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
Made these muffins today. The cake had a lovely taste and was very moist. What took these Blueberry muffins to the next level was the crunchy topping, absolutely delicious.
I recently used this recipes to bake the blueberry muffins and they turned out so good for my first time!! The muffins aren’t so sweet and are so soft and taste so good!! Definitely keeping this recipe for the next bake!
Wonderfully delicious!
Another to die for recipe Sally. Thank you
I was looking for muffin recipes for my partner to bring to work for breakfast and I knew Sally would have something. They like blueberries (I don’t) so I decided to try these muffins. Only two changes: I leave out the nuts and use almost the whole pint of blueberries, otherwise they tend to waste away in the fridge. My partner loves these and says they’re the best blueberry muffins they’ve had. I’ve also replaced 1/4c of the flour with vanilla weight gain protein powder and my partner didn’t notice a difference.
I was shocked that such a dense batter would produce such a wonderful light, fluffy muffin!
Loved the topping and also shocked that 3 ingredients would make this kind of topping! I forgot to add lemon zest, which is my favorite addition, but these according to the exact recipe were PERFECTION.-thanks!
Another home run!!! Excellent.
Hi Sally! Can we add blueberry juice inside the store bought mixes? Or, do you know how we can make our own? And should we add it in place of the milk or in addition to? Thank you for all you do!!
Hi Leslie, we haven’t tested it, but you could try replacing some (not all) of the milk with the blueberry juice. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Muffins come out yum every single time!
Thank you.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Hi Barb, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. Enjoy!
Amazing recipe! Perfect muffins!
These are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had! They’re always moist and so delicious . Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Can I use gluten free flour in place of regular flour ?? Your suggestions are greatly appreciated
Hi Mena! We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but many readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like the one you mentioned). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Hi! I love your muffin recipes and make them often. However, my tops never turn out and always overspill. What am I doing wrong?? Thanks for problem solving with me!
Hi Emily! Happy to help. Does your batter seem to the correct consistency when comparing to our photos/videos? You want a nice thick batter. We would also check to make sure your oven is the right temperature by using an in-oven thermometer.
No nut topping- I swear these blueberry muffins didn’t used to have a nut topping, because I don’t remember having to go to another recipe for the topping. I hope the rest of the muffins haven’t changed as I love the way Sally’s muffins turn out
Hi EAD, these muffins have always had the same topping. You can leave the nuts out!
These baked up very well, despite my running out of all-purpose flour and substituting some whole wheat and coconut flours! I’m the only one who really likes nuts, so I made this he substitute that is with the peach muffins, and just topped three of them with some chopped pecans. I also mixed a little bit of pecans into those same muffins-yum
Thank you for the wonderful recipes!! Send me more!!!!
I followed the directions exactly as you stated. I’ve been baking for over 60 years.. I could not get a top cap to muffins! Any ideas?
Hi Vita, did you make any changes to the recipe? Did your batter look like the photo or videos above? A nice thick batter and the high heat trick details in the recipe will yield tall muffin tops. We also always recommend using an in-oven thermometer to ensure your oven is the temperature it says it is.
I love to use her recipes and tips. I made these the other day and they are just ok. I used 5% greek yougurt and frozen blueberries. Something is “off” about them.
Hi Anna, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Can you provide more feedback on what seemed off? Thank you for giving these a try!
We love these muffins! They have become a requested favorite in our family
Hi Sally I have been searching got your Pistasio muffins I Jane made these blueberry muffins and the were fantastic could you please send me your Pistasio muffin recipe to my inboxing make many of your recipes d love them all. Thank you for your help
Hi Sally, we don’t have a pistachio muffin recipe at this time. Let us know if you find one you love!
The most delicious blueberry muffins I’ve ever made!! These seriously were so good and moist and just all around amazing. Not too sweet either. I used slivered almonds instead of the other nut and it was so tasty! Thank you Sally!
These turned out delicious! I used plain greek yogurt and whole wheat flour and they turned out so moist.
Just made these and followed recipe to the T. I used chopped pecans and frozen blueberries. What a winter delight! So delicious!
Loved those muffins with the nut and cinnamon topping! I can say this is the blueberry muffin recipe I’ll use for the rest of my life. Yes, it’s that good!
The texture was spot on with these blueberry muffins! I thought that there was too much of the brown sugar topping, so messy! My husband left a trail until it was gone! Overall will probably just tweak the topping next time.
It’s marvelous.
These are amazing! I used sour cream and 2% milk and they still came out super moist and delicious. For next time I’d just make half the topping. I had a lot leftover.
Another great muffin recipe. Thank you Sally!!!
Wish you could include egg alternatives in the notes or something since they are expensive or not in stock. I used applesauce in place of eggs but just guessed how much to use. They were ok.
Hi L, thanks for the feedback. It would be a lot, and take a very long time, for my team and I to take on testing egg substitutes for all of the recipes on my site. I have an entire section of egg-free baking recipes if you want to take a look there. I haven’t tested applesauce in this muffin recipe, but thank you for letting me know you were not impressed. How much did you use?
This is such an unfair comment
So why even make these muffins? Your rating is irrelevant because you didn’t follow the recipe that Sally and her team tested out. You should delete this.
I am trying these now, but I have found the best luck with using chia seeds or flax egg as egg substitute for my muffin recipes. I have made many recipes from Sally’s site and always have success. Chia seems to work best for me. I just substitute however many eggs it calls for in “chia eggs”
This is an unhinged take. Sally and her team are under no obligation to to add substitutions for every recipe. For you to make changes, and then give it an inaccurate rating based on those changes, is wildly unfair.
Mine came out dry, I didn’t change the recipe at all and cooked for exactly 23 minutes
Either a measurement was wrong or they were over baked. I always use grams.