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
Omg! These are seriously heavenly! They are so delicious, that I just ate two of them! lol
Thank you, for all your success tips! I’m definitely a new fan of your channel. I’m gluten intolerant and used gluten free flour. I also used Trader Joe’s full fat Greek vanilla yogurt! This recipe is the best of the best!
These were the BEST muffins. My friend said, “These are ‘professional quality!” So so so so so so good. If you want to impress someone, make these!
Hi sally!
I’ve been baking my way through your blog for a while now. My question is about the streusel topping. I omitted the walnuts and used brown sugar alone. I’ve used this method with other muffins before, but this time the sugar just melted into the batter instead of creating a crispy topping. Why might this be?
Hi Katie, most streusel-like toppings have butter and flour in them as well– this is more of a sugary nut streusel topping. There’s nothing you did wrong– instead, (and if you make another batch) you can try the crumb topping used on these apple cinnamon muffins.
Made these today excellent. Muffins were moist and sweet will definitely make again. I used frozen blueberries would love to try with rhubarb
Hi Sally,
These look simply delicious, and I will be baking them today!
Are the oven temperatures for a Fan Forced oven or regular oven?
Thank you!
Hi Colleen, All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. Convection ovens are fantastic for cooking and roasting. If you have the choice, we recommend conventional settings when baking cakes, breads, etc. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
I had my 3 grandsons for a Thanksgiving overnight and since they all love blueberries, I made these for breakfast. They were a huge hit and this is a wonderful recipe. Perfect sweetness, moisture and texture. So glad I found your site. Thank you and Happy Holidays.
I made these yesterday and they are so good! I added in some diced apples because I didn’t have enough blueberries and man… they are good. My husband says they’re the best muffins I’ve ever made! And easy enough that my two year old helped me and we had a blast! Will definitely make again.
My son is coming home for Thanksgiving this year and loves blueberry anything. I absolutely love everything about this muffin! It’s moist, the yogurt gave it a nice tang and moisture like buttermilk would, they’re super easy to make and delicious. I substituted walnuts for pecans and doubling the recipe yielded 3 loves and 9 muffins. If you want a delicious blueberry streusel muffin – look no further – this is the REAL DEAL.
Hi Sally – I was wondering how to add an almond flavor to this. I found your blueberry almond power muffins, but can’t have oats or large quantities of nuts (like almond flour / butter) due to allergies. Would it be safe to just add almond extract to this recipe for that flavor? Thank you!
Hi Meg, you can certainly add almond extract. Enjoy!
Hi Sally
Thankyou so much for the wonderful recipe. It was simply perfect. The recipe was easy to follow and the muffin soft, moist and so flavorful.
Lots of Love,
Vidya
Can I use the crumb recipe from your pumpkin crumb muffins for the top of these instead of the streusel?
Absolutely!
Can I make the topping with out nuts?
Hi Leah, You can leave the nuts out with no other changes. Enjoy!
I have struggled with baking muffins in the past. Some too dense, some too dry, some not flavorful enough… but these are the best blueberry muffins I have ever tasted! Followed the instructions exactly (used fresh blueberries) and I was in Heaven! Cooking times were spot on too. Did not use muffin liners and recommend not using them (they come out so soft that the liner may rip the muffins apart when opened). This recipe is a keeper for sure!
I typically find blueberry muffin recipes dry but these were perfect!
These are so delicious ! best muffins ever! But when I added in the frozen blueberries the batter turned purple.
Hey! I was going to make these and I found out i did not have sour cream or yogurt. Do you have another replacment
Hi Aria, You can use buttermilk to substitute both the sour cream and the milk — so use a total of 3/4 of buttermilk in place of the 1/2 cup sour cream and the 1/4 cup milk.
Any way to successfully add coconut?
Hi Patti! We haven’t tested these muffins with coconut, it would take some testing to ensure good results. If you try anything let us know!
thank you sally for the recipe
i have baked the muffins for several times and everyone loves it!
however – can i reduce the sugar level for the muffin? my dad is getting old and it may not be appropriate for him for much sugar intake (but he loves the muffin!)
thank you!
Hi Sharon, so glad you love them! Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Absolutely the BEST muffin recipe! I’ve used the Favorite Blueberry Muffins recipe several times now and each time the results are excellent! I live in a town at a high elevation (7000+ feet) and I don’t have to adjust the recipe. I use fresh blueberries and follow the recipe exactly. Very easy to make and between my husband and I, these muffins are gone in two days 😀 ( I use my jumbo muffin pan). I have yet to try the other variations but look forward to make some soon. Love this recipe, thank you!!
These muffins are delicious, moist, and the measurements are well proportioned. Thank you for a delicious recipe! This one’s a keeper just as it is! Perfect!
The best muffins I have ever made.
Thank you for this recipe.
Do you think I can some day swap blueberries for a white chocolate chunks .?
Absolutely! You might also enjoy our chocolate chip muffins instead (you can swap chocolate chips for white chocolate chunks).
Sally my family and I use your recipes all the time. My all time fav is your lemon blueberry scones. Amazing. I made these muffins using Swerve granulated sugar substitute, and Swerve brown sugar substitute, equal measure. I then used regular brown sugar for the topping; because I still wanted the topping to be crunchy & sweet. Some things don’t substitute well; but this at least helped me in my quest to eat baked goods, while cutting back on sugar! I used sour cream, but am definitely going to try that lemon yogurt idea with some lemon zest in the batter next time! I always freeze berries before adding them to any batter, because they mix into the batter without squishing.
So….using Swerve, they turned out great for using sugar substitute. Nice and plump, moist and plenty sweet enough; especially using regular brown sugar for the topping.
Thanks Sally for all your hard work bringing us wonderful recipes!
Made this delicious recipe i substituted strawberries and added pecans with available kitchen ingredients!
So good! Thanks a lot!
I have made them with blueberries and they are indeed amazing. Does it work for blackberries?
Absolutely!
Hi! Could I use less sugar in this recipe? If so, what is the recommended amount, or what can I add instead to naturally sweeten the muffins? (i.e X amount of honey or maple syrup)
I don’t include the streusel topping, but just wanted to know so I can make these for my grandfather! Thanks 🙂
I made these muffins today and they were amazing! I had to eat two hot out of the oven!! Cook time was bang on and no substitutions we’re made! I enjoy a lot of your recipes. I do have a question – the muffin liners caused the bottom of the muffin to me soft and not crispy like the sides and tops. If you make the muffins without liners will the muffins/blueberries stick to the bottom of the tray even if greased? Thank you!
How am I supposed to add frozen blueberries into this recipe?
If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw.
Hi!
I love all your recipes and had so much fun trying different ones each week. Today I tried this recipe and did not substitute any ingredients.
However, my muffins came out pretty bland (it didnt taste sweet) and my blueberries also lost its sweetness (i used frozen blueberries and did not thaw them!). Could i be doing smth wrong? Or is my tastebud just all wonky now? Haha
Thank you!
Hi Hannah, Thank you for trying this recipe! Did you use both the granulated and brown sugars in the batter and the brown sugar for the topping? They should be plenty sweet! You can certainly try increasing it a bit if you wish. Also taste your blueberries before adding them in next time to be sure they taste good from the start.
Absolutely amazing! Deliciously moist and just the right amount of blueberries.
I have been making this blueberry muffins almost every week! Been making them with cake flour and the results are delicious!