Healthy Blueberry Muffins

These healthy blueberry muffins are golden, fluffy, moist and delicious! No one will guess this recipe is made with 100% whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup.

990 Reviews
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healthy blueberry muffins with honey

Would you look at those blueberry-studded beauties? These blueberry muffins are golden on top, and moist and fluffy on the inside.

Best of all, they’re bursting with jammy blueberry flavor. These are my favorite homemade blueberry muffins, and it’s about time you met them.

blueberry muffin ingredients

These healthy blueberry muffins are easy to make, too. Forget those box mixes! You can make these wholesome muffins from scratch with basic grocery store ingredients. No special equipment required.

wet mixture

What makes these blueberry muffins healthy?

These muffins are more healthy than your average blueberry muffins. They’re made with 100 percent whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat flour, which you can hardly taste). Whole wheat flour offers redeeming whole grain nutrients and extra fiber.

The muffins are also naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, which lend subtle honey or maple flavor to the muffins. They’re lower in overall sugar content compared to coffee shop muffins.

Last but not least, I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, which lends the same irresistible tang but with more protein and less fat. I don’t think that yogurt passes for sour cream on tacos, but it totally works in muffin recipes.

blueberry muffins batter

how to make blueberry muffins

Blueberry Muffin Recipe Tips

You can make these muffins with fresh or frozen blueberries. Do not defrost frozen blueberries before using; just stir the frozen blueberries into the batter as directed.

Tossing the blueberries with one teaspoon of flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom. This way, you can use a full cup of blueberries without risking the integrity of the muffins.

Sprinkling 1 tablespoon of raw sugar on top of the muffins before baking yields deliciously sweet, crackly muffin tops. You can buy raw sugar in the sugar aisle of most grocery stores these days, or just grab a few extra raw sugar packets from your go-to coffee shop (I won’t tell).

These muffins taste best after they’ve had time to cool completely. Or better yet, let them rest for a couple of hours at room temperature before serving. This is true for most baked goods!

healthy blueberry muffins batter

how to scoop muffins

Recommended Equipment

I love this sturdy, made-in-the-USA muffin pan (affiliate link). I don’t ever have to grease it, thanks to the silicone non-stick coating. Clean-up is a breeze, too. I’ve never had to soak or scrub on this pan.

healthy blueberry muffins in muffin tin

Watch How to Make Blueberry Muffins

healthy blueberry muffins - side angle

healthy blueberry muffins

Love these muffins?

Here are more of my favorite naturally sweetened, whole-wheat muffin recipes!

Please let me know how these muffins turn out for you in the comments! I’m always so eager for your feedback. Be sure to check out my Blueberry Scones as well.

healthy blueberry muffins recipe

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Healthy Blueberry Muffins

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 13 minutes
  • Cook Time: 22 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 990 reviews

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These healthy blueberry muffins are golden, fluffy, moist and delicious! No one will guess this recipe is made with 100% whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Recipe yields 12 muffins.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups plus 1 teaspoon white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup honey or maple syrup
  • 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt*
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease). Or, use muffin liners if you prefer.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ¾ cups of the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix them together with a whisk.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and honey or maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt and vanilla. Mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.)
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 1 teaspoon flour (this helps prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom). Gently fold the blueberries into the batter. The mixture will be thick, but don’t worry.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I used an ice cream scoop with a wire level, which worked perfectly). Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake the muffins for 16 to 19 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
  6. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my blueberry maple muffins (recipe available in my cookbook) and lemon raspberry muffins.
*Note on Greek yogurt: I’ve used a variety of fat percentages and the muffins have always turned out well. Higher fat yogurt will yield a somewhat more rich muffin. You can also substitute plain (not Greek) yogurt, but your muffins might not rise quite as high.
Make it vegan: You can replace the eggs with flax “eggs.” Replace the yogurt with a smaller amount of vegan buttermilk—just mix ⅔ cup non-dairy milk with 2 teaspoons vinegar. Let it rest for 5 minutes before adding it to the other liquid ingredients. Or, use 1 cup vegan yogurt.
Make it dairy free: See buttermilk option above.
Make it egg free: Substitute flax eggs for the regular eggs.
Make it gluten free: Substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes a gluten-free blend that works well.
Lemon variation: For lemon blueberry muffins, whisk the zest of 1 medium lemon (about ½ teaspoon), preferably organic, into the liquid ingredients. You could even double that amount for extra-lemony muffins.
Mini muffins: Use a mini muffin tray with mini liners. Use 1 heaping tablespoon per muffin to yield 30 muffins. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes.
Change it up: Substitute 1 cup of any other muffin-worthy fresh fruit for the blueberries. If you’re using strawberries or other large fruit (like peaches), chop them into small pieces first.
2/18/19 note: I’ve changed the baking temperature from 350 degrees Fahrenheit to 400, and reduced the baking time from 22 to 24 minutes to 16 to 19 minutes. These changes improve the muffin texture (less spongy in the center) and produce more irresistibly golden muffin tops.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

Kate and Cookie

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. Ellen Miller

    Blueberry muffins are my boyfriend’s favorite, so I’m always happy to try a healthy version. These were delicious! I put in a few extra blueberries (why not?!?) and I’d take the muffins out of the tin and put them on the rack to cool so they don’t over cook. Love these!

    1. Kate

      I love that! Thank you for sharing, Ellen.

    2. Anna

      This recipe is awesome – have made it twice in 3 days, once with added choc chips and the other time with a crumble topping. The muffins are so soft and perfectly sweet while also being sneakily healthy and got so many comments!! Absolute winner of a recipe, thank you! :)

      1. Kate

        I love that! Thank you for sharing, Anna.

  2. Erin Knockwood

    Thank you so much for this recipe! Finally a sugar free blueberry muffin recipe that doesn’t have bananas. I’ve made them at least 20 times and they’re perfection just as is! My 4 year old is obsessed.

  3. Francesca Cotrina

    Hi! I make them today , I got a perfect texture, they are delicious, but I would like to them to be more sweet . What you suggest me? I used syrup cero sugar , is there any other recommendation?

    Thank you

    1. Kate

      Hi! You can add some sugar on the top before baking!

  4. Sally

    They were lovely thankyou x

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you loved them, Sally!

  5. Rebecca Dzhurinskiy

    These came out so yummy! Wouldn’t change a thing – they’re perfect! Thank you for the recipe!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Rebecca! Thank you for your review.

  6. Sheri Matsumoto

    This recipe looks delightful! However, I looked for the buttermilk option you mentioned to make them dairy free and didn’t find it anywhere. I’m allergic to dairy and nervous about putting Greek yogurt in the batter. How much buttermilk do I need to replace the yogurt? Thanks in advance for your answer!

    1. Kate

      Hi Sheri! The ratios are in the vegan notes. I hope you can enjoy it!

    2. BRENDA Plummer

      HI I used lacto free Greek yogurt from Sainsburys here in the UK and it was perfect.

  7. Kristen

    These turned out really well. A little dense, but that could be the wheat flour or the substitutions I had to make due to dietary restrictions. I went with white whole wheat flour, Bob’s redmill egg replacer, refined coconut oil, and so delicious plain unsweetened coconut milk yogurt. I will definitely make them again.

  8. Saaniyah Sajed

    These tasted wonderful! Not too sweet, moist, crunchy on top. I baked them on convention at 400f for 19 mins. Wonderful for breakfast!!

  9. Hollie

    Hi there,
    I would like to make these blueberry muffins however was wondering could I use wholemeal flour instead of wholewheat as there is a slight difference and didn’t know if it would make a difference to the recipe.
    Thanks :)

    1. Kate

      Unfortunately it would likely impact the outcome of the recipe and need adjustments.

