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These blueberry crumb muffins are soft, bursting with berries, and topped with crisp, buttery streusel. They’re great for breakfast, brunch, or snacking!
Is there anything better than a warm, fluffy muffin bursting with juicy blueberries and topped with a buttery, crunchy crumb? These blueberry crumb muffins are everything you want in a classic bakery-style muffin; moist, flavorful, and finished with an irresistible streusel topping that’s sweet, buttery, and crisp. They’re almost like a cross between coffee cake and blueberry muffins.
Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just looking for a cozy weekend bake, these streusel topped blueberry muffins are sure to be a favorite. Plus, I’ve scaled it down for those who want a small batch blueberry muffins recipe. No more worrying about leftovers going stale, this makes two jumbo muffins or four to five regular-sized muffins!
Blueberry Muffins with Sour Cream vs Yogurt vs Buttermilk
These three ingredients all help create a moist, tender crumb and add a slightly tangy flavor to muffins. However, each one behaves a bit differently in the batter, and can subtly change the texture and flavor. Here we use sour cream for rich flavor and soft, cake-like texture.
Sour Cream
- Texture: Thick and rich, sour cream makes muffins ultra-moist and tender.
- Flavor: Adds a pleasant tang and richness without overwhelming the blueberry flavor.
- Result: Muffins with sour cream tend to have a denser crumb and a soft, almost creamy bite like a bakery-style muffin.
Greek or Plain Yogurt
- Texture: Slightly thinner than sour cream, especially regular (non-Greek) yogurt.
- Flavor: Similar tang, but slightly lighter in flavor than sour cream.
- Result: Muffins made with yogurt are moist but slightly lighter, depending on the fat content. Greek yogurt gives more structure; regular yogurt creates a softer crumb.
Buttermilk
- Texture: Thinner than both sour cream and yogurt; it’s a pourable liquid.
- Flavor: Very tangy and bright.
- Result: Buttermilk yields muffins that are light, fluffy, and airy, but you’ll typically need slightly more flour or a touch less liquid to balance the moisture in the batter.
Which One Should You Use?
- For rich, bakery-style muffins: Use sour cream.
- For a lighter muffin with subtle tang: Go with yogurt.
- For the fluffiest, most tender crumb: Buttermilk is your best bet.
All three work beautifully, it’s just a matter of what texture and flavor you’re going for!
Why You’ll Love These Blueberry Crumb Muffins
- Bakery-style texture: Soft, moist crumb that’s bursting with berries.
- Easy streusel topping for muffins: Made with pantry staples, this crumb topping adds amazing flavor and texture. A crumbly topping takes muffins from good to amazing!
- Quick to make: From mixing bowl to oven in about 10 minutes.
- Customizable: Use any kind of berries you like, add a lemon zest twist, or go with a handful of chopped nuts.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Muffin Batter Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – A little bit of butter yields muffins with a rich, buttery crumb.
- Vegetable oil – For the best muffins, we use a combination of butter (for flavor) and oil (for fluffy texture). Instead of vegetable oil, you can use avocado oil or any mild or neutral-flavored oil.
- Granulated white sugar – Adds sweetness and helps the muffins stay moist.
- Light brown sugar – For depth of flavor.
- Egg white – Save the yolk for something else. You can add it to your scrambled eggs in the morning, whip up coconut pudding, or make egg custard.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Sour cream – Similar to buttermilk or yogurt, sour cream adds rich, subtly tangy flavor. The acidity helps create a soft, tender crumb.
- Flour – Here we use all-purpose flour as the structural base for our muffins. Additionally, we need a little bit of flour to toss our blueberries in to help prevent them from sinking.
- Baking powder and baking soda – The leavening agents.
- Salt – To make sure our muffins aren’t bland.
- Blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries here. If you’re using fresh, make sure to pat them dry very well before tossing them in a little bit of flour. If you’re using frozen, don’t thaw them first.
Crumb Topping Ingredients
- Unsalted butter – In its most basic form, a classic crumble topping contains butter, flour, and sugar. Butter adds richness, acts as a binder so the mixture forms wet crumbles, and turns crisp and golden after baking.
- All-purpose flour – Flour provides the necessary structure for a crumb topping. Without flour, it would be a greasy, sandy-textured mess.
- Light brown sugar – Here we use light brown sugar instead of white sugar. Not only does it help the tops turn golden brown, but the molasses adds rich caramel notes.
- Cinnamon – This warm spice complements the brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract – For robust flavor and aroma.
- Salt – To help create a balanced flavor profile.
Tip: How to Make Muffins Smell Like a Bakery
You won’t believe how easy this trick is. Simply add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to the batter! You won’t be able to pull out the flavor of almond, but it’ll add that je ne sais quoi to the flavor and aroma.
Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Make Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
To prep, preheat the oven to 400F. Line a jumbo muffin tray with 2 paper liners.
