It’s true that vegan muffins get a bad rap—and, honestly, many of them deserve it.
But here’s the thing: it’s actually not hard to make vegan muffins worthy of a bakery.
In this recipe, baking soda, baking powder, and vegan “buttermilk” provide a fluffy texture, creamy oat milk adds moisture and perfect browning, and a caramelized walnut-brown sugar crumble topping seals the deal.
Say goodbye to dense, gummy muffins, and say hello to the best vegan blueberry muffins of your life!
Ingredient notes
- Fresh blueberries: These are unbeatable with fresh, in-season blueberries. Be sure to rinse and dry them well before adding them to the batter to avoid excess moisture. If you’re using frozen berries, read the FAQ tip.
- Vegan butter: The best muffins (and cakes) in my experience use a combination of oil and butter. Oil keeps them moist, while vegan butter brings rich flavor!
- All-purpose flour: This provides the structure that egg-free muffins need. If you have a gluten allergy, check out the FAQ section for a gluten-free substitute (we tested it and it works great!).
- Brown sugar + cane sugar: Rather than rely solely on white sugar, this recipe incorporates brown sugar, which adds depth of flavor and contributes moisture.
- Lemons: A blueberry muffin = delicious. A blueberry muffin with zippy, fragrant lemon zest? Wow-worthy. You’ll add lemon zest to both the batter and the topping—and you’ll be astonished by how this simple addition elevates and brightens the flavor profile!
- Walnuts: You’ll chop these and combine with brown sugar and lemon zest to make the nutty crumble topping that gloriously caramelizes on the muffin tops, just like in my vegan banana muffin recipe. If you’re allergic to tree nuts, either omit the topping or try rolled oats instead.
Made these before and ready for something new? Try my Bakery-
Style Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins
🫐 Watch the YouTube Video
With over 250K views on Youtube, these blueberry muffins are a huge hit with my community. I hope you love them just as much!
Step-by-step instructions
Make the crumble topping. In a bowl, combine the finely chopped walnuts, brown sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Stir together until well combined.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and cane sugar.
Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl: oat milk mixed with lemon juice, zest of one lemon, flax eggs, melted vegan butter, oil, vanilla and almond extracts.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Use a silicone spatula to gently combine the ingredients until just combined. Don’t overmix!
The muffin batter should be quite thick, almost scoopable (see photo 7). Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the batter into each greased muffin tin—you’ll only be adding roughly half of the batter to the muffin tin at this time (photo 8).
Now, add the blueberries to the remaining muffin batter in the bowl, and fold gently with a silicone spatula.
Fill each muffin tin with the leftover blueberry muffin batter to the top. Sprinkle the crumbling topping onto each muffin.
Bake the muffins at 425ºF/218ºC for 6 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350ºF/175ºC and keep baking for an additional 16 to 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted inside the muffins comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Tips for outstanding muffins
Weigh your ingredients (or “spoon and level” your flour)
For the most precise results, I recommend using a digital scale to weigh out the ingredients (this is my go-to scale that I use for all baking and honestly, most cooking).
If you don’t have a scale, don’t dunk your measuring cup in the bag/jar of flour–this will compact the flour and cause you to overmeasure flour, leading to potentially dry/crumbly muffins.
Instead, use the “spoon and level” method. Fluff the flour in the bag/jar with a fork or whisk (since flour tends to settle and compact in a bag/jar). Using a spoon, spoon the flour out of the bag/container and into a measuring cup. Once the flour mounds over the rim of the measuring cup, level it off evenly with a butter knife.
Don’t overmix the batter
The key to achieving a tender texture in vegan baked goods is not overmixing the batter. 15 to 20ish strokes with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon should be enough to incorporate the dry and wet ingredients. No need for an electric mixer.
Muffin batter should be thick and scoopable
Muffin batter is thicker than cake batter, but not quite as thick as cookie dough. Check out the photo of step 7 in the step-by-step instructions to see how thick it should be. If, for some reason, your batter seems thin, add a bit more flour and stir gently to combine.
After the muffins go in the oven…
- Do NOT open the oven door! Doing this even for a few seconds can reduce the oven temperature significantly. This is especially a no-no during the first half of baking, when the muffins do most of their rising. Resist the temptation to open the door and peek!
- Pay attention to the temperature change! One of the reasons these muffins have bountiful tops is they’re baked at two different temperatures: you start the muffins in a hot oven at 425ºF, then reduce the temperature to 350ºF (without opening the oven door). This process jumpstarts the leavening agents, yielding higher-rising muffins with crunchy tops and soft, tender middles.
- Don’t cool for too long. Remove the baked muffins from the muffin tin after 20 minutes (or 30 minutes, at the most). If you leave them in the pan too long after baking, they can develop sad soggy bottoms.
