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These classic gluten free blueberry muffins are crisp on the outside, soft and tender inside. So easy to make, and they taste just like they came from your favorite bakery!

More than just a “regular” muffin with blueberries added, this special muffin recipe has a perfect moist but stable crumb that's just right for as many with sweet, slightly tart blueberries as possible. Accept no less!

gluten free blueberry muffin on its side in a metal muffin tin
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My take

Nicole's Recipe Notes

These buttery gluten-free blueberry muffins are light and fluffy, with tons of moisture and flavor from the blueberries. The fresh taste of the sweet-tart blueberries combines with a touch of lemon juice and buttermilk to create an extra tender muffin crumb.

The batter is thick enough that the berries don't sink to the bottom, and the craggy, uneven top creates lots of browned edges for flavor and texture.

Each muffin is topped with coarse crunchy sugar so each bite has that extra sweetness and crunchโ€”plus just enough blueberries for tons of flavor in every bite. But not so much that the muffins fall apart when you bite them.

Blueberry muffin ingredients images with words in white type on black rectangles: GF flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, lemon juice which is an image of a lemon, blueberries, white sugar, eggs, melted butter and buttermilk

what's in it

Recipe ingredients

  • Buttermilk: For tanginess and tenderness, you need buttermilk here, but you can always substitute half plain yogurt/half milk for buttermilk whenever you run out
  • Butter: Butter adds richness and tenderness; it's melted to make it easier to mix the muffin batter
  • Lemon juice: Adds a bit more tang and some brightness; lemon flavor goes so well with blueberries
  • Eggs: Act as a binder and help the muffins rise
  • Gluten free flours: The recipe calls for an all purpose gluten free flour blend plus some cornstarch to lighten it up. But if your flour blend is Cup4Cup, instead of adding cornstarch, add another 1/4 cup of Cup4Cup
  • Baking powder & baking soda: Make sure they're fresh, because these chemical leaveners are responsible for your muffins rising in the oven
  • Salt: Balances other flavors
  • Sugar: For sweetness, but also for a tender crumb.
  • Blueberries: The main event, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you use frozen, don't deforst them first or they'll turn your muffins blue!
yellow gluten free blueberry muffin broken in half to show baked blueberries inside on a small white round plate on a pink cloth

substitutions

Ingredient substitution suggestions

Dairy free

For a dairy-free buttermilk substitute, mix together half plain dairy free yogurt and half of your favorite unflavored, unsweetened nondairy milk (I like almond milk).

To replace the butter in the recipe, try Melt or Miyoko's Creamery brand vegan butter.

Egg free

In place of each of the 2 eggs, try using 2 โ€œchia eggsโ€ (mix 1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water in a small bowl and allow it to sit until it thickens and forms a gel-like consistency).

Corn free

This recipe calls for cornstarch added to an all purpose gluten free flour blend. If you can't have corn, try using arrowroot or potato starch.

If you're using a high-starch all purpose gluten free flour blend like Cup4Cup, use an extra 36 grams Cup4Cup in place of cornstarch.

Blueberries

Try replacing the blueberries with raspberries, either fresh or frozen just as you would blueberries. For strawberries, I'd recommend using our gluten free strawberry muffins recipe instead of replacing the berries here.

a light yellow gluten free blueberry muffin with baked blueberries in the well of a metal muffin tin

My Pro Tip

Expert tips

This recipe for gluten free muffins is simple. Even if you're a total newbie to gluten free recipes. But these tips will help you get perfect, delicious blueberry muffins every time.

Begin baking at 400ยฐF

Baking your muffins for a few minutes of their baking time at a higher temperature activates the baking powder quickly, and helps your muffins rise into a high dome. Be sure to lower the oven temperature after the first few minutes, or they'll burn on the bottom, though.

Don't defrost frozen blueberries

Adding frozen blueberries to muffin batter is much better than defrosting them first. The cold berries help keep the muffins from becoming over-mixed, which can lead to a dense and gummy texture. Frozen blueberries also retain their natural juices, which helps keep the muffins moist and light.

Plus, your batter will be beautifully flecked with specks of blueberry color. Just add the frozen berries straight from the freezer to the muffin batter when the recipe calls for it for perfectly delicious gluten free blueberry muffins!