  10. Mary

    Hi Kate!
    I have sweet super-fatty 10% yogurt on hand. If I omit honey and oil and replace that with more yogurt, is this going to be a complete disaster?

    1. Kate

      Hi! Sorry, I wouldn’t know without trying it. That would change the recipe and can’t guarantee the results.

  11. Sarah

    I burned mine :( 19 mins on 400. Was putting on low rack part of problem? I used wax paper cupcake holders- was that not a good idea? Is it better to put batter directly into pan?

    1. Kate

      Hi Sarah, I’m sorry to hear that! It depends on where it was to the heat source and wax paper isn’t meant to be heated.

      1. Stefanie Russo

        These came out delicious. Instead of using the Greek yogurt bc I didn’t have any lol, I used 3 tbspns of crushed banana and it worked really well. Thanks!

    2. Shawna Ferrrell

      These were fantastic! I’m so excited to try with different fruits or choc chips!! Thank you so much for this recipe

  12. Coco

    These muffins sound so delicious! I was just wondering how many grams of flour 1 3/4 cups + 1 tsp would be. Thank you!

  13. Cathy

    These were a great consistency (used olive oil and maple syrup)! For the future, can you substitute 1:1 unbleached white flour for the wheat flour (or half and half)?
    Thanks,
    Cathy

    1. Kate

      Hi Cathy, I believe others have tried it and it’s worked well.

  14. Michele Droll

    I’ve made these several times with much success. I usually make double batches and share several with my sister and BIL who also really enjoy them. My daughter loves them! They are delicous using either maple syrup or honey! I like to use fat free Greek yogurt and find they rise up very nicely! For baking…..I will put them in the oven for the first 6 minutes at 425 to get a crunchier ‘bakery top’ and then I drop it to 390 to finish it out. I pull it out right at 16 minutes. They are perfectly moist! If giving as a gift– I will also pop an extra blueberry or two into any muffin that doesn’t have one showing through the top after I spoon it into the muffin tins. It looks so pretty aftewards to see the blueberry peaking out. Don’t forget the Turbinado sugar–that really finishes it!!

  15. Linda

    It’s the third time I’ve made blueberry muffins the first time they were lovely but these have sunk as soon as they’ve came out the oven. The only difference is I used low fat Greek yogurt the last time I used plain yogurt. Can you help please

  16. Kat

    Where do I start? The texture is amazing and my husband and friends couldn’t tell they were refined sugar free or white whole wheat. I love adding toasted walnuts and lemon zest to mine and even swap half the honey for date syrup occasionally. Oh, I failed to mention that I have made these muffins five times already and two were blackberry. Thank you for an amazing and healthy muffin recipe.

  17. LAUREN

    These were great! I made them with olive oil since I didn’t have coconut oil. I’ll definitely make them again.

    1. Kate

      Wonderful to hear, Lauren! I appreciate your review.

  18. Emily

    Have made these multiple times and love them. I want to make them again today but only have dark choc chips and no blueberries, could I substitute?
    Also could I substitute self raising whole wheat flour for the regular flour and rising agents?

  19. Nidhi

    I’m excited to make these! Do you think they will freeze well?

    1. Kate

      Hi! I believe these freeze well.

      1. Chloe

        I’ve made these muffins several times and they freeze very well. There are only two of us in our household, so I make the whole batch, then wrap leftovers individually in plastic wrap, then put them in freezer bags or freezer-safe plastic containers. When we want muffins, we just take out as many as we need and warm them in the toaster oven and they come out just as delicious as the day I baked them. It’s quite lovely to have healthy homemade muffins on demand.

        1. Kate

          I love that you freeze them! Thank you for taking the time to review, Chloe.

          1. Chloe

            One more thing–if folks want muffins a little more moist, I’ve added 1/4 cup applesauce to the batter and it turned out very well. Also, when making them for a friend who recently had heart surgery, I increased the heart health quotient by adding a tablespoon each of chia and flax seeds. Good texture and no one will ever know they’re not poppy seeds. Again, thanks to you, Kate, for putting such healthy recipes out there.

