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.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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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.
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.
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 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!
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.
Watch How to Make Blueberry Muffins
Love these muffins?
Here are more of my favorite naturally sweetened, whole-wheat muffin recipes!
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Healthy Raspberry Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
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
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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.
Would this work if I use Vanilla Greek Yogurt, since I don’t have any plain. Or would that be too sweet, should I cut something else?
Hey Jess! Yes, vanilla yogurt would work. Changing the other ingredients could affect the final texture. These muffins aren’t terribly sweet as written, so I’d probably just use the amounts specified to be safe.
Thanks so much for replying! Can I also mix half coconut oil with half unsalted butter? I seem to be almost out of cox unit oil.
Yes, I think so! Gently melt it before using.
I doubled this recipe and made 12 muffins and one loaf. I had to bake the loaf for 38-40 minutes. Still delicious.
Do you think you could use vegetable oil or avocado oil in place of coconut or olive? Trying to work with what I’ve been able to get.
Yes, I think either of those would work!
These were amazing. I made using whole white flour and you wouldn’t even know they’re as healthy as they are. Cook time + temp cooked them PERFECTLY. Super delicious muffins!
Hi, I would love to try the gluten and dairy free version of these, but struggle with the conversion from cups to grams (UK-based!). Is there any way you can provide these ?
Hi there! I’m sorry, I don’t provide metric measurements yet (hopefully someday). Here is a great chart from King Arthur Flour. Hope it’s helpful!
Great recipe! Healthy, moist, and delicious! I add a lot more blueberries. I’d like to try this as a loaf would that require any changes? Next time I’m adding chocolate chips!
Thanks Judy, I’m glad to hear it! This should work well as a loaf. Be sure to grease the pan. Keep the temp the same, but your loaf will need longer in the oven than the muffins do. Bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Love love love this recipe! I have also made the raspberry version a handful of times. Muffins have always turned out amazing and better than cafe muffins, my children and husband love them. We use coconut yoghurt and half the maple syrup. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Absolutely delicious! Loved by the little ones and adults in my family alike. Used the maple syrup and coconut oil options. 5% fat greek yogurt.
Didn’t have many blueberries, so subbed 1/2 raspberries and turned out great.
Thank you so much for a go-to muffin recipe!!
Hi! Instead of plain Greek yogurt, I used one container of Chobani blueberry Greek yogurt (less sugar variety) and one container of Chobani lemon Greek yogurt (also less sugar variety). I left off the raw sugar topping, used EVOO and the maple syrup. Absolute perfection!
Hi Kate, i am in the middle of making this and just realized that i only have less than 1 cup of yogurt..around 3/4 cup i think. What adjustment should i do? I already mixed the flour and other dry ingredients. Thank you!
Hi Liza, I would add up to 1/4 cup milk or even water. That should do it.
Yes i added that amt of milk. Thanks! I already ate one of them and it was moist, soft, tasty and has the perfect sweetness! Thanks so much for this recipe, Kate! The only issue i had was the muffins came out flat – they do not have that mountain-top look. Nevertheless, i dont care much of the look..it still healthy and yummy and would make it again for sure!
I would love to make these but also hard some veggies in. Any suggestions to incorporate some zucchini or spinach?
Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry I don’t know without trying it and not sure about that combination here. I do have zucchini muffins! https://capital-fly.pro/healthy-zucchini-muffins-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I decided to change this up a little bit. I made the muffins exactly as written, only substituting the blueberries with 1 cup over-ripe mashed banana. Outstanding! The banana muffins tasted exactly like the Banana Tea Bread recipe from my 1973 Good Housekeeping only your version uses healthier whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour. Thank you for this recipe.
YUM! Easy, tasty and healthier than a lot of other muffins! I used white flour since it’s what I had on hand. I used maple syrup & olive oil & the muffins taste perfectly sweet enough! Cookie & Kate never fails me :)
I am just mixing this up now. Used exact measurements and it is more like a cookie dough consistency. No way this will pour. I’d have to scoop. A little frustrated.
She points out how thick the batter is in the recipe directions. Who cares about pouring instead of scooping anyway?
Kate these were awesome. I know we’re both fans of smitten kitchen and her Blueberry muffin recipe never quite did it for me, they’re too chewy. Now this is the recipe I’ve been waiting for! Thank you!
Just wondering if these muffins freeze well? Even when using frozen blueberries?
For sure, they freeze well whether you’re using fresh or frozen blueberries! Just let the baked muffins cool to room temperature before freezing.
Baked these today and they were delicious! I added the zest of one lemon, personally I wish they were more lemony so next time I’m going to add in a tablespoon of lemon juice into the batter.
Hi! I just made these and followed the recipe – but made with almond flour (I also went half honey half syrup). The muffins are delicious but they turned out to be very soggy? We baked them for 20 minutes… any idea why?
Hi Casey! Unfortunately almond flour isn’t a great 1:1 substitute. If it is going to work, it typically requires lots of other adjustments. Sorry! Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1:1 works well if you need it to be gluten free.
