This is my ultimate muffin recipe—starting with a thick and creamy muffin batter, your choice of additions, and two topping options. Customize it with your favorite mix-ins and flavor combinations for endless possibilities like blueberry muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, and apple cinnamon muffins.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, helpful success tips, and additional flavors.
This is my staple muffin recipe, to which I fold in a variety of additions and flavors. I’ve relied on it since 2014 when I developed and originally published my best blueberry muffins. I was so pleased with the taste and texture that I kept experimenting with new flavors—and over time, I’ve realized the possibilities are actually endless.
In fact, I love this mix-and-match ultimate muffin recipe so much that I’m including it in my new cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101! (Including an exclusive-to-the-book birthday cake flavor.)
Can one muffin batter truly make infinite muffin flavors? We haven’t reached the limit yet…
Why This Should Be Your Go-To Muffin Recipe, Too:
- Batter produces soft, fluffy, tall bakery-style muffins
- Endlessly customizable for infinite muffin varieties
- Includes baking instructions for all sizes of muffins—makes 12 standard muffins, 6 jumbo muffins, or 36–40 mini muffins
- Make the crumb topping or simply sprinkle coarse sugar on top for a sparkly crunch
One reader, Karen, commented: “These were the best muffins I’ve ever made. No more store-bought! I can hardly wait to try a new batch every week. This is going to be fun! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Stacey, commented: “Made these tonight in a jumbo muffin tin, and added chocolate chips. Very tender muffin, but still a perfect base for more substantial mix-ins like chocolate. Domed beautifully! Will be making these a LOT going forward! ★★★★★“
Here are 10 of my muffin recipes that I’ve published using this base muffin batter:
- Cranberry Cardamom Spice Muffins
- Blackberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Peach Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins (pictured)
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (pictured)
- Blueberry Muffins (pictured)
- Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins (pictured)
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Crumb Cake Muffins
Today I’m also sharing White Chocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Chip Crumb. Details for making each are in the recipe Notes below!
Ingredients for the Muffin Batter
- Flour: Stick with all-purpose flour. The flour gives the muffins structure and keeps the batter nice and thick so the add-ins (chocolate chips, berries, nuts, etc.) stay suspended.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: For maximum rise, we’re using both leaveners here.
- Salt, Cinnamon, & Vanilla Extract: The flavor enhancers. The cinnamon is optional—leave it out if it doesn’t work well with the other flavors. For example, I use it when I make apple or chocolate chip muffins, but skip it when I make lemon muffins.
- Butter: We’re creaming the butter to make these fluffy, springy muffins, so make sure to use proper room-temperature butter here. If you’re a beginner baker or if you need a refresher, I also have a helpful video tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Sugar: A mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar sweetens these muffins.
- Eggs: Eggs add moisture and richness, and bind everything together.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream helps keep the muffins tender, soft, and extra moist. If needed, you can use plain Greek yogurt instead.
- Milk: Milk lightens up the crumb. I usually use whole milk, but you can use low-fat or nondairy milk if you prefer.
Expect a creamy, thick batter:
Fold in your additions, such as apples, chocolate chips, nuts, berries, etc. If making something like lemon poppy seed muffins, add the lemon zest and juice when you add the milk, and mix the poppy seeds in with the dry ingredients. I have these details in the recipe Notes below.
This is the chocolate chip muffin batter:
Muffin Topping Options
Before baking, decide if you want to top the muffins. Here are my 2 recommendations:
- Coarse Sugar: Simple, yet bakery-style beautiful! Coarse sugar gives the muffins a sparkly crunch.
- Crumb Topping: A classic choice, my brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping works with a variety of muffin flavors. I have the recipe for you below. If desired, you can use another crumb-like topping such as the easy brown sugar pecan streusel I use on this blueberry muffins version or this lemon crumb topping I use on my lemon blueberry muffins.
Here I’m topping the chocolate chip muffin variety with the crumb topping:
The Trick to Tall Muffin Tops
I’ve been using this muffin trick for years and SWEAR by it. Nearly all of the muffin recipes you see on my website and in my cookbooks also use it.
Make sure your muffin batter is thick (this one is). Fill your muffin cups/liners with the batter all the way to the top. Bake the muffins for just 5 minutes at a high temperature. Reduce the temperature for the remaining bake time. This burst of hot air lifts the muffins straight up, creating a solid dome. The rest of the time at a lower baking temperature cooks the center of the muffin.
Optional Finishing Touches
If you want even more ways to jazz up your muffins, try finishing them with a topping:
- Vanilla icing
- Lemon icing: you can find the recipe with my lemon poppy seed muffins. This is also fantastic on the muffin varieties that have berries.
