Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
These blueberry buttermilk muffins are fluffy and moist with bursts of juicy blueberries dotted throughout. I add on a buttery streusel crumb topping which adds the perfect texture to the soft muffin base.
About these muffins
These muffins are quick to whip up, with a tender, moist crumb thanks to the buttermilk. The batter gets an extra boost of flavor with the addition of lemon zest. I rub it into sugar to bring out the lemon oils.
The blueberries get stirred in at the end to keep them whole and juicy. To finish them off, I add a simple streusel topping that bakes up golden and crisp. It adds a lovely crunch and a bit of extra sweetness that pairs beautifully with the tangy blueberries. They work well with fresh or frozen blueberries you can make them year round! For a smaller-batch, check out these small-batch blueberry muffins.
Buttermilk subsitutions
Buttermilk is an excellent in muffins. It’s an acidic liquid that helps to halt gluten development in wheat flour, so it makes a more tender crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, don’t worry! There are a few easy swaps that work just as well:
- Milk + lemon juice – Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to measuring jug and pour over just under 180g of milk to make up the weight needed in the recipe. Let it sit for 5 minutes to sour before using.
- Plain yogurt or keffir – If it’s Greek yogurt, thin it out with a splash of milk or water to get the same consistency as buttermilk.
- Sour cream – Thin it with a little milk until it’s pourable.
Frozen blueberries in baking
These can bleed their color easily into the batter , but a quick rinse under cold water helps! Gently pat them dry with a paper towel before folding into the batter.
Method
- Line a muffin pan and preheat the oven.
- Mix melted butter, flour and sugar into a coarse crumb, then set it aside.
- Rub lemon zest into sugar
- Add in melted butter, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and buttermilk.
- Fold through the dry ingredients until almost mixed, then carefully fold through blueberries.
- Divide the batter evenly over the muffin pan An ice cream scoop is easy to use for this job.,
- Generously add the streusel on top of each muffin, then bake.
Substitutions
- Soft brown sugar can be used instead of white sugar in the streusel for a deeper flavor. A little cinnamon can be added too.
- Swap the blueberries for chopped strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries.
- Leave off the streusel if you like for muffins without topping or use coarse sugar (turbinado sugar)
Storing
Store leftover muffins at room temperature, covered for up to 3 days.
Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, and place each muffin in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge or on the bench. The muffins can be rewarmed in the microwave or in the oven for 5 minutes at around 300°F/150°C.
More muffins to try
Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
- 45 g unsalted butter, melted
- 63 g all-purpose flour
- 65 g granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
Muffins
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 113 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 180 g buttermilk or natural yogurt
- 260 g blueberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Grease or line a standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
Streusel
- In a small bowl combine melted butter, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour. Use a fork to combine it into a coarse crumb, then set it aside. 45 g unsalted butter, melted, 63 g all-purpose flour, 65 g granulated sugar, Pinch of salt
Batter
- Mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. 250 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt , 1/4 tsp baking soda
- In a large bowl add granulated sugar and lemon zest. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar to release the lemon oils. 150 g granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Whisk until well-combined. 113 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, 2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, 180 g buttermilk
- Fold in the dry ingredients until almost combined, then add the blueberries and fold all together. If using frozen blueberries, give these a good rinse under cold water first and drain before adding. 260 g blueberries
- Divide the batter evenly over the 12 muffin liners.
- Generously pile the streusel on top of each muffin.
Baking
- Bake the muffins at 425°F/220°C for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F/180°C and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed in the center.
- Remove them from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing them on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
I love your recipes.
Thank you so much Terri!
Amei essa receita. INCLUSIVE A DICA DA SUBSTITUIÇÃO DO LEITE LHO
Thank you so much Maria!
Visually these muffins were lovely! Made 12 perfect pretty muffins, and I was ready to fall in love. But, flavour-wise I wasn’t as impressed. Nothing was wrong – these are perfectly fine muffins. But they weren’t spectacular. I found the base was missing something… more vanilla? add some lemon extract? more sugar? more lemon zest? I don’t know. But the sweetness of the streusal carried the muffin. I followed the recipe as written (using weight measurements) with fresh blueberries and real buttermilk.
Hi Elien,
I have been making these muffins repeatedly for the last year adding more lemon zest and adding nuts and brown sugar to the streusel. Yesterday, a friend asked me if I could make them more tart and I was not sure whether I could lessen some of the buttermilk for lemon juice. I am not a Baker-Extraordinaire like you so I thought I would ask your suggestion. Thank you
Hey Rose, so happy to hear you make these so often! You could do that, though if you add too much lemon juice, it can affect the rise of the muffin, so I would test it with small amounts first. You could also reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup to make it a little less sweet 🙂
I am always trying new blueberry muffin recipes on Pinterest, but these are the BEST. I divided the recipe in half with excellent results!
Thank you so much Susan!!