I was wondering if I can substitute brown sugar for the honey or maple syrup. How much would I use? Also if using convection oven would the temperature and bake time be the same?
Hi Shaileen! The honey or syrup helps with the sweetness, but also the moisture of this recipe.
These turned out fabulous! I wanted to double the recipe, but only had 1/2 cup honey, so I used what honey I had and added roughly a 1/2 cup brown sugar. I also only had unbleached all purpose flour, so I used that. But I have to say they are very tasty and look gorgeous.
Loved the muffins and so did my family. I loved that it was made with healthier ingredients that I have as staples. Easy recipe to follow.
Baking is not my forté, period. I tend to have failures often, lol. However, your muffin recipe is right up my alley and fool proof, thank you. I made 2 batches this week as they are soooo good! I use my home made kefir and it works well. I think I could do a little less than a cup. I also like more blueberries, added 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra. Nicely moist inside and not too sweet. Posted pics on IG.
I love to hear you think it’s foolproof, Saskia! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
what would happen if I did not include the oil? Just trying to get this a little lower in fat and am curious how skipping the oil or even putting half the amount would affect the muffin – flavor, consistency, rise, etc?
Hi Kristin! You need the oil for this. I know some have tried applesauce in some of my other muffin recipes, but I haven’t tried it to say for sure how it will turn out.
I actually tried this recipe with the following modifications to get it even lower calorie and they still taste AMAZING!!! Got it down to 112 calories for each: 17carbs, 3 fats, and 5 protein.
Here are the mods I made in case anyone wants to get this amazing recipe even lower calorie.
-~33g of “I can’t believe it’s not butter” instead of the oil (reduced total recipe by about 470cals)
-a little less than 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce instead of the maple syrup/honey (reduced total recipe by about 460cals)
-nonfat vanilla yogurt instead of regular
– 1 egg and 1 egg white instead of 2 eggs
– 2g of stevia spread over all the muffins instead of the tablepoon of sugar
Thank you!! These muffins were amazing as is, and I came to the comments looking for options other than oil- will try these modifications!!
These were fantastic. Thank you, Kate!
My go-to blueberry muffin recipe. Thanks!
Do you know what cook time I should do for mini muffins? Thanks!
Hi Carmen! I don’t, but they’ll bake up very quickly, so keep an eye on them! Perhaps they will be done baking in 5 to 10 minutes—just look for the visual cues for doneness provided within the recipe.
I made mini muffins. I started with 10 minutes and added another 5. They were lightly brown on the sides; 14 minutes may have been perfect. Delicious, although less sweet than expected. I also used all purpose flour (1:1) because it’s what I had.
Hi Kate! I have some rolled oats and quick oats which I want to use it in this recipe. Can you please suggest the substitute quantity to add it to this recipe. Thanks in advance!
Hello! Is it possible for me to replace the whole wheat flour with a combination of oat flour & almond flour? I cant find whole wheat flour anywhere :-(
Hi Raynah! I think you could use 2 1/2 cups oat flour in place of the whole wheat flour. That would be your best bet!
I don’t have any yogurt on hand, can I use sour cream or milk/buttermilk instead? Thanks for your recipes, they are so amazing, my favorite is banana chocolate chip bread, we keep frozen loaves in the freezer so they’re always on hand!
Hi Jan! I’m sorry for the slow response. You could use an equal amount of sour cream, or a lesser amount of DIY buttermilk (see the “make it vegan” recipe note for details—any milk will do).
Hi! Do you think this will taste ok if I cut down on the maple syrup and use less?
Hi D! These muffins are not particularly sweet as written. The liquid sweetener is important for a proper moisture balance. Using less could throw that off. If you use less maple syrup, you may need to replace it with additional yogurt. Should work, though!
Forgot about coating the blueberries in flour and baked at 350..
Did some as mini muffins.
Added some flaxseed too.
Bake time seemed longer than I thought it should(not an experienced baker) BUT,
It all turned out delicious and toddler approved.
Great recipe!
Thanks
I absolutely love these muffins! I greatly prefer them to some of the classic blueberry muffin recipes I’ve come across, which are usually full of butter and somehow lack subtlety. I’ve been making this recipe with just regular plain 2% yogurt, canola oil, and zest. Thanks so much for sharing it!
I didn’t look through all 700 some comments, but am wondering if these muffins will be successful with flax or chia eggs? A few days ago, I hard boiled all the ones I had left!
Yes, either of those should work well here! I always try to provide substitution guidance in the recipe notes. :)
What’s the best way to double this recipe?
Hi Judy! Readers have doubled all ingredients and spread throughout another muffin tin. Or, make up two batches if you are concerned.
Turned out great and was super easy to follow! Thank you for a great recipe :) I used all purpose flour and they turned out just fine
I am planning on making these for mothers day brunch tomorrow but I don’t think I’ll have time to do the whole process in the morning. Would you recommend making the dough tonight and baking it in the morning or making the muffins tonight and just covering them until tomorrow?
Hi Daisy! So sorry for my delay, it’s been crazy. What did you decide to do? I would have suggested making them all in advance and serving. They are great leftover.
