These gluten-free blueberry muffins are so easy to make! The recipe makes light and airy muffins that are loaded with blueberries. If you can’t find fresh blueberries, go ahead and use frozen. You don’t even need to thaw the frozen berries before using.
Ingredients.
Note from Elizabeth. This was one of the first recipes, way back in 2016, that I shared that used a gluten-free flour blend. The other one was my gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe. Prior to that, gluten-free flour blends were often hard to find and didn’t work well.
Both recipes won rave reviews over the years. And now there are lots of gluten-free flour options. We’ve come a long way!
- Blueberries Fresh or frozen blueberries work great in this recipe. If you have the option, grab some wild blueberries. (If you don’t live in an area where they are grown, check the freezer section. Several brands sell them.) Wild blueberries are smaller than cultivated blueberries and the flavor tends to be more intense. I love baking muffins with them because the small size means more berries in the muffin.
You don’t need to thaw frozen berries before using. Measure right from frozen and you’re good to go. - Gluten-Free Flour Blend. I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour. The recipe might work differently if you use a different flour blend. If you don’t have Bob’s on hand, be sure to use a blend that includes xanthan gum.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar brings sweetness and tenderness to the muffins. Don’t replace the sugar with a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup. The recipe won’t work.
- Eggs.Two eggs make these gluten-free blueberry muffins light and rich.
- Milk. This recipe works with everything from fat-free to whole milk to dairy-free milks. Since fat slows down staling, muffins made with whole milk taste richer and stale less quickly than those made with fat-free milk. Pastries made with fat-free and lower fat milks dry out faster than those made with whole milk.
Variations
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins. Add the finely chopped zest of one lemon to the batter along with the milk.
- Blueberry Walnut Muffins. Stir ½ cup chopped walnuts into the batter before adding the blueberries.
How to Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins: Step by Step.
- Whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set this aside.
- Mix together the softened butter and sugar until it’s thick and creamy. Add the eggs. Mix on until the butter looks light and fluffy.
- Stir in the gluten-free flour mixture until it’s just combined. The mixture is very thick at this point. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Stir until the batter is smooth.
- Add the blueberries. Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula. Fold in the blueberries.
- Grease a muffin pan and line it with paper lines. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. I like to use a large ice cream scoop for this job. It makes it quick and easy to fill the muffin cups.
If you want, sprinkle a little sugar on the top of each muffin. It adds a nice, crunchy sweetness but is totally optional. - The muffins take about 25 minutes to bake. As with all recipes, the baking time varies depending on your oven. You can tell the muffins are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Or you can tap the top of the muffin. If it feels firm, the muffins are done!
Once the muffins are baked, allow them to cool in the pan for about five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
A note on sinking blueberries and blue muffin batter.
Folks get very concerned about blueberries sinking in muffins. Personally, I don’t care if a few settle to the bottom. This way every bite contains blueberries.
If you don’t want the blueberries to sink, follow this trick I learned from Stella Parks, author of Bravetart. Before mixing the blueberries into the batter, spoon about a tablespoon into each muffin pan.
Then stir the blueberries into the remaining batter. The batter at the bottom of the pan acts as a cushion for the blueberries.
If you’r wondering why I don’t suggest tossing the blueberries in dry gluten-free flour, the answer is simple: it doesn’t reliably work.
As for the blueberries turning the batter purple, I say don’t worry about it. Mix the berries into the batter gently. After that, don’t stress about it. In fact, I think it looks pretty to have a little purple staining in a homemade blueberry muffin.
Storing Leftovers
When the muffins have cooled, place them on a plate and wrap with plastic wrap. They’ll keep about three days on the counter.
Or you can freeze them. Place the muffins in a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months. Allow the muffins to thaw at room temperature. If you have a microwave with a reliable thaw function, you can thaw in the microwave. Take care not to overheat the muffins while thawing or they will get hard.
2024 Recipe update note from Elizabeth
Hello there! I first shared this recipe in 2016－which, from where I’m currently sitting in 2024, feels like three lifetimes ago.
It’s been a privilege to see how many of you have made this recipe over the years. When I first posted it, taking photographs was a real challenge for me. Even with the less-than-perfect “ugly duckling” blueberry muffin photo I shared initially, you still tried the recipe. And then, you continued to make it and share it with your loved ones.
You trusted me－with your time and your ingredients. What an honor.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you find the new photos and information helpful.
Happy Baking!
The Best Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1-to1 Baking Flour* (9¾ ounces; 275 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (6 ounces; 170 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (4 ounces ; 150 grams)
- 2 cups blueberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, optional, for topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 ℉. Lightly grease 15 muffins cups or line them with paper liners.
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Whisk together the gluten-free flour blend with the baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, combine butter and granulated sugar. Beat on medium-low speed until thick. With the beater still running, add the eggs. Beat until combined.
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Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Mix until thick. Stop the mixer and add the milk and vanilla extract. Mix until a thick batter forms.
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Gently fold in the blueberries with a rubber spatula.(If you are using frozen or cold blueberries, the batter will get VERY thick. This is totally normal.)
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Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans. Fill each cavity about ⅔ full. Top each muffin with about 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. (The sugar topping is optional.)
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Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
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Allow muffins to cool in the pan for five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store the cooled muffins covered on the counter. They’ll keep for about three days.
Or you can freeze them. Place the muffins in a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months. Allow the muffins to thaw at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
This recipe has not been tested with other flour blends. For the best results, use the flour recommended.
Kriss says
Made these blueberry muffins yesterday. Only made half the recipe. Use fresh berries, added some lemon zest to the batter, and I sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. They came out lovely!
Thanks for the recipe.
Siena Martin says
These muffins were fantastic! As recommended, I used Earthbalance dairy-free butter instead of butter and almond milk instead of milk. I also added the lemon zest and, because I prefer a lighter and airier muffin, beat the butter and sugar together. 5/5 stars and I will definitely use this recipe again!
Esther says
Says it serves 15 minutes? How many does this serve?
Elizabeth says
Hi Esther,
The recipe makes 15 muffins. Enjoy!
Hanuma Han says
Hello, Elizabeth!
Just wanted to ask you, whether it is possible to make it big. Like a cake.
Is it?
Elizabeth says
Yes! I haven’t tried it yet but I’m pretty sure it would work. Since it makes 15 muffins, I think an 8-inch round cake would be the right size. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Allison says
These muffins were my first success at making a gluten free muffin that my kids like! I made them yesterday, exactly as per the recipe except I used Cloud 9 Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix as that is what I had on hand. They came out great and my kids ate them all. I had to make another batch today!
Elizabeth says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Jennifer says
Elizabeth any idea how many calories per muffin? I absolutely love these muffins. Thank you.
Elizabeth says
I’m not sure. Since I’m not a professional, I’m not comfortable providing that info in case I get it wrong. Many of my readers use this calorie calculator: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076. I hope that helps!
Robin says
I would like to use stevia instead of the sugar, we cut sugar from our diet, can it be substituted for the sugar ? Also we use unsweetened almond milk, is that ok to use ? Thanks for any info. I’m trying to make gluten free blueberry muffins and they either are rising or they fall during the cooling.
Robin
Elizabeth says
Stevia won’t work in this recipe. It is not a 1:1 replacement for sugar. Sorry.
The almond milk, however, would be fine.
Rita says
These were wonderful! I made them for a ladies retreat for my gluten-free friends. They were great muffins, whether you cared if they were gluten-free or not! 😉 I used frozen blueberries. The muffins were moist and tasty.
Elizabeth says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them!
Melanie Carr says
Wow. Made these with my son for breakfast (well it is the weekend). I used flour from the “Free From Fairy” and added a quarter of a tsp xantham gum. Possibly the best muffins I have ever made… and this was my first try at gluten free baking. Thank you. My daughter looked suspicious and said she would try a tiny bit.. when I next looked it was gone. Happy days!
Elizabeth says
Awesome!
Rachel says
I added a very ripe bananas I had frozen because I oy had one cup of blueberries. I also used coconut sugar (1/2 cup in mixture) and sprinkled some on top before baking. They ate a hit!
Fred J Alam says
Just made these with blue berries we picked today. Followed the recipe as written and they came out excellent. I will definitely be making these again.
Betty says
I made these today and absolutely loved them! The only difference was that I used organic cane sugar instead of granulated white sugar. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
Fiona Evans says
I used Pamela’s artisanal gluten free flour blend and substituted coconut oil for the butter as I’m gluten and dairy free. Used coconut milk instead of milk. Just added a pinch more salt. They were lovely light and tasty. Great recipe.
Tony says
Holy! Holy! The kids can’t get enough of them, easy recipe!
Amelia says
Fantastic recipe! They come out like regular muffins with their own unique, yummy taste. Will recommend to my GF friends
Johnnie says
I have made this recipe several times. I’ve used the batter for muffins, giant muffins, muffin tops, loaves … it is an amazing recipe! A definite keeper, go to, hand down the family cook line kind of Amazing! Did I say I absolutely LOVE this recipe!? I’ve even used buttermilk in one batch … excellent!
Elizabeth says
Glad to hear it!
Betsy says
I made these for coffee hour at our church. I used King Arthur gluten free flour. Very easy and tasty! I made 12 regular muffins and some minis.
Elizabeth says
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed them!
Carrie says
Great recipe! I used Bette Hagmans four bean flour and it worked great. I made 12 muffins and cooked them a little longer.
Elizabeth says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Jamie says
What are the nutrition facts?
Elizabeth says
Sorry Jamie. At this time I don’t provide the nutrition facts.
Kiran says
I made these muffins using half the recipe. Instead of milk I used vanilla flavored almond milk and a little bit less than 1/4 cup of sugar. I put them in the fridge to enjoy in the mornings. They did get hard so let them thaw. Or, take a napkin/ towel, soak then rinse with water, put over the muffin and microwave for 30 seconds. Muffins were absolutely delicious!
Jolene says
Thank you from Australia! I am not a good baker so all the tips before the recipe were gold! I did the egg-free version with a supermarket gf flour, used cinnamon instead of vanilla and they were delicious.
Elizabeth says
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!