so many times I lost count, force-feeding blueberry muffins to my family and neighbors for weeks. It was worth it. These muffins are tender, buttery-tasting, and packed with berries in every bite, with a crumbly streusel topping that makes them feel like you stood in a ridiculous line at the hottest bakery in town, but instead these come straight out of your own oven.
Want to make the mom in your life feel special? 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 mom 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 😉
You can use fresh berries in this recipe and it'll be delicious, but 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.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They really are light and moist, not dense or dry like some bakery muffins.
- The streusel topping is the perfect finishing touch. Buttery, lemony, crumbly, and so simple to make!
- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, and both work well. I share my favorite option below.
- They're quick to make and only need about 15 minutes of prep before baking.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
For the Streusel Crumb Topping:
- Unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter, omit the Kosher salt from the recipe.
- All-purpose flour: Bread flour also works if that's all you have in the pantry!
- Granulated sugar: Makes it sweet, but not TOO sweet.
- Kosher salt: It doesn't make it salty; it just enhances the other flavors.
- Lemon zest: Adds bright, citrusy flavor to the topping.
For the Blueberry Muffins:
- All-purpose flour: Again, bread flour will work in a pinch, but AP flour is best.
- Granulated sugar: Only have brown sugar? That can be subbed in. You'll get some light molasses notes. I prefer white sugar, though.
- Baking powder: Helps the muffins rise, since this is a quick bread, not a yeasted one. Make sure it is fresh!
- Kosher salt: If you use salted butter, omit this additional salt.
- Unsalted butter: Melted, for richness. You can use salted butter if you skip the kosher salt.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang. You can substitute Greek yogurt or buttermilk if that's what's in your fridge.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the batter.
- Eggs: Add structure and richness.
- Vanilla extract: I use vanilla paste these days, but vanilla extract works too!
- Blueberries: Fresh or frozen wild blueberries both work, but wild blueberries are especially good. Check the tip below to see why.
In Photos: How To Make Blueberry Muffins
Step 1: Preheat Oven & Make Streusel
Preheat your oven to 425°F and lightly spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray.
Use a fork to combine the melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest until the mixture is crumbly.
Step 2: Make Batter
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. It's fine if you still see a few streaks of flour.
Step 3: Fold In Berries
Gently fold in the blueberries. Try not to overmix, as this can make the berries bleed and the muffins tough.
Step 4: Add To Muffin Tin & Bake
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle the streusel on top.
Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Then, without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 15 more minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Helpful Tips and Tricks
- Don't overmix the batter. Leaving a few streaks of flour when you add the blueberries is perfect. Mixing too much can make the muffins tough.
- Frozen wild blueberries are a great choice. They're smaller and have a stronger flavor than regular blueberries, so you get lots of berry flavor in every bite. Add them frozen so they don't color the batter too much. You can also use a mix of wild and regular blueberries.
- Once the batter is mixed, work quickly. The leavening starts right away, so getting the muffins into the oven fast helps them rise with domed tops.
- If you don't have buttermilk, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens a bit, and use as a substitute.
- Storage: Keep muffins loosely covered at room temperature for a day or two. They'll last up to a week in the fridge or several weeks in the freezer. To thaw, microwave frozen muffins for 30-45 seconds.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, you can. Some people have tried strawberries, peaches, or even diced apples with cinnamon for a new twist on the recipe.
No, you don't need to thaw them. Add the blueberries while they're still frozen to help keep the color from spreading into the batter.
This usually means the muffins need another minute or two in the oven. Muffins are soft by nature, but if the center feels wet, bake them a little longer next time.
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Simply Perfect Blueberry Muffins
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
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Have a question about this recipe? Ask AI:
Hi, I found your recipe and I’m trying this next weekend. Do you have suggestions for converting this recipe from 12 [regular] muffins to 6 oversized muffins? Temperature and time adjustments?
Hey Veronyka! So happy you're going to try this recipe! For oversize muffins, I would keep the temperature the same, and you'll know they're done baking when a toothpick inserted in the thickest part of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Good luck!
Hi! I've made these muffins twice now, one half batch and one full, and I have a question - is the batter supposed to be very thick and dry? Both times I've had to add an additional generous splash of milk to get the dough even close to combined. As a result my muffins came out slightly tough, I think from accidentally overworking the batter (it wasn't blueberry juice as I drained and dried off my frozen berries very thoroughly before mixing them in - I don't think a single drop of juice made it into the batter). I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to prevent this? Perhaps adding more milk before I combine the dry and wet?
Thanks for posting this recipe!
Hey Christine! Yes the batter is meant to be very thick and stiff. This way the muffins bake up nice and tall! You can get an idea what that's meant to look at if you check out this video: Crumb Cake Muffins. <- There are no blueberries in this one, but the base is the same. Hopefully that's helpful!
Hi Allie. I made these today and they were divine. I used fresh blueberries. I would like to try the frozen ones. Can you please tell me if you add these whilst still frozen to the batter?
Thanks Allie for amazing recipes.
So happy you like them Terri! I usually add the berries in while still frozen. Hope that's helpful!
When do you add the topping?
Step number 6.
Hi is all purpose flour plain,self raising thanks
I believe it goes by the name "Plain Flour," outside of the US.
So I don’t know what I did wrong but I halfed this recipe and my mixture came out like cookie dough
It's a very stiff batter; that's what helps the muffins to come out nice and tall. Watch the video (just above the recipe card), and you'll see what I mean!
I've had to bake the muffins- on convection even- for twice as long as directed. Is it really only supposed to yield 12 (huge) muffins?
That's correct Tara- 12 muffins and they do bake up pretty big and tall. What kind of berries are you using? Could it be that they are very wet?
I made them in a regular muffin pan- and I had enough batter for 12 muffins and 12 mini muffins. I thought the mini muffins would be done much sooner, but they still had to bake the entire 20 minutes (at 425 then 350). Still waiting on the regular size to get done after 30 minutes. They look great though. Also, it didn't take me 15 minutes to prepare - maybe 25 with melting the butter and grating the lemon. Thanks for the recipe, I think I'll make them again.
So glad you're making this recipe! Hope you enjoy!
I made these today. I used sour cream because that’s what I had on hand....absolutely delicious!
So glad to hear that Tina! Thank you so much for the positive review!
Hi!
These muffins look amazing! BUT!, I have a question. Your recipe all’s for melted butter in your wet ingredients, but in the video you didn’t add any. Do I add the butter to the muffins or not?
Yes, always follow the recipe as written.
Hi! I love that you tested these muffins so many times 🙂 If I wanted to make them without the crumbles on top, do you have any advice on how I should adjust the sugar amount in the muffin recipe?
Hey Cat! I actually wouldn't adjust the sugar at all- the muffins are just the right amount of sweet as-is, with or without the crumb topping. Good luck and enjoy!
It looks as though all of that testing paid off - these muffins look amazing!
These are the most perfect looking blueberry muffins!
These blueberry muffins look so amazing! They will be a perfect addition to Mother's Day brunch!
perfect muffins!!!
Yup, these are perfection!
Love that crumbly top!
These blueberry muffins look heavenly. I have several bags in the freezer that I need to use up before the new crop comes here in July. Only 1 question...since you have yogurt or sour cream or buttermilk in the batter, shouldn't there also be baking soda in the recipe? Maybe instead of baking powder?
Hi Sue! I prefer baking powder for this recipe since it's double acting and I really want them to puff up nice and tall! Hope you enjoy them as much as we do 🙂
Sweet plump berries and that mound of delicious streusel have me sold! Picture perfect muffins!