Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Fresh, fruity, nutty, and warm with cinnamon. Such a wonderful combination of flavors!
Texture: The muffins are tender and moist while the crumb topping is crumbly and buttery.
Ease: A couple extra steps to brown the butter and make the crumb topping but it creates a WORLD of difference.
Pros: Amazing muffins that everyone will be begging you to make again and again.
Cons: You will dirty a few dishes compared to some other recipes.
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I remember once as a kid eating a blueberry muffin in school that was from a grocery store. It was so bad I immediately regretted taking a bite and threw away the rest.
It was dry, crumbly and cloyingly sweet. I thought for years afterwards that I just didn’t like blueberry muffins. Turns out I just had a very bad one!
So recently I made it my mission to develop a new recipe for the BEST homemade blueberry muffins.
What I came up with is something that is super flavorful and moist with a delightful cinnamon crumb topping. The brown butter in this recipe adds a nutty complexity of flavor that counter balances the sweetness and freshness of the blueberries so nicely.
These blueberry muffins are bound to be a crowd pleaser! Bring them to school, your next early morning meeting, as a thank you to a teacher or neighbor, and you’ll be sure to win the title of everyone’s favorite person 😉
How to Make the BEST Blueberry Muffins
How to Brown Butter
When browning butter, you want to swirl the pan occasionally once the butter is melted and it starts to cook. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises. If this isn’t happening you may need to turn up the heat slightly.
Once the crackling stops continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour everything (bits and all) into a medium mixing bowl to cool.
For best results when browning butter, avoid using a nonstick pan. I like to use a 10-inch stainless steel skillet. Learn all my tips and tricks for browning butter in my How to Brown Butter article here.
Can I substitute the buttermilk in muffins?
I’ve done extensive side-by-side testing of buttermilk in baking and find that it makes a pretty big difference in muffins. Buttermilk creates a finer crumb and more moisture AND flavor. So I’d highly recommend using real buttermilk if you can. DIY substitutions don’t always compare. To learn more, check out my Buttermilk 101 post here.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand then you can use whole milk instead with a spoonful of lemon juice or vinegar.
What do I do with leftover buttermilk?
Did you know you can actually freeze buttermilk and then defrost it at some later date for a future recipe? Get the details for freezing buttermilk here.
How to bake moist & tender muffins:
Be very careful not to overmix, this will create rubbery muffins. Once the dry ingredients are combined with the wet, gently stir until *just* combined. Since we’re adding in blueberries, I actually like to leave a few streaks of flour. They’ll get stirred into the batter with the berries.
Also, using buttermilk or full fat whole milk can also help create moist and tender muffins. Don’t skimp!
Another trick to ensure these muffins bake up nice and moist is to use brown sugar! That’s because brown sugar is more hygroscopic, a fancy way of saying it attracts and holds in more moisture. I actually use brown and white in this recipe for the best of both worlds.
How to Bake TALL Muffins:
I recently experimented with the science of muffins and how to achieve beautiful, TALL muffins that look like they belong on the shelf of a fancy bakery. Check out my 3 tips for baking tall muffins here!
Hint: Chilling your muffin batter overnight makes for the BEST ever muffins!!
How long do blueberry muffins last?
They’ll stay good for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Can I use frozen blueberries in muffins?
Yes! You can use fresh or frozen in this recipe. Just make sure they’re ripe for optimum flavor. If using frozen, don’t bother to defrost. I typically like to use organic blueberries.
If chilling the muffin batter overnight, add the frozen blueberries to the mix in the morning-otherwise their color might bleed into your batter.
How do I stop my muffins from sticking to the liner?
This can sometimes be caused by the brand of liners. This is my favorite brand that I order in bulk from Amazon. If you find your liners still get stuck and end up ruining your muffins, don’t worry. I’ve actually written an entire article about how to prevent muffin or cupcake liners from sticking here.
Can blueberry muffins be frozen?
Yes! Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter or in the microwave.
More Muffin Recipes
- Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins
Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (210 grams) blueberries, fresh or frozen (don't thaw first)
For the crumb topping:
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (24 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (29 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
Brown the butter:
- In a small stainless skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Swirling the pan occasionally, continue to cook the butter. It should become foamy with audible cracking and popping noises.
- Once the crackling stops continue to swirl the pan until the butter develops a nutty aroma and brown bits start to form at the bottom. Once the bits are amber in color, about 2 to 3 minutes after the popping stops, remove from heat and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Let cool.
Make the batter:
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugars, salt, and baking powder.
- In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, cooled browned butter, egg, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently stir in the blueberries. Do not overmix. Batter will be thick. Divide evenly among the muffin tin cups.
Make the crumb topping:
- In a small bowl, combine all of the topping ingredients with a fork until the texture resembles wet sand.
- Use your fingertips to sprinkle over muffin batter in pans. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool until barely warm.
- Serve or store in an airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds if desired. Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Could you please share how to make subsitute for buttermilk use whole milk & vinegar? What are their measurement & how to do it?
Check out my Buttermilk 101 article!
Could i usw blueberry jam instead of fresh blueberry?
If yes, how could i mix it with the batter? Do i need to change measurement of any or all ingredients?
Sure! Add the jam with the wet ingredients, or add a dollop on top of the batter and swirl with a toothpick. Bake as directed! More tips in my Ultimate Muffin Cheatsheet, which is linked in this post!
Best Muffin recipe ever. I did it with Yuzu Cocolate. Love you recipes – they really work.
Hooray!!
These were delicious!!! The crumble on the top made them taste like they were made by a professional!
These are AMAZING and I even messed up I love your write ups, they are so helpful and witty. So moist but doesn’t stick to the roof of your mouth. I forgot to melt the butter for the streusel and they still turned out great. I’ve made these with regular butter and medicated butter (my husband is a disabled vet), and they are the only ones that taste good either way. Thank you so much, we love this recipe!
These are, quite possibly, the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had, including from bakeries. This is 100% my go to recipe now. I did a mixture of fresh blueberries and frozen blueberries, and thought that came out nicely.
Today I made these for the 2nd time and this time I used weight based measurements as opposed to measuring cups and what a difference! I mean they were great the first time but now they’re fab-u-lous!! Better workability, texture and flavour. Love all your recipes but this is my favorite so far. Thank you. Next on my list are the cinnamon buns….
Love love love these muffins! These muffins are pretty easy and quick to make. My husband would eat a hole batch in one day if I let him! These are SO GOOD!
Seriously THE BEST blueberry muffins I have ever had!!!
Is it essential to brown the butter or will melting in a microwave yield similar results? ☺️
Hi Claire! We haven’t tried that! Please let us know how it goes if you do.
I’m planning to make these soon and would like to triple the recipe. Do you recommend that I make three separate batches, or will it be OK if I make one large batch? Appreciate any tips!
I just made these and this recipe is perfect!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Best blueberry muffin recipe I’ve ever made! Not difficult to make either. Will definitely make these again!
Another awesome recipe! As much as we love the browned butter coffee cake, I knew I had to make these! My family says they are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made! High praise, since I make them once a month and have tried ALOT of recipes. This will be my go to recipe now, on repeat since we grow our own blueberries. Thanks!