If you want something to sip on as you eat your muffin, I recommend my High-Protein Mocha Latte, Golden Milk Turmeric Latte, or Sweet & Spicy Almond Butter Date Latte.
Or make these muffins part of a simple-yet-impressive vegan brunch, alongside my Tofu Scramble and a big ol’ salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
In our testing, we had great results with the following changes to the recipe:
(1) Use 1 1/2 cups (200g) of a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour (use a blend with xanthan gum; we used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour) and 1 1/4 cups (136g) of oat flour instead of the all-purpose flour.
(2) Use less liquid: 1 cup (240 mL) oat milk instead of 1 1/4 cups.
(3) Allow to rest in the muffin tins for slightly longer, 25 to 30 minutes. Exercise care when removing the muffins, as they’re a bit more delicate.
Fresh berries will be best, but if you don’t have access to them or if it’s winter, be sure to thaw them first. Rinse them a few times (read here on why rinsing frozen blueberries for muffins is helpful here). Drain most of the liquid that the berries release to avoid watering down the batter too much and pat dry with some towels.
We’ve tried these muffins with soy milk with good results. I tend to use oat milk in baking because it browns the best.
I don’t like using muffin liners for a few reasons: (1) they prevent the sides of the muffins from browning and instead make them ridged (and often soggy); (2) liners often stick to the muffin, so you lose some muffin 😭; and (3) liners actually prevent the muffins from rising to their true potential.
Instead, I recommend generously greasing the muffin tin (I use this one) with cooking spray or brush it with oil. They won’t stick and you’ll be rewarded with perfectly textured muffins!
After brushing/spraying with oil, leave any extra oil that might be on the top of the pan, as it makes it easier to remove the baked muffins from the tin (see the step-by-step photos #8, 11, and 12.
You can replace 3/4 cup (94g) of the all-purpose flour with 3/4 cup almond flour (75g). Or sub all of the all-purpose flour with white spelt flour, or use 2 cups (224g) spelt flour and 3/4 cup (75g) blanched almond flour.
You can also reduce the overall sugar amount from 25 to 50% (FYI these muffins aren’t very sweet as is). You can also sub coconut sugar for the cane sugar and brown sugar but the muffins may not be as moist, as coconut sugar is drier. You might want to sub in 1 tablespoon of maple syrup instead.
Berry muffins will stay good in an airtight container or bag on the counter for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for 5 to 6 days.
And yes, these muffins freeze exceptionally well! Once cooled, add them to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge or at room temperature. The texture is not quite the same but the blueberry flavor is even more concentrated and delicious than in the fresh muffins!
If you love these Vegan Blueberry Muffins as much as we do, please rate and review the recipe below 🙂 And I love seeing your remakes, so tag me on Instagram!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227g) fresh blueberries (about 1 ½ cups) (see Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 1 1/4 cups (300 mL) oat milk
- 1 medium lemon, zested + 1 tablespoon juice
- 2 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (see Note 2) (See Note 3 for GF option)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional, adds more depth of flavor)
- ½ cup (100g) organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup (38g) loosely packed organic brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil (sunflower oil, avocado oil, canola oil, etc.)
- 3 tablespoons (42g) vegan butter, melted (recommended, but can use more oil)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (or just sub in an extra ½ tsp of vanilla)
Walnut Crumble
- ⅓ cup (37g) walnuts, finely chopped
- ⅓ packed cup (50g) organic brown sugar
- 1 medium lemon, zested
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry your blueberries in a towel. You want them to be dry before using.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF/218ºC. Generously grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin on the bottoms and sides with coconut oil or cooking spray–be generous to avoid sticking (see Note 4).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and 5 tablespoons of warm water. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes to gel up.
- Zest the lemon and set the zest aside for step 6. Juice the lemon and add one tablespoon of juice to the oat milk ("buttermilk"). Stir and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make the Walnut Crumble: In a small bowl, mix the finely chopped walnuts, brown sugar, zest of 1 lemon, and pinch of salt until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cane sugar, and the 1/4 cup brown sugar.In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: buttermilk, lemon zest, prepared flax eggs, oil, melted butter, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon and stir until just combined, but do not over mix. (See Note 5)Do not mix in the blueberries at this point.
- Drop a heaping tablespoonful of the batter into the bottom of each muffin cup, making sure to cover the bottom of the tin. You'll only add roughly half of the batter to the muffin tins at this time.
- Now, add the blueberries to the remaining batter in the bowl and use a silicone spatula to gently fold them in. Divide the blueberry muffin batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling to the top. Sprinkle the Walnut Crumble evenly over each muffin.
