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.

989 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 989 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. Suzie

    I made it. I used coconut flour instead and followed the recipe. Taste delicious.

    1. Freya

      It was a total disaster when I used coconut flour

      1. Kate

        Hi Freya, I don’t recommend coconut flour. It doesn’t hold up as well and soaks up all the moisture.

      2. Maurice

        Turned out very well and tasty…double the recipe I used 3 cups saskatoon berries that grow along the river in Alberta Canada. I used half maple sugar and half honey.

  2. Neil

    I just made these and they came out so well, I marched all the ingredients with the addition of adding some chopped walnuts to the batter.
    My muffin sections in the pan are large so the recipe made 6 large awesome moist muffins.
    Thank you for this amazing recipe my wife lives the muffins although we share one due to size

    1. Holly

      Hi! These muffins are truly amazing! They are moist and delicious and everyone loves them!

    2. Catalina Tymczyszyn

      Lol

  3. Liz Coppez

    Hi! I love your recipes so much! I’ve made these at least a dozen times. Since my kids are so picky, do you think using homemade blueberry puree instead of whole blueberries would work here? I’d love your thoughts!

    1. Kate

      Hi Liz, I don’t know if that would work the same without trying it, sorry!

    2. Nikki G

      I used tiny wild Maine blueberries, better than large fresh blueberries!!! Used 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 whole wheat, with maple sugar. Made a double batch & yielded 12 large muffins! They were so beautiful I thought people wouldn’t believe me when I said I made them! Superrrr yummy too, the kids wanted more & more. Don’t forget the raw sugar on top!!

      1. Kate

        Thank you for sharing, Nikki! I’m glad you enjoyed them.

        1. Nikki

          I have since made them again! This time I did 4x the recipe & made 24 large muffins :))

          1. Kate

            Great! Thank you for reporting back, Niki.

  4. Beth Sorrell

    These are great! I added more blueberries and used sour cream; they were excellent!

  5. Marge Teilhaber

    FANTASTIC!!! I used the middle rack for 19M and the toothpick was clean but I gave it 5 more minutes to get more crispness. I just ate 3 of them. It’s SO GOOD! I used frozen blueberries from Costco My tweaks:
    1. 1.5C white whole wheat flour + ¼C ground flax
    2. No yogurt. Instead did 2/3C unstrained almond milk + 2t apple cider vinegar
    3. 7T maple syrup + 1T applesauce
    4. 2/3C chopped roasted hazelnuts
    5. 1/3C (5T) applesauce instead of 1/3C coconut oil

    The 1T of coconut sugar is the perfect amount to sprinkle on each one before baking and it’s a great touch. The muffins are perfect and need no additional sweetness. Next batch I’ll use 1C chopped toasted walnuts and use oat flour with the ground flax and pretty sure I’ll use the same everything. Can’t wait to make this again. Great oat flour primer. I’ll take heed for sure! Kate, great recipe!

    1. Brittany

      This isn’t to sound mean, but with the tweaks you made, it’s not at all the recipe that Kate created. It seems almost insulting to praise her recipe with as many changes as you made. Maybe something to think about for your future reviews.

  6. Karen

    I made these muffins with fat free Greek yogurt, maple syrup and 1.5 cups of fresh blueberries. It made 15 muffins, and they are wonderful!! I chose this recipe for my 1 and 2 year old grandchildren so they could have a healthy snack, but I think this will be my go-to recipe for myself, too, from now on.

    1. Kate

      I’m happy they are a hit! Thank you for your review.

  7. Molly

    These muffins are delicious! Can I convert this recipe to a loaf pan bread? Thanks!!

    1. Joyce

      Agreed do you think that would work Kate? Eager to try soon

      1. Kate

        I haven’t tired it, so I can’t say for sure. It will need more time at that same temperature. But again, I’m not sure. Sorry!

  8. Bethanie

    This is a wonderful recipe. My husband even loved it and he never eats blueberries, especially cooked. I was shocked when he said he would try one with dinner the other night. Hands down, one of the best healthy muffins we’ve ever had!

    1. Christina

      Great recipe! Mine needed a little more time in my old oven but they turned out moist, light and delicious.

  9. Sunny

    I don’t have a muffin pan so I made it into a loaf pan (as Blueberry bread), reduced the baking temp to 325F (just like the Healthy Banana Bread) and increased the baking time. I also increased the amount of fresh blueberry to 2 cups. It’s wonderful during blueberry season.

  10. Jo

    We don’t often have muffins but my partner said these are the best ones he’s had in a long while and I agree. We added a bit more blueberries and it still worked well.

    1. Kate

      I love it! Thank you for taking the time to comment, Jo.

  11. Christine

    This is a great recipe. My little boys loved them and so did I! As you bite into them, it smells and tastes like your eating pancakes with apple syrup, just divine! Thank you for sharing and I’ll be trying other recipes on your page

  12. Ada

    Awesome! I made these with frozen cherries (cut them in half as directed) and used vanilla greek yogurt and they turned out amazing! Also added 1/4 cup sliced almonds and added a little bit of almond extract in with the vanilla. I love that you offer so many tips on how to modify the recipe. Will try to make a vegan blueberry version next time for my sister in law! Thanks!

  13. Cat

    These were delicious, but I wanted to let you know that the cook time in the recipe says 16-19 minutes, but at the top where there’s the yield, author, etc. it still says 22 minutes.
    :)
    Cat F.

  14. Yvonne

    I am not a baker. by any means, and I cannot get over how delicious and perfect these muffins came out!!! Thank you for this excellent healthier version of blueberry muffins!!!

    1. Kate

      You’re welcome, Yvonne! I’m glad you enjoyed them.

  15. Melissa

    Perfect blueberry muffins! I followed the recipe exactly as written and they were great!

  16. Nicole

    Can I use agave syrup instead of honey or maple syrup?

    1. Kate

      I recommend what is listed in the recipe, I can’t guarantee the results otherwise.

  17. Paula

    Great recipe! I added about a third of a cup of chopped walnuts which worked well.

  18. Claire

    These were delicious. A great way to get a healthier alternative for the family. Love that they are not too sweet. Used maple syrup because I’ve always loved blueberries and maple syrup together (think pancakes :)

    1. Kate

      I’m happy your family enjoyed them, Claire!

  19. Luann

    For being a healthy muffin they taste great! I omitted the fine sea salt and I used a baking soda substitute to reduce the sodium levels to comply with a heart healthy diet. I did not sprinkle muffin tops with sugar but I did use all other ingredients listed in the recipe. When given a choice: I chose to use whole wheat flour, cinnamon, olive oil, honey (raw and unfiltered), and non fat plain greek yogurt. My eggs were not room temp but I did run warm water over the shells prior to cracking them open. They turned out so good. Thanks for the recipe

  20. Diane Whiting

    To be honest I almost always steer clear of American recipes. Not just because of the temperatures expressed in Fahrenheit and the weird cup measurements but because I don’t usually like the results which I find fairly tasteless. But I have to say these muffins are very good. I followed the recipe exactly but used proper wholemeal wheat flour- not sure what white whole wheat flour is – sounds like a contradiction in terms. I added a couple of extra blueberries to the top of each muffin just in case I hadn’t got them equally spread out. I used a Greek thyme honey. The texture was very good and the flavour was good, not nasty and overly sweet like shop bought muffins. This let the taste of the blueberries shine through. Well done, great recipe. They are still good and fresh today a day after baking. Thank you. Lovely.

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you tried it and enjoyed them, Diane!

  21. Katie Williams

    Where’s the dairy free option for this recipe?

    1. Kate

      Hi Katie, see the vegan note. That will help!

  22. Mary Ellen Tomaszewski

    Delicious muffins. I drink a cup or two of coffee before breakfast and need something in my belly with the coffee. A mini muffin is just right. A regular size is a special treat. So I make a batch, freeze & defrost as needed.

  23. Vera

    I’ve made these today and used spelt flour instead and they came out amazing, thank you so much for another wonderful recipe

    1. Kate

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

  24. Mel

    I didn’t have Greek yogurt so I just used normal plain yogurt. I didn’t realise it would make it rise less until I put the muffins in the oven, but it came out pretty good but a bit more dense.

    It was delicious, the honey made it not so overpowering and overly sweet, which my mum really liked too.

  25. Laura

    These muffins are INCREDIBLE. Sometimes I like to add some lemon zest and chopped nuts for texture.

    1. Kate

      I’m glad that turns out so well for you, Laura! I appreciate your review.

  26. Julia

    Hi I would love to make this recipe sounds amazing! Would I be able to substitute the whole wheat flour for almond flour?

    1. Kate

      Hi Julia, unfortunately almond flour isn’t a great 1:1 substitute. You could try oat flour if you are needing to make it gluten free. More on oat flour in my How to Make Oat Flour post.

  27. Danielle

    Would this work with oat flour instead of WW??? It’s all I have on hand and I really want to make these!

    1. Kate

      Hi Danielle, these should work with oat flour. Be sure to follow my How to Make Oat Flour for measurements.

  28. Danielle

    Love these!!!! soooo incredibly delicious. I used full fat greek yogurt and oat flour instead of whole wheat because it was all I had on hand at the time and it totally worked! I ended up making 15 because I under filled the muffin tin and they were very small and dainty lol, so if you want a more classic size, fill em up! Highly recommend, can’t wait to make them with whole wheat next time to compare!

  29. Gabriel

    Wonderful; thank you for this recipe! I used regular all purpose flour bc we were out of whole wheat–was like a yogurt cake with blueberries. Delicious.

