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
Would it be okay to make the batter ahead of time?
Hi Leah, we don’t recommend making muffin batter ahead of time, they won’t rise properly when baked. See recipe Notes for our recommended make-ahead instructions!
Do you have instructions for halving the recipe?
Hi Robyn, you can simply halve the ingredients for half the recipe.
When you say fill the liners to the top, do you mean to the top with the batter and streusel? Or to the top with the batter and then add streusel? From the photos it doesn’t look like Sally filled the liners to the top with just the batter.
Hi Tina! Fill to the top (not more than that!) with batter, then add the streusel.
I love blueberry muffins, but every time I make them, they come out of the oven nice and puffy on the top then the middle of the muffin sinks as they cool. What am I doing wrong and how do I fix it?
Hi Maryann, when muffins sink, it usually means that they are slightly underbaked. An extra minute or two in the oven should help for next time!
Can I use Splenda instead of sugar,I noticed the last time I tried it the cake I was making didn,t rise as much.
Is there something I can do to fix this.Thanks
Hi John, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
My family loves this recipe. Do you have a variation of it that includes protein powder? I would love to start making them as protein muffins.
I have just tried your blueberry muffin recepie. It was amazing. The best muffins i have ever made. Perfect texture. I loved the addition of the sugar on top.
To perfect going forward, how do i ensure an even spread of blueberry’s within the muffin and ensure the blueberry’s don’t sink.
Thanks
Toss blueberries with a TBSP of All purpose flour! ☺️
These are incredible! The streusel topping really makes these sing on a whole other level. I even used this topping instead of frosting when I made Sally’s fav carrot cake recipe. Added blueberries, but also strawberries and raspberries, a little more than recipe called for and that worked well. Also added choc chips for a little more decadence. Sally’s recipes have never failed me. They are so good that they get added to my fav recipes.
April 10, 2025
Sally,
I made these for the first time today, followed the recipe exactly as you have it written. The batter was super thick, too just as you said it should be. But even after baking them per your instructions, 5 minutes at 425F and 20 minutes at 350F, they were so moist in the middle…almost gooey would be an accurate description… What do you recommend to do so they’re not gooey in the middle.
I’m not sure what I did incorrectly… Please help.
Thanks.
Hi Jo-Jo! Sounds like your muffins needed a little longer to bake. Always use a toothpick to test for doneness, and use baking instructions as a guide, as all ovens are a little different. If the toothpick doesn’t come out clean, you can give them a couple more minutes and test again.
I had a question but don’t see my past comment posted anywhere. So, I’m trying again. I loved the taste, but the muffins are too light and airy. What could make them a dense muffin? I made the lemon poppy seed variety. TY.
Hi Susie, we’re so sorry! We don’t see any previous comments from you, but we’re happy to help. The texture here is intended to be soft and fluffy, but for a denser muffin you can try these bakery-style blueberry muffins instead. That post contains directions on making in both a jumbo muffin pan or a standard muffin pan. Hope you enjoy them!
I absolutely love these muffins! I am hosting a brunch and am wondering if this recipe doubles well?
Hi Renee! For best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
These were great! Not too sweet and the perfect consistency!
Question:
Just wondering if I can replace the butter in a muffin recipe with oil? I just never have softened butter around when I am baking. Love your website.
Thanks!
Hi Rhonda, we do not recommend oil here. You need a fat that is solid at room temperature so that it can be properly creamed with the sugars. You could try solid coconut oil in place of the butter, but the results will be different.
Rhonda I never do either. I put the whole stick in the microwave and microwave for 5 seconds, then flip 1/4 turn 5 more seconds, flip 1/4 again 5 more seconds, flip again 1/4 turn 5 more seconds. Do this on all sides of the butter till it feels soft but not super soft. Then you have softened butter!
Hi! If I don’t have yogurt and use unsweetened applesauce instead, would there a significant change in texture/taste?
Hi Leslie, you can use the same amount of unsweetened applesauce instead. Outcome will be similar!
