Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins
I’ve been perfecting this bakery-style blueberry muffin recipe for years. I first shared it back in 2018, and since then I’ve made it countless times, adjusting little details along the way until it became exactly what I wanted: tall, fluffy muffins packed with juicy blueberries and finished with a sweet, crunchy crumble on top.
I don’t revisit classic recipes like blueberry muffins often—not because they don’t work, but because I’m more interested in refining them than repeating them. This version came from paying close attention to small details like leavening, mixing, and oven temperature until the muffins consistently baked up tall, fluffy, and balanced, the way I expect a true bakery-style muffin to behave.
Why You’ll Love These Muffins
If you’re particular about muffin texture and shape, this recipe checks all the boxes.
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- Tall, domed tops like a real bakery muffin
- Soft, fluffy crumb without being cakey
- Even blueberry distribution (no soggy bottoms)
- A light crumble topping that adds crunch without weighing the muffin down
Key Ingredients & Why I Use Them
These muffins don’t rely on anything unusual—but each ingredient is doing a very specific job.
Baking powder + baking soda: I use more leavening than you’ll see in many muffin recipes. It’s intentional. This is what creates that strong initial rise.
Blueberries: Fresh when I have them, frozen when I don’t. I’ve tested both many times.
Butter: For flavor and structure. Oil alone won’t give you the same bakery-style crumb.
Sour cream or yogurt: This keeps the muffins moist while still letting them rise tall. I’ve tested versions without it—this one wins.
How to Make Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins
The full recipe card is below, but here are some secrets, how I make these step by step, and what actually matters along the way.
Step 1: Prep
I start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Then I line a muffin pan with paper liners (or I grease the cups with a little oil if I’m out of liners).
Step 2: Make the crumble topping
In a small bowl, I mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the softened butter.
Step 3: Incorporate the butter
Rub the softened butter it into the dry ingredients with your fingers (a fork works too) until it looks like small, sandy clumps.
I set the crumble aside, but I usually pop it in the fridge while I make the batter. Cold crumble holds its shape better in the oven and bakes up crunchier instead of melting into the muffin top.
Step 4: Mix the wet ingredients
I melt the butter and let it cool for a few minutes so it doesn’t scramble the eggs—this part matters more than it looks. Once it’s just warm, I whisk in the eggs until the mixture looks smooth and glossy.
Next, I pour in the buttermilk and vanilla and whisk again until everything is fully combined.
Step 5: Mix the dry ingredients
In a separate bowl, I whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), brown sugar, and granulated sugar. I make a point to break up any brown sugar lumps here, because you want the leavening and sugars evenly distributed.
Step 6: Mix the dry and wet
Then I add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula just until I don’t see dry flour streaks. I stop early on purpose—the batter should look a little lumpy. Overmixing is the fastest way to lose that tall, fluffy rise.
Step 7: Add the blueberries
Finally, I fold in the blueberries carefully so they’re evenly distributed without getting crushed.
Step 8: Fill the muffin pan
I fill each muffin cavity about ¾ full with batter, then sprinkle the crumble over the top. I don’t pack it on too heavily—just enough to cover the surface in a nice layer.
Step 9: Bake!
I bake the muffins at 400°F (205°C) for 5 minutes, then—without opening the door for too long—I reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for 12–15 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
I let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Baking Tips for Tall Muffins
This is where most muffin recipes fall short.
- Use enough leavening. This recipe calls for a full tablespoon of baking powder and baking soda for a reason.
- Bake hot. Starting at 400°F is non-negotiable if you want height.
- Don’t overload the crumble. Too much topping will weigh the muffins down and create uneven tops. A little goes a long way.
- If you don’t have buttermilk mix 1 cup (240 ml) milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar and let sit 5 minutes; plain yogurt or sour cream thinned with milk also works.
Expert Tip
Most important tip: Stop mixing sooner than you think you should. Lumpy batter = fluffy muffins.
Variations I Actually Use
Once you’ve made these as written, here are a few variations I’ve tested and liked.
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins: I’ll add fresh lemon zest to the batter and a small splash of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. If you like citrus-forward muffins, my Lemon Blueberry Muffins use a very similar base but lean more into that sharp, fresh contrast.
- Vanilla Muffins: Sometimes I skip the blueberries entirely and let the vanilla do the work. This batter holds up beautifully as a plain muffin, similar to my Vanilla Muffins, which I use as a neutral bakery-style base for glazes or toppings.
- Banana Nut Muffins: When I’m working with overripe bananas, I switch gears. Banana muffins need more moisture and a slightly denser crumb, which is why I keep them as a separate recipe—my Banana Nut Muffins are built specifically for that richer texture.
- Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins: If I want something a little more dessert-leaning, I’ll reach for raspberries and white chocolate instead. The balance is different—tart, sweet, and softer—which is why I developed my Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins separately from this base.
