A little carton of buttermilk in the fridge goes a long way. Not wanting to see it go to waste, that single carton inspired me to make those Old Fashioned Glazed Buttermilk donuts that you all went crazy for, a batch of my Best Ever Buttermilk Waffles for dinner, and these Best Ever Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins!
Why does buttermilk make baked goods so delicious? According to Fine Cooking, buttermilk is used in baking because it creates a “slightly acidic batter helps keep baked goods moist and tender by breaking down long, tough strands of gluten.” I definitely notice that my baked goods with buttermilk rise up to be lighter and fluffier, and the texture of the crumb is absolute perfection!
So along with buttermilk, another reason these are the Best Ever Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins is the height of that muffin top. I like to fill my muffin wells to the very top and even dome them a little. I love when the batter hangs over the top and creates that crisp edge!
And one of my favorite toppings is coarse sparkling sugar. It gives these muffins the best crunchy sweet topping. I’ll link it here, but you can probably find it in the sprinkle section in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
And oh man, those big juicy blueberries that can’t take the heat one more second and just burst that purple goodness all over the inside of the muffin. Perfection!
I think you’ll be surprised how quickly these come together too. I mix up all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then I mix and measure the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in my 4 cup glass measuring cup. Just use a wooden spoon to mix everything together. The more gently you handle the batter, the more tender your muffin will be!
What a treat these Best Ever Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins are! Add buttermilk, blueberries, and sparkling sugar to your grocery list (you probably have everything else) and make these this weekend. You’ll be glad you did!
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Best Ever Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 26 mins
- Total Time: 46 mins
- Yield: 12 large muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup oil (canola, vegetable, or avocado)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
- 3–4 teaspoons coarse sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard size muffin tin with parchment paper liners and spray each one with nonstick spray for baking.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Gradually mix the buttermilk into the flour mixture, stirring gently and being careful not to overmix.
- Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Use a large scoop to divide the batter evenly into each muffin well. They will be filled to the very top. Sprinkle generously with sparkling sugar!
- Bake at 400 degrees for 22-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Muffin
- Calories: 261
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 209mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1.1g
- Protein: 4.5g
- Cholesterol: 32mg
Brianna says
I saw this recipe and ran out to get the ingredients the same day. So easy and delicious! I will never go back to prepackaged muffin mix again!!
Julie says
Brianna, I’m so happy to hear you made them already and loved them too! You just made my day!
Ana Maria Carrero says
Hello, I made these blueberry muffins and they came out absolutely delicious. This will be one of my go recipes! Love them lots 💗!
Julie says
Oh yay, so happy to hear that you enjoyed them. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Hey, I made this recipe, but I substituted the 1/2 cup vegetable oil for 1/2 cup of melted whipped butter. They turned out pretty dry and crispy on the outside and sorta doughy inside, is this why? I’m new to baking and finding that I’m not so good at improvising!
Julie says
Yes, I think you are right about the reason they may be too dry. I’m sorry they didn’t turn out as you’d hoped! Keep baking!
Mita says
Hi there… I have a bag of frozen cherries , can I use that instead of blueberries?
Julie says
I think they would taste delicious with cherries but since they are larger than blueberries, maybe you could cut the cherries in half? Let me know how it goes!
Zoe says
Amazone recipe! They aren’t too sweet or not enough. I put half fresh blueberries and the other half frozen ones. very easy to make and I am definitely making these again!
★★★★★
Linda says
Best Blueberry Muffins I ever made! So so yummy and good! Buttermilk makes the recipe! Thank You Julie! I made them tonight………………..Yes at 12:30 am, but well worth it!!!!
Julie says
Sometimes you just gotta bake! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Merrit says
Hi Julie. I haven’t tried making these yet, but I’m a bit confused. In the paragraph where you describe mixing the dry and then the wet ingredients together, you mention butter. I don’t see any butter further down in the actual recipe or the directions. Can you please clarify (no pun intended)? Merrit
Julie says
Thank you so much for kindly pointing out my error! It should read “oil” rather than “butter”. I had tested these with butter, and found that oil kept them from being a little dry and I didn’t miss the flavor of the butter at all. I hope you enjoy these muffins, Merrit! Have a wonderful Saturday.
Julie G says
I can’t wait to make these! I bake a lot with buttermilk and blueberries are my go to fruit for muffins, pies, scones, etc. These muffins look beautiful and I love how domed they are. Happy Mother’s Day!!