- Orange icing: you can find the recipe with my cranberry orange muffins.
- Maple icing: what we use to top maple brown sugar cookies.
- Brown butter icing: what we use to top pistachio cookies.
- Salted caramel sauce: this is so good on the apple cinnamon muffins!
Even More Muffin Flavors
- Cinnamon Pecan Muffins: ultimate muffin batter + 3/4 cup (100g) chopped pecans + 3/4 cup (135g) cinnamon chips. Add the crumb topping.
- White Chocolate Nectarine: ultimate muffin batter + 1 and 1/4 cups (about 230g) peeled finely chopped nectarine + 1/2 cup (90g) white chocolate chips. Add the crumb topping or try the pecan streusel topping from the blueberry muffins.
- Pear Spice Muffins: ultimate muffin batter + 1 and 1/4 cups (about 230g) peeled finely chopped pear + 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and allspice
- Banana Nut Muffins: ultimate muffin batter + 3/4 cup (170g) mashed banana + leave out sour cream + 1 cup (130g) chopped walnuts.
- Ginger Peach Muffins: ultimate muffin batter + 1 and 1/4 cups (about 230g) peeled finely chopped peaches + 2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger. Add the crumb topping or try the pecan streusel topping from the blueberry muffins.
- Pineapple Coconut Muffins: ultimate muffin batter + 1 cup (100g) sweetened shredded coconut + 1 cup (225g) finely chopped pineapple (fresh or canned, drained)
- Cranberry Apple Muffins: ultimate muffin batter + 1 cup (about 120g) peeled chopped apple + 1 cup (120g) fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw).
P.S. Looking for a chocolate muffin base? Use the batter from these double chocolate muffins.
Print
Ultimate Muffin Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Use this base muffin recipe to make any flavor of muffin you can dream up! They’re easy, delicious, and freezer friendly. See Notes section below the recipe for my 5 favorite flavor variations, plus baking instructions for jumbo and mini muffins.
Ingredients
Optional Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (83g) all-purpose flour
Muffin Batter
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional, depending on your add-ins)*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- add-ins of your choice (see Notes)*
- optional if not using crumb topping: 2 Tablespoons coarse sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping, if using: In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter. Using a fork, gently work in the flour just enough to combine. Do not overmix; the mixture should have large crumbles. Set topping aside or refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if using) together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just about combined. Add the milk and continue to beat on low speed until combined. Fold in your chosen add-ins. (See flavors/details in the Notes below.) The batter should be thick.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them all the way to the top. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar or spoon on the crumb topping and lightly press the crumbles so they stick to the batter.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 22–23 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan set on a cooling rack, then transfer the muffins from the pan to the rack to cool completely.
- Store muffins covered tightly at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins: Omit the optional cinnamon. Fold 1 cup (125g) raspberries + 3/4 cup (135g) white chocolate chips into the batter as instructed in step 5. Sprinkle muffins with coarse sugar before baking as instructed in step 6.
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins: Keep the optional cinnamon in the base recipe, and add another 1 teaspoon with the dry ingredients in step 2. Fold 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) peeled chopped apples into the batter as instructed in step 5. Sprinkle muffins with crumb topping before baking as instructed in step 6.
- Blueberry Muffins: Mix the optional 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the dry ingredients in step 2. Fold 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter as instructed in step 5. (If using frozen berries, do not thaw.) Sprinkle muffins with coarse sugar or crumb topping before baking as instructed in step 6.
- Chocolate Chip Muffins: Mix the optional 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the dry ingredients in step 2. Fold 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter as instructed in step 5. Sprinkle muffins with coarse sugar or crumb topping before baking as instructed in step 6.
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins: Omit the optional cinnamon. Mix 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds with the dry ingredients in step 2. Add 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon zest and 3 Tablespoons (45ml) fresh lemon juice when you add the milk. Sprinkle muffins with coarse sugar before baking as instructed in step 6. If desired, top cooled muffins with lemon icing.
- Freezing Instructions: Place muffins in an airtight freezer container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature, or warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Coarse Sparkling Sugar | Cooling Rack
- Jumbo Muffins: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30. Makes about 6.
- Mini Muffins: 350°F for 12–14 minutes (no initial higher oven temperature). Makes about 36–40.
- Chocolate Muffins: If you’re looking for a chocolate base muffin recipe, use this recipe for double chocolate muffins.
Share Your Muffin Masterpiece!
