Healthy Blueberry Muffins

A freshly baked blueberry muffin sits on a decorative blue and white plate, with whole blueberries scattered around it. The muffin is golden brown with visible blueberries baked inside.

No ratings yet

My blueberry muffins are one of the most beloved recipes on my site, so there were a few things I refused to sacrifice when making healthy blueberry muffins. They still needed tall domes and the same great flavor as the original. I tested multiple versions to make them lighter with 50% less sugar and no seed oils. This final version delivers everything I wouldn’t compromise on.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Rest Time15

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy blueberry muffins

Servings: muffins

Author: Beth

Equipment

Ingredients

3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (149g) granulated sugar
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
⅓ cup (70g) olive oil or avocado oil
¾ cup (171g) buttermilk
½ cup (125g) plain whole milk greek yogurt
3 Tbsp (46g) milk whole, 2%, 1% or almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (280-320g) blueberries if using frozen, do not thaw

Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.
3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup (149g) granulated sugar, 3 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon
In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk, plain whole milk greek yogurt, milk and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula or fork.
2 large eggs, 1/3 cup (70g) olive oil or avocado oil, 3/4 cup (171g) buttermilk, 1/2 cup (125g) plain whole milk greek yogurt, 3 Tbsp (46g) milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Using a spatula, gently fold in the blueberries. The batter will be very thick!
2 cups (280-320g) blueberries
Allow the batter to rest in the bowl for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. These lower sugar, lower fat muffins tend to stick to the liners, so I recommend spraying the liners with non-stick cooking spray. Fill the liners so they are domed with batter, about ½ heaping cup of batter in each well. Add additional blueberries to each muffin.
Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keeping the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 16-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.

Notes

Frozen blueberries work well in this recipe, but they should be added straight from the freezer.

You can reduce the granulated sugar to 2/3 cup for a less sweet muffin, but the reduction will slightly alter the final structure and moisture.

Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results.

Nutrition