This easy recipe yields a dozen of the softest, fluffiest, most deliciously buttery blueberry muffins. Topped with a crunchy cinnamon brown sugar streusel, these rival any bakery muffin, but come together quickly in your own kitchen. They’re prepared with simple ingredients, so you can be biting into a fresh, warm blueberry muffin in under an hour.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and helpful success tips.
Muffins are a perennial favorite because they’re quick and easy to make and the flavors are endless (just like scones). Everyone appreciates a fresh batch of muffins and, best of all, muffins double as breakfast and snack. (Or in the case of double chocolate muffins… dessert!)
But when it comes to muffin varieties, blueberry muffins hold the crown. Nothing compares to the classic blueberry muffin, and today I’m showing you exactly how to prepare my very best version.
This is my family’s favorite blueberry muffins recipe, and going by the hundreds of 5-star reviews it’s received, it’s a family favorite for many other home bakers, too!
One reader, Jes, commented: “Best blueberry muffins I have ever had—no bakery or store or restaurant that I’ve ever visited has ever produced a blueberry muffin that could compare to this. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Sara, commented: “Best blueberry muffins I have ever had in my 80 years! ★★★★★”
And another reader, Kathy, commented: “This truly is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. You just can’t go wrong with it. Everyone loves the streusel topping. ★★★★★“
Why Are These Our Favorite Blueberry Muffins?
They’re a texture lover’s dream with a buttery soft crumb, juicy blueberries, and a sweet crunch on top. They’re not as large and dense as my jumbo blueberry muffins and have a little more flavor from the brown sugar and butter.
These muffins stand out from the rest because they’re:
- Buttery and moist
- Soft and cakey, not dense
- Easy to prepare
- Made with EXTRA blueberries (and you can use fresh or frozen)
- Topped with an easy 3-ingredient sweet streusel
Since I first developed this blueberry muffin recipe, I’ve baked dozens of variations—swapping blueberries for apples, peaches, and other fruits. In fact, this blueberry muffin recipe quickly turned into my go-to base muffin recipe, a batter you can turn into infinite muffin flavors. I also have the recipe in my newest cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
How to Make the Best Blueberry Muffins
There are no secret ingredients or complicated steps in this blueberry muffin recipe. You only need a few bowls and a mixer… and a muffin pan, of course!
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Flour, leaveners, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Butter, sugars, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
- Combine wet & dry, then add milk: You can use any type of milk, dairy or nondairy, or even buttermilk (see Notes).
- Spoon into muffin pan: Fill those liners all the way to the top!
- Add streusel topping: Just brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts. See below for suggested alternatives.
- Bake!
That’s it! The sour cream is the magical ingredient because it adds so much moisture and produces the softest blueberry muffins ever. If you don’t have sour cream, you can use yogurt like we do in lemon blueberry muffins. Or you can use buttermilk to replace both the milk and the sour cream.
How to Create the Perfect Tall Muffin Tops
For tall bakery-style domed muffin tops, there are 3 directions to follow closely:
- Make sure your muffin batter is THICK. (This one is!)
- Fill your muffin tins/liners all the way to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a high temperature, and then lower the temperature while keeping the oven door closed. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is reduced, the centers of the muffins bake. I recommend this in nearly all of my muffin recipes. (These crumb cake muffins are an exception to the rule!)
Have I mentioned what a treat these are with a swipe of homemade honey butter, too? Cinnamon butter is also an amazing pairing with these muffins!
It depends on the recipe. My team and I wouldn’t consider these healthy blueberry muffins because they’re made with butter, flour, and sugar. However, they’re homemade and you know exactly what’s in them, vs. something store-bought. If you are looking for a healthier alternative, you’ll appreciate these blueberry banana muffins, bran muffins, or applesauce muffins.
Absolutely. You can simply omit the nuts, or swap the streusel here for the crumb topping from this recipe for peach streusel muffins. Or skip the streusel topping entirely, and just top the muffins with some coarse sparkling sugar for a sweet crunch that’s also pretty!