I love hearing from readers who have used this muffin recipe to make up their own varieties. Here are a few:
- Meg’s version: “Today this master muffin recipe is going to make us some tropical muffins with mango and coconut milk. I assume these will be a major hit as usual, your recipes always are in this house. ★★★★★“
- Helen’s version: “After looking on the internet for awhile I could not find an almond poppy seed muffin recipe to my liking!… So I decided to use your master muffin recipe, and they turned out amazing!!! I omitted the cinnamon, added a teaspoon of vanilla and almond extract, and 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds and topped it with sanding sugar… Oh my they were heaven! ★★★★★“
- Jackie‘s version: “Just made these with pear and spices. Came out so nice, fluffy, crispy. Love this recipe! Will definitely use it again. I did add about 3/4 cup walnuts as I really like nuts in muffins. ★★★★★“
- Lorri‘s version: “Outstanding is all I can say! This basic recipe will be my go-to basic muffin recipe going forward! I made blueberry orange and kept the cinnamon in! ★★★★★“
- Lana‘s version: “You’ve done it again! Wow! I baked a white chocolate nectarine version with fresh nectarines tonight! Fantastic! I’m excited to try other versions as the seasons change. ★★★★★“
Reader Comments and Reviews
I loved this recipe! I was trying to do a bit healthier, because I just had to start cholesterol meds! Ugh! So I used applesauce in place of butter, found out mid recipe I was OUT of eggs,lol, but used a couple tablespoons of mayo, 2 T. Vanilla pudding mix and 2 T butter. Came out so yummy, underbaked by about 1 minute. Thanks for the recipe! I will follow the directions next time I make them, I promise! Lol
Hi there! Can cake flour be used instead of the AP flour?
Hi Jade, cake flour would produce a much lighter muffin, and we fear it may not be sturdy to hold in the add-ins, depending on what you use. For best results, we recommend sticking with all purpose flour here. Let us know what you try!
Made these tonight in a jumbo muffin tin, and added chocolate chips. Very tender muffin, but still a perfect base for more substantial mix-ins like chocolate. Domed beautifully! Will be making these a LOT going forward! Delicious!
Love all of your recipes!! I’m planning to make a whole bunch of muffins for the weekend! Is the 5 minute bake at 425 still recommended for minis before reducing to 350? Thank you!
Hi Tia, for mini muffins, bake at 350°F for the entire time, 12-14 minutes. Makes about 36-40. Hope you enjoy them!
Hi Sally & co, I love your muffin recipes, especially the morning glories; huge favourite in my house for awhile now. My question is about the initial high temp (stroke of brilliance btw!). When reducing the temperature for the remainder of the bake, do you keep the oven door closed, or open it a bit to let it get back down to that 350 mark? Thanks 🙂
Hi Jackie, we’re so glad you love these muffins. It’s best not to open the oven door in the middle of the bake time.
Love the idea of a all purpose/multi purposeful recipe! Wondering if you have a “basic” recipe for a savory muffins – ripe for riffing/adaptation? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! I do, but it’s actually a quick bread recipe that you could turn into muffins. Here is my savory quick bread. See recipe notes for the muffin instructions and all the flavor suggestions in the post.
These muffins were delicious!! I have made the mixed berry and today I randomly made them with 1 cup of raspberries and 1/2 cup walnuts. Both times however I was only able to get 11 muffins out of the recipe. Not quite sure why.
Hi Sally, I have baked the lemon blueberry, lemon poppyseed, double chocolate chip and cinnamon and pecan muffins that were all delicious. The only problem I had was with the chocolate ones, I found that they were sticking to the cases and I’m not sure why, so would appreciate your advice please. The lemon blueberry I found were much nicer using fresh blueberries, as the frozen were inclined to bleed a little. Thanks as always for the beautiful recipes.
Hi Jenny, we find that the liners you use make a big difference – we recommend using high-quality grease proof liners to avoid sticking!
Sally. do I have to cook raw fruit like apples, peaches, pears etc before putting into muffins? Will the raw fruit cook enough?
Hi Paula, you don’t have to cook the fruit before you add to the muffin batter. It cooks enough when you bake the muffins.
I haven’t made this yet but every recipe from this website is amazing so I’m not worried. I’m commenting on the brilliance of the master muffin concept! I have to bake 200 muffins for my summer camp in a couple weeks and I was a little anxious about the logistics of making three completely different muffins—measuring, mixing, etc., when I have to more than quadruple each recipe. Making one large batch and separating it for the different flavors is absolute mastery. Thank you!
Can you use regular sugar instead of brown sugar if so, how much?
Hi Scarlett, you can try substituting with the same amount of white sugar, but expect a slightly drier muffin as brown sugar yields more moisture.