If I reduce the amount of sugar do I have to add more flour?Thanks
Hi John, 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. We don’t advise adding more flour.
Made these with gluten free flour and a little bit of almond meal to make up the flour amount and they turned out beautiful.
These were great! The only issue I had there were none left for me. I made Jumbo and they disappeared so fast but I can tell you I I snuck one away. I got nine out of mine. They rose beautifully. I followed the recipe exactly used buttermilk. Thank you so much for sharing another great recipe.
These muffins were incredible!! I forgot to put the topping on and they were still so good. We ended up eating half right away and I will be making more this weekend! They are light and fluffy and packed with fruit. Perfection.
Would these be easy to make dairy-free? Coconut oil instead of butter?
Hi Sydney, we haven’t tested coconut oil in these muffins, but fear it would yield a greasy muffin. It may be best to search for a dairy-free blueberry muffin recipe instead.
I made these dairy-free and they were the best muffins I’ve ever had!! I replaced the dairy items with plant-based vegan butter, vanilla coconut yogurt and almond milk and they turned out perfect. Will be making another batch today cause at this rate there will not be any left by tomorrow!!!
Love these muffins. Delicious and easy. Can you use frozen raspberries?
Absolutely!
best muffins i have ever made so I was told by family. Will make again for sure. used frozen blue berries right out of the freezer
Hi, Can we make the blueberry muffins with dried blueberries as well. If yes, will the recipe change>
Hi Shreya, you can use dried blueberries. We recommend 1 cup of dried blueberries.
Hi there! I want to bake this for the weekend, and love a combination of blueberry and lemon in desserts. I was wondering if adding some lemon zest and rub it to the sugar would change anything in the recipe, can I do this without leaving out/adding anything else?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Camila, we’d recommend following our lemon blueberry muffins instead. That one also starts from our base muffin recipe. Hope you enjoy them!
Loved these muffins!! Quick question: what is the nutritional info on these? Specifically protein content
Hi Izzy, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Can this recipe and other muffin s be baked in mini muffin pan. Just bought one and wondering how long to bake them and how to prepare the pans.
Hi Ellen, For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40. You can use mini cupcake liners or grease your mini cupcake pan molds.
Can I use freshly milled flour with this recipe? If so, do I keep the measurements the same?
Hi Lisa, we haven’t tested this recipe with freshly milled flour, so we’re unsure of the results and any modifications needed. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Delish! I was just wondering if I could just use white sugar and not brown sugar. Would that still work?
Hi Nikki, you can certainly try it, but the overall texture may be a bit different since brown sugar has more moisture. The taste will be slightly different, too.
Hi Sally!
Hands down, these are THE BEST muffins I’ve ever tasted!!! They are the absolute favorite in my household…as a matter of fact, none of your recipes have ever failed to provide anything but scrumptious results!
I am wondering though, is it possible to make the same style muffin but instead of the blueberries, use up my leftover bananas? I do use your banana muffin recipe, but I would like to try them as a high top style and with the sugar/nut combo on top.
Hi Jocelyn, we’re so glad you love these! It’s best to use a muffin recipe specifically formulated for bananas — like our banana muffin recipe!
Hi, I wanted to ask a question before doing this, I got an electric oven which is kinda small and I haven’t been able to find an aluminum muffin tray that fits inside, but I have a silicone muffin pan that I have never used before, can you actually use silicone mold to bake things? And if you can, there are any extra considerations to have before baking with it? Thank you for all your recipes, I’ve been loving a few already.
Hi Kat, we haven’t tried baking these in a silicone muffin pan, but can’t see why that wouldn’t work.
I just made the muffins in my silicone muffin ‘tins’. They turned out great.
The only deviation from the recipe is I lightly wiped the ‘tins’ out after spraying with cooking spray.
I have made this wonderful muffin recipe about a dozen times. The best Blueberry Muffin recipe I have tasted. The crumble on top is great. I grow blueberries and they are fantastic in this. If you haven’t tried this please do.