The Best Blueberry Muffins
These easy blueberry muffins mix together quickly for a perfect morning treat. Soft and tender from sour cream and bursting with blueberries (use fresh or frozen!), these muffins have been a long-time family favorite. Read below for different flavor combinations and topping ideas!
Growing up, I can’t remember my mom making muffins too often, but I fell hard for them during my freshman year in college. A friend got regular deliveries of the gigantic Sam’s Club muffins and was always gracious enough to share. They were an assortment of blueberry, banana nut, and chocolate, and those have forever remained my very favorite flavors of muffins.
Years and years later, I was thrilled to land this recipe for a classic, delicious blueberry muffin. The batter is quite thick and there’s no skimping – the muffin cups are packed full which makes for generous-sized muffins once they come rolling out of the oven. They are, without a doubt, the most amazing, the most perfect blueberry muffins I have ever eaten.
Truly, the best of the best when it comes to blueberry muffins.
Fresh versus frozen blueberries
When fresh blueberries are in season, there is nothing better!
However, what if you are craving blueberry muffins in the dead of winter and the price of fresh blueberries is through the roof?
You can absolutely use frozen blueberries in this recipe. My favorite are frozen wild blueberries, but any variety will do. You do not need to thaw them or make any other adjustments to the recipe.
Blueberry muffins, step-by-step
Muffins are such a fantastic morning treat, typically made in quick bread fashion with just a bowl or two and a whisk, they come together quickly and are meant to be enjoyed warm and fresh from the oven. Here’s how we make them:
- Preheat oven and line a muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Whisk the sugar and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Toss the blueberries in the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the sour cream mixture. Be sure to mix gently to ensure the muffins are not tough.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups.
- Bake until light golden brown.
Muffin pans and liners
Any standard 12-cup muffin pan will work for these muffins. I’ve had the Wilton Everglide Avanti muffin pan for ages, but it not readily available in most places anymore. If you can’t get your hands on one, my next recommendation is the USA Muffin Pan.
You can spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray or use liners. I’ve used tons of different types of liners over the years, and I absolutely prefer the basic white paper liners. You can find them at just about any grocery store or craft store, but they are incredibly inexpensive if you buy them in bulk online (and they last forever!).
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
Flavor add-ins and topping ideas
If you’d like to punch up these muffins with some different flavors, here are a few ideas for you:
- Lemon-blueberry muffins: (For a taste reminiscent of the lemon blueberry bundt cake!) Whisk the zest of one lemon into the egg and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Orange-blueberry muffins: Whisk the zest of one orange into the egg and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Ginger-blueberry muffins: Whisk 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger into the egg and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Along the same lines of flavor add-ins, you can also add some delicious toppings for some contrasting flavors and textures. Some of my favorite ideas:
- Cinnamon-sugar streusel: Before baking, mix together ½ cup brown sugar + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the muffins then bake as directed.
- Cinnamon-sugar dipped: Once the muffins come out of the oven, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. Mix together ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon in another small bowl. Once the muffins have cooled for 5 minutes, dip the top of each muffin in melted butter and then the cinnamon sugar. Return to the cooling rack.
- Drizzle with glaze: Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 tablespoon milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla and drizzle over cooled muffins. You can replace the milk with lemon juice, orange juice, or lime juice if you’d like.
Storing and freezing blueberry muffins
There are a few different options for storing these muffins:
- Room Temperature – Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator – Kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, these muffins will stay fresh for up to 1 week.
- Freezer – Once completely cooled, wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Muffin love!
More of my favorite muffins for a delicious morning treat:
- Apple-Cinnamon Muffins
- Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins with Pecan Streusel
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Zucchini-Chocolate Chip Muffins
If you make this blueberry muffin recipe and love it, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much! ❤️️
The Best Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, (2 ounces )
- 1¼ cups (283 ml) sour cream
- 1½ cups (255 g) frozen or fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or line with paper liners) and set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl untill combined.
- Whisk the egg in a separate medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Add the melted butter in 2 additions, whisking gently to combine after each addition. Add the sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.
- Add the blueberries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the blueberries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. Small spots of flour may remain and the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups (a large cookie scoop works great for this!). Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Immediately remove muffins to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Sour cream: You can substitute buttermilk or plain yogurt for the sour cream.
- Blueberries: Frozen blueberries can be used; no need to thaw them or alter the recipe.
- Flavors & toppings: See suggested combinations and instructions in post above.
- Equipment recommendations: My muffin pan / Another muffin pan / Paper liners / Large cookie scoop
- Mini muffins: This recipe will yield 24 mini muffins; bake for 10 to 14 minutes.
- Quick bread: You can use this batter to bake a blueberry quick bread. Spread it in a 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.
- Storage: Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Once completely cool, the muffins can be wrapped in plastic wrap and transferred to an airtight container or zip-top bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
(Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)
[Photography by Dee of One Sarcastic Baker]
Loved the recipe
We didn’t have quite enough air cream, so we made up the difference with a small amount of milk.
We used the orange zest suggestion.
