The Best Blueberry Muffins

If you’re looking for the best recipe for blueberry muffins – look no further. These come out fluffy, flavorful with a hint of lemon and have the best streusel topping!

Let’s be honest: Who doesn’t love a good blueberry muffin?! Even my child who is decidedly not into cake enjoys these, if only because of the crumb topping… And this is definitely a muffin for the “cake-like” category (as opposed to my Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins).

I very much enjoy baking these with my kids because they are so simple to whip up, come out delicious and are loved by all. They easily keep for a couple of days, too – although ours rarely last this long!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Yogurt: I use plain yogurt for these, not Greek Yogurt. If all you have is Greek Yogurt, please thin it out with a little more buttermilk. Otherwise, the batter will be too thick.
• Oil: Feel free to use melted butter in the muffin batter in place of the oil.
• Butter: Please use cold butter for the crumb topping. This is essential for it to work! Unfortunately, regular margarine or buttery spread cannot be used as a substitute. If you have to use margarine for any kind of reason, please use stick margarine for best results.
• Lemon zest: I first shared this recipe in 2017 with the addition of lavender instead of lemon. I have re-tested and changed the recipe to use lemon in 2021, because it’s just so much more accessible. If you want to use the original lavender, use 1 teaspoon dried food-grade lavender, finely chopped up. Rub it into the sugar with your fingers before using the sugar in the muffin batter.
• Buttermilk: If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, use regular milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar stirred in. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before using in the recipe. I will say that the muffins turn out best with actual buttermilk, but I’ve used this easy substitute plenty of times with great results.
• Blueberries: I prefer using fresh blueberries over frozen, because the fresh don’t color the batter. If using frozen, make sure to use them straight from frozen, toss them very well in flour and then add to the batter with just 3-4x folding. Otherwise, you’ll have grey muffins.

How to make Blueberry Muffins

1. Start by making the streusel topping: Combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Then, cut in the cold, diced butter until crumbs form.

This will take a couple of minutes, be patient – if you don’t work the butter into the flour enough, you’ll end up with a tasteless, powdery topping!

2. Next, combine the dry ingredients for the muffin batter in a mixing bowl and the wet ingredients for the muffin batter in a large measuring jug. I always do the dry ingredients first so I can use the same measuring cups and whisk without washing/drying them in between!

3. Now pour the wet into the dry ingredients and fold together just until combined. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to avoid overmixing the batter.

The batter will be thick, this is to support the weight of the blueberries and to offset the juices released from the berries during baking.

4. Now toss the blueberries in flour and fold them into the batter. Try to get them folded in by stirring 2-3 times. Do not stir much more at this point, or you’ll end up with dense and gummy muffins.

5. Finally, scoop the batter into lined muffin cups, top with streusel and bake!

Recipe tips

• Tossing the berries in flour will result in the most beautiful interior, not tossing them will allow more blueberry juice to flow into the muffin and create almost custard-like pockets. This comes down to personal preference! I personally usually do toss them in flour to keep all of the berries from sinking to the bottom.
• I cannot stress this enough, but do not melt the butter for the crumb topping! Please. I’m begging you. Cold butter, worked into the sugar and flour quickly (as you would with pie crust), then refrigerated until you’re ready to bake will result in the best outcome.
• The batter is quite thick and sturdy. That way it can support the weight of the berries and carry some of the moisture they release during baking.

How to get a nice dome on your muffins

It is, actually, not too hard to achieve a nicely rounded top that doesn’t overflow. You’ll set your oven to a temperature seemingly way too hot for something as small as a muffin.

You will fill your muffin cups up so high you’ll curse me in advance for ruining your oven (though it’s wise to place your muffin tin on a lined baking sheet, just in case).

Then you’ll drop your oven temperature to 400°F, give the muffins a handful of minutes in the heat, drop the temperature to 360° and watch them grow into the most beautiful hills of soft and crumbly goodness, marbled with the purple juices of the plump berries.

Storage tips

On the counter

To store the fully cooled muffins for 1-2 days, either place them in an airtight container, large zip-top bag or wrap them in plastic wrap. Keep on the counter for 1-2 days.

In the fridge

If you need your muffins to stay fresh for 3-4 days, let them cool completely and then place them in an airtight container or in a zip-top bag and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. The topping does soften in this method, but it’s the best way to keep the muffins from drying out too much for this time frame.

In the freezer

These muffins are also great for the freezer! Allow them to cool completely, wrap each in plastic wrap and then pack in freezer-friendly bags or containers. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months), then place in the freezer.

To defrost, remove as many muffins as you need from the freezer. Allow them to sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes, until you can easily remove the plastic wrap. Place the muffins on a cooling rack for a few hours to fully defrost.

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable recipe

Recipe first published on 07/07/2017. Updated with new photos, text and slight recipe changes (added vanilla extract, changed lavender to lemon zest) on 03/14/2021.

More muffin recipes

More blueberry recipes