These soft, moist, and flavorful blueberry muffins are made with sour cream and frozen wild blueberries. Your new go-to recipe that rival bakery muffins!
Why I Love These Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Bakery-worthy texture: This simple recipe achieves that coveted tight crumb reminiscent of bakery-style blueberry muffins. I was trying to mimic a grocery store bakery or Costco blueberry muffin, as I love the texture of those more than a fluffy muffin. They're kind of like a coffee cake texture but in muffin form.
- Stays moist for days: By adding the sour cream, they stay moist in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These are truly my new favorite blueberry muffin recipe!
- Packed with blueberry flavor: By using frozen wild blueberries, you get an even dispersement of berries and that iconic blueberry taste! Think classic blueberry muffins...but better! The perfect addition to a morning cup of coffee or as a simple afternoon snack.
Tip: While I usually prefer baking with fresh fruit, making these blueberry muffins with frozen blueberries truly results in the best flavor!
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Frozen Wild Blueberries: I highly suggest using frozen wild blueberries, as their smaller size and sweeter flavor contribute to a tighter crumb and enhanced sweetness. They basically give you an iconic blueberry flavor that fresh blueberries from the grocery store don't (plus, you don't have to wait for blueberry season!). They're also super delicious in my crispy waffle recipe!
- Almond Extract: A touch of almond extract brings out the blueberry flavor. I like adding this to most of my blueberry recipes, as it truly adds a special touch.
- Sour Cream: The secret to the muffin's moist texture and tight crumb lies in the addition of sour cream. If you don't have it, you can substitute it for plain greek yogurt (don't use regular plain yogurt as it's not thick enough). The sour cream allows us to make these blueberry muffins without vegetable oil.
- Turbinado sugar: Adding a little sprinkle gives the top of the muffins a golden brown crystallization, slightly crunchy texture, and added sweetness. If you don't have it, you can simply omit.
How to Make Homemade Blueberry Muffins
This quick muffin recipe is simple to make and results in super moist blueberry muffins! Follow the steps below to make the best blueberry muffin recipe with sour cream!
Step 1: Make Batter
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream unsalted butter (½ cup, i.e. 1 stick) and granulated sugar (1 cup) for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add sour cream (½ cup), eggs (2 large), vanilla extract (2 teaspoons), and almond extract (¼ teaspoon) and mix until just combined.
- Add baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons), baking soda (¼ teaspoon), and salt (½ teaