Soft, fluffy, bakery-style muffins
These are truly the best blueberry muffins—soft, fluffy, and bursting with juicy blueberries in every bite. With tall domed tops and a tender crumb, they taste just like your favorite bakery muffins, but they’re incredibly easy to make at home. Perfect for busy mornings, brunch spreads, or make-ahead snacks, this recipe comes together quickly with simple pantry ingredients. A touch of vanilla and lemon zest enhances the blueberries without overpowering them, creating that classic flavor everyone loves. Whether you’re baking for family, guests, or meal prep, these blueberry muffins are a foolproof favorite you’ll want to save and make again.
⏱️ Time Breakdown
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20–22 minutes
- Total Time: ~35 minutes
- Servings: 12 muffins
📝 Ingredients List
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¾ cup milk (or buttermilk for extra softness)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of ½ lemon (optional but recommended)
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon flour (for tossing blueberries)
Optional topping:
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (for crunchy muffin tops)
✨ Kitchen Tools You’ll Need
This recipe doesn’t require fancy gadgets, just a few reliable kitchen basics to keep everything simple and stress-free.
- Muffin pan
- Paper liners or nonstick spray
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Zester (optional)
🧁 Step-by-Step Beginner-Friendly Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk oil, egg, milk, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth.
- Combine: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Gently stir just until combined—do not overmix 🥣.
- Prepare blueberries: Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour, then gently fold into the batter.
- Fill muffin cups: Divide batter evenly, filling each cup almost to the top for tall bakery-style muffins.
- Bake: Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F, then reduce temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake another 15–17 minutes, until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean 🫐.
- Cool: Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
💡 Pro Tips
- Don’t overmix: Over-stirring leads to dense muffins—stop as soon as the flour disappears.
- Frozen blueberries: No need to thaw; add straight from the freezer to prevent color bleeding.
- Extra tall tops: Start with a higher oven temperature as written—it makes a big difference.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or freeze up to 3 months.
🔄 Variations
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the milk.
- Streusel Topping: Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar crumble before baking.
- Healthy Swap: Replace half the flour with whole wheat flour and use honey instead of sugar.
- Blueberry Almond: Add ¼ teaspoon almond extract and sliced almonds on top.