Rich and soft blueberry muffins with a hint of lemon, plump berries and a delicious crumb topping. This truly is the only recipe for blueberry muffins you'll ever need!
Place flour, sugar and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add cold butter and and cut into flour mixture until crumbs form. Refrigerate.
Make the muffins
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate large measuring jug or medium bow until smooth.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined - lumps are fine. Do not overmix! Fold the blueberries into the batter.
Evenly divide batter between prepared muffin cups (I use a cookie/ice cream scoop for less mess and super easy scooping). Evenly top muffins with chilled streusel.
Reduce oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). Place muffin pan on a lined baking sheet (in case any dripping occurs) and bake muffins for 10 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce temperature to 360°F (180°C) and finish baking for around 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Ingredient notes
Yogurt: I use plain yogurt for these, not Greek Yogurt. If all you have is Greek Yogurt, please thin it out with a little more buttermilk. Otherwise, the batter will be too thick.
Oil: Feel free to use melted butter in the muffin batter in place of the oil.
Butter: Please use cold butter for the crumb topping. This is essential for it to work! Unfortunately, regular margarine or buttery spread cannot be used as a substitute. If you have to use margarine for any kind of reason, please use stick margarine for best results.
Lemon zest: I first shared this recipe in 2017 with the addition of lavender instead of lemon. I have re-tested and changed the recipe to use lemon in 2021, because it’s just so much more accessible. If you want to use the original lavender, use 1 teaspoon dried food-grade lavender, finely chopped up. Rub it into the sugar with your fingers before using the sugar in the muffin batter.
Buttermilk: If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, use regular milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar stirred in. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before using in the recipe. I will say that the muffins turn out best with actual buttermilk, but I’ve used this easy substitute plenty of times with great results.
Blueberries: I prefer using fresh blueberries over frozen, because the fresh don’t color the batter. If using frozen, make sure to use them straight from frozen, toss them very well in flour and then add to the batter with just 3-4x folding. Otherwise, you’ll have grey muffins.
Recipe tips
Tossing the berries in flour will result in the most beautiful interior, not tossing them will allow more blueberry juice to flow into the muffin and create almost custard-like pockets. This comes down to personal preference! I personally usually do toss them in flour to keep all of the berries from sinking to the bottom.
I cannot stress this enough, but do not melt the butter for the crumb topping! Please. I’m begging you. Cold butter, worked into the sugar and flour quickly (as you would with pie crust), then refrigerated until you’re ready to bake will result in the best outcome.
The batter is quite thick and sturdy. That way it can support the weight of the berries and carry some of the moisture they release during baking.
Storage tips
On the counterTo store the fully cooled muffins for 1-2 days, either place them in an airtight container, large zip-top bag or wrap them in plastic wrap. Keep on the counter for 1-2 days.In the fridgeIf you need your muffins to stay fresh for 3-4 days, let them cool completely and then place them in an airtight container or in a zip-top bag and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. The topping does soften in this method, but it’s the best way to keep the muffins from drying out too much for this time frame.In the freezerThese muffins are also great for the freezer! Allow them to cool completely, wrap each in plastic wrap and then pack in freezer-friendly bags or containers. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months), then place in the freezer.To defrost, remove as many muffins as you need from the freezer. Allow them to sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes, until you can easily remove the plastic wrap. Place the muffins on a cooling rack for a few hours to fully defrost.