Soft, buttery small batch blueberry muffins are topped with sweet crumbly streusel for a delicious breakfast or mid-day treat! These homemade muffins have bursts of juicy blueberries in every bite and are sure to taste heavenly.
There's one thing better than fresh blueberry muffins from the bakery, and that's a batch of hot blueberry muffins from your very own oven. The aroma of freshly baked muffins is fantastic, but the taste? That's the best part.
Similar to my small batch banana muffins and basic buttermilk muffins, these small batch muffins have a moist, fluffy cake-like texture with a crunchy streusel topping that makes them the best muffins ever. This recipe is quick, easy, and makes 6 muffins, which is perfect if you live alone, with your partner, or with a couple of roommates.
The thing that puts these muffins over the top is that they're made with buttermilk and Greek yogurt. Most muffins are made with plain milk, but the acidity of ingredients like buttermilk and yogurt create a crumb that's even more tender and moist. Dry muffins be gone!
If you're a blueberry lover, try my blueberry chocolate cake and blueberry cheesecake overnight oats next. For more small batch recipes, try my small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, small vanilla cake, mini flourless chocolate cake, small batch brownies, and small batch vanilla cupcakes!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on the some of the ingredients used. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- All purpose flour- This gives the muffins structure and keeps the crumb tender and moist.
- Granulated sugar- This sweetens the muffins and locks in moisture.
- Unsalted butter- Butter adds fat for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter if you want, just omit the additional salt.
- Baking powder- This helps the muffins rise by adding air bubbles to the batter. Make sure your baking powder is less than 6 months old since it loses power over time. Don't use baking soda; it's too strong!
- Ground cinnamon- Cinnamon is optional, but using a little adds a warm flavor.
- Salt- Baked goods need salt or they're too sweet. You can use fine table salt, kosher salt, or pink Himalayan sea salt. If your salt isn't finely ground, add another ¼ teaspoon.
- Brown sugar- This adds sweetness, moisture, and depth of flavor. Light or dark brown sugar work, just make sure it's fresh and not dried out.
- Vegetable oil- Using both oil and butter makes muffins light and fluffy with a rich flavor. You can use any neutral oil, like canola oil or avocado oil, too.
- Egg- A large egg binds the ingredients together. Make sure it's room temperature so it mixes in evenly.
- Plain Greek yogurt- This adds moisture and tenderizes the gluten, making the muffins ultra fluffy and soft. Make sure it's room temperature so it blends into the batter evenly.
- Buttermilk- Like the yogurt, buttermilk adds tang and makes the muffins softer. Pull it out of the refrigerator with the egg and Greek yogurt.
- Frozen blueberries- You can make muffins year-round by using frozen blueberries. Pull them out of the freezer right before you mix them into the batter. If they thaw, they might turn your batter blue.
Substitutions & Variations
- Sour cream or plain kefir can be substituted for Greek yogurt.
- If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own with whole milk and vinegar! Combine ¼ cup whole milk with ¾ teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Mix, let curdle for 10 minutes, and you're good to go!
- If you're not a blueberry fan, you can make these muffins with frozen raspberries, blackberries, or strawberry slices.
- Fresh berries also work in this recipe. The muffins won't need to bake as long with fresh berries, so keep an eye on them in the oven.
- Add chopped nuts, like walnuts, almonds, or pecans for some crunch.
- Add lemon zest to the batter and add lemon glaze for lemon blueberry muffins!
- Swirl a dollop of cream cheese or chocolate chips into the batter for more sweetness.
- Use a mini muffin pan to make 28 mini blueberry muffins!
Helpful Equipment & Tools
- A 12-well muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray or lined with cupcake liners. I don't recommend using a silicone pan since it conducts heat differently than metal, which I used to test this recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
Here's how to make the muffins from scratch! Before you start, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Place 6 paper muffin liners in your muffin tin, leaving 1 space between each liner (this lets each muffin heat evenly!), and set aside.
STEP 1: First, prepare the streusel topping by combining 2.5 tablespoons flour, 2.5 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter with a fork until crumbles form. Set the streusel in the freezer while you make the muffin batter.
STEP 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
STEP 3: Next, add brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, oil, egg, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Then, whisk in the Greek yogurt and buttermilk until everything is smooth with no lumps.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon to gently fold the mixture together, scraping around the sides of the bowl and pulling through the middle. Do this until a few streaks of flour are left.
STEP 5: In a small bowl, toss the blueberries in 1 tablespoon of flour until they're coated well.
STEP 6: Next, fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula until no dry streaks of flour remain.
STEP 7: Scoop the blueberry muffin batter into each muffin liner, filling them all the way. Sprinkle a little streusel and coarse sugar on top.
Bake at 425°F/220°C for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 400°F/200°C, and bake for 15 more minutes. The muffins are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
STEP 8: Let the muffins cool in the hot pan on the counter for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. If you leave them in longer, condensation can form inside the liners and make them soggy!
Let the muffins cool for about 30 minutes. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature. I recommend serving them with a warm cup of coffee or tea!
Expert Baking Tips
- Toss the frozen blueberries in flour. Don't skip this step! Coating the blueberries in flour keeps them from sinking to the bottom and releasing too much juice.
- Do not overmix. Overmixing muffins deflates air bubbles and causes gluten to over-develop. Both result in chewy, tough muffins. For light and fluffy muffins, mix the wet and dry ingredients until there are no dry streaks of flour.
- Don't overfill the muffin liners. Only fill them ¾ of the way full or they could overflow in the oven and make a huge mess.
- Bake at a high temperature. Baking muffins at an initial high temperature of 425°F for a few minutes makes them rise quickly, which creates a tall, crispy, domed muffin tops.
Storage & Freezing
Even though this is a small batch recipe, you might have some muffins left over. The best ways to store them are in the freezer or at room temperature.
Small batch blueberry muffins stay fresh for 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container on the counter. I don't recommend storing them in the refrigerator since the low-humidity environment can dry them out.
Freezing
Let the muffins cool to room temperature before freezing them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to enjoy, let the muffins thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter for a few hours. You can also reheat them in the microwave for about 20 seconds or in the oven for 5 minutes at 350°F/180°C.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! You can make them gluten free by substituting Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
You can! Just make sure to use a non-stick pan and spray the muffin wells with cooking spray.
If your baking powder isn't evenly mixed in, it can create alkaline pockets that turn the blueberries green. This same chemical reaction can cause the batter to turn blue. To prevent this, make sure your dry ingredients are whisked well and that your blueberries haven't thawed.
You may have added too much flour to the batter. Make sure to measure the flour with a food scale for accuracy or use the spoon and level method. Also check to make sure your baking powder hasn't expired.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Small Batch Blueberry Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 2 ½ tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
Blueberry Muffins
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose four
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar light or dark
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt full fat
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and melted butter. Whisk together with a fork until little crumbles form and place in the freezer.2 ½ tablespoon all purpose flour, 2 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.1 ¼ cup all purpose four, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, oil, egg, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until well combined. Add the Greek yogurt and buttermilk and whisk until smooth with no lumps.½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, ¼ cup buttermilk
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula or large spoon until a few dry streaks of flour are left.
- In a separate small bowl, coat the blueberries with an additional tablespoon of flour. Fold the blueberries into the muffin batter until no dry streaks of flour remain.1 cup frozen blueberries
- Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick baking spray if desired and place cupcake liners in every other cup. Fill each ¾ full with muffin batter. Sprinkle streusel topping and coarse sugar on top.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400°F/200°C and continue baking for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 10-20 minutes before eating.
Comments
No Comments