Yes! If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding to the batter.
You can toss the blueberries with a Tablespoon of flour before you add them to the batter, but it’s not really necessary here because the muffin batter is so thick.
How to Freeze Blueberry Muffins
You can freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Cool completely and then place the muffins in a freezer-friendly container or bag. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator (overnight) or at room temperature on the counter. To warm up, microwave the thawed muffins for about 20 seconds or bake at 300°F (149°C) for 6–10 minutes.
Blueberry Muffin Variations
- Blueberry Muffin Cookies
- Blueberry Muffin Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Sparkling Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Power Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Breakfast Casserole (so easy!)
- Homemade Bagels & Homemade English Muffins
- Perfect Homemade Quiche
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Scones Recipe
My Best Blueberry Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These blueberry muffins are buttery, soft, and moist. For that bakery-style goodness, add an easy cinnamon brown sugar topping. This thick muffin batter combined with my initial high oven temperature trick guarantees tall muffin tops. Prepared with basic ingredients and a couple mixing bowls, you’ll appreciate this easy breakfast recipe.
Ingredients
Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (67g) chopped walnuts (or pecans)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream or plain/vanilla yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners. Set aside.
- For the topping: Mix all of the topping ingredients together. Set aside.
- For the muffins: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients and milk into the wet ingredients and beat until combined. Batter is thick and creamy. Fold in the blueberries.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Spoon brown sugar topping on each, gently pressing it down into the surface so it sticks. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 23–25 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Sour Cream: Sour cream adds so much moisture. Plain yogurt is a great substitute—I recommend plain Greek yogurt, any fat content. Unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana may also be used.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy. I recommend avoiding nonfat milk, however.
- Can I Use Buttermilk? Yes, you can use buttermilk in this recipe. Use it to replace BOTH the sour cream and milk. Use 3/4 cup (180ml).
- Blueberries: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw.
- Can I Make the Streusel Without Nuts? Yes! You can simply omit the nuts, or swap the streusel here for the crumb topping from this recipe for peach streusel muffins. Or skip the streusel topping entirely, and just top the muffins with some coarse sparkling sugar for a sweet crunch that’s also pretty!
- Why the initial high oven temperature? As instructed, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at an initial high temperature, then lower it. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up and sets the tall muffin top. Once the temperature is lowered, the centers of the muffins bake. I do this in all my muffin recipes including zucchini muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, and banana muffins, too.
- Jumbo & Mini Muffins: For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
- Quick Bread: Here is my blueberry muffin bread, which is essentially the same recipe in a loaf pan.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated ingredients should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
thanks a lot for great recipes and useful tips. I’ve successfully tried quite a few already.
But lately, suddenly, something doesn’t work so good with those blueberry muffins:
they do raise but wouldn’t stay high: they spread out, develop sort of hard crust and
somehow swallow the topping.
This time, I left out milk – used yougurt only – to make the dough thicker – it didn’t help.
Should I use different flour (cake flour, for example)?
Thank you for an answer in advance.
Best regards – Stania
Hi Stania, I’m just seeing this question now! I’m wondering if your baking powder and soda are losing strength. Are both particularly old? I find they begin to lose strength between 3-6 months. Also, make sure you aren’t over-beating the butter and sugars in the creaming step. (That could be the reason the muffins are deflating.) I wouldn’t substitute any flour. Are you using 3/4 cup of yogurt then (1/2 cup as called for plus some to replace the milk)? You could try reducing down to just 1/2 cup or even try to reduce the butter down to 6 Tablespoons. Just trying to get some moisture out of the batter so the muffins hold shape better. Let me know what you try!
These muffins were perfect! They were so moist and full of blueberries, and the topping was the best touch. I didn’t have sour cream or plain yogurt so I used lemon greek yogurt with no added sugar and they came out amazing. You could just pick up a slight lemon flavor. Yum!
Thanks for posting this Sammi !! I am making these today, and, lemon Greek (my fav.) Is the only option I have on hand. I used all of my sour cream with dinner last night !!