  30. Kate

    Overall, great recipe! The muffins aren’t overly sweet, and mine came out moist and fluffy. I would definitely opt for the usual muffin tin instead of minis, as I found the mini muffins didn’t turn out in one piece. I’ll definitely make this recipe again!

  31. Meghan

    The recipe says to preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit but that is too high. Set it to 350 degrees. It came out very dry and chewy due to the high temperature. I would add milk or put less flour to lighten up the thick muffin batter. Overall it was an okay recipe.

    1. Kate

      Hi Meghan, I tested this recipe several times and it works well for me as written. Ovens can vary, so you may be running into that or possibly at a higher elevation than I am in Kansas City. I’m glad you have been able to find something that works for you!

  32. Helaena

    Hi Kate, do these freeze well?

    1. Kate

      Hi! Most muffins seem to. Let me know how they turn out for you!

  33. Pam Thompson

    Love them!

  34. roberta

    Great foundational recipe – made 6 large muffins, just adjusted the time. Thanks for the tip to toss the blueberries in the flour!

  35. Jennifer Howay

    What could I use as a sweetener with less sugar than the honey or syrup?

    1. Kate

      Hi Jennifer, changing the sweetener amount would impact the recipe and I can’t confirm they would turnout.

  36. Kathy

    Made this recipe this am and the smell while baking was wonderful. I used the baking time stated at beginning of recipe of 22 mins and they came out a little brown. Wish I’d read to the bottom where your notes were. They are light and have a good texture but I added a scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon and that’s the flavor that comes through loudest. Would leave it out next time.

  37. Valerie

    I made these yesterday and they were delicious! I was thinking about trying this recipe with rhubarb instead of blueberries, just to see! ‍

  38. Nat

    I milled my own wheat berries for the recipe. The muffins turned out beautifully! Hearty and healthy. Can’t wait to make them again.

  39. Kathy

    Made this recipe this am and the smell while baking was wonderful. I used the baking time stated at beginning of recipe of 22 mins and they came out a little brown. Wish I’d read to the bottom where your notes were. They are light and have a good texture but I added a scant 1/4 tsp cinnamon and that’s the flavor that comes through loudest. Would leave it out next time if using blueberries.

  40. isaac

    Can I use plain flour or does that defeat the whole point?

    1. Kate

      Hi, you can but I recommend the flours listed in the recipe.

  41. addison

    These are soo good and delicious. Definitely will be making these again. I used oat flour with her oat flour recipe and it tested soo good. The only thing I used different was oat flour. It was a bit chunky but I’m very sure I just didn’t blend the oat flour enough.
    BEST EVER!!!!

  42. Denisha

    I used coconut yoghurt instead of Greek (I’m allergic to milk). They tasted great however the tops cracked a bit! Any tips on how to reduce cracking?

    1. Kate

      Hi Denisha, did they seem dry? If so, maybe reduce the baking time some next time. If they tasted great, I would stick with what you did.

  43. Kim

    We absolutely love this recipe and have been making it for years. Do you possibly have a thermomix version?

    1. Kate

      Hi Kim, I don’t sorry!

  44. Ariel N

    Made these and replaced half of the honey with Natvia (stevia) and used raspberries instead of bluebs. Turned out just as the recipe described and super delicious. Making them again this week, yum!!

  45. Diane

    This is a versatile recipe. Made these 3x, they are that good. Want to take it next level? Add the zest from a whole orange.
    Also made it for my baby who is egg and dairy sensitive. Substituted with flax egg, and breast milk “buttermilk” and he likes it!

    1. Kate

      Thank you for sharing, Diane! I appreciate your review.

  46. MaureenD

    Just did these for back to school, and everyone lOVed them!

    1. Kate

      Wonderful! Thank you for your review.

  47. Kamala

    Planning to make these as mini muffins for my kids lunch. How long should I bake them for 24 mini muffin pan?

    1. Kate

      Hi Kamala! It is usually half the time as the original recipe. I would keep an eye on them though. I hope you enjoy them!

      1. Kamala

        Thank you! I made them last week into chocolate chip muffins and baked them using timings from another recipe. They came out yummy and used them for my kids lunchbox/snacks.

  48. Marie Myers

    This is my 3rd time coming back to this recipe -it’s a keeper! I added walnut pieces and swapped 3/4 cup of flour for almond flour and they turned out turned out great

    1. Kate

      That’s great to hear, Marie! I appreciate you review.

  49. Joan Horning

    These were very, very good. Made them for a diabetic neighbor and ended up eating half of them myself. Used the recipe exactly, had whole wheat pastry flour, and it worked perfectly.

  50. Helen McLean

    I made these for my son who has Crohn’s disease. They turned out delicious, as you said a little less sweet but I mistakenly put in 1 1/2 c. blueberries and they were so good. I used whole wheat flour, non fat Greek yogurt and honey and olive oil. Thank you for the recipe!