Why haven’t I made the blueberry muffins with cinnamon sugar streusel before today. What a treat. The muffins are so light and tasty. A pleasure to make and share for breakfast. Thank you!
I absolutely love this recipe!! I used frozen blueberries that my brother gave me from his blueberry patch. Fabulous!! Moist and delicious!
Martha
Lower Burrell
I forgot to take a picture, but I made this recipe the standard way, and the muffins were delicious!! Perfectly flavored, amazingly soft, will definitely make this a regular recipe at my house!
Lovely. Very tasty and light 💕
Just joined your group a day ago and found the recipe for these muffins.They are the best muffins I have ever made and according to my husband they are beyond excellent. They are light and fluffy.
I chose to tope them with the cinnamon/brn sugar. And I also added lemon zest to the batter. This definitely is my recipe for the best muffins. Thank you ever so much for the recipe. I plan to keep a watchful eye on your site for more delicious eating.
This really is a wonderful recipe. I made them, used yogurt instead of sour cream just because that is what I had, and I put no topping on at all. I figured they would be OK. But they’re not just OK, they are DELICIOUS! I’m keeping this recipe for all time.
Oh, and p.s. I threw in a little vanilla just because.
I love these muffins! (And so does my hubby!) They are light and flavorful and so easy. I did add a cup of white chocolate chips that needed to be used up – mixed them with the blueberries. This may now be my go-to recipe for Blueberry Muffins. Thanks!
It’s very rare I leave reviews but I had to leave it in this case. These are absolutely WOW!!! My kids love it.
I made a few alterations, I use chocolate chip instead of blue berries ( I’ve done it with blue berries as well) but kids prefer chocolate chip :-)
instead of sour cream I used crème fraîche and yoghurt . These muffins are moist and divine!!
How long should I cook 6 jumbo muffins?
Sorry…I wanted to love those muffins but there was nothing soft and tender about them. I followed the recipe to a T and they were dense and not a good texture and didn’t taste good. From all the good reviews, I thought I would really like them. Maybe it was something I did wrong, but I’m not sure what it was….I might try them again sometime to see if it’s just me :)
I have made these muffins so many times I have lost count. Every time they are a big hit. So yummy, you just want to eat several at one sitting.
I had made a batch with a different recipe and just was not wowed. THIS recipe wowed everyone! This will be my go-to blueberry muffin recipe from now on. Thank you for bringing it back into circulation.
Could I used salted instead of unsalted butter?
Hi Andrea, Yes, you can! Just decrease the salt to ¼ teaspoon or omit entirely (your preference).
I don’t normally review recipes, but this is THE muffin recipe. It works awesome with strawberries instead of blueberries, too! The sour cream just makes this hit different. AND they were good for days afterwards; I was taking one with me to work every morning. They’re low in calories and healthy and sweet!
I don’t think any other muffin recipe will compare for me. Ever.
These make really good muffins! Rolling the blueberries in the dry ingredients stops them from sinking to the bottom. The sour cream makes them very moist, and adds a lovely flavour.
Delicious, it is the blueberry muffin recipe. I make them in a variety of sizes, I can eat them as a snack or part of a meal.
Have shared them with friends, very positive feedback, yummy.
Just made these muffins this morning. I put cinnamon and sugar on the top of the muffins and added extra blueberries (because what is not better than lots of blueberries). They were outstanding! My husband brought them to work and his co-workers raved over them. Definitely a keeper recipe!!
My family loved them. They ate them up before I had a chance to eat one. Guess I’ll have to make more. No problem, they went together so fast.
OMGEE….These are SPECTACULAR ! Sprinkled with just a hint of cinnamon today…… Perfect gift for my adorable neighbor who is helping me fill my yard with plants. Thank YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!
I pride myself on making muffins, and I’ve been using this recipe for blueberry muffins for years. No other blueberry muffin recipe compares. One recommendation: yogurt (even greek yogurt) works in place of sour cream really well, and adds some protein. They aren’t necessarily as decadent, but they’re still so good, and marginally healthier.
I made these for the first time yesterday. They were a hit!
Made these this morning and it makes 6 Jumbo Size muffins. These do not fall apart. I love the texture of these muffins and it was very easy to make. This will now be my ‘to go’ blueberry muffins. Thanks, Michelle for sharing and you really should try and put these in Jumbo Muffin Pans instead of the standard cupcake pans.
You are the best Michelle! Can’t beat classic blueberry muffins!!
Can you use rice flour or a different flour to make these gluten free? Will it work?
I recognized this immediately as a Cook’s Illustrated recipe, which I’ve been baking for years. Fantastic recipe. Yummy muffins. I love the thick, rich batter.
A couple of changes: I used brown sugar and yoghurt because I didn’t have sour cream, don’t use white sugar. And I didn’t see the link to the whole recipe so I just made a well in the dry ingredients, dropped the egg, sugar, melted butter and yoghurt into the center of the well, mixed the wet ingredients in the center before incorporating them into the dry with a few fast strokes, careful not to overbeat. Folded in the blueberries and filled the muffin tin, baked…and they turned out light, with a crispy top crust, and absolutely delicious!