Soft, fluffy, and loaded with fresh (or frozen) blueberries, these easy blueberry muffins with crumb topping are truly the best, and so easy to make. It’s that perfectly buttery, crunchy streusel topping that sets them apart from your typical blueberry muffin! This is my grandmother’s recipe and a family favorite. You’ll see why.
This is the blueberry muffins recipe I grew up on, straight from my Grandma Renelt’s recipe box. Thanks to buttermilk and just the right amount of oil, these muffins bake up beautifully moist with a delicate crumb, and bright bursts of fresh blueberries studded throughout. And, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s a crunchy, buttery, sugary crumb topping that totally clinches the win for blueberry muffins. I love them so much, I modeled my banana blueberry muffins after this recipe.
Why These Blueberry Muffins Belong on Your Breakfast Table
So many of you love this recipe. It’s one that I shared during my very first year of this blog, back in 2010. I thought these blueberry muffins deserved some extra love now that Grandma Renelt has passed away. She had such a strong, beautiful presence in our family, and we miss her dearly.
Friends and family have asked me for this recipe time and time again, and with very good reason. Once you try these, you’ll never need another blueberry muffin recipe!
What You Can Expect:
- A tried-and-true favorite for decades. These blueberry muffins are a cherished family recipe passed down with love, bringing generations of baking wisdom to every bite. They’re foolproof and always a hit.
- That sweet, buttery crumble topping. It’s not just there for looks! The streusel-style topping adds irresistible texture and flavor that sets these muffins apart.
- Simple ingredients. Every ingredient is a pantry staple, meaning that as long as you have blueberries on hand (fresh or frozen), you can whip up these moist blueberry muffins anytime!
- Freezer-friendly for easy mornings. Make a batch (or two!) and stash some away. They reheat like a dream for a quick breakfast or afternoon treat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I love this recipe’s short ingredients list of pantry staples! Here’s a quick look at what you’ll need to make these blueberry crumble muffins, along with my notes. Don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.
- Egg – Ideally at room temperature.
- Milk – Any dairy milk on hand will work.
- All-purpose flour – Measure the flour using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method. Fluff, and then spoon the flour into your cup measure, and level off the top. Don’t scoop the flour right from the bag, or you’ll end up with too much.
- Sugar – Regular white sugar, but light brown sugar will also work.
- Baking powder – Helps these muffins rise and gives the perfect texture. If your baking powder has been sitting at the back of the pantry for months, consider buying fresh to ensure the muffins bake up fluffy.
- Cinnamon – Adds a little warmth to the overall flavor of the muffins, beautiful with the blueberries. Nutmeg or ginger also adds a subtle, spiced flavor.
- Blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you’re using frozen, you don’t need to thaw them first.
CRUMB TOPPING
- Sugar – When baked with the flour and butter, the sugar adds a crunchy, sweet element to the tops of the muffins.
- Flour
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature, not melted, for the perfect crunchy crumb texture.
Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries
Even though these muffins are fantastic when made with fresh blueberries, this recipe works very well with frozen blueberries, too! Simply fold the frozen berries (do not thaw) into the muffin batter, just like you would the fresh berries.
After we pick blueberries each summer, we just have to make a batch of blueberry muffins. The fresh, sweet/tart goodness of the just-picked berries is undeniable. But I always make sure to pick enough blueberries to freeze, to ensure I have enough for a few batches of Grandma’s muffins over the upcoming months.
How to Make Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
All you need to do is mix the batter ingredients, and then make the crumble and sprinkle it over the top of the batter. Bake, and you’re good to go! Here’s a closer look at the step-by-step recipe.
- Get ready to bake. Preheat your oven and line your muffin tin.
- Make the muffin batter. Next, combine the egg, milk, and oil. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients, and mix just until combined. Overmixing will cause the muffins to lose some of their tenderness.
- Add the blueberries. Fold in the blueberries. Then, spoon the batter into the muffin tin and let it rest while you prepare the topping. For plumper, fuller muffins, divide the batter between just 10 muffin cups (as shown in my photos). For smaller muffins, use all 12 cups.
- Make the crumb topping. Combine all ingredients with a fork until crumbly, with some larger pea-size pieces. Sprinkle the crumble over the muffin batter.
- Bake. Bake these muffins for about 20 minutes, until the crumb topping is golden.
Avoiding a Soggy Crumb
My biggest piece of advice for making crispy crumb topping for muffins is to use butter that is just nicely softened at room temperature. Do not melt the butter, and do not use overly soft butter. And then, with a fork, just keep pressing the dry ingredients into the butter until pea-sized pieces form. When sprinkling the crumb topping mixture over the muffin batter, use your fingers to compress some of it into larger pieces.
Serving and Storing Blueberry Muffins
With the sweet, crunchy topping, these muffins really don’t need anything else. However, a schmear of good-quality, salted butter is always welcome. For even more flavor, try my whipped blueberry butter or cinnamon honey butter!
These blueberry muffins are best eaten on the day they are made, when the crumb topping is crunchiest. If we don’t eat all the muffins on the first day, we leave them out on the counter, uncovered. This helps to keep the crumb topping crisp.
Can I Freeze These Muffins?
Yes! These muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can either defrost them in the fridge or pop one in the microwave for a quick breakfast on the go. Just know that the crumble topping will not be as crisp as when they are just baked.
More Muffin Recipes to try
Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
Ingredients
for the muffins:
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not thaw)
for the crumb topping:
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray standard muffin tin with non-stick spray, or use baking cup liners, and set aside.
For the blueberry muffins:
- In a small bowl, mix the egg, milk, and oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir. Do not over mix.
- Fold in blueberries. Batter will be very thick. Spoon into muffin tin and let rest a few minutes while you prepare the crumble topping. For plumper, fuller muffins, divide batter between just 10 of the muffin cups (as shown in my photos). For smaller muffins, use all 12 cups.
For the crumb topping:
- In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Be sure to have some larger pea-size pieces of crumble. Sprinkle over muffin batter.
- Bake until crumb topping is a bit golden and a toothpick comes out just barely clean, about 20 minutes. Let rest in pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool.
Video
Notes
- Muffins are best eaten on the day they are made, when the crumb topping is crunchiest. If we don’t eat all the muffins on the first day, we leave them out on the counter, uncovered. This will help to keep the crumb topping crisp.
- From Grandma Renelt’s recipe box.
Nutrition Information:
A few memories from the past…
My grandma was an incredibly special woman to me. She always worked hard and played even harder – she was a force to reckon with when it came to games of cards, dice, and marbles! And I’m positive that much of my domestic ways were passed directly from her, to my mom, to me. I am grateful for all the recipes Grandma passed along to our family, including the one for these blueberry muffins.
This post was originally published in 2010, and then updated in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
So good, I was skeptical about the thick batter, trust the process as it is worth it,