Classic Blueberry Muffins
Moist classic blueberry muffins made with fresh or frozen blueberries and topped with a sweet streusel crumble.
what to expect:
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Bake Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
Classic blueberry muffins are a fan favorite, which is why this classic blueberry muffins recipe is part of my classics recipe collection. They’re moist with a tender crumb and are topped with a streusel crumble, as all blueberry muffins should be, in my opinion 🙂
I gravitate toward using fresh blueberries, but if they aren’t in season you can definitely use frozen blueberries as well. I will say, the quality of the blueberries used matters.
What You’ll Find in This Post
- What You’ll Need (Ingredients & Equipment)
- Should You Use Fresh or Frozen Blueberries in Blueberry Muffins?
- How to Make Classic Blueberry Muffins
What You’ll Need to Make Classic Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients for Classic Blueberry Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour: I prefer to use unbleached all-purpose flour. My go-to is made by King Arthur, as you can find it at most grocery stores.
- Unsalted Butter: to have full control over how salty the muffins turn out, I prefer to use unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: to make these muffins just sweet enough and also help the muffins retain some moisture.
- Vanilla Extract: because vanilla in muffins is a no-brainer.
- Sour Cream: to add some fat to the batter and ensure we avoid a dry crumb.
- Vegetable Oil: to provide just enough liquid to give the batter that signature muffin consistency.
- Eggs: to add structure and liquid to the batter. I use large eggs.
- Kosher Salt: to balance out the sweetness and heighten the flavor of the muffin. Make sure you use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
- Baking Powder: a leavening agent used to give these classic blueberry muffins a pretty domed top.
- Fresh or Frozen Blueberries: I recommend using fresh blueberries if it’s summer and they’re in season. Otherwise, I recommend using frozen blueberries. In my series of tests, I tried using both and can attest that the freshness / quality of blueberries absolutely matters. Even the best batter in the world can’t save blueberry muffins made with crappy blueberries. But more on that later…
Equipment and Tools to Make Classic Blueberry Muffins
You’ll need a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make these classic blueberry muffins, as well as a stiff rubber spatula, a muffin pan, and a small microwave-safe bowl to melt butter. For the easiest and most consistent way to portion out the batter I also recommend using a large cookie scoop like this one.
If you decide not to grease the pan, you’ll also need muffin liners.
Should You Use Fresh or Frozen Blueberries in Classic Blueberry Muffins?
If it’s summer and blueberries are in season, I recommend using fresh berries. However, if they aren’t in season, I recommend using frozen.
The reality is, outside of summer, you’re going to get a better flavor from frozen blueberries since they’re frozen at peak freshness to retain both their nutrients and flavor. Good batter can’t save classic blueberry muffins made with bad blueberries, so choose wisely.
If you use frozen berries, I recommend tossing them in a tablespoon of cornstarch before adding them to the batter so that they won’t sink to the bottom.
Be extra gentle working with frozen berries as I’ve found they’re more likely to stain the batter purple.
How to Make Classic Blueberry Muffins
This classic blueberry muffins recipe uses the creaming method to combine the butter and sugar. You can read more about it in this article by Bake or Break, but the summary is that you’re beating the butter and sugar together and creating an aerated mixture. I’ve included pictures in the recipe card so that you’ll be able to tell when to move onto the next step, but visually, you’re looking for an airy mixture that’s lightened in color.
Properly creaming the butter and sugar together is essential for getting the sought-after rise and puff of classic blueberry muffins.
- Make the crumble that will be used to top the muffins and set it aside to be used later.
- Begin making the batter by creaming together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and baking powder.
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time.
- Mix in the sour cream.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
- Gently fold in the flour.
- Carefully fold in the blueberries to avoid turning the batter purple.
- Portion the batter into the muffin tin and top with the crumble.
- Bake and let cool!
Check out the recipe card below for more thorough instructions to make classic blueberry muffins!
If you’re looking for other recipes that use blueberries, check out my recipe for blueberry peach upside-down cake. It’s one of my personal favorites!
PrintClassic Blueberry Muffins
Moist classic blueberry muffins made with fresh or frozen blueberries and topped with a sweet streusel crumble.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter – melted
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour – spooned and leveled, see note *
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Blueberry Muffin Batter
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter – softened to room temperature
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar – packed
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Eggs – large
2/3 cup Full Fat Sour Cream
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 cups All-Purpose Flour – spooned and leveled, see note*
2 cups Fresh Blueberries or Frozen Blueberries
If using frozen blueberries, toss them in a Tablespoon of cornstarch before adding them to the batter to avoid them sinking.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and either grease a muffin tin or prepare it with muffin liners.
Make the Crumble
- Melt the unsalted butter (3 Tablespoons) and set aside to cool for about two minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the all-purpose flour (1/2 cup, see note*), granulated sugar (1/3 cup), and kosher salt (1/8 teaspoon). Mix together on low for about thirty seconds.
- With the mixer still on low, slowly pour in the melted unsalted butter (3 Tablespoons) and allow to continue mixing until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Set the crumbles aside in their own bowl as the mixing bowl and paddle will be used to make the muffin batter. There’s no need to wash the paddle and the bowl before making the batter.
Make the Muffin Batter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the unsalted butter (8 Tablespoons, softened to room temperature), granulated sugar (1/2 cup), light brown sugar (1/4 cup – packed), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon), and baking powder (2 teaspoons).
Mix on medium speed (level 4 if using a KitchenAid stand mixer) for 5 minutes until lightened and fluffy, scraping down the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula as needed.
- With the mixer still on medium speed, add the eggs (2, large) one at a time, allowing to incorporate entirely between additions.
- Pause the mixer and add the sour cream (2/3 cup) to the bowl, using this as a chance to again scrape down the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Return the mixer to medium speed and allow to combine. It will not become smooth, but instead have a slightly grainy-looking texture.
- With the mixer still on low, slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil (1/4 cup) – it should take about a minute to add all of the oil, then mix until combined.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the all-purpose flour (2 cups, *see note) to the bowl. Gently fold together by hand with a rubber spatula until almost entirely combined.
- Add the fresh or frozen blueberries (2 cups) to the mixing bowl and gently fold everything together by hand until the blueberries are evenly dispersed in the batter and there are no dry flour patches. Be careful not to burst any of the berries to avoid the batter turning purple.
If using frozen blueberries, toss them in a Tablespoon of cornstarch before adding them to the batter so that they don’t sink to the bottom. The batter will also firm up a bit due to the cold temperature, but they’ll still turn out great.
Assemble and Bake the Muffins
- Fill the prepared muffin tins with scoops of muffin batter so that each tin is 2/3 full.
I find a large cookie scoop to be the easiest way to portion batter evenly into the muffin tins.
- Evenly top each muffin with the prepared crumble until no crumble remains.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick or knife can be inserted into a muffin and comes out clean.
If using frozen berries, the muffins will take a few extra minutes to bake through. Be sure to test if they’re baked by inserting a toothpick or knife and baking until it comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan before removing and enjoying.
Notes
* To properly measure flour, give it a stir with a whisk or a spoon to break up any dense patches, then spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it with the handle of your spoon or the spine of a knife. This will give you the most consistent measurements without using a kitchen scale.
To help with your grocery shopping, I’ve provided the list of ingredients below as well as where they can generally be found in a grocery store.
Produce
- Fresh Blueberries
Dairy
- Unsalted Butter
- Large Eggs
- Full Fat Sour Cream
Pantry
- All-Purpose Flour
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Baking Powder
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
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