Small Batch Blueberry Muffins

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 small batch of blueberry muffins hot out of your very own oven. The aroma of freshly baked muffins is fantastic, but the taste is the best part.

Like my small batch banana muffins, blueberry muffin cake, and basic buttermilk muffins, these blueberry muffins have a moist, fluffy 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.

What 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, blueberry chocolate chip muffins, and blueberry cheesecake overnight oats next.

For more small batch recipes, try my small batch oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, small batch chocolate chip cookies, mini flourless chocolate cake, small batch brownies, and small batch vanilla cupcakes!

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. Fresh blueberries work too, but batter made with them needs less time to bake.

Substitutions and Variations

• Greek yogurt substitute- I've made blueberry muffins with sour cream, and they turn out just as well as muffins made with yogurt.
• Different berries- If you're not a blueberry fan, you can make these muffins with frozen raspberries (like these white chocolate raspberry muffins), blackberries, or strawberry slices.
• Nuts- Fold chopped nuts, like walnuts, almonds, or pecans for some crunch.
• Add lemon- Add lemon zest to the batter and add lemon glaze for lemon blueberry muffins!
• Mini muffins- Use a mini muffin pan to make 28 mini blueberry muffins!

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 a metal 12-well muffin tin, leaving 1 space between each (this lets each muffin heat evenly!), and set aside.

Step 1: Make the streusel topping by combining flour, sugar, and melted butter with a fork until crumbles form. Chill in the fridge.

Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Step 3: Next, add brown sugar, granulated sugar, melted butter, oil, egg, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Then, whisk in the Greek yogurt and buttermilk.

Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until a few streaks of flour are left. This prevents overmixing (which makes the muffins dense).

Step 5: In a small bowl, toss the blueberries in 1 tablespoon. The extra flour suspends the blueberries in the muffin batter so they don't sink to the bottom.

Step 6: 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 for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 400°F (200°C), and bake until the muffin 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 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. If you leave them in longer, condensation can form inside the liners and make them soggy!

Expert Baking Tips

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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