The Very Best Blueberry Muffins
Soft and fluffy, these are the best blueberry muffins ever! This recipe is so quick and easy. Fresh or frozen blueberries work great!
This tried-and-true recipe is a keeper, and the only one you need if you’ve been looking for a straightforward, go-to blueberry muffin recipe!
Blueberry Muffin Batter
First, whisk up the wet ingredients:
- oil (could also use melted butter)
- eggs
- sugar
- buttermilk or milk
- lemon zest (optional, but adds a lovely bright note to the muffins)
- vanilla
Then add the usual-suspect dry ingredients:
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder + baking soda + salt
And mix JUST until combined. In fact, stop a few stirs before that. You want a few dry streaks throughout the batter when you add the blueberries.
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
Fresh OR frozen blueberries work great in this blueberry muffin recipe.
If using frozen berries, don’t thaw first!
Toss the blueberries with a teaspoon or two of flour before gently stirring them into the batter.
Again, you don’t want to over mix here. Not only because that can mean death to a nice fluffy muffin, but it also can decimate the blueberries leaving the batter (and your soul) with sad, blue streaks.
Coarse Sugar: A Recipe for Craggly Tops
I highly recommend topping the muffin batter with coarse sugar. It gives the most delightful crunch and craggly top to the muffins.
However, the muffins will still bake up soft, fluffy and delicious if you leave off the sugar.
Turbinado sugar, coarse sanding or sparkling sugar, or even granulated sugar will work. Although the fine-textured granulated sugar won’t offer the same crunch on top like the coarser sugars.
The Best Muffin Tins
These blueberry muffins bake at 375 degrees. That extra boost in temperature (beyond the typical “bake at 350”) helps with the perfect domed muffin top.
These muffins (and all the muffin recipes on my site, actually) bake best in light-colored muffin tins vs dark-coated muffin tins.
If you only have a dark-coated or colored muffin tin, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
I can’t say enough good things about the USA brand muffin tin (unsponsored, I just really love them). After using them a few years ago, I converted completely and got rid of my other ones.
They are nonstick, everything bakes evenly (and perfectly), and if this blog post was a love song, I’d dedicate it to these muffin tins {aff. link}, that’s how much I love them.
I love how straightforward and simple these blueberry muffins are. So quick and easy to whip up, they can literally be out of the oven and in your mouth in less than an hour.
Although beware of hot molten blueberry craters in muffins just out of the oven. You don’t want to mess around when it comes to those, so mayyybbbeee let them cool for just a minute or two. Signed: a loving friend with firsthand experience and a burned tongue that may never recover
At first glance, these muffins might seem like nothing out of the ordinary, but they really are spectacular.
{FYI: this old (old!) recipe for blueberry muffins is great, and I’m definitely not turning my back on it, but this new and improved recipe is so much simpler, and the muffins are just as tasty.}
As long as you remember the three cardinal rules for the best blueberry muffins:
- Don’t over mix
- Don’t over mix
- Don’t over mix
you’ll be in good shape and well on your way to enjoying soft, moist and fluffy muffins.
And for all my huckleberry loving friends, yes, huckleberries work very well in these muffins. I recognize that when and how to use hand-gathered huckleberries is a weighty decision, but I can testify that these muffins are worth it. 😍
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The Very Best Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil (like vegetable, canola, grapeseed)
- ½ cup milk or buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest (see note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups (340 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen (don't thaw if frozen)
- 1-2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- ⅓ to ½ cup coarse sugar, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two muffin tins with paper liners or lightly grease with cooking spray (the recipe makes 16 muffins).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, milk (or buttermilk), eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla until well-combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and mix until a few dry streaks remain. Don't over mix.
- Toss the blueberries with the 1-2 teaspoons flour and then add the blueberries and flour to the batter.
- Stir and fold gently so as not to crush the blueberries. Mix until the batter is just combined. Don't over mix.
- Fill muffin liners about 2/3 full and sprinkle each muffin with coarse sugar (optional).
- Bake for 16-18 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately remove the muffins from the tin to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
So I made these this morning. First muffin recipe of yours that I have made, and I may never get past this one.! Just yummy. I did have to bake a little bit longer 19 minutes seems to be the magic number for me but different oven different temperatures. I took your advice and purchased the USA muffin pan and it is wonderful. No paper liners and the muffins just slide right out. Thanks, Mel..
Fantastic recipe. I made this on Sunday and everyone loved them. Making again today but in jumbo muffin tins. Hubby wants bigger muffins. Highly recommend this recipe.
These were fine; a little bland.
These smell awesome as they are baking. Delicious recipe. Yes… DO NOT over mix & ALWAYS Spoon the flour into the measuring cup do not pack. I just figured everybody knew that from taking home economics in high school . I used just the tad bit of almond extract Along with vanilla. This is a great recipe as it is, but I just like the little taste of the almond extract
These were just okay. If I make these again, I’ll dial back the lemon zest a lot. Too lemony for my taste.
The best muffins! So moist and delicious.
I used fresh blueberries and buttermilk. I used self raising flour so didn’t need to add leavening. The muffins turned out great
This is an amazing recipe. I used buttermilk and followed the recipe without any issues.
