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, 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 vanilla cake, mini flourless chocolate cake, small batch brownies, and small batch vanilla cupcakes!
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Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about the ingredients you need. Quantities and full instructions can be found 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. Caster sugar and cane sugar work as substitutes.
- 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.
- Sea 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.
- Egg- A large egg binds the ingredients 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 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
- Vegetable oil: Use any mild oil you have on hand, like avocado oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
- Greek yogurt: Sour cream or plain kefir can be substituted.
- Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, 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 it sit for 10 minutes to curdle, and you're good to go!
- Frozen blueberries: Fresh blueberries also work in this recipe if you have some at home. The muffins won't need to bake as long if you use fresh berries, so just keep an eye on them as they bake.
Helpful Equipment and 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.
- Large mixing bowls
- Balloon whisk and rubber spatula- I use one of each in almost all of my recipes!
How to Make Small Batch Blueberry Muffins
Here are step by step instructions to make these muffins from scratch! Before you start, preheat the oven to 425°F/218°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 sandy crumbles form. After that, set the streusel in the freezer while you make the muffin batter.
STEP 2: Whisk the all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl for about 10 seconds and set aside.
STEP 3: Add the 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 bowl of wet ingredients. Use a silicone flat 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. Add them to the batter and fold with a rubber spatula until no dry streaks of flour remain.
STEP 6: Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to scoop the blueberry muffin batter into each muffin liner. Fill each liner only ¾ full or they might overflow in the oven. Then, sprinkle a little streusel and coarse sugar on top.
STEP 7: Bake the muffins at 425°F/218°C for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 400°F/204°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: Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on the counter for about 10 minutes. Then, take the muffins out of the pan and transfer them to a wire cooling rack. This is important because if you leave them in longer, condensation can form inside of the muffin liners and make them soggy!
Let the muffins cool for about 30 more minutes. You can enjoy them warm or at room temperature, and I definitely 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.
Additions and Variations
Yes these muffins are insanely delicious as-is, but there are lots of ingredients you can add to make them even better! Here are some ideas.
- Add chopped nuts, like walnuts, almonds, or pecans.
- Add a freshly grated lemon zest to the batter.
- Make the muffins with different frozen fruit, like raspberries, blackberries or strawberry slices.
- Add powdered sugar or a drizzle of icing, Nutella, or lemon glaze on top.
- Swirl a dollop of cream cheese or chocolate chips into the batter before baking.
How to Store Blueberry Muffins
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.
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. They can be frozen 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/218°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/204°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.
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