Who doesn’t love a blueberry muffin? My Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins have just the right balance of acidity and sweetness, and the perfect fluffy muffin tops.
These muffins are perfectly balanced in flavor, and have the ideal fluffy texture. The acidity from the buttermilk, lemon and blueberries create an extremely flavorful muffin. I also use a generous amount of salt to enhance the flavors even more.
In addition to flavor balance, proper baking technique is essential when creating great muffins. Follow my tips below to ensure your muffins are fluffy and nicely domed.
Ingredient Notes
- Vanilla extract– look for pure (avoid artificial) for the best flavor
- Buttermilk – refer to the recipe card for substitutions
- Blueberries– fresh or frozen both work
Step by Step Process
To make my buttermilk blueberry muffins, preheat the oven to 425F and line a standard muffin tin with liners. Then, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt (1).
Add blueberries to a bowl and toss to coat with 2 tablespoons of the dry mixture (2). In another bowl, whip together the butter and sugar (3). Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and lemon zest (4).
Then, add buttermilk, lemon juice and the dry ingredients, to the egg/sugar mixture, alternating, in 2-3 additions (5&6). Fold in blueberries (7).
Transfer batter to prepared tin using an ice cream scoop or spoon. Sprinkle tops with demerara sugar (8).
Bake in preheated oven for about 5 minutes at 425F. Lower oven to 375F and bake until cooked through. Cool on wire rack. See recipe for in-depth instructions and storage tips.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Start with a hot oven. I bake these for 5-8 minutes at 425F before lowering the temperature to 375F. The initial blast of heat helps the muffins rise and get the perfect domed shape.
- Don’t over-mix. Make sure not to over-mix the batter after combining the wet and dry ingredients. If too much gluten forms, the muffins will become tough and dense.
- Sift. Sifting the dry ingredients helps to aerate the mixture, for a lighter texture. Make sure to whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly for even baking powder and salt disbursement.
- Whip butter, sugar and eggs right. It’s important to take your time to whisk together the butter and sugar until it’s very light and fluffy. You should also thoroughly whip in the eggs to help incorporate air and make light muffins.
- Variations. Substitute the lemon for meyer lemon or orange, or leave it out all together. Swap out the blueberries for a few spoonfuls of poppy seeds to make lemon poppy seed muffins. Try dairy free milk or yogurt in this recipe instead of cow’s milk.
Buttermilk helps tenderize the muffins by breaking down strands of gluten. It also helps moisten baked goods and adds a tangy flavor.
Yes. You can stir the blueberries into the batter while they’re still frozen, or defrost them in advance and drain off the excess liquid before using them.
This post is also available as a web story.
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Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen muffins 1x
Description
My Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins have just the right balance of acidity and sweetness, and the perfect fluffy muffin tops.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp kosher salt (½ tsp fine salt)
- 1 ½ cups blueberries*
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 8 oz buttermilk or buttermilk substitute (see recipe notes)*
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Demerara or turbinado sugar for topping
Instructions
- Prep pan. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 liners.
- Sift dry ingredients. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly to evenly distribute.
- Coat blueberries. Place blueberries in a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons of dry mixture to coat. This helps prevent blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- Beat butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. You can also use hand-held beaters or mix by hand, using a large whisk.
- Add eggs. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until full incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and zest.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients. Mix buttermilk and lemon juice together. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk mix to the batter, alternating, in two to three additions. Do not overmix. Gently fold in blueberries.
- Bake. Use a trigger release ice cream scoop or spoons to fill muffin tin. Batter should fill liners to the top. Sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until muffins rise ¼ to ½ inch above the top of the pan. Check using oven light. Do not open the oven! Reduce heat to 375F and continue baking for approximately 12-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
- Cool. Cool in tin for 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. These are best served the day they’re baked when the tops are slightly crunchy. See notes for storage tips. Enjoy.
Notes
You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, either use while still frozen or defrost and drain excess liquid before using.
For a buttermilk substitute, combine 8oz whole or low-fat milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and allow to sit for 5 minutes, until curdled. You can also substitute with ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt mixed with ¼ cup of milk.
To store, place cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or up to 4-5 days in the fridge.
You can also freeze individually wrapped muffins for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge the day before you plan to eat them.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 16g
- Sodium: 135mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
I made this recipe that are so good, and so easy to make. Thanks for another great recipe Sabrina.
Thanks, mom 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. The muffins truly are moist they puff up nicely and I love the sugar topping!
Thank you so much!
I’d like some right now! I’m impressed by how careful and detailed the instructions are.
Thank you, Dinitia 🙂