Mini Blueberry Muffins

Start your morning on a sweet note with these mini blueberry muffins! Whether you're a busy student or a working professional, these nostalgic bite-sized treats are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or mid-day snack. They're fluffy, filled with juicy blueberries, and topped with a buttery streusel crumble.

Love mini muffins? Try mini cinnamon muffins next!

Who remembers Little Bites? They were a staple snack of my childhood. The daycare I went to rotated between puppy chow, animal crackers, and Little Bites mini blueberry muffins.

I still crave mini muffins as an adult, probably to try to relive my childhood. This recipe is perfect for kids, adults, or anyone looking for a sweet and fruity bite-sized treat.

My mini blueberry muffin recipe is so easy to make and so much better than the packaged ones! They're sweet, fluffy, moist, and slightly tangy from the Greek yogurt and buttermilk with juicy, tart blueberries in every bite. They have a crisp, buttery streusel topping to elevate them a bit too.

These are a mini version of my small batch blueberry muffins! If you're a big muffin fan, check out my plain buttermilk muffins, dried cranberry muffins, white chocolate chip muffins, small batch banana muffins, and almond flour banana muffins.

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• Substitutions
• Helpful Equipment & Tools
• Step by Step Instructions
• Expert Baking Tips
• Additions and Variations
• Storage and Freezing
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Muffins to Try
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about the ingredients used. For quantities and full instructions, see the recipe card below.

• All purpose flour- This gives muffins structure and heartiness and keeps the crumb moist.
• Granulated sugar- White sugar sweetens the muffins and locks in moisture. You can use caster sugar or organic cane sugar too.
• Unsalted butter- Butter adds fat for tenderness and extra rich flavor. If you only have salted butter, no worries! Just leave out the additional salt.
• Baking powder- This leavener helps the muffins rise by adding air bubbles to the batter. Make sure it isn't expired and don't use baking soda because it's way stronger than baking powder!
• Ground cinnamon- Cinnamon adds a nice, warm flavor.
• Sea salt- Muffins need salt or they're too sweet and a little bland. Your salt options are fine table salt, kosher salt, or pink Himalayan sea salt. Add an extra ¼ teaspoon if yours isn't finely ground.
• Brown sugar- Using brown sugar adds sweetness and moisture to the muffins. Whether you go for light or dark, make sure it's moist and not dried out.
• Vegetable oil- Making muffins with both oil and butter creates a super light texture while adding a rich, delicious flavor. It's the best of both worlds!
• Egg- One large egg binds everything together. Make sure it's room temperature so it mixes in evenly.
• Vanilla extract- Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste enhances all the flavors.
• Plain Greek yogurt- This is a magical ingredient that adds moisture and tenderness to your batter, resulting in ultra-soft muffins. Make sure it's at room temperature so it blends in smoothly.
• Buttermilk- This adds a tangy flavor and helps create a soft texture. Don't forget to grab it from the fridge along with the egg and Greek yogurt.
• Frozen blueberries- To make these muffins all year long, use frozen blueberries. Most of my blueberry recipes utilize frozen blueberries, like my blueberry cheesecake overnight oats and blueberry simple syrup. Take them out of the freezer right before mixing them in or they might turn your batter blue. Use regular or wild blueberries (which are great for mini muffins since they're basically mini blueberries!).

Substitutions

• Flour: I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour to make these gluten free.
• Vegetable oil: Use any mild, neutral oil you have in your kitchen, like avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
• Greek yogurt: If you don't have Greek yogurt on hand, sour cream or plain kefir can be used instead to achieve the same moisture and tenderness in your muffins.
• Buttermilk: If you're out of buttermilk, no need to panic! You can easily make your own with whole milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Combine ¼ cup of whole milk with ¾ teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice, mix it up, let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle, and voila - you have buttermilk!
• Frozen blueberries: Fresh blueberries are a great alternative to frozen ones when they're available. Just keep in mind that since they're fresh, the muffins might bake up quicker. Keep an eye on them as they bake to ensure they come out perfectly.