A friend gave us two of these muffins she made last night. My husband and I agree with the majority of the comments above–these are THE BEST blueberry or any other kind of muffin we have ever had, and since we are old, we have had a lot of muffins!
Question because I can’t ask my friend who made them for a while: I only have a small hand-held mixer that does not have a paddle or whisk attachment. Will a regular mixer attachment work, and if not, would it work if I also whisked the batter by hand in addition to mixing it with a regular attachment?
Hi Sharon, We are so glad you enjoyed these! You can try your hand-held mixer or you can mix these by hand if needed (it will just take a bit of arm muscle, especially to cream the butter and sugars!). Be sure not to over mix, which can lead to dense muffins. Hope you enjoy these!
So delicious! Sally’s recipes are always a hit!
My favorite blueberry muffin recipe, and my 5 granddaughter’s also! Do you think it could work with diced apples? Would I have to soften them by cooking a little? I’m thinking apples and streusel are a perfect match!
Love these muffins, I live in senior housing and the people here enjoyed them so much I was asked to make them for the bake sale. Thank you Sally all your recipies are great and easy to follow..
They are delicious. Has anyone ever made them with rhubarb?
These muffins are the best ever! I made them for our family and a neighborhood gathering, many compliments were shared. They retained their freshness after freezing as long as they thaw to room temperature without any cover. Thank you for this great recipe.
Made this recipe twice-first with blueberries and next with peaches right off the tree. So delicious!
Thanks for sharing!
these are a household favorite! i use fresh blueberries from a stall at my local farmers market, and they always turn out amazing! I gave some to my aunt to take to my grandparents, and the next day she said she ate them all because they were so good!! thank you for always making such great recipes!!
Best muffins ever. I’m getting back into baking and decided to try this recipe out and absolutely loved it! These were a hit in my family and everyone loved them so much! Super soft and airy. Do you think I can try this recipe with small diced strawberries or bananas? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Meridian, so glad you enjoyed these muffins! You can certainly try subbing diced strawberries for the blueberries. Adding banana is also a great idea. We would leave out the yogurt and sub in 2 small mashed bananas. Or you may love our quick and easy banana muffins!
These were the best blueberry muffins ever!! You did it again, Sally!! Thank you for sharing your recipes with the world.
I use winter wheat flour (lighter in color than spring wheat) and they turn out great. Have become a real standard in our house. Also, should there be some melted butter in the streusel? P.S. you are my go to when looking for a recipe!
Hi Kat! We’re so glad you love these muffins. We prefer the streusel on these muffins without butter, but you can use a different streusel topping recipe if you prefer!
These were wonderful muffins to make and eat. Great flavour and texture. I did use only 1/2 streusel topping.
I am wondering if this recipe would work with whole wheat flour? Trying to get more “whole grains” in us!
Thanks for this recipe. I made it with my 7 year old granddaughter who also loved them!
Hi Heather, We don’t recommend using all whole wheat flour as the muffins would turn out quite dense. You could try replacing half the flour with whole wheat instead. Would love to hear how they go!
I did try these with whole wheat flour and they just weren’t comparable to using only all-purpose flour. The texture in your original recipe can’t be beat!!
SOOOO GOOOD!
These muffins came out super moist, and because I used yoghurt instead of sour cream, it tasted like CHEESECAKE muffins! I also (for the 2nd time I made it) used mixed berries instead of plain blueberries like the first time I did it and they taste delicious! I also found that I didn’t need to use the amount of streusel listed in the recipe, halving it is enough! I used Sally’s measurements for the streusel and found that it could be used twice add in a cake (using this batter). This an amazing recipe! Thanks Sally!
These were by far the best blueberry muffins I have ever had, used banana yogurt and they were so moist….will be making these often now..
This is the BEST recipe I’ve found for blueberry muffins! I’ve made it with yogurt, sour cream, frozen, and fresh blueberries. It never disappoints! I also followed the five minute and then turn down the heat instructions. I don’t use the nuts and the tops are still delicious! There are never any left to freeze.
