We're head over heels for these healthy blueberry muffins. Moist, fluffy, and studded with jammy berries, they're a delicious quick breakfast or snack!
This summer, after bringing home pints of blueberries from the farmers market, I set out to make a blueberry muffin recipe I would really love. See, I adore baked fruit in almost any form (see here, here, or here), but most sweet, cake-y blueberry muffins are too rich for me to enjoy for more than a few bites. For me, the ideal blueberry muffins aren’t too sweet, and they’re deeply flavorful and moist. Most importantly, they put bursty, peak-season berries front and center.
Enter: the perfect homemade blueberry muffins. These moist, fluffy little guys are loaded with juicy, jammy berries, and a pinch of cinnamon gives them extra depth of flavor. I love to devour one for breakfast or an afternoon snack, and they’d be perfect for packing into lunchboxes or taking on the go. We’ve had this recipe on repeat around here for the last few weeks. I hope you love it as much as we do!
My Healthy Blueberry Muffin Recipe
These blueberry muffins are yummy, but they’re secretly healthy too! Here’s what makes them so darn good (and good for you):
- Whole wheat pastry flour and almond flour. This mix yields an amazing moist texture. Be sure to look for whole wheat pastry flour here – it has more nutrients than all-purpose flour, but it’s more finely ground than regular whole wheat flour, which can make baked goods dense.
- Extra-virgin olive oil. Just 1/4 cup adds the perfect amount of richness.
- A little cane sugar. Most blueberry muffin recipes call for a cup or more of granulated sugar. I use much less so that my lightly sweet batter really lets the sweetness from the blueberries shine.
- Vanilla and cinnamon. They add warm depth of flavor.
- Fresh blueberries, of course! They’re loaded with antioxidants and fiber. Plus, after a few minutes in the oven, they become deliciously bursty and sweet.
To round out these easy blueberry muffins, I use eggs, baking powder, sea salt, and almond milk (regular milk works too!). This combination yields delectable, fluffy muffins, and they’re healthy enough that you can feel good about enjoying one (or two) for breakfast.
Once you assemble your ingredients, whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Then, toss the blueberries with a bit of flour, and gently fold them into the batter.
Pour the muffin batter into a greased muffin pan, and bake until the tops spring back to the touch and/or a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I always eat one straight out of the oven, but if you can resist them, their flavor is even better when they’ve cooled to room temperature. Enjoy!
Best Blueberry Muffins Tips
- Toss the blueberries with a pinch of flour. Lightly coating the blueberries in flour before you fold them into the batter helps them stay suspended in the muffins. That way, you get a few blueberries in every bite instead of ending up with a big pile of berries on the bottom.
- Add lemon oil! These healthy blueberry muffins are still good without it, but a little lemon oil adds a delightful bright flavor. If you don’t have lemon oil, a teaspoon of lemon zest would be great too.
- Don’t overmix. If you bake often, this goes without saying, but if you’re new to muffin-making, be sure to mix your batter until just combined. Overmixing will make your muffins dense and tough.
- Make a double batch, and freeze the extras! These muffins freeze perfectly, so make a big batch in one go. Then, keep a stash on hand in the freezer for on-the-go breakfasts and quick snacks! You’ll thank yourself later.
If you love these healthy blueberry muffins…
Try my banana muffins, blueberry scones, chocolate zucchini bread, or banana bread next, or head over to this post for more of my favorite quick breakfast ideas!
Blueberry Muffins
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour*
- an additional ½ teaspoon flour to dust the blueberries
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
- 1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil, optional
- 1 ¼ cups blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the almond milk, olive oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon oil, if using.
- Dust the blueberries with ½ teaspoon flour and toss to lightly coat them. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir to combine. Gently fold in the blueberries. Use a ⅓-cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 17 minutes or until the muffin tops spring back to the touch.
They sounds delicious!!!
I recently froze some fresh blueberries – do you think it will work with those too?
In my experience, frozen (from fresh) blueberries work great! I use them in my recipe.
Hi Rotem, frozen blueberries will work! (the packaged frozen kind will change the color of the muffins)
Can’t wait to try these, I don’t have a good healthy blueberry muffin recipe. I really love your recipes and own all your cookbooks. Thank you for your beautiful blog! Mary Beth
Thank you, Mary Beth, I hope you love the muffins!
Can honey or maple syrup substitute for cane sugar?
I have your first cookbook & have given it as gifts. And, I recommended a friend carry it in her home accessory store. It was well received with one customer buying several copies for gifts!!!
Hi Susan, thanks so much for your support!
Maple or honey can’t be subbed here, it would change the dry/liquid ratio. I use natural cane sugar, but coconut sugar would also work.
Can I substitute all-purpose flour if I don’t have the other flours on hand?
I love blueberry muffins! These look so delicious and perfect for weekend brunch!
I was just looking for a new blueberry muffin recipe, so good timing! I’ll give this a tru with our fresh Maine blueberries. They’re tiny but they pack a punch!
Could bananas or a flax egg be substituted for eggs? This recipe looks terrific!
Hi Kat, I think 2 flax eggs should work, but I haven’t tested it myself. I plan to, so I can let you know when I do if that helps?
Wonderful! I will also give it a try myself! Thank you:)
I’m Gluten free. Can I use quinoa or almond flour?
Hi Tera, I would replace the regular flour with a GF all-purpose blend – I really like Pamela’s GF flour, others like Bob’s Red Mill’s GF blend. I wouldn’t use only almond or quinoa flours or they probably won’t rise right. Hope that helps!
Oh these sound so absolutely delicious! I will have to give this recipe a try ♥
I hope you enjoy!
These look amazing! Can I use a mini muffin pan as well? Will it effect baking time at all?
You can, you’ll definitely need to bake them for less time – I’d check them starting around 10 minutes.
These look amazing! Can I use a mini muffin pan? Will it effect bake time at all? Thanks!
When you say lemon oil, are you referring to an essential oil? These look amazing. Can’t wait to make them!
Hi Elizabeth, no that would be too potent, I get this one which you can find in the baking aisle next to the vanilla extracts: https://amzn.to/2mNPu4n
Can I substitute all-purpose flour if I don’t have the other flours on hand?
I was wondering if instead of cane sugar you had ever used honey or maple syrup. If so, what did you think compared to using cane sugar.
Hi Linda, they can’t be exchanged in this recipe since it would affect the ratio of liquid to dry. If you’re looking for an alternative, coconut sugar would work. I hope that helps!
WOW!! I love this post. Thank you for sharing .
I have made these twice already (once subbing chocolate chips for 1/2 the batter) and they are hands-down the best muffins I’ve made. The texture is perfect! I love that they are whole grain but not too dense! Thank you for this!