Helpful Equipment & Tools

• You'll need a mini muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray or lined with mini muffin liners. It doesn't really matter how many wells your tin has, but I used one with 24 wells. You can usually find mini muffin pans in the kitchenware section of retail stores and the liners in the baking section of grocery stores. If you can't find the mini cups, just spray the pan with non-stick baking spray before distributing the batter.
• I recommend using a small cookie scoop to portion the batter into the muffin tin. You can just do this with a spoon, but using a cookie scoop is way less messy.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are the steps to make mini blueberry muffins! Before you start, line your mini muffin tin with liners. Set it aside and preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

STEP 1: To start, make a crumble topping by mixing 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter with a fork until it forms a sandy texture. Place the streusel in the freezer while you prepare the muffin batter.

STEP 2: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together for approximately 10 seconds and set aside.

STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, oil, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Next, add the Greek yogurt and buttermilk and whisk until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.

STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a silicone flat spatula or a large spoon to gently fold the mixture together, making sure to scrape around the sides of the bowl and pull through the middle. Continue folding until only a few streaks of flour remain.

STEP 5: Take a small bowl and toss the blueberries in 2 teaspoons of flour until they're well coated. Then, add the blueberries to the batter and fold them in until there are no dry streaks of flour visible.

STEP 6: Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, scoop the blueberry muffin batter into each muffin liner. Make sure to only fill each liner about ¾ full, as they may overflow in the oven if overfilled. Sprinkle a little streusel and coarse sugar on top before baking.

STEP 7: Bake the muffins for 12-15 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. When they're done, remove them from the oven and let cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. The muffin bottoms can get soggy if left in the hot pan any longer.

Wait about 20 minutes for them to reach room temperature and enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Toss blueberries in flour. When using frozen blueberries, be sure to toss them in flour before adding to the batter. This simple step prevents the blueberries from sinking to the bottom and releasing excess juice.
• Don't overmix. Be careful not to overmix the muffin batter as it can result in tough and chewy muffins. To achieve light and fluffy muffins, gently mix the wet and dry ingredients until no dry streaks of flour remain.
• Don't overfill. When filling the muffin liners, only fill them about ¾ full. Overfilling can cause the batter to overflow in the oven, making a big mess.

Additions and Variations

One of the best parts about this recipe is how customizable it is! Here are some ideas to get you started on making the mini muffins of your dreams:

• Lemon: Add a little fresh lemon zest to add a bright and tangy flavor. Lime zest or orange zest would be delicious too.
• Nuts: Chopped walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts can be added to the batter for a little texture and protein.
• Almond: Add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and top each muffin with a few sliced almonds before baking for some extra crunch.
• Cream cheese: Fill the muffin tins halfway with batter, add a dollop of cream cheese filling, and then top with more batter. The cream cheese adds a tangy and creamy surprise to each muffin.
• Chocolate chips: Add mini chocolate chips for extra rich and sweet flavor. Gooey melted chocolate is so good with blueberries.
• Different fruit: If you're not a blueberry fan, you can make these with different frozen berries like raspberries, blackberries, or chopped strawberries. Don't use fruit that has a higher water content than blueberries.

Storage and Freezing

To keep your mini blueberry muffins fresh, store them in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for 3-4 days. I stored mine with a paper towel at the bottom of the container to soak up any excess moisture that could cause the muffins to get soggy.

Avoid putting them in the refrigerator, as the dry environment can make them go stale.

Freezing

These muffins freeze incredibly well! Allow them to cool completely to room temperature before freezing in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. They can be frozen for up to three months!

When you're ready to indulge, remove the muffins from the freezer and let them thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature for a couple hours. You can also reheat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds or pop them in the oven at 350°F/180°C for five minutes to make them taste freshly baked again.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Muffins to Try

📖 Recipe