  20. Elif Gunes

    I love your recipes Kate!
    It was my first time trying this one and I was a bit worried about how thick my final batter is and thought my muffins won’t rise! My worries are all gone now looking at the muffins from the oven window. Thank you very much it will be another fav recipe of yours at home!

  21. New Baker

    Loved your banana muffin recipe. I substituted oat flour instead of whole wheat and it turned out great. Can i do the same here??

    1. Kate

      Hi! I haven’t tried it, but you should. Just be sure to follow my oat flour post. I hope you love it!

  22. Nadine

    These are the best healthy blueberry muffins! I made them for my kids and I’m ashamed to say I ate the most! :) I will try more of your recipes. Thank you for this one!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Nadine! I’m happy they were a hit.

  23. Cindy

    Delicious! I’ve been looking for a healthy-ish muffin that has a nice rise to it. These came out perfectly.

    1. Kate

      Wonderful, Cindy!

  24. Lori

    Love this healthier version of blueberry muffins. They taste great! Would never have thought to use extra virgin olive oil, but it worked well. Nice and moist muffins. The raw sugar on top adds the perfect amount of sweetness. Thank you for the recipe!

  25. Carmen

    Fantastic recipe! I used 1/2c oat flour because I was short on whole wheat flour and it turned out great. Not a sweet muffin which I appreciate.

  26. K Mittendorf

    Just made these – and they are delicious! I added a few extra blueberries as well. Also substituted a mix of allspice and ground cloves instead of cinnamon ( because of an allergy). Thanks for the recipe!

  27. Anonymous

    This was so good! I made mini-muffins because my pan isn’t as wide or deep as yours but still delicious :)

  28. Jane

    Can I substitute with Almond flour?

    1. Kate

      Hi Jane, sorry but I don’t find almond flour is a great 1:1 substitute.

  29. Lakshmi

    These came out absolutely amazing! Drizzled with a bit of honey on top and it is a decadent treat with zero guilt! Thanks for a great recipe, I am going to be coming back to us for sure!

  30. Melisa

    Delicious super moist muffins! Instead of regular flower, I used gluten free flower and they came out perfect!

  31. Mary

    These turned out perfect. Thank you for the recipe!

  32. Y15M

    Very tasty, just enough sweetness. I replaced blueberries with saskatooon berries and turned out good. Liked that these don’t taste like cake, but less sweetness and some fibre.

    1. Lisa Menday

      Can I add shredded Zucchini? Would I have to make any adjustments?

      1. Ginger

        I love this recipe, I was so happy to find a yummy, healthy muffin recipe. I made blueberry muffins and ate all of them within about two days, xD. I’m going to try them with strawberries or cranberries, too! Thanks Kate! <3

  33. Jil

    Love how these turned out! Going to be a breakfast staple for my toddler. I used fat free Icelandic yogurt because it’s what I had and they were definitely still moist.

  34. Kristina Brangi

    Do I use the same ratios if I want to make this a bread instead of the muffins? Does the cooking temp change? I’ve tried this a few times and it comes out on the drier side. Any suggestions? Thank you

    1. Kate

      Hi! I haven’t tried this as a loaf, sorry. I would check to see what others may have tried. It would likely need more baking time.

    2. Campbell

      I made this as a loaf this weekend and it came out perfectly! I did 65 minutes at 350 but my oven tends to run low so I would check every 5 minutes with a toothpick starting around 50 minutes in. Definitely do not use the muffin temperatures as your loaf will burn on top before it cooks through. I used half white and half whole wheat flour, olive oil, plain 0% greek yogurt and maple syrup, and added a small amount (maybe 1 Tablespoon or less) of fresh lemon juice for flavor instead of cinnamon. My husband and I both love it!!

