Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

Why This Recipe Works

These buttermilk blueberry muffins are to die for! They are fluffy and light, with a melt-in-your mouth texture thanks to the buttermilk, and are bursting with blueberries. They make a great grab-and-go breakfast, snack, or treat!

The texture on these might be my favorite part about them. The high temperature they are baked at plus the buttermilk and leaving agent make these muffins rise beautifully. The caramelized sugar on top of the muffins makes them have a crisp muffin top to contrast the moist center.

Ingredient Notes

• Butter. Butter adds amazing flavor and adds moisture to the muffins. You can use salted or unsalted butter.
• Sugar. We use white, granulated sugar as the sweetener in this recipe.
• Eggs. Eggs helps bind the recipe together.
• Baking Powder. Baking powder helps the muffins rise so they are light.
• Buttermilk. Buttermilk tenderizes the muffins, giving a soft, melt in your mouth texture.
• Vanilla Extract. Vanilla extract adds that bakery flavor.
• Almond Extract. A little almond extract adds a little something extra without overwhelming the flavor. You can omit this if you prefer.
• Blueberries. Fresh blueberries are best, you can use frozen if needed. For frozen, thaw completely and pat dry to remove any extra moisture.

How to Make this Recipe

1. Cream until light. Cream together butter and sugar for 1 minute. Then add in eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Whip about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Buttermilk.  Add buttermilk. Mix until you have a smooth batter.

3. Prep blueberries. Wash and dry your blueberries. Remove ¼ cup of flour from the 2 cups and toss blueberries with until evenly coated with flour. Set aside.

4. Stir in dry ingredients. Whisk together remaining flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in until there are no streaks.
5. Fold in blueberries. Gently fold in the blueberries until evenly dispersed in batter. I like to remove a few blueberries(about a ¼ cup) and top off each muffin with a few after it's scooped into the pan.

6. Scoop. Scoop batter into muffin papers until full. If you reserved any blueberries, top off the batter with them.  
7. Sugar top. Sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of the batter to give them a crisp, caramelized crust.
8. Bake. Bake the muffins at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Expert Tips

• Make sure your baking powder fresh. This blueberry muffin recipe uses baking powder to help the batter rise. Make sure it is not expired! If it is expired then your batter will not have as strong of a chemical reaction resulting in a denser muffin.
• Measure flour carefully. This muffin batter is thick, so it is essential that you spoon and level your flour carefully to avoid getting too much flour in the recipe. Refer to our guide on how to measure flour if you need further guidance. Or use a kitchen scale, which is my preferred method.
• Use batter immediately. Once your buttermilk muffin batter is made, you’ll want to use it immediately. The chemical reaction between the leavening agent and the liquids start working as soon as the batter is mixed. If you wait to bake the batter then the muffins will not rise as much.
• Don’t overmix. Stir the flour and blueberries in just enough that they are well incorporated. You don’t need to keep mixing and mixing. The more you mix the more gluten is developed, resulting in a tough instead of tender muffin.
• Know your oven. Every oven runs a little bit differently. I like to keep an oven thermometer in my oven to see if the temperature is accurate. Sometimes my oven runs really hot. If it’s too hot then that will affect the baking of your muffins and can result in the exterior being cooked much faster than the interior, and your muffins will be drier, with a coarser texture, instead of light and fluffy.

Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries in Muffins

Using frozen berries in baked goods can be convenient and economical! Fresh blueberries are not always in season and are sometimes expensive. It’s easy to store frozen blueberries in your freezer to whip out any time you want to make blueberry muffins.

Before I dive into the logistics of using frozen blueberries in this recipe, I need to say my piece. I have made these buttermilk blueberry muffins dozens of times, I have made them with fresh and frozen blueberries. Frozen blueberries work just fine, but for best results, I strongly recommend using fresh blueberries. They result in the best flavor, texture appearance, etc.