Julie says
Thank you so much Julie! Hope you enjoy them!
Bee says
Just made this delicious muffins ,they’re not to seeet but very good !
Julie says
Thank you, Bee. So glad you like them!
Barbara Johnston says
Can you use frozen blueberries?
Baxter says
Yum, yum, yum! Totally making this!
Julie says
I hope you love them too!
Doriss says
These look and sound delicious. Going to make them for game day. Can you use frozen blueberries and also do you sprinkle the sugar before baking?
Julie says
Hi Doriss, I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen blueberries, but I think they would be just fine. You could thaw them and strain the juice out to avoid adding extra liquid to the batter. I do find that frozen berries tend to bleed their pretty blue color into the whole muffin, which is fine with me! Let me know how it goes if you try them!
Maria says
I make them with frozen blueberries if I don’t have fresh ones. I put them in frozen and mix very lightly. They bleed a little but the muffins are delicious nonetheless. Just bake a tad longer.
★★★★★
Tammy says
Hi Doris’s, how did using frozen blueberries turn out? these look delicious and want to try them.
Elizabeth says
Tried it with frozen blueberries. Didn’t thaw them. Lightly coated them with flour before stirring them in. Baked for 21 minutes and came out perfect. I do live at 4,900 feet which could have affected the baking time.
Jackie Malone says
Julie, like you I love blueberries and have tried numerous muffins in search of my favourite go to recipe. I do not have buttermilk, but wonder if I can substitute by making my own with the combination of vinegar and milk? I so want to make these today.
Julie says
Yes, I’ve had good results with that method in other recipes. I don’t think it gets quite as thick as actual buttermilk so maybe add an extra 2-3 tablespoons of flour so your batter isn’t too thin. It should be a scoopable batter. Enjoy!
Anne Olson says
I was looking for a way to use some buttermilk after I bought some to make a beet cake. Wow am I ever glad you posted this muffin recipe, they are both easy and delicious! A keeper for sure. I did keep 1/2 the berries back and put them on top before baking, so pretty as well!
★★★★★
Julie says
Thank you so much Anne! I’m glad you enjoyed these as much as we did. Always nice to use up extra buttermilk!
Barb says
Nice and fluffy, not real sweet. Made 12 very large muffins. I used demerara sugar on top but it would be prettier with the sparkling white sugar. Made them for 4th of July.
★★★★
Julie T. says
I have tried a lot of blueberry muffin recipes to find the perfect one and this one is it! Blueberry muffin perfection! I followed the recipe except added some lemon zest.
★★★★★
Kathy Lee says
Just made your blueberry muffins. Delicious!! Best muffin recipe i have tried. Thanks For the recipe.
Julie says
Thanks so much Kathy Lee!
Kathy says
These muffins were absolutely amazing and so easy! I had some left over buttermilk from a pound cake and needed something and this fit the bill. I’m considering trying a batch with strawberries or raspberries since it seems like the base recipe will lend itself well to multiple berries. Thank you! 🙂
Margaret says
These are the best! My family loves them. I have made these many times since first trying them several weeks ago.
★★★★★
Julie says
Thank you Margaret, glad you enjoyed! I just made this recipe again today, but substituted the blueberries for a cinnamon crumble. I hope to share it here soon!
Monique says
Thank you so much for this recipe! They turned out AMAZING!!! Super light and fluffy just what I wanted!
I also added white chocolate chips on top, they burn’t a little but still tasted good so next time I think I’ll mix them through out the mixture.
Overall I loved this recipe and I’m going to be making them A LOT! 😍😍😍
★★★★★
Julie says
I’ve had that happen with white chocolate chips too – good idea to just mix them in. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Frances says
Super easy, by far my best muffin recipe. The family loved them. Thanks 👍
Julie says
Thanks!!! So glad you all loved them as much as I do.
Heather says
So my oven at 400 was way too hot!!!! They were very burnt (so burnt on the bottom that they were thrown away!)and I even had them on the top shelf. So for the second batch I turned the oven down to 355 and they came out perfect. I also didn’t care for the blandness of them. Not quite sweet enough for my family.
Justyy says
Good to know! I don’t usually bake at that high a temperature so i was scrolling through the comments to see if anyone mentioned the temperature before going ahead and baking them at that high temperature. Will try them at my usual 350 for baking.