Can I substitute applesauce for the oil? Trying to save some calories. Love your recipes, by the way.
Hi Elsie! You can definitely try! The texture of the muffins might be slightly different, but usually applesauce subs ok for oil in quick breads and muffins.
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times at least. Works perfect with blueberries and raspberries, too. For those saying the batter is too stiff, it helps to mix the berries in right away, don’t let the batter rest at all before mixing them in. The muffins are soft and fluffy. Just perfect!
There seems to be an error or omission in this recipe. The batter ends up much too stiff, making it impossible to keep the blueberries from breaking, despite being frozen solid IQF berries.
There isn’t an error in the recipe – any chance the flour was packed in the measuring cup and over floured?
Didn’t these used to have sour cream in the recipe?!
I haven’t changed this recipe so perhaps you’re thinking of a different recipe?
Thank you for this recipe! Made mini blueberry muffins with my 6 year old granddaughter today. They were delicious! Batter was enough for almost 2- 24 count pans. Baked 15 min and they were perfect!
Great recipe! Love how basic it is. I was able to modify it to make it GF and vegan pretty easily: soymilk with 1 tsp ACV, Bob’s egg replacer and GF flour. I will use about 1/4 less GF flour in future since it was too dry using equal amounts. The only problem was how huge my blueberries were!! I will definitely use this recipe as a base again. Love to try sweetening with honey too.
Very strange recipe as it is very heavy on dry ingredients and light on wet ingredients as compared to other recipes. Had to add extra milk to even get close to a normal consistency.
I’m not sure there’s a “normal” consistency for muffins? Each recipe will differ slightly. Some muffin batters are thin, others are thick. This recipe has been tested extensively with the ingredient amounts listed. Adding extra milk may affect the outcome, so I recommend making it per the recipe even if the consistency is different than what you are used to. 🙂
Can I substitute butter for the oil?
Yes, you could sub in melted butter for the oil. The texture of quick breads/muffins changes a bit when using oil vs butter, but it should work just fine!
Can you freeze these muffins?
Yes!
Most butters and oils sub in slightly different amounts. It’s 3/4 cup of oil for every 1 cup of butter except coconut oil, which often subs 1 for 1. So I would just add 2 more TBSP of butter.
I have been feeding my kids heavy and tough muffins for 19 years. I really heard/ read the importance to “not over mix” for the first time today. Thank for writing it out multiple times so it caught my attention. (I tend to move quickly in the kitchen and swiftly glance at the ingredients list)
My kids yelled at me “Best muffins!” I will stick to your recipes and read them carefully.
Hot Out Of The Oven Delicious!
I added the lemon zest, a generous squeeze of lemon, butter and light cream. The muffins are fluffy and melt in your mouth, yummy!
These turned out so good! I even made them kind of in a hurry, a beautifully forgiving recipe! Thank you my two year old likes them too! I baked at 350 like you suggested for a dark pan and the baked up perfect. Great for a summer afternoon. Love all your recipes!
These are soo good. Definitely would recommend! So simple and easy to make. And definitely add the lemon zest.
These blueberry muffins are spectacular. Question: can you also do this recipe for a snack cake? What alterations would you make for temperature and bake time?
I haven’t tried converting this into a cake, but it’s definitely worth experimenting. I’d keep the bake temperature the same and depending on the pan size, I’d check it around 22-25 minutes.
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing.
PS Don’t overmix!!! Lol
That is truly the best muffin I have ever made! I’ve tried so many other recipes and they were just not right. Thank you! ♥️
Moist and delicious! The perfect summer muffin. I made it with half whole wheat flour and avocado oil. They freeze well so it’s a great grab and go bfast!
These muffins were fantastic! The only substitution I made was I used butter in place of the oil. I didn’t have lemon zest either. I made 12 big muffins and baked them at 350 degrees for 23 minutes because my pan is a dark non stick and tends to burn at 375 degrees.
I did a half batch (8) they looked and smelled wonderful, I hadn’t taste them yet but I’m sure they’re delicious
Quick and easy to make! The lemon zest and the coarse sugar topping make these delicious muffins extraordinary! I prefer to use frozen blueberries as they don’t smoosh when folding them in – I do have to bake them for about 20 minutes. No need to try other recipes, this one’s a keeper!
These are by far the most tender and delicious muffins I’ve ever made. You knocked it out of the park again, Mel.
This recipe is so good! I don’t know what it is, but I’ve made a lot of muffins in my life and this is by far one of the best I’ve ever made. The first time I didn’t have lemon so I used orange zest. Today I made them with half blueberry and half chopped rhubarb. This is quickly becoming the go-to muffin recipe.
Rhubarb! Brilliant, Vicky! I’m going to try that.
Ccan i bake this as a loaf?
I haven’t tried that but I’m guessing that should work just fine!
Fantasic! These are so easy and my kids LOVE them! Go make them now!
Do you always bake your muffins immediately after mixing up the batter? I’ve read a few articles about the benefits of refrigerating the batter overnight and was curious if you had any experience with or opinion on that.