Can you adapt this to muffin tops? Would you still raise the temperature?
We haven’t tested it! You likely wouldn’t need the initial high temperature.
This recipe is wonderful! How do you feel about substituting monk fruit sugar instead of regular sugar?
Hi Jocelyn! So glad you enjoy them. 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!
Hi Sally
Can canola oil be substituted for butter?
Hi Barbara, we don’t recommend oil for this recipe. We would use this Master Bakery Style Muffin Recipe instead – the melted butter can be replaced with the same amount of oil in that recipe since it doesn’t need to be creamed.
can I sub oat flour ? I want them to be gluten free. thanks
We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
My all-time favorite master muffin recipes! The best orange/cranberry muffins out there by far. They freeze so well and taste like you just made them when reheated.
Do you have any suggestions for dairy free. I did purchase vegan butter but I’m not sure about the milk and yogurt. Can I use almond milk yogurt and almond milk instead?
Hi Sheryl, we haven’t tested a completely dairy-free version of these muffins, but that would be a good place to start. We’d love to know how they turn out for you!
I made your blueberry muffins & your chocolate chip muffins this week. The were fabulous. They each made 14 standard ones I bake and then give away. Thank you for the tip on tall puffed up tops! All winter I made your apple crumble muffins…also a huge hit!
I just made the Apple Pecan muffins in my mini-muffin pans. I had to sample one before I took them to my craft group tomorrow. Delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Do you have suggestions to modify this recipe for high altitude? (6500 ft)
Thank you!
Hi Suzanne! We wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Sally, can’t wait to try the recipe and variations. Can I use frozen berries instead of fresh. It can be difficult to find fresh berries at certain times of the year in my country? Thanks so much
Hi Jenny, frozen berries work! Do not thaw before using. The color may bleed a bit more than if using fresh berries, but they will be delicious nonetheless. If you’d like, you can lightly toss them in flour before adding to the batter. Enjoy!
Are muffins the same as cupcakes or are they different
Hi Lovey! Cupcakes are typically lighter in texture and made from cake batter (like mini cakes) and muffins are more dense, like mini quick breads.
I think I’ll mix up the dry ingredients ahead of time & store them in a mason jar to speed the process in the morning. Do you see any issues with this plan?
That should work just fine, Cathy. Enjoy!
What do you recommend for people who are gluten intolerant? Any particular gluten free combinations?
Hi Judi, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Sally, should the yogurt be full fat? Thank you in advance!
Hi Susan, full fat yogurt is best. Enjoy the muffins!
Hi! Could you use vanilla yogurt and leave out vanilla flavoring??
Thank you!
Susan
Hi Susan, you can use vanilla yogurt but we’d still recommend the vanilla extract. The amount of vanilla flavoring that would come through the yogurt would really vary by brand.
I loved the idea of a basic muffin that you can use it for a variety of flavours. Instead of using, I can use margarine to cream instead?
Hi Christina, for best results, we recommend sticking with butter. Margarine has a different makeup than butter and will vary results. Hope you enjoy these muffins!
Excellent recipe! It was so easy to mix add-ins to please the fruit-loving and chocolate loving members of my family at the same time. These muffins were very tasty!
I tried these with vegan butter and they turned out perfectly! ❤️
I love the idea of a basic muffin recipe. Can this be adapted to whole wheat flour?
Hi Brenda, Whole wheat flour will produce a muffin that is more dense and hearty. You can try subbing half of the all purpose for for whole wheat or when you search our recipes by ingredient (Whole Wheat Recipes) there are many muffins you can try.
Loved this recipe! I wonder if canned or frozen peaches could be used in the winter for the peach muffins. Making them all year long would be wonderful!
Hi Christina! Fresh peaches are ideal, but if using frozen be sure to blot as much moisture as you can before adding them to the batter.
I used canned, just rinsed and patted dry well. They were great_!
I found this long ago and have been a huge fan ever since. The one I make most often is banana walnut. I finely chop half in a hand processor (for better flavor distribution) and coarse chop the rest (for the crunch). These seem to last forever refrigerated but needless to say they don’t last very long. They freeze well and the flavor and moist texture are amazing. A great recipe (among your many others)! Thank you, Sally.
I am excited to try this. Can I make the batter ahead and bake the morning of? If so, how far ahead is acceptable? I’d love to make for the 4th of July at the lake. We like warm muffins each day!
Thanks!
Hi Cyndi! We don’t recommend it. Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, the leaveners are activated so it’s best to bake them right away. You could bake them ahead, freeze, and then warm to your liking each morning.