Best Homemade Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Everyone should have a never-fail recipe for easy blueberry muffins up their sleeve (next to their never-fail chocolate chip cookie recipe.) A recipe you can whip up at a moment's notice, one that wafts an intoxicating aroma throughout the house, and one that impresses the heck out of your mother-in-law. Overflowing with plump blueberries and crowned with cinnamon streusel, my fluffy blueberry muffins are 100% worth a try. You won't be sorry!

Two stacked blueberry muffins with cinnamon streusel.

Three Reasons why these are My Favorite Blueberry Muffins

We made thousands of these bakery-style blueberry muffins over the years that I owned my bakery, Julie Anne's. They were always the first variety to sell out. Here's why I love them:

  1. So easy to make: A classic blueberry muffin recipe should be minimal effort, maximum reward. It should not require an electric mixer, and it should call for ingredients that you likely already have on hand or are very easy to grab at the grocery store. Well, I'm happy to report that this easy blueberry muffin recipe checks each of those boxes.
  2. They stay moist: While experimenting with muffin recipes, I tried ones that used both butter and oil in the batter.  Hands down, the oil created moister muffin.  A mere ½ cup in this recipe yields fluffy muffins that don't dry out for days. 
  3. Flavor and texture: The base of these delicious blueberry muffins is not overly sweet, which is balanced out by the crunchy streusel crumb topping. Adding a generous amount of fresh blueberries, which start to bubble and burst while baking, takes them over the top!
Single blueberry muffin on a wire rack.

My Top Tips for Baking Perfect Blueberry Muffins

For every great blueberry muffin out there, there are a dozen that are dry, tasteless, gummy, too sweet, or dense. I won't say that a bad blueberry muffin can ruin your day, but it can certainly put you on the expressway to Crankytown (I've been there.  It's not nearly as nice as Funkytown.) Here are some tips for making your best blueberry muffin recipe:

  • Use fresh blueberries: Even if it's not blueberry season, fresh berries are pretty easy to find year-round. If you only have frozen berries, make sure your drain them or blot them on paper towels to remove excess moisture and prevent soggy muffins. .
  • Watch you bake time: An overbaked muffin is not a moist muffin! Towards the end of baking time, keep a close eye on your muffins, checking them every minute.
  • Line your muffin pan: For best results, bake your muffins in cupcake liners as opposed to muffin tins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Because the oven temperature is high in this recipe, muffins baked without a liner are more likely to brown too quickly on their bottoms.

Ingredients and Special Equipment

Check the recipe card at the bottom of this post for specific quantities.

Ingredients.

Ingredient notes

  • Oil: Vegetable oil, canola oil, and safflower oil are all good choices, and they help to create moist blueberry muffins. If you don't want to use oil, substitute melted butter.
  • Whole milk: Substitute 2% milk or even sour cream, but I don't recommend skim milk.
  • Fresh blueberries: Look for ripe, juicy blueberries with no wrinkles. Wild blueberries or frozen blueberries may be substituted (see Top Tips section, above.)
  • Sugar: For the streusel, light brown sugar may be substituted.

Special Equipment

  • Muffin tin: You will need two 12-cup tins, or just use one and bake in batches.
  • Ice cream scoop: Helpful for portioning out the batter. I use one that is ¼ cup.
  • Cupcake liners: Use these to line the muffin tins and prevent the bottoms of your muffins from over-browning.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions

Blueberry Muffin Batter

  1. Heat oven to 400℉/200℃.  Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray them with nonstick baking spray (see "Notes.")
  2. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl or a large glass liquid measuring cup, whisk the wet ingredients: oil, egg, egg yolk, and whole milk.

4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula until just blended.

5. Carefully fold the blueberries into the batter, being careful to not smash too many of them (so the muffin batter doesn't turn blue!)

6. Using a large (¼ cup / 60 mL) muffin scoop or a spoon, divide batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling almost to the top.

Cinnamon Streusel Topping

  1. For the streusel, mix together sugar, flour, salt, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl, rubbing with your fingers to make a coarse meal.  Sprinkle the streusel even over the top of each muffin, pressing lightly to adhere. 
  2. Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until muffins are golden brown a toothpick or a cake tester inserted into the centers emerges clean.  Cool the muffins in their pan for five minutes and then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (or enjoy right away if you like a warm blueberry muffin!)
Tray of baked blueberry muffins.