I usually bake the muffin batter right away. I haven’t experimented with letting the batter rest overnight – sounds intriguing! I’m not very good at planning that far ahead!
Made these today, very tasty, nice texture and height. Did have to bake about 20-21 minutes total though that could be my oven.
What is best way to freeze these? I’ll be making these today in my new USA pan.
I let them cool and then put them in a freezer ziploc bag and freeze that way.
I didn’t think I needed another blueberry muffin recipe – but I was wrong! These were delicous, and so easy and quick to make. The lemon zest adds a fresh flavor. The muffins had a tender texture (I used buttermilk), and plenty of blueberries. I used fresh blueberries; I think they perform better than frozen in muffins. Thanks for another winner, Mel!
These were super yummy. The lemon zest adds an extra dimension. I had frozen blueberries, so they bled into the batter a bit more than fresh ones would have. Since I’m just cooking for 2, I froze the extra muffins, and they freeze wonderfully.
Delicious! I didn’t have lemon, but I put in orange zest instead and it was tasty. May have over mixed a bit #cookingwithkids, but my 3 yo especially liked the “jam” (burst blueberries) inside.
This recipe goes together quickly and creates muffins with wonderful texture and flavor. I do think the quantity of blueberries can be adjusted plus or minus a quarter cup if the quantity you have varies from that of the recipe.
I too use the heavy USA muffin pan and am as enthusiastic as Mel regarding its design.
This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I love USA pans too! Nothing compares. And can’t wait to make these!
I made these almost to the letter – just subbed some runny Greek yogurt for the buttermilk. The raw batter was delish when I used my cooks perk and licked the spoon! Only managed to get 12 muffins from my batch but I also only had 1/2 the quantity of blueberries so maybe that’s why. The muffins looked slightly undercooked after the specified time, but knife came out clean so I called it good. They were so speedy to whip up, will 100% make again. Thanks for another great recipe
These were so good! Especially with the coarse sugar on top!
These were delicious! We made them for Easter breakfast and they were fantastic! Thanks, Mel!
Mel do you still use muffin cup liners with the USA muffin tin or can you pour the batter right in? I know they say nonstick but it seems like there’s always a limit. What’s your experience on that with the USA one?
I always use liners simply because it’s easier for cleanup. But when I’ve made muffins without liners in the USA pans, I always lightly grease with cooking spray first.
These are super easy and super yummy! I love the course sugar on top. I didn’t have fresh lemon zest, but I used 1 tsp dried lemon peel and loved the slight lemon taste to them. I also used frozen blueberries which bleed more than fresh, but they were still delicious! Perfect spring muffin! Make them as soon as you can!
Thanks, Jen! So happy to hear you loved these muffins!
Super delicious and love how much easier they come together than some of the other blueberry muffin recipes I’ve tried!
Thanks, Megan! So happy you liked them!
Sounds wonderful and tomorrow will be the day. I have frozen BB’s so I am all set. Thanks for the recipe!
these were delicious, came through my email this morning and I just had to make them!
Thank you, Tianna! You’re amazing for making them so quickly after I posted the recipe!
oooh I have a bag of frozen mixed berries that probably should be used sooner than later and fulfill their destiny as muffins instead of languishing in the deep freeze because someone forgets to use them for overnight oats. lol Now that my hub can take goodies to work again I won’t be obligated to ingest this batch, although I do have a freezer. Somethings are best to share. lol Now I have to figure out where to get the course sugar because that looks like such a delightful addition.
p.s. How extensive is your baking pan collection? Is it organized? Do you need a helmet to open that cabinet or pull from that shelf? lol Never did I ever think that would be interesting to know. But that’s adulthood right? Getting excited over sharp knives and bakeware. But here I am curious because I am starting to acquire my own beloved set of preferred pans. 😀
Haha, well my baking pan collection is certainly not pinterest-worthy. I keep my sheet pans, metal 9X13-inch pans (I have two) and muffin tins (mini and regular) in the cupboard above my fridge and have some handy shelf racks from amazon, so I can stack everything side by side instead of on top of each other. The other plethora of pans (and honestly, I have way too many: springform pans, cake pans, bundt pans, etc) are tucked into the back of my pantry into a very unorganized mess, and yes, you need battle gear to get one out. 🙂
Hi Mel! I really should make muffins more often – I tend to stick with the banana chip snack cake – it’s a family favorite 🙂 I think it’s just that I have no confidence on how full to fill the muffin cups. Does that #20 scoop that you recommended above deposit just the right amount?
Hi Maureen! I hear you on filling the muffin cups. It’s sometimes hard to know the best way to fill them and how much to fill them! And each recipe (for muffins or cupcakes) really differs in how full you want the muffin cups. For this recipe, the #20 scoop is just about right, but I do add a tiny bit more per muffin cup after dolloping one big scoop into each muffin cup.
Oh can’t wait to try these! I definitely agree on your love and affection for those muffin pans. I purchased some after your recommendation and they are awesome. Thanks for sharing about them. I have some frozen blueberries that need to be used up so this recipe will be great! Thank you!