These gluten-free blueberry muffins are moist and fluffy with juicy blueberries in every bite! The recipe is super easy to make with simple ingredients, and the streusel topping can be skipped to make it even easier!
I've been gluten-free for about 5 years and I'm very picky about the texture of baked goods - no one wants a dry and gritty mess disguised as a muffin! I tested and perfected this recipe to make sure even the most novice bakers end up with delicious muffins.
Recipe Notes
- Bakery-Style: The streusel-topped muffin tops are crunchy but the inside of the muffins are fluffy and moist!
- Flavor: Besides the buttery muffin base and the sweet and juicy blueberries, I also love adding fresh lemon zest to these muffins to add extra flavor.
- Works with Fresh or Frozen Blueberries: Can't find fresh blueberries? No problem, frozen ones work just as well!
- Tastes Like the Real Deal: No one will be able to tell these are gluten-free!
Key Ingredients
These muffins only require simple ingredients - most of which you'll already have in your kitchen! You can see the full list of ingredients in the recipe, but here are some notes on some of the ingredients:
- Gluten-Free Flour: You need a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum. I've made this recipe using Bob's Red Mill as well as Pillsbury.
- Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. If you're using frozen blueberries, don't thaw them first - just keep them in the freezer until you're ready to fold them into the muffin batter.
- Sour Cream: If you don't have sour cream you can also use plain Greek yogurt. If you're dairy-free, you can swap it out for mayonnaise - it sounds weird, I know, but you won't taste it at all in the muffins, I promise!
Baking Techniques
The full instructions are below in the recipe card. Here are my tips for baking the best gluten-free blueberry muffins:
- Rest the Batter: Letting the muffin batter sit for 30 minutes will help the gluten-free flour to hydrate properly, making sure you end up with fluffy muffins. If you skip this step, you could end up with a gritty texture.
- Fill Every Other Muffin Cup: This helps with airflow and even heat distribution, giving you nicely domed muffins.
- Bake at Two Temperatures: By starting these muffins in the oven at 410°F, they get a golden and domed top, and lowering the temperature to 375°F helps to bake them through evenly.
If you would like more general gluten-free baking tips, this is a great post to reference.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Storing: Keep them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you want to store them for longer than 3 days I suggest freezing them.
Freezing: Wrap each muffin with plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag. Keep them frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Reheating: You can warm them up in the microwave, or a preheated oven at 350°F for a couple of minutes.
Make These Muffins Without The Streusel Topping
Don't like streusel toppings, or just can't be bothered? No worries! These muffins are plenty delicious without the streusel.
You can simply skip the streusel topping and bake them as they are, or top them with some demerara sugar before baking them to add a crunch. Demerara sugar, or raw sugar, has larger crystals than granulated sugar so it'll give your muffins a deliciously crunchy muffin top.
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 flour containing xanthan gum
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup butter softened at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste
- 2 cups blueberries
Streusel
- ¼ cup gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter cold
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and use your fingers to pinch and work the zest into the sugar.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened butter and lemon sugar and beat it for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, followed by the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape the bowl and paddle again.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl and paddle, and turn the mixer on slow while slowly pouring in the milk. Once the muffin batter is smooth, turn the mixer off and scrape the bowl and paddle one last time. Cover the bowl with plastic and let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add the streusel ingreidnets and use a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingerstto work the butter into the flour and sugar. Put the streusel in your refregerator or freezer to keep it cold.
- Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Only add paper liners to every other muffin cup.
- When the oven is ready, toss the blueberries in about ½ teaspoon of gluten-free flour and fold them in the batter using a spatula.
- Evenly fill the muffin tin with the batter, and top with a sprinkle of streusel.
- Bake the muffins for 7 minutes at 410°F (210°C), turn the oven down to 375°F (190°C) without opening the oven door and bake for another 16-18 minutes. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the center of the muffin - it should only have a couple crumbs on it. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before taking them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
More Muffin Recipes
- This gluten-free banana muffin recipe makes soft and moist muffins that are full of sweet banana flavor with a hint of cinnamon.
- These cranberry orange muffins are perfect for when you have cranberries leftover from making cranberry sauce. They're not gluten-free but I offer easy substitutions.
- Don't have any gluten-free all-purpose flour? These gluten-free zucchini muffins made with almond flour are for you!
- Kinako muffins are gluten-free with a nutty flavor from the Japanese toasted soybean powder that's similar to peanut butter.
- These apple streusel muffins are buttery, soft, and full of apple chunks!
- These healthy morning glory muffins are packed with shredded carrots, apples, nuts, raisins, and pumpkin purée. A super wholesome treat for breakfast!
- Moose tracks muffins are buttery muffins with peanut butter cups baked inside. Definitely more of an indulgent muffin recipe!
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