Keep frozen berries from bleeding

Keep them in the freezer until right before you're ready to add them to the muffins. Working quickly, toss the still-frozen berries in some of the dry ingredients and add them to the prepared batter as directed.

Finally, fold the frozen berries into the soft gf blueberry muffin batter. Treat them like you would whipped cream or egg whites that get folded in to batter like we do in our gluten free angel food cake.

a light yellow baked gluten free blueberry muffin on a small white round plate on a pink cloth

How to make gluten free blueberry muffins

Combine wet, then dry ingredients

  • Whisk together melted & cooled butter, buttermilk, lemon juice, and eggs.
  • Whisk the gf flours, baking powder & soda, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl.
  • Toss the blueberries in some flour, then add the wet ingredients to the dry.

Mix the batter, add the berries, and bake

  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients, fold in the berries, and fill the prepared wells of a muffin tin all the way full.
  • Brush with melted butter, sprinkle some extra sugar, and bake at 400ยฐF for 10 minutes, then 350ยฐF until done.

Let cool, and enjoy!

  • Let your blueberry muffins cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes or less.
  • Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy them warm!

Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins Recipe

5 from 55 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
These classic gluten free blueberry muffins are crisp outside, soft & tender inside. With that tender crumb and beautiful bakery dome!
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Ingredients 

For the muffin batter

  • ยพ cup (6 fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
  • 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 ยฝ cups (350 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes) (click thru for complete info)
  • 1 ยผ teaspoons xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
  • ยผ cup (36 g) cornstarch, See Recipe Notes
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
  • ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 ยผ cups (250 g) fresh or frozen blueberries, (See Recipe Notes)

For the optional topping

  • 1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • Coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions 

Make the muffin batter

  • Preheat your oven to 400ยฐF. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin that is light in color, and set it aside.
  • In a medium-size bowl or measuring cup, place buttermilk, melted butter, lemon juice, and eggs, and whisk to combine well. Set the mixture aside.
  • In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
  • Transfer 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients to a small bowl, add the blueberries and toss to coat. Set the berries aside.
  • If using frozen berries, set the tablespoon of dry ingredients aside to use after the rest of the batter has been prepared.
  • Create well in center of large bowl of dry ingredients and add the wet mixture. Mix until just combined. The batter will be quite thick, but soft.
  • Add the blueberries and reserved dry ingredients, and gently fold the berries into the batter just until they are evenly distributed throughout.
  • If youโ€™re using frozen berries, remove them from the freezer, rinse them quickly and toss in the reserved dry ingredients. Fold them carefully into the batter, working quickly.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin wells, filling the wells almost completely. Smooth the tops with wet fingers.

Add the optional topping

  • Brush the tops lightly with the optional melted butter, and sprinkle the tops lightly with the optional coarse sugar.

Bake the muffins

  • Place the muffin tin on the top rack of the preheated 400ยฐF oven, and bake until the muffins are beginning to dome (8 to 10 minutes). Reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF.
  • Finish baking the muffins at 350ยฐF until a toothpick inserted in the center (and not in a blueberry) comes out with no more than a few moist crumbs attached (10 to 12 minutes more).
  • Remove the muffins from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Flour blend information.
My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour and Nicole's Best multipurpose blend. I've also made these muffins with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, and recommend adding an additional 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to your dry ingredients or the muffins will look good, but will be crumbly.ย 
Cup4Cup changed its formula and doesn't seem to work as well as it has in the past, so I don't recommend it. To make your own blend using one of my โ€œmockโ€ recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.
Frozen berries.
If you're using frozen blueberries, do not defrost them at all.
Buttermilk and dairy.
In place of buttermilk, you can use 3 fluid ounces (one-half 3/4 cup) milk (nondairy is fine) and 3 fluid ounces (one-half 3/4 cup) milk (unflavored unsweetened nondairy is fine). If you're dairy-free, use vegan butter in place of regular butter (Miyoko's Creamery and Melt are my favorite brands; Earth Balance buttery sticks or Country Crock plant-based butter sticks should also work).
ย 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 364IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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make ahead/leftovers

Storage instructions

Once they're completely cool, wrap any leftover muffins in plastic wrap or place them in a tightly-sealed container. They should stay fresh that way at room temperature for at least 2 days.

For longer storage, once the muffins have cooled completely, place them on a baking tray in the freezer until frozen and then move them to an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag.

To refresh a frozen muffin, microwave it for 30 to 45 seconds at 50% power or until even the berries are defrosted. For that just-baked texture, sprinkle lightly with some tap water, and bake at 250ยฐF in a toaster oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

FAQs

Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk?

No. Real buttermilk is thicker and creamier than milk, and has less moisture. Even adding some lemon juice to milk doesn't thicken it enough. Just replace buttermilk with half sour cream or plain yogurt, half milk.

Why do you use lemon juice in the muffin batter?

Lemon juice helps to balance the sweetness of the sugar and berries and enhance the blueberry flavor. You can replace the lemon juice with pure vanilla extract. Just use half the amount.

Can I use this recipe as a quick bread loaf?

No, this recipe isn't made for holding its shape as a full loaf of quickbread. Instead, use our recipe for gluten free blueberry bread!

Would oat milk work instead of almond milk here?

You need buttermilk to make this recipe as written, but you can replace almond milk with half plain yogurt or sour cream, half milk. That milk could be oat milk, sure.

Can I make these as mini muffins?

Yes! Bake at 400ยฐF for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF and bake until done, about another 9 minutes.

Can I refrigerate the raw batter to make later?

You can try refrigerating the raw batter in the muffin tin and bake them the next morning. Be sure to cover the muffin tin so the batter doesn't dry out, and let the batter come close to room temperature before baking.

These classic gluten free blueberry muffins are crisp on the outside, soft and tender inside. So easy to make, and they taste just like they came from your favorite bakery!

About Nicole Hunn

Hi, Iโ€™m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that arenโ€™t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, โ€œgood, for gluten freeโ€ just isnโ€™t good enough!

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84 Comments

  1. Jennifer says:

    Nicole, your flour has the Milk Powder in it right? The Cup4Cup doesnโ€™t have that anymore in it and Better Batter flour doesnโ€™t have this anymore either right?

    Just your flour has it?

    I canโ€™t add the Milk Powder to either one of these bags of Full Flour?
    Thanks Jennifer

    1. Nicole Hunn says:

      Hi, Jennifer, correct, Nicole’s Best has milk powder as an ingredient in the overall blend. If you’re trying to mimic the results you get with my flour by adding milk powder to one of those other blends, that will not work. Our blend can’t be hacked like that. The only way to get the results that you enjoy with Nicole’s Best is to buy it!

  2. Jennifer says:

    Hi Nicole, should we always be sifting GF flour in all your recipes? Even if you donโ€™t mentioned it in the recipe?
    And should the cornstarch always be sifted too, even ifโ€™s not mentioned in the recipe?
    Thanks Jennifer

    1. Nicole Hunn says:

      Hi, Jennifer, nope, you only need to sift the flour blend, or any other ingredient, if the recipe specifically directs you to do it. The vanilla cake, angel food cake, and a few other recipes. I’m very specific, and would never expect you to do something that I hadn’t explicitly stated.

  3. Elaine says:

    I have recently bought Nicole’s Best GF Flour and tried it with a few things with great success! For this recipe do I make any changes if that’s the flour I’m going to use? Thanks

    1. Nicole Hunn says:

      Hi, Elaine, I’m so glad you’re enjoying Nicole’s Best! There are no changes, other than being sure to add xanthan gum, since Nicole’s Best doesn’t contain any.

  4. Marli Mc Allister says:

    5 stars
    Fantastic, super delicious and crunchy. Made all the way in South Africa ;)

  5. Marianna says:

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe! These muffins turned out beautiful and delicious. I used your flour blend recipe with the pectin added, and it worked very well for this recipe. It works quite well for most recipes. I find it very versatile. I love the cornstarch in this recipe. It gives the muffins such a delightful texture! Thank you for another great recipe.

    1. Nicole Hunn says:

      You’re very welcome, Marianna. Yes, the mock Better Batter will work in any of my recipes that call for an all purpose gluten free flour blend. The added cornstarch in these muffins definitely makes them softer. Thanks for sharing your experience!