Simply Perfect Blueberry Muffins
As an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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.
More Quick Bread Recipes
Muffins
SCONES
Breads & Loaves
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
Author
More Breakfast and Brunch
Have a question about this recipe? Ask AI:
I really like these muffins - I added some lemon zest to the batter too. I was thinking about making this in a loaf pan, would that work? I love a loaf cake with a cup of tea.
Oh, I do too! Yes I think this would work great. Probably would need around an hour to bake. Good luck I hope you enjoy!
Hello I made the muffins today and love the topping! The muffin itself was alittle dry, can you tell me what. I possibility did wrong. Followed recipe. Thank you
Hey so sorry to hear that! Probably just spent a minute or two longer than needed in the oven. Hope you have better luck next time!
These turned out great, I used wild frozen huckleberries and buttermilk. However, it made 15 very full muffins and there was 2 cups of the streusel left over. …
I typically use all of it. A lot tends to fall off after the muffins bake. But if you like less that's totally fine! Wild huckleberries sound phenomenal! Hope you enjoyed.
Could you please confirm the ingredient weights for this recipe are accurate? They look a bit heavy compared to your later recipes, including your "Weight Conversions for Baking" chart on your website. I'd rather weight my ingredients, but the odd figures included in the recipe (88.72 g for 1/2 cup butter - should probably be more like 113.40 grams for 1/2 cup, 4 ounces of butter) are making me nervous. Haha. Thanks!
Happy to! I just went back in and recalculated everything with the API- I think you're right something may have been off. All updated now though! Thank you for the heads up!
I made these right after I received fresh giant blueberries from Michigan. Recipe is easy to follow and I find that coating your blueberries with a dusting of flour before folding them in keeps them from bleeding and also from sinking to the bottom in other recipes. I think this recipe could hold them up no problem. It says that it makes 12 muffins and I filled the tins extra full and still had leftover batter which I baked in a mini loaf pan. Are you using giant muffin pans? There was also an abundance of streusel. The taste is incredible and they are beautiful to boot!
My husband and I live 30 miles from a grocery store so rather than going to town, I substituted buttermilk for the sour cream and also used 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in the struesel. They turned out wonderful. I did have to bake them an additional 5 minutes but, every oven is different. I will definitely make them again but, will want to purchase a “jumbo” muffin pan to make a dozen.
Today is Dec 23rd in Ontario, Canada. We are in the middle of a snow storm with the winds just howling away. I came across this recipe and just had to try it. We had the most beautiful fresh blueberries!
Oh my goodness, these are the BEST muffins EVER!! I used vanilla yogurt as well as the flavoring. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!!I got 14 great big muffins and still have a lot of the streusel left. Will freeze that for another batch on another day. Merry Christmas to all!!
Your muffins were very good. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I made dozen and half and before you know it my husband and I polished off 4 muffin. SO SO GOOD
I made your blueberry muffin recipe last night and I have to tell you that it is absolutely wonderful!! I used Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream as your recipe recommended and I also added the zest of one whole lemon to the batter. Citrus and blueberries go so well together and the results were amazing. This will be my new go to recipe.
I'm so happy to hear that Rosetta! Thank you so much for the great feedback!
My favorite blueberry muffins in the world! Am I the only one who had extra topping? I tried to dump it all on there but there wasn't enough space! I'm not complaining - it's soooo good and I ate the extra topping out of the bowl! So, so good!
I try to make sure there's plenty of topping since so many people like that part the best! I don't want to skimp!
This is exactly what I was looking for in a muffin. Thank you so much. These are easy and delicious. Will definitely be putting them into my regular baking routine.
Hey, awesome looking muffins! If I leave out the sour cream and add 1 cup of buttermilk do I still need to add the 1/4 cup of milk? Also, do you have a basic/plain muffin recipe?
Hey there! So happy you're going to give these a try. I think that sub should work just fine, and I would still add the milk. You can use this as a basic muffin recipe, or my chocolate chip muffins would work too (just type that into the search window at the top of this site and it should come right up). Replace the berries or chips with any kind of fruit, nut, or whatever, and add any other kind of flavoring you like (ie: citrus zest, spices, extracts). Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
I would like to make these, but want to clarify if the flour is 2 1/2 cups as listed in the recipe, or 3 cups as listed in some of your comments. A couple people asked if 3 cups was the correct amount and you said yes. Thanks.
The recipe has been updated as per reader feedback. You may have been seeing comments that were made prior to the update.
Thank you. I did go ahead and make them with 2 1/2 cups flour. They are delicious!!! Only change I made was in the crumble. I used 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup sugar. The crumb topping is so good and I liked that there was enough to pile it on! I ended up baking them for about 25 minutes total. I got 16 muffins. It was good to know in advance that the batter is very thick, or I might have wanted to add more liquid. I also put the blueberries in the flour mixture and then added the liquid and stirred. Blueberries held up fine and no coloring of the batter. I will definitely make them again. Great recipe And thanks again for getting back to me so quickly!
Something went wrong with the crumbes on top. The pastry was like sand, not cruble at all. How to measure 6 tablespoon butter, melted? I melted the butter and then put 6 tblspoons. As it was too dry, I added even more butter. Still the outcome was dry like sand. Maybe it was meant I have to take 6 times butter with tblspoon and then melt it? What do you think how many grams butter have to be? I put 80 grams, still sand. Muffins are great, but the topping like sand 🙁
https://bakingamoment.com/how-to-measure-ingredients-for-baking/
Thanks! Anyway, I live in Europe and no buttersticks here with corresponding tablespoon marks. We only have 150 or 200 or 250 grams buttersticks. No additive markings 🙂
10/10 love this recipe, thank you for sharing.
These muffins are truly delicious and beautiful to look at. Directions were perfect. I did put some in liners but it was not needed. They released perfectly from the pan. Loved the lemon zest in the streusel. These will now become my go to recipe for Blueberry Muffins.