These bakery-style buttermilk blueberry muffins are soft, tender, and irresistibly fluffy. Each muffin develops a tall, domed top with a slightly crisp exterior and a moist, buttery interior. The recipe is simple to make—no mixer required—and produces bakery-quality muffins at home.
This recipe was originally published in September 2020 and has been updated with new photos and an improved recipe.
I like keeping a batch of muffins on hand for quick breakfasts and grab-and-go snacks. After testing this batter many times, I settled on a method that delivers super-soft crumb and tall, bakery-style tops. With a few easy tips—extra leavening, a short rest for the batter, spacing the liners, and a high initial bake temperature—you can achieve impressive muffin domes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Super easy — only a handful of pantry ingredients and no mixer are needed. Two bowls, a whisk, and a spatula are all it takes.
- Tall muffin tops — the combination of slightly extra leavening, a short rest at room temperature, spacing the liners, and starting the bake at high heat helps the muffins rise tall like a bakery version.
- Customizable — add lemon zest, sprinkle sparkling sugar, or top with a crumb streusel for variation.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Neutral oil — vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil. Oil yields a softer, more tender muffin than using only butter.
- Fresh blueberries — rinsed and patted dry. Fresh berries hold their shape best in this thick batter.
- All-purpose flour — the recipe is tested with AP flour; a 1:1 gluten-free blend may work but can alter texture.
- Granulated sugar — simple white sugar keeps the crumb light.
- Buttermilk — adds a mild tang and helps produce a tender, fluffy interior.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the oil, granulated sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk until well combined.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Carefully fold in the blueberries—do not overmix. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour; this helps the leaveners start working and contributes to taller muffin tops.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two muffin pans with 11 liners, but only line every other cavity to give each muffin more room to rise. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to fill each liner to the very top. Bake one pan at a time: bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake an additional 18–20 minutes until golden and a tester comes out clean.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Line every other cavity: spacing the liners gives each muffin more room to expand and produces larger domes.
- Rest the batter: allowing the batter to sit for about an hour at room temperature activates the leavening and improves rise.
- Handle the batter gently: scoop gently so the rested batter retains its air; over-handling deflates it and breaks blueberries.
- Top additions: sprinkle extra blueberries or coarse sugar on top just before baking for a pretty finish.
- No liners: if you don’t have liners, grease the muffin tin thoroughly before filling.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Lemon blueberry muffins: add the zest of one lemon to the batter or replace some vanilla with ½–1 teaspoon lemon extract.
- Crumb topping: add a simple streusel before baking if you prefer a crumbly top—reduce strong spices to let blueberry flavor shine.
- Sparkling sugar: top with turbinado or coarse sparkling sugar for shine and crunch.
- Jumbo muffins: use a jumbo pan and bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then 25–27 minutes at 350°F; yields about 4 large muffins.
Baking Tips & FAQs
The batter is quite thick, so fresh blueberries generally stay suspended. If you prefer, toss the berries in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in to reduce any sinking.
Avoid overmixing. Overmixing breaks the berries and turns the batter blue, and also makes muffins dense and tough.
Buttermilk adds a pleasant tang and its acidity tenderizes the crumb by slightly breaking down gluten, creating a softer muffin texture.
Storage Tips
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2–3 days, or refrigerate for 4–5 days. To freeze, place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.
Have you made this recipe? Please rate it below and share a photo if you can!
Recipe
The Best Bakery Style Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
Equipment
- 2 muffin pans
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup (227 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 ml) neutral oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups (222 g) fresh blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
Instructions
Make Muffins
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two muffin pans with 11 liners, lining every other cavity.
- Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to fill liners to the top. Optionally sprinkle extra blueberries or coarse sugar on each muffin.
- Bake one pan at a time: 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 18–20 minutes. Muffins should be golden brown.
- Allow muffins to rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
These recipes are developed and tested using metric grams. For best results, use a kitchen scale.
Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount called for; 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt is approximately 1/2 teaspoon fine salt.
Oil: Use a neutral oil such as vegetable, canola, or sunflower for the best texture.
Lemon option: Add the zest of one lemon when you fold in the blueberries to make lemon blueberry muffins.
Jumbo muffins: Use a jumbo pan and bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then 25–27 minutes at 350°F.
Carbohydrates: 49 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 12 g
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving.
Leave a comment below and tag photos on social media so I can see your results!