Storage & Make Ahead
I keep these muffins at room temperature for up to two days, loosely covered. After that, I freeze them in an airtight container. They thaw beautifully and reheat well in a low oven.
Recipe FAQs
This usually comes down to oven temperature or overmixing. Both matter more than people think.
Yes. I use them often. Don’t thaw—fold them in straight from the freezer.
Absolutely. I bake them the day before all the time.
Standard muffin tins work best here. Jumbo pans will change bake time and structure.
If you make these muffins, I’d love to hear how they turned out. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram—I always enjoy seeing what you’re baking.
Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
Blueberry Muffins
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter ½ cup, 113 grams
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup buttermilk 240g
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour 318g
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar 145g
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 66g
- 1½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen
Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup light brown sugar 60g
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup + 2tbsp all-purpose flour 75g
- ⅕ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter 56g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, or grease with oil.
Crumble Topping
- Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingers or a fork until the mixture forms small, sandy clumps. Set it aside. I like to keep it in the fridge while I make the muffin batter.
Muffin Batter
- Melt the butter in a bowl and let it cool slightly so it doesn’t scramble the eggs. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth and glossy. Pour in the buttermilk and the vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Break up any brown sugar lumps so the mixture is evenly blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix, the batter should look slightly lumpy. Fold in the blueberries, distributing them evenly without crushing.
- Fill each muffin cavity about ¾ full with batter.
- Sprinkle the crumble generously over each muffin.
- Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for 12–15 minutes more, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly before serving.
Can Greek yogurt be used instead of buttermilk?
Yes, you can use Greek yogurt as a substitute for buttermilk in this blueberry muffin recipe! Greek yogurt will add a similar tanginess and moisture. Here’s how to do it:
To thin out the Greek yogurt and make it closer to the consistency of buttermilk, you can mix it with a small amount of milk or water, especially if the yogurt is very thick. Start with a tablespoon or two, mixing until you reach a buttermilk-like consistency, but you will have to reduce the amount of yogurt, so you should have 1 cup of it at the end, so measure out almost a cup of greek yogurt and add some milk to it to thin it out until you reach one cup.
This substitute should yield moist, fluffy muffins with a bit of added richness from the yogurt! Let me know how they turn out if you try it.
I noticed that in the ‘tips’ section, you note that you used both 1T of baking powder AND 1T of baking soda, yet in the actual ingredients portion, you list 1T of baking powder, but only 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Which is the correct measure of baking soda for the recipe? My husband LOVES the giant blueberry muffins that he gets at the gas station, and I would SO love to be able to make some for him. I perused a good batch of recipes for this and I LIKE YOURS the best, so I would like to thank you in advance for your answer. Wishing you a blessed day, Donna C..
Hi there!! It’s one teaspoon of baking soda, I am pretty sure that’s what it actually says in the tips section, I looked and looked and couldn’t find where it says tablespoon. So it’s 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon baking powder.
I feel like I did something wrong and I have one minor question. When do you add the cinnamon? With the butter and sugars or with the other dry ingredients? When I made them, they tasted like I forgot the sugar and I assure you I did not. What could I have done wrong??
With the dry ingredients. I am not sure what could have gone wrong. Did they taste not sweet?
I made these for my oldest daughter who is a tiny woman and eats like a bird and she ate ALL OF THEM!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Will this recipe work with other berries?
That’s incredible to hear! Thank you!!!
Thanks to the tips in this recipe, I achieved a tall muffin. One mistake I made was to omit the crmble on top, but failed to add additional sugar to the batter. Another 1/4 to 1/2 cup would have been perfect. Made with plain milk instead of buttermilk, and think buttermilk would have been better.
Sounds great! The best thing about baking is that we learn so much in the process. Thank you so much Nina! Have a great day!
Hi Camila,
Well, talking about learning..
Can I use frozen blueberrys?
Does that change anything in the baking process? 🙈
Hi! Great question! Yes, you can absolutely use frozen blueberries in blueberry muffins. The key is to add them straight from the freezer without thawing, as thawed blueberries tend to release more juice and can make the batter runny or turn it blue-ish. Just gently fold them into the batter at the end of mixing, and you’re good to go! 😊 Happy baking! 🫐✨
I adore blueberry muffins, especially for breakfast. These look absolutely incredible
I love blueberry muffins! These look so delicious and pretty – such a great addition to any weekend brunch ♥
I love how tall these are! Awesome tips, they look so tasty!
Thank you Danielle!
I can not turn down a blueberry muffin and these look divine. I absolutely love the crumble topping!!
Thank you Dana!
blueberry muffins always makes me think of summer when we go blueberry picking. We always come home with way too many blueberries. Muffins are one of the first things I make
Yes for sure!! That’s exactly the scenario here!! Love it!