Tried making these last night for my first-ever foray into muffin baking 🙂 Unfortunately, I used a different brand of frozen muffins because I figured smaller ones would be better for muffins, but they *really* stained the batter and adding the milk afterwards made it worse. I ended up with fully blue muffins! I always see way more staining whenever I use blueberries than what the recipe seems to expect, no matter the brand (though this was the most egregious case yet) and at this point I think I should just go with fresh blueberries from now on (if it’s relevant I’m in Italy, some baking items avaiable here have unexpected differences from what’s common in the US).
As for the finished muffins, I didn’t love the consistency (though I might be hypercritical, other people really enjoyed them) but I have to say that the batter was absolutely delicious and the topping was a highlight (even though it was harder to sprinkle on top than what I’d have expected from the recipe). I can’t wait to make these again with fresh blueberries for hopefully better texture to do justice to the total deliciousness of the batter. I’m not usually one for licking bowls but I absolutely did it this time, and licked my fingers afterwards.
Hi Ella, We are so glad that everyone enjoyed these. Let us know how they turn out if you try them again with fresh blueberries!
Best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made!
I have made these muffins many times. They are the best!!
So far I have loved every recipe I have tried of yours but this one is not a
winner. It tastes good and people liked it, it’s just not a typical blueberry muffin. The streusel topping overwhelms all of the flavor. If you feel like a cinnamon muffin with a little bit of fruit in it, this would be great.
I have to tell you I love ALL your recipes. Everything comes out fantastic! I’m a new baker, but, by following your recipes…..the results come out like I’ve been baking for years. Of course, I tell everyone who you are and that they’re your recipes. First time I ever made blueberry muffins and they came out awesome!! Thank you, so much!
My muffin filling came out and bubbled onto other muffins and above the streusel.
Sounds like the butter and sugar didn’t cream well enough. Make sure you scrape down your mixing bowl really well on the bottom. That is most likely the issue.
I made these last night and completely forgot to put the milk in and they’re still incredible! I also used light sour cream because it’s all I had on hand. I’ll definitely be saving this recipe!
These are by far the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had! I’ve tried other recipes but always go back to these. It’s also pretty failproof too. I tend to be lazy and just melt the butter and use the other ingredients cold instead of room temp and I have no issues! They still come out beautiful and delicious every time! I’ve also used plain greek yogurt instead of plain or sour cream and that works wonderfully as well! Obsessed!
These muffins are the absolute best! This was my first attempt at blueberry muffins and I could not
Believe how good they came out. They are extremely light and airy and taste delicious! They were gone
Within a day! My family agreed they are fabulous! The only thing I did different was I left out the nuts
And added a little sparkling sugar on top of the streusel topping.
These are the best muffins I have ever made. I opened the sour cream container to find I only had about 1/4 cup left so I added a beyond ripe banana to make up for it. Tossed the fresh blueberries in flour did not have sinking problem. Also smashed half of the berries because I like them all gooey and blue throughout the muffin. So pretty and so delicious! PERFECTION!
can i halve the streusel recipe?
Sure!
The raw batter was delicious!
Help?! My muffins came out a little dry. I made smaller muffins and used half the recipe and half the baking time. Do you think I should add buttermilk to make them more moist or maybe use a bit less flour? Maybe less baking time was needed in case my oven was hot? Any tips on making these extra moist are appreciated =)
Hi Angela, it sounds like your mini muffins might be over baked. An easy fix for next time! We recommend baking mini muffins at 350°F for 12-14 minutes. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Oven temperatures can vary as well – we always recommend using an in-oven thermometer to ensure your oven is the correct temperature. Thanks for giving our recipe a try!
These muffins are hands down the best muffins I’ve ever had. They beat Costco and store bought muffins 100%. My husband wants me to make them all the time!!
Made the recipe exactly as stated but omit the streusel and they turn out perfect every time.