Jennifer says
Best muffin recipe I’ve ever made! I used frozen berries and replaced some of the vanilla with lemon extract. Then I topped them with raw sugar. Scrumptious!!
★★★★★
Caroline Mudie says
This is now my go to recipe. Tried these – perfect.
Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Beth says
I always keep powdered buttermilk on hand and use that. The muffins have ALWAYS come out perfect and delicious. They are big mufffins and I’m always afraid they will go over the tins, but they never do. I go blueberry picking in the spring so have loads of frozen blueberries. They reheat really well.
★★★★★
Terri says
Turned out perfect! I did use frozen blueberries, baked to the maximum time, absolutely no problems.
★★★★★
Julie says
Thank you so much Terri, glad you enjoyed!
Laura says
I forgot to add the sugar on top (I was going to use regular old Turbinado sugar for this), but these muffins are still perfect! They rose better than I’ve ever had muffins rise, into perfect domes on top. Seriously, they rose to a huge level! And great flavor and texture. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
LC says
Wonderful, I followed your recipe exact. I have never made muffins before, nor have I eaten them much. I got so excited when the tops rose so high, they were beautiful. I did think they needed to be sweeter but the top was plenty sweet and it was the best part! Thank you
★★★★★
Annie says
Loved these! Made it with frozen blueberries..just baked a couple extra minutes. Turned out light, fluffy, and moist. My favorite thing though?? There’s not a TONNNN of sugar in them. So many muffin recipes seem more like cupcakes than muffins with twice as much sugar as these call for. These are PERFECT.👌🏼
★★★★★
Julie says
So glad! Thanks Annie!
marie leclerc says
I made these this morning using frozen wild Maine blueberries, they were excellent. I have printed the recipe, its a keeper. Thanks forsharing
Julie says
So glad, Marie!
Elizabeth says
Thought it could use a little more salt, but other than that…perfect! So moist! Like the idea of trying different berries. A little almond extract would probably taste yummy too. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Julie says
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Virginia Hale says
I just made my muffins from your recipe on FB. I don’t know how to send a picture, but they are big. I gave some to my neighbors and I had one and they are GREAT. I’ll do this more offen. I live in a senior community and this will be great. Thank you
Julie says
Thank you for letting me know how they turned out. I’m so glad you could share them with your neighbors. Happy baking!
Virginia Hale says
I made your recipe today and they are great. I live in a senior community and they will love them. Thank you
★★★★★
Chelsea says
These were absolutely delicious!! My toddler wanted to eat TWO right away- thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Claire Delaney says
I found this recipe on line, and happened to have buttermilk and frozen blueberries in the house. So I followed everything carefully, ( I thought, and then realized I forgot to put in the sugar and how I did this, I have no idea), so everything was mixed and luckily I realized it. I threw in the sugar and mixed it in the batter blueberries and all. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I don’t think you can ever mess up this recipe.
Thanks for a great recipe.I will make them again, and not forget the sugar. I can’t stop eating them. I need to hide them until my grandchildren arrive, so they can enjoy them.
Jennifer says
I made these to celebrate moving into our new house. Though I didn’t have oil I melted a stick of butter and baked them for 20 minutes. I also used frozen blueberries and didn’t have any bleeding from them. These are really good, thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Julie says
So glad they worked out for you!
Paula says
Hi,
I want to add some rolled oats to these muffins. Do you think I can replace 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup of rolled oats? Will this affect the rise of the muffins?
Thanks
Julie says
Sounds delicious but I’m not really sure how they will turn out since I haven’t tested them that way. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Beverly Miller says
Simple and quick basic recipe
★★★★
Beverly Miller says
Easy for even a beginner cook. Simple, quick and basic. Delicious and came out perfect.
★★★★
Julie says
I’m so glad, thank you!
Rebecca McReynolds says
I made these muffins also because I had buttermilk
I didn’t want to waste!! They turned out so yummy and pretty!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!😊
Lucia Kaiser says
I love baking with buttermilk. These were so easy to make. I had company coming so I got up early to make them. I made a couple of changes. I added the zest of a whole lemon and added half again the original amount of blueberries. I cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup. Because I didn’t have the oils it called for, I used pecan oil. They were all gone very quickly. And only two bowls and a wooden spoon were needed to make them. I’ll be making these frequently! Thank you!
★★★★★
Karen Parent says
Oh my blueberry! My new favorite recipe. Previously my favorite was Alton Browns but these are definitely fluffier and lighter. Bravo!