Variations on Blueberry Muffins

While this recipe makes my idea of the "perfect" blueberry muffin, others might like them cakier (is that a word?), without streusel (what?), or the way that their family has always made them. The next time you bake this delicious recipe, here are some variations:

  • Dairy free / Gluten free: Substitute gluten-free flour for a GF muffin. Use soy, coconut, almond, or oat milk and vegan butter for dairy free.
  • Size: Make jumbo blueberry muffins or size down to mini muffins: If you want to make a larger 'bakery style muffin, this recipe should make 8-10; it will yield 30-40 mini muffins.
  • Topping: This recipe makes a generous amount of streusel. I happen to like extra streusel, but feel free to cut back if you do not.  If you want to eliminate streusel altogether, sprinkle the muffin tops with turbinado sugar or coarse sugar, or leave them plain.
  • Other ingredients: Substitute half whole wheat flour for half of the regular flour for a heartier texture. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or a tablespoon of lemon zest to make lemon blueberry muffins,

Make Ahead and Storage Instructions

These homemade muffins are some of best muffins to make ahead and store, as they stay moist for days and are easy to reheat. Here are some tips:

  • The streusel will keep for up to one week, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.
  • The muffin batter can be prepared and refrigerated, covered, one day in advance.
  • Freeze baked muffins sealed in a freezer bag or an airtight container for up to one month.  Thaw them at room temperature and reheat for 10-12 seconds in your microwave.
Stacked blueberry muffins with streusel.

Love Baking with Fresh Berries? Well, These recipes are all "Berry" good!:

Tried this recipe and loved it? Take a photo and tag me on Instagram or give it a review!

Two blueberry muffins with cinnamon streusel stacked.

Homemade Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Julie Hession
Bursting with fresh, juicy blueberries and crowned with a buttery cinnamon streusel, these homemade blueberry muffins are as easy as they are delicious. With a moist and fluffy texture, these muffins stay fresh for days, perfect for school lunches, a quick breakfast, or an afternoon snack.
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 15 muffins
Calories 229 kcal
5 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • 12-cup muffin tins(s) (one or two)
  • cupcake/muffin liners (optional but recommended)

Ingredients
 
 

Blueberry Muffin Batter

  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbso granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 1½ cup fresh blueberries

Cinnamon Streusel

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • â…“ cup all-purpose flour
  • â…› teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions
 

Blueberry Muffin Batter

  • Preheat the oven to 400℉/200℃.  Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray them with nonstick baking spray (see "Notes.")
  • In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  • In a medium bowl or a large glass liquid measuring cup, whisk the wet ingredients: oil, egg, egg yolk, and whole milk.
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula until just blended.
  • Carefully fold the blueberries into the batter, being careful to not smash too many of them (so the muffin batter doesn't turn blue!)
  • Using a large (¼ cup / 60 mL) muffin scoop or a spoon, divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins, filling almost to the top.

Cinnamon Streusel

  • For the streusel, mix together sugar, flour, salt, butter, and cinnamon, rubbing with your fingers to make a coarse meal.  Sprinkle the streusel even over the muffins, pressing lightly to adhere. 
  • Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick or a cake tester inserted into the centers emerges clean.  Cool the muffins in their pan for five minutes and then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (or enjoy while still warm.)

Notes

  • Because these muffins are baked at a higher temperature (400F/200C), I prefer to bake them in paper liners over muffin tins that have been sprayed with nonstick spray.   Especially if you are using dark muffin tins, the bottoms are more likely to brown too quickly when they are in direct contact with the pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Julie, I got the muffins made and they were wonderful! They were tender, just the right amount of sweetness, with blueberries in every bite. I loved the crunchy topping. I will definitely be adding this recipe to my file. Thank you so much!

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Richi!

      So sorry that I am just now replying to this comment. I wasn't alerted about it, so I just now saw it when I logged in. Anyhow, thank you so much for letting me know about the muffins -- I'm so glad that you enjoyed them as much as I do. They are definitely one of my top "go-to" recipes 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Julie, I am making these muffins right now! They sound wonderful! I love your blog name...so cute! 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      Thanks so much, Richi!! This is one of my very favorite muffin recipes -- so easy too. Hope you enjoyed them!!

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