- Add all ingredients for the streusel to a medium bowl. Use a fork to mix until crumbly, then pop it into the fridge for 5 minutes while you make the batter.
- For the muffin batter, add the melted butter, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, egg white, vanilla extract, and sour cream to a medium bowl, and whisk well to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined (being careful not to over-mix; a few lumps are fine).
- Add the blueberries and 1 teaspoon flour to a small bowl and toss gently to coat the berries in flour. Gently fold the floured blueberries into the batter.
- Divide the batter between the 2 lined jumbo muffin wells, and top each with half of the streusel. If you have a couple extra berries, sprinkle them on top.
- Bake until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Tip: If You Want a Domed Muffin Top
Adding more flour can help create a domed muffin top, but it does come with a tradeoff: your muffins may turn out less moist or even a bit dry if you’re not careful.
Extra flour can help because a slightly thicker batter holds its shape better and is more likely to rise upward into that perfect dome instead of spreading outward. It also slows down the spread, giving the leavening agents time to create lift.
But the catch is that too much flour absorbs moisture, and that can lead to drier, denser muffins. Additionally, it may dull the flavor if it throws off the fat/sugar/liquid balance.
I love the perfect soft, moist, cake-like crumb to these muffins and I don’t mind that they aren’t domed. However, if you want domed muffins, simply increase the flour in this recipe by 2 tablespoons (for a total of 3/4 cup), and keep everything else the same.
Storage
- Room temp: Store in an airtight container lined with paper towels for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: They’ll stay good for up to 5 days, but re-warm them before eating for the best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Reheat until warm in 10-second intervals in the microwave, or a 325F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Tips For the Best Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Chill the streusel topping. We soften the butter so everything mixes up well, but we need to chill it a bit before baking. This helps the crumbles stay distinct and crisp instead of melting into the muffins too much.
- Tossing your blueberries in a little flour before folding them into the batter helps keep them from sinking to the bottom.
- You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. If they’re frozen, don’t thaw them; toss the frozen berries with flour and add them right into the batter. Fold them into the batter with as few strokes as possible to prevent purple streaking.
- Mix the batter just until combined. Overmixing can lead to tough or rubbery muffins. It’s okay if the batter is a bit lumpy.
- We want the batter on the thick side to help suspend blueberries evenly throughout the muffins for a nice distribution in every bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
They’re essentially the same! Both involve flour, sugar, and butter. Some streusels include oats, cinnamon, and/or nuts for extra flavor.
Tossing them in flour before adding helps, but if your batter is too thin or over-mixed, that can also cause sinking. For best results, avoid over-mixing and use thicker batters like this.
Yes! You’ll get 4 to 5 regular-sized muffins from this recipe. Bake them at 400F until the crumble topping is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.
More Ways to Get Your Blueberry Fix
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Easy Blueberry Pie with Frozen Blueberries
- Creamy Wheat Berry Porridge with Gingered Blueberry Topping
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Blueberry Crumb Muffins Recipe
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Equipment
- Jumbo muffin pan (see Notes for regular muffins)
Ingredients
Crumb Topping:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened but not melted
- 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Muffin Batter:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or avocado oil or any mild or neutral-flavored oil
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 78 g all-purpose flour about 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon more to toss the blueberries
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup blueberries
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a jumbo muffin tray with 2 paper liners.
- Make the streusel. Add all ingredients to a medium bowl. Use a fork to mix until crumbly, then pop it into the fridge for 5 minutes while you make the batter.
- Make the muffin batter. Add the blueberries and 1 teaspoon flour to a small bowl and toss gently to coat the berries in flour. Add the melted butter, oil, white sugar, brown sugar, egg white, vanilla extract, and sour cream to a medium bowl, and whisk well to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined (being careful not to over-mix; a few lumps are fine). Gently fold the floured blueberries into the batter.
- Assemble and bake. Divide the batter between the 2 lined jumbo muffin wells, and top each with half of the streusel. If you have a couple extra berries, sprinkle them on top. Bake until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Notes
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes 2 jumbo muffins or 4 to 5 regular muffins. If you’re making jumbo muffins, 1 serving is 1/2 a muffin.
- Storage: Once cooled, store muffins in an airtight container lined with paper towels for up to 3 days at room temperature, 5 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.
- Reheating: After the first day, for best texture reheat muffins until warm in 10-second intervals in the microwave, or a 325F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
- To Make These in a Regular-Sized Muffin Tin: You’ll get 4 to 5 regular-sized muffins from this recipe. Bake them at 400F until the crumble topping is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.
- For Domed Muffins: I love the perfect soft, moist, cake-like crumb to these muffins and I don’t mind that they aren’t domed. However, if you want domed muffins, increase the flour in this recipe by 2 tablespoons (for a total of 3/4 cup), and keep everything else the same. (For more info on this, read the tip in the article above “If You Want a Domed Muffin Top”.)
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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