★★★★★
Julie says
Now that is quite a compliment! Thank you Karen!
Annika says
These were a-maz-ing! I added zest from 1 lemon to the wet ingredients along with 1 tbsp ground flax seed and 1 tbsp brewers yeast (to help boost my milk production, I’m a breastfeeding mama) and you couldnt even tell they were in there. I added 1 container of fresh blueberries which I wish I had bought 1 more and added (my bad) I also was out of raw/coarse sugar so I didnt add that BUT these were delicious. Surprisingly, they got moister and better after 2-3 days. Also I dont usually keep buttermilk on hand so i subbed 2% milk and 1 tbsp white vinegar for it and it worked great. I’ll definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
Susan says
Made these this morning..They are my new favorite muffin recipe…I used powdered buttermilk and water and they came out perfectly..Would love to post a pic so you can see how great they look..
★★★★★
Renata Songen says
I love these little delights. I have made them few times now. Perfect amount of sugar. Very moist. My family and friends love them. Thank you!
★★★★★
Ruth says
I followed the recipe and the directions *exactly*, and the dough was way too thick and sticky. I had more like glob them into the muffin cups. And even then, it stuck to the spoon. The finished recipe was dry, too dense and definitely not sweet enough. I won’t use this recipe again. I usually like to share my baked goods. These were not good enough to share.
nicole johannes says
Wow! My new fav muffin recipe! Such a easy and simple recipe. They are moist, not too sweet and just perfect. This recipe is such a good base for you add whatever fruit and things you’d like to add. Just made them with with carrot, apple and cinnamon and they were perfect! Thanks Julie
nicole johannes says
Oh and I sustituted about 1 and half cups of the white flour for nutty wheat flour to up the fibre and they were still amazing!
Sarah says
Where’s the nutritional info?
Julie says
Hi Sarah, my team has been working hard to add the nutritional info for all of my recipes. Should be posted now! Thanks for asking!
Wendy Zeis says
Love this recipe! Just made these, and even added almond extract, and sliced, blanched almonds to the batter and to the tops. I haven’t baked much with buttermilk, but I love how poofy and sturdy these muffins baked!
★★★★★
SMD says
Hi Julie,
I have just been reading the rave reviews for your blueberry buttermilk muffins. Looking forward to trying this recipe. My question for you is…can you recommend anything else to sprinkle on top instead of the sparkling sugar? I am trying to watch my sugar intake and don’t want to add the extra sugar on top of the muffins.
Julie says
Hello there, go ahead and leave the sparkling sugar off if you’d like. I hope you enjoy!
Mairsydoats says
You know, the tops are where you really get a bang for your buck with the real sugar. You might consider reducing the sugar IN the muffins to include the stuff on top. Or tossing in bit of unsweetened applesauce in place of some of the sugar in the muffin.
Nina says
Fantastic recipe! Thank you. I have been struggling to make nice, fluffy muffins. These turned out perfectly.
Julie says
I’m so glad to hear that Nina! Thank you for letting me know how they turned out.
Kimberly says
These are so good. Have made these muffins twice already, once with the blueberries and once with chocolate chips (because I used up all my blueberries and HAD to make them again with something = )
Perfect recipe! Thanks!!
★★★★★
Aarti Garg says
Hi, I wanted to know that your 1 cup is 200gms or 250 gms? Also do I need to use electric beater or just a whisk and a wooden spoon to fold?
Julie says
Hello, one cup of flour is 120 grams. A wooden spoon is the best tool for folding the batter, no electric mixer is needed. Happy baking!
Debby says
Love love love!!! I even made my own buttermilk. Have baked these babies a few times and they are sooo good. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Jennifer Bogle says
I am making these blueberry muffins as we speak. I am worried about the amount of sugar; on the other hand, the batter tastes great. I’m way here in the 2000, 20th year trying out this wonderful recipe. Your photo is striking. Congratulations on your website.
Katie Santiago says
400° was far too high for these, in my experience. I burned the bottoms of the first batch, then tried 375° for the second, and pulled them out at 20 minutes.
Sonya says
Just made these and they are fantastic!!!! The recipe is so easy and they bake up really high 🙂 Will make these often. Thank you!
★★★★★
Izzy says
These muffins were great! I changed the blue berries to strawberries! awesome recipe!
★★★★
Julie says
Thank you Izzy, I’d love to try with strawberries.
