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:
Do your muffins really cook in just 20 minutes? Seems short for muffins...
Yes!
These blueberry muffins were amazing! We picked blueberries locally and wanted something we knew would be delicious. These did not dissappoint. I also wanted more than 12 so I doubled the recipe and had enough batter to make 36 muffins! Would definitely make these again!
Did anyone’s take much longer to bake? Perhaps it’s my dumb oven. I’ve baked them already for 25 min and they’re still not done. Also are these supposed to be 12 jumbo muffins? I have a regular muffin tin and had loads of extra muffin mix (and I filled them basically to the top)
I made this for my coworkers, it came out perfect -and they loved it. I didn’t have buttermilk instead I used heavy cream and it still worked out great.
So great to know. I'm really glad you and your coworkers enjoyed!
The texture of these muffins is excellent. Very soft and tender, almost cupcake like. I had to bake them a bit longer than the 15 minutes after lowering the temp to 350, but that wasn’t a problem. I ended up with 15 muffins. I didn’t have quite a full cup of Greek yogurt so I made up the difference with buttermilk. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Next time I’d like to try your crumb topping from the crumb cake muffins on these. I like brown sugar and cinnamon in the crumb. Also, using a tulip cupcake liner is the way to go...helps keep the crumb in place. Simply delicious muffins!
So glad you were pleased Julie! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Hi,
I live in the UK, could you tell me what is 11/2 Cups in grams please?
Thank you!
Please click the "metric" button just below the list of ingredients.
The only reason for the 3 stars is I prefer to have more flavors in my blueberry muffins, (cinnamon, almond) but wanted to give this one a try with the great reviews. (I’ve found the tiny bit of almond extract really compliments the blueberries) BUT if you like simple, fluffy, moist blueberry muffins with slight lemon flavor, these really are perfect in that way. I did appreciate the tips on not over mixing and substitutions etc. I noticed in the video the melted butter was left out as someone else commented but added it anyways per the directions. Topping was good but not a ton of flavor. Everyone has different preferences so I’m not putting down this recipe at all as they did turn out moist and fluffy 🙂
Thanks for the honest review!
Thank you so much for providing this recipe. They taste amazing!! I am thankful to you for the advice you give on this recipe and all your recipes. I've frozen 10 of the 12 muffins to enjoy when I need something sweet. What I especially like about these, is they're not overly sweet. I used the small wild blueberries and the blueberry flavor is superb!. Thank you for sharing your passion. I guess you know what happened to the 2 that didn't get frozen, right?
Haha I think I can guess! So happy you enjoyed. Wild blueberries are the best!
Can you substitute for salted butter and omit the salt?
You can try that, but different brands of butter contain different amounts of salt, so it's not always an exact science. Good luck!
Seeing the recipe it look i am going to try itMe
These were hands down the tastiest blueberry muffins I've ever made. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe. And that crumb topping,...the best!
So happy you enjoyed, Sherri! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
These were hands down the best blueberry muffins I've ever made. If someone is contemplating making this recipe, don't overthink it and just make them. Very delicious and beautiful photography. And that crumb topping! Total winner.
It’s more of a blueberry bread than it is a muffin. But it is delicious and the crumble topping is what makes it. The kids loved it. Will definitely make it again.
Very happy you liked it Sharon! Thank you for the positive review!
Is the 3 cups of flour listed correct. The batter was so thick I couldn’t mix in blueberries. I wound up adding more liquid. They are not out of the oven yet and I am concerned that they will not be very good.
It's correct! I make this recipe quite often. Be careful not to pack the flour into the measuring cup. There is a video just above the recipe card, so you can see what the batter looks like.
Do you think I could use almond milk instead of regular milk?
I think that should work! Good luck!
Made these in regular muffin cups and had enough streusal for 2 batches at least. Going to freeze it but consider halving if you dont want leftovers.
The dough is so thick, like cookie dough. Is 3 cups of flour too much? There in the oven right now
Three cups is exactly the right amount! The batter will be quite stiff and that will help your muffins to bake up nice and tall. Hope you enjoy!