Frozen blueberries don’t give you quite the same juice burst in a muffin as fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberries also break up easier in the batter.

Using Frozen Berries

To use frozen blueberries in these buttermilk blueberry muffins start by thawing the blueberries out completely. Frozen berries tend to have a lot more liquid in them, so to prevent any extra moisture being added to the muffin batter, we thaw them first.

After thawing out the blueberries, pat them dry with a paper towel to really absorb any of that extra liquid that might be clinging to the berries. Then gently fold them into your batter, trying not to break them up as they are mixed in.

Frozen berries can sometimes leave purple-blue streaks in your blueberry muffins. If you dislike this look, you can rinse the berries after they have thawed. Rinse them until the water runs almost clear. Then pat them dry and add them to the buttermilk muffin batter.  

Prevent your batter and baked goods from turning a purple-blue hue by rinsing frozen blueberries several times in cold water until the water becomes lighter in color. Then pat them dry on a paper towel and fold into your batter gently.

Buttermilk and Buttermilk Substitutes

What is Buttermilk?

Buttermilk is a type of cultured, fermented milk. Buttermilk is the liquid leftover after cream is churned into butter. However, today’s commercially produced buttermilk is a little bit different. Buttermilk you’ll find in the store is cultured, pasteurized, and homogenized. The lactic acid in buttermilk give it it’s signature tart and tangy flavor.

What Effect Does Buttermilk Have on Muffins?

Buttermilk is acidic which imparts a subtle tangy flavor to baked goods, like our muffins, but also keeps our baked goods moist and tender. The acidic nature of buttermilk gives us a good reaction between the buttermilk and baking powder giving muffins a good rise. The lactic acid also breaks helps break down gluten in the flour giving our muffins a light and tender crumb with that signature melt-in your-mouth texture.

Buttermilk Substitutes

I always say there is no real substitute for real buttermilk. BUT, in a pinch, one of these buttermilk substitutes will do. Here are 3 different options for substituting buttermilk.

How to make buttermilk substitute for 1 cup of buttermilk:

• 1 cup milk  + 1 tablespoon Lemon juice or white vinegar—let mixture stand for 10 minutes
• ¾ cup plain yogurt + ¼ cup water
• ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt + ⅓ cup water

NOTE: This recipe calls for ½  cup of buttermilk so reduce measurements by half.

After trying out all these different substitutes over the years, I believe that Greek yogurt + water is the best buttermilk substitute and is the closest to real buttermilk.

Variations of this Recipe

These buttermilk blueberry muffins are easy to adapt and change up! Here are some fun variations to try.

Make them Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Add the zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon) to the batter. This would also pair great with the streusel of lemon glaze (below).

Add a Streusel Topping

A streusel topping is a delicious addition to these buttermilk blueberry muffins. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and top the muffin batter generously with the streusel and bake according to normal baking instructions.

Streusel Recipe

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup sugar
• pinch of salt

Swap the Berries

Swap the blueberries in this recipe for and equal amount raspberries or blackberries. Or you can use a combination of all three for a mixed berry buttermilk muffin.

Add a Glaze

A simple vanilla or lemon glaze is a great way to add some extra sweetness or give these buttermilk blueberry muffins a finished look. Simply whisk the ingredients below and drizzle over the cooled muffins.

Glaze Recipe

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or water (use lemon for a lemon flavored glaze)

Change the Size of the Muffins

You can easily make these muffins into mini muffins or bake them in a loaf pan or 9x13-inch pan. You will need to adjust the bake time.

Leftover Buttermilk? Use it in one of these other recipes!

• Buttermilk Parmesan Apricot Bacon Biscuits
• Buttermilk Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
• Banana Upside Down Cake

How to Store this Recipe

• Room Temperature. These muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
• Frozen. These muffins freeze super well. Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap (so they don’t stick to each other) and then place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat one, just pop it out of the freezer and thaw to room temperature. You can warm it up for a few seconds in the microwave if you prefer it warm.

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