Christine says
Made this on Sunday for fun breakfasts Monday and Tuesday – my husband kept me from sneaking one the night they were fresh – but even a day in, these muffins are so moist. It’s truly one of the best muffin recipes I’ve ever made.
★★★★★
Julie says
Love it! Thanks for making my recipes, Christine. So glad you all enjoyed!
Sunny says
Hi Julie, i tried muffin with frozen mulberries n fresh mulberries today. It tastes great except the bottom part burned in 15 minutes time. I have to cover the top with aluminum foil n total bake time 20 minutes. 👍👍
Julie says
Hi Sunny! Maybe your oven runs a little warmer than mine. You could also turn it down to 375. But I’m glad you still enjoyed them.
Agaton says
Not the best. The muffins are not sweet enough and are missing the fat from butter. I tried this because we had buttermilk in our fridge but sadly wouldn’t bake it again.
★★★
Chua L S says
Hi, can the muffin batter be frozen for baking later? Thanks.
Julie says
No I don’t think that would work well for this recipe. Better to bake the muffins and freeze them.
Stephanie Garcia says
Hi Julie, have you experimented with a chocolate buttermilk muffin recipe? I would really love to create a master muffin mix that can be used to create different muffins from the same master mix. I like blueberry, my husband likes jammy bits, and my daughter likes chocolate chocolate chip. Your recipe would be great for the master mix! I can put powdered buttermilk in the mix and add in fruity things really easily. I have not figured out how to take the master mix and add in cocoa and extra liquids. Do you have any advice?
Rita says
Made this recipe today as instructed except for the omission of the sugar topping. (With frozen blueberries dusted with flour.) Baked at 400 for 26 minutes. Sweetness perfect for my tastebuds. This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Was great the first day, but next day was really dry.
★★
Teresa says
Today I’m making these lovely muffins for the second time in a week. The buttermilk really makes them moist and tasty! Thank for Julie!
Julie says
You are so welcome! Thanks for making my recipes!
Dianna says
Hi! I used this recipe twice, followed exact measurements. They come out more like scones. Delicious, but not a pop over soft cakey muffin.
I was a suspect when the batter was so thick, any thicker I could have rolled these out and cut out triangle scones. Next time, I think I will do that.
★★★
Julie says
That would be interesting to see if they bake up well that way… let me know!
Barbara Johnston says
Can you use frozen blueberries?
Julie says
Yes, frozen blueberries are fine, but they will make your batter a little more purple. Enjoy!
poppy says
This recipe is the best i’ve ever used!! They stay moist and fresh for so long too. I have made them with blueberries but also tried with chocolate chips and then frozen raspberries and they have all turned out perfect!! I recommend this recipe not only for the blueberry muffins but also a base for any other muffins. I think i will try apple and cinnamon next!!
★★★★★
Julie says
Love that you are switching out the flavors! Thanks for the great review!
Monique says
Oven temp too high and time too long for such small muffins. Too course and dry. Not sweet enough. Won’t bake again.
★★
Sara Hartnett says
Very easy and the muffins turned out and delicious! Now I have a great way to use up that buttermilk in the fridge. I added extra blueberries bc I love them and why not and they still came out great and held together well! Thank you for this very easy and yummy recipe!
★★★★★
Amanda says
I loved these! I like my muffins very muffin-like, not cake-like. So many of the recipes out there make overly sweet and overly greasy muffins. These were perfect. Fluffy with crisp tops, but not dry, and not overly sweet. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Erica S. says
These muffins are beautiful and moist. My only issue is that the muffins seemed to take on the flavor of the canola oil more than anything, which was disappointing. Next time I may sub oil for applesauce to avoid that issue.
★★★★
Julie says
That is strange that the oil had a dominant flavor. You can substitute any oil. My oil of choice lately is avocado oil, which I get from Costco. It seems to be very neutral in flavor and has a high smoke point, so it can be used for cooking and baking.
Lucretia M says
Easy, delicious recipe. I prepare the dry ingredients and store in ziplock bags. Their makes it easy for the kids to just mix in the wet ingredients. Almost as easy as the store bought mix but tastes much better !
★★★★★
Julie says
Great idea!
Lilly Q says
Hi ..I love this recipe it’s my go to for muffins. I was wondering can this mixture be made in a bundt pan? Not sure if it will affect the final product..thank you
★★★★★