- Bake at 425ºF/218ºC for 6 minutes, or until muffins have risen nicely. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350ºF/175ºC. Bake for another 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes. Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to loosen the muffins. (See Note 6)Store cooled muffins in an airtight container on the counter for 2 to 3 days, or in the fridge for 5 to 6 days, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Video
Notes
- If using frozen blueberries, rinse them a few times and drain most of the liquid to avoid watering down the batter too much. Pat dry with some towels.
- I highly recommend using a digital scale for weighing ingredients when baking. If not, be sure to use the spoon-and-level method to avoid over-measuring flour.
- To make these muffins gluten-free:
- Swap the AP flour with a mix of 1 1/2 cups (200g) of a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour + 1 1/4 cups (136g) of oat flour.
- Use just 1 cup (240 mL) of oat milk.
- Generously greasing the muffin tins, instead of using muffin liners, yields a better texture and higher-rising muffins. But if using liners, you can skip the greasing step.
- The muffin batter should be thick and scoopable.
- If you have trouble loosening the muffins from the tins, soak a dish towel with very hot water. Wring it out (you may want to wear oven mitts). Place the towel underneath the muffin tin. Rest for 10 minutes. The steam should help loosen the muffins.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
These blueberry muffins were delicious! I was surprised how high they had risen. My two adult sons and husband couldn’t believe these were vegan. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! The best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made!
Thanks for the wonderful review, Sue! We appreciate you!
I’ve baked this recipe many times for different occasions, and the muffins have turned out perfectly every single time. If you follow the instructions, you’ll get a light and fluffy texture. The flavor is beautifully layered, thanks to the lemon and spices, and honestly, this is the blueberry muffin recipe I’ll be using for the rest of my life. Other people have loved these muffins too – I’ve even been asked where I got the recipe. Thank you so much!
Your review made our day, Kathlynn! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
Thank you so much for such a fabulous recipe! It turned out great- I was a half cup short on blueberries and three fourth on flour, so i substituted the flour with almond meal, and it worked great. The crumble on top was a lovely addition. Thanks again!
They have risen really high and they are beautifull perfect texture thank you!
These are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever made – and I’ve made a lot of blueberry muffins! Do you have any ideas on a substitute for a flax (or chia) egg? I want to share with a blueberry muffin loving friend who is allergic to flax & chia. Thanks!
Thank you for the lovely words, Bailey! We are so happy you loved the muffins 🙂
You can try using plain unsweetened vegan yogurt instead of the flaxseed meal. About 6 to 7 tablespoons (85 to 100g). Fold that in with a silicone spatula after mixing the browned butter and sugars. We haven’t tried that ourselves, but based on our research, we think it could work decently well. Hope that helps!
you might also try Bob Red Mill egg replacer, used it a few times in some recipes in lieu of a flax egg and no complaints.
Perfection. Soft, light, full of blueberries throughout (not just the muffin bottom). Will make again and again!!
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Suze. Thanks for your kind words!
Delightful! Very, very good! I found a half bag of forgotten frozen blueberries and so their purpose in life was fulfilled!
We’re so happy to hear it, Joann! 🙂
These were good! The muffins themselves in particular. The blueberries though, despite being really delicious when fresh, tasted just sour when baked – any tips for choosing blueberries or what else might be the cause would be very helpful)
Hi Dasha, we’re glad you enjoyed the muffins!
And as for the issue with the blueberries: from your email address it looks like you live in the northern hemisphere, so it isn’t blueberry season yet.
If the berries weren’t very sweet plain, they wouldn’t be sweet in the muffins; we suggest checking out the FAQ for instructions for using frozen blueberries until blueberry season in summer!
Made these with my toddler today (I prepped and he dumped and mixed haha) and they turned out amazing! We left off the walnut topping on half since you never know with a picky toddler and they ones without are still so delicious. We will definitely be making these again. Thanks so much for this recipe!
We’re so happy that the muffins turned out well for you, LaBreah. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for trying out the recipe!
Will cutting some of the sugar in this recipe impact the texture / flavor? Tips for less sugar or sugar replacements? The sugar in the banana muffins can be taken way down and they are still the bomb. Thoughts? (Will come back and review, promise).
Hi Cass, you can actually find the answer to your question in the FAQ section, but I will paste it here for your convenience:
“You can also reduce the overall sugar amount from 25 to 50% (FYI these muffins aren’t very sweet as is). You can also sub coconut sugar for the cane sugar and brown sugar but the muffins may not be as moist, as coconut sugar is drier. You might want to sub in 1 tablespoon of maple syrup instead.”
Enjoy and we can’t wait to hear back 🙂