  35. Diana

    The blueberry muffins are so good! :-) I have made this recipe twice nice now since finding this recipe just a month ago and have also sent it to family members who are also anxious to try them.

    thank you for this recipe, it is a keeper!

  36. Katie

    I made these muffins yesterday and my sons and I are enjoying them now for breakfast. They are sooo good! I’d make these again and again. I didn’t have wheat flour so I used regular. Need to pick up some at the store. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!

  37. Narinder

    My muffins were slightly under baked I think slightly gooey in the middle rather than spongy what could I done wrong please?

    1. Kate

      Hi! I’m sorry you had issues with the recipe. Sounds like they needed more time. How long did you bake them for?

  38. Leily

    I made these with spelt flour and they still tasted amazing. My kids love them! I’ve tried a few of your recipes and they’re all amazing. Thank you!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Leily!

  39. Jessica

    Really disappointed with these. I followed the recipe, not changing anything and they came out bland and slightly soggy from the blueberries I was looking forward to a treat that was tasty and still fairly healthy but these don’t quite fit the bill..

    1. Kate

      Hi Jessica, I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you leave them in for?

  40. Michelle Bilton

    Made these with walnuts and raisins in place of blueberries, so yummy!!

  41. Michelle Kane

    I followed the recipe exactly, going with the white whole wheat flour, coconut oil and maple syrup. While they tasted absolutely amazing, there turned out a little denser than i would have liked. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to lighten them up?

  42. Gail

    Hi in the top part of recipe it says 3/4 cup of flour but in instructions it says 1 and 3/4 cups of flour.
    Thank you

    1. Kate

      Hi! It calls for 1 3/4 cups, plus 1 teaspoon in the ingredients and instructions. 1 3/4 in step 2. I hope this helps!

  43. Antonella

    Can I replace the maple sugar with eritritol ?

    1. Kate

      Hi Antonella! I haven’t tried it, but I don’t believe that will work here.

  44. Ruth Buttigieg

    Hey, thanks for your amazing recipes! Quick question, I don’t have a muffin tin a the moment, have you tried this recipe for a loaf cake instead? I would assume lower temperature and longer time, but not sure if it would work at all :) Thanks again!

    1. Kate

      Hi! I haven’t tried it. If you try it, it will likely take more time. I’m just not sure how much. Let me know if you do try it.

  45. Laura

    These are delicious! I’ve made a couple times, and have often substituted with all-purpose flour when I don’t have whole wheat flour on hand. That said, I prefer the whole wheat texture, but both are scrumptious!

  46. Jean

    Although I visit the site regularly (and always love the recipes), I never tend to comment. Today, however, after making these outstanding blueberry muffins, I just had to…

    They are PERFECT! Moist with just the right amount of sweetness. I can’t wait to share this recipe with everyone I know!!! Thanks Kate!

  47. Audrey Gorman

    Can you use almond flour or cassava flour instead?

    1. Kate

      Hi, Unfortunately almond flour isn’t a great substitute 1:1. I haven’t tried cassava flour so can’t say for sure. Oat flour works well. You can use my How to Make Oat Flour as guide!

  48. Michelle

    Doubled the recipe and substituted the whole wheat flour with Oat Flour. I did eyeball a little extra coconut oil & maple syrup (I don’t have exact measurements but I’d say 1/4C extra of each, keeping in mind I did double the recipe). I know this changes the profile of this muffin, but to everyone wondering, it still makes for a moist and DELICIOUS muffin with this flour substitution. I also added in extra, extra blueberries because why not. Another home run for my toddler.

  49. Ash Windbigler

    I made these muffins for my mom (who loves blueberry muffins but is also very health-conscious) and she LOVED them. Holy cow. She ate 3 in an hour lol. I use so many of your recipes and I always enjoy them – thanks!!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Ash! Thank you for your review.

  50. Elena

    I don’t have any plain greek yogurt, could I use any flavoured yogurt instead?

    1. Kate

      Hi, you can but it will change the flavor. Greek works best.