Hi there, does it work well if i do not add jn yogurt? Cause i do not have any at home
Hi Cheryl! See my notes about making this vegan. That will help to answer your question and help you see what you have on hand to use!
Kate, I have been making your blueberry muffins and banana bread for some time now. I never change a thing (ok sometimes use vanilla or blueberry yogurt), BUT now I can’t always get whole wheat flour. The aisles are empty with the exception of small bags white flour. I am trying to use what I can get, but I suspect something in the recipe would have to change along with the more processed flour. Thoughts?
Hi Robin, I’m happy you have been making both recipes for sometime! The recipes should still work with all purpose flour. I hope this helps!
These were SO good!! Followed the recipe but replaced the yogurt with me for (same qtys). DELISH. I didn’t add the sugar on top for a less sweet option, but would’ve been even better with. Great work as always!!
am i crazy? i dont see you list the amount of eggs
Hi Linda! It’s right below the sweetener. 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
Made these today for the millionth time. They are such a huge hit in my house! Question: I’m about to run out of coconut oil, what would you suggest as a substitute? Thanks in advance! Love all your recipes!
Hi Lara! So glad to hear you’ve been enjoying the muffins. A mild extra-virgin olive oil works well, or any vegetable oil, really. I suspect melted butter would work, too.
Made with gluten-free flour, these were delicious!! Loved by everyone in my family. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Anna! Thanks for your review.
Hi, no eggs in the Ingredients list, but in recipe . Just an FYI
Just made these and they were wonderful! I wish we had that sugar for the top but it turned out quite well without.
I’m happy to hear you loved them! Thanks for your review, Sarah.
Hi,
Could I use regular white unbleached all purpose flour?
Hi Jessica! Yes, you can—same amount.
I just made your muffins and they are fabulous!!! Fantastic flavor and texture. I added extra blueberries – seriously one of my favorite muffin recipes so far.
YUM! Just made these with coconut oil, maple syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest. Didn’t finish with sugar because (for me) these were perfection without it! So moist, so flavorful. Next time I’ll do the full amount of lemon zest!
That’s great to hear, Hayley! Thank you for sharing that you loved these.
I was recently introduced to Cookie and Kate recipes. I have made a few so far and all were amazing.
Just baked the blueberry muffins and they are out of this world.
Thank you for these delicious and healthy recipes.
I have been inspired to cook more now.
Also, everything I have made so far was kid approved :-)
I’m glad you are loving the recipes, Lisa! Thanks for your review.
These are like portable blueberry pancakes. Absolutely delicious! I used whole wheat pastry flour, by the way. I highly recommend it. :)
I just made these, and they’re delicious but completely flat. Any ideas what went wrong? New baking soda/powder, oven temp is correct (have an internal thermometer)…now I’m trying to remember if I possibly doubled the liquid coconut oil because I can’t concentrate while attempting to homeschool tiny humans. ♀️ If I did, would that be a likely source of flatness? Thanks!
Hi Kate! If you accidentally added more of a wet ingredient (including coconut oil), that could cause the batter to be too loose and yield flatter muffins. If you forgot the eggs, that could also be the source, since they help the muffins rise. Mine always end up nicely domed, so I hope your next batch is perfect!
What adaptation, if any, is needed if I only have self raising flour available? Do I just cut out the baking powder and soda?
P.S. I’m a huge fan of your healthy banana loaf. I’ve made it about 10 times now in only a year or so.
Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your note! Self-rising flour is a tricky substitute for regular flour. It’s really only suitable for recipes designed specifically for self-rising flour, since the success of baked goods is highly dependent upon specific amounts of baking powder. You might occasionally get lucky and find a recipe with the same ratio of flour to baking powder that you’ll find in self-rising flour. Here’s a self-rising flour recipe so you can see that ratio. To answer your question, this recipe calls for less baking powder than your flour will provide. You could try omitting both the baking powder and soda to see if that does the trick. It’s experimental, but might work. Let me know if you give it a try!
This is amazing! I used mixed frozen berries and maple syrup. It comes out just right, not too sweet! My partner and I have made like 5 of your recipes and are always delighted!
I’m happy you loved it, Rebecca!
So delicious and moist. I have loved every recipe of yours that I’ve tried!
I didn’t read the thick batter part – so I was waiting for a complete disaster. But, oh my! This is the softest, with that muffin-top muffin! I wish I could drop in the photos. I sprinkled some almonds, flax seed on top. This is the best-est muffin recipe that I have ever tried. I baked it tonight and I’m gonna make another batch tomorrow too!
Hi Kate, I made your apple and carrot superhero muffins and they were delicious! I would like to try these blueberry muffins but don’t want to use wheat of any kind. Do you think almond flour/meal could be used in it’s place, and if so, how much?
Cheers,
Sheila
Hi Sheila! I don’t think almond flour would work here as you typically have to change too many things. You could try a gluten free blend. I do know Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking works well. Oat flour may be an option as I know it works in some other applications. Let me know if you try it!