I Tried Our 5 Most Popular Blueberry Muffin Recipes and Found a Bakery-Worthy Winner

I don’t even have to get out the mixer!

A freshly baked blueberry muffin is one of life’s greatest pleasures. There’s just something about a plush, cake-like muffin studded with ripe blueberries that can’t be beat. Eat a blueberry muffin for breakfast and suddenly your day is off to a great start.

But there’s no one-size-fits-all recipe for blueberry muffins. Some recipes shower the batter with coarse sugar to create a contrasting crunchy top, some recipes flavor the batter with lemon zest for a pop of brightness, and some recipes call for a heavy dose of cinnamon to complement the tart berries. This is why I decided to test five popular blueberry muffin recipes to see which was the overall best. I fired up my oven and baked five different versions in a side-by-side taste test. Here’s what I learned.

Which Blueberry Muffin Recipes Did I Test?

Among the many blueberry muffin recipes on this site, five stood out as reader favorites. Each of these recipes has a plethora of glowing reviews, and although the recipes utilize different techniques and ingredients to produce varying results, all of them stick to the classic flavor profile of a traditional blueberry muffin.

The lineup includes a recipe with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar crumb topping, a recipe that calls for buttermilk to add a subtle tangy flavor, one that uses only seven ingredients, one that uses lemon zest and vanilla to add an extra pop of flavor, and a recipe that relies on sour cream to keep the muffins extra plush and moist. Here’s how the taste test went.

How I Judged the Blueberry Muffin Recipes

Each muffin was baked exactly as written in the recipe. I baked them all in the same oven and tasted them in a side-by-side taste test. I also grabbed a few of my friends and asked them to try the muffins to see what they thought. At the end of the day we all shared similar opinions and came away with new go-to muffin recipes we will be keeping in our back pockets. Now, to the results!

Best Quick, No-Fuss Go-To: Easy Blueberry Muffins

• Fast Facts: Developed by SKEHLER, has 280 reviews with a 3.7-star rating

This is a simple one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that comes together using only seven ingredients. You just dump everything into a bowl, mix it together, and within 30 minutes you have fresh-from-the-oven muffins. They’re plush, moist, and delightfully minimalist.

The muffins themselves are super simple and rely on the blueberries for the bulk of their flavor, so feel free to use this recipe as a base and dress it up however you please. You can add cinnamon, lemon zest, or vanilla to the batter to give it a pop of flavor. Or you can top the muffins with sugar or streusel for added texture. The recipe is a wonderful starting point to riff on any way you like. It might not be the most exciting recipe, but it will come in handy when you're in the mood for muffins and don’t want to wait.

Get the recipe: Easy Blueberry Muffins

Best for People Who Love Cake-Like Muffins: Blueberry Cream Muffins

• Fast Facts: Developed by KK3, has 1,410 reviews with a 4.6-star rating

These muffins had the most cake-like texture of the bunch. The batter is made with a generous amount of vegetable oil and two whole cups of sour cream, lending them a pleasantly dense, cakey texture. The muffins were super moist and reminded me of a cross between pound cake and birthday cake studded with ripe blueberries. A splash of vanilla extract gave the batter a subtle flavor that drove the birthday cake comparison home.

The recipe doesn’t top the muffins with any sugar or streusel, allowing the simplicity of the muffins to shine. If you’re someone who likes a crunchy topping, feel free to use the streusel recipe in the streusel topped blueberry muffins or just sprinkle them with sugar before baking. Also note that this recipe yields 24 muffins, so feel free to cut it in half or freeze some of the muffins for later. If you like your muffins more like a cupcake than a traditional breakfast pastry, this recipe is for you.

Get the recipe: Blueberry Cream Muffins

Best for People Who Love a Crackly, Crunchy Sugar Topping: Best of the Best Blueberry Muffins

• Fast Facts: Developed by AUNTLYNNIE, has 827 reviews with a 4.6-star rating

These muffins, with their golden, crackly tops, certainly win points in the beauty category. This is because the muffins are sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar before hitting the oven. The sugar melts in the oven, caramelizes, and creates a sugary shell that shatters when you bite into it and is a perfect contrast to the plush interior.

Buttermilk and butter lend the batter a rich, dairy-forward and slightly tangy flavor. The recipe calls for an entire pint of blueberries, so you’re sure to get multiple berries in every bite. If you’re someone who appreciates a crunchy, sugary topping on your muffins, this recipe is a great choice.

Get the recipe: Best of the Best Blueberry Muffins

Best for People Who Love a Hearty Streusel Topping: Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

• Fast Facts: Developed by Heather, has 660 reviews with a 4.6-star rating

These muffins had the crunchiest topping of them all. This is because they got topped with a generous amount of a sugar-based streusel that crisps up in the oven. Unlike most streusel toppings that are made with mostly flour, this recipe uses twice as much sugar as flour in the topping to create a crunchy, candy-like top that is the most hearty of them all. As you bite into the muffins you’ll hear an audible crunch from the streusel.

Apart from the topping, the muffins themselves are flavorful with lemon zest, vanilla extract, and a heavy dose of salt in the batter. These help make the blueberries shine and provide a flavorful base for the crunchy topping. If you’re someone who loves a lot of texture in your muffins, this recipe is for you.

Get the recipe: Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

Best Overall: To Die For Blueberry Muffins

• Fast Facts: Developed by Colleen, has 11,444 reviews with a 4.6-star rating

This recipe was hands down my favorite out of the bunch. This was everything I could possibly want out of a blueberry muffin: plush, soft, and tender with a contrasting crunchy streusel topping. Unlike some of the other toppings, this streusel wasn’t too crunchy, so while it did provide a nice texture, it didn’t take away from the softness of the muffins. It was crunchy without being hard. The topping also had a dash of cinnamon in it, lending the streusel a subtle warmth that perfectly complemented the blueberries.

The batter was a cinch to throw together and comes together in one bowl without a mixer. They’re fluffy and stay moist for days thanks to the addition of vegetable oil. They bake up tall and perfectly domed. Do note that this recipe only makes eight muffins, so feel free to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd. But if you’re looking for a small-batch recipe that is absolutely delicious and worthy of a place in any fancy bakery, this recipe is for you.

Get the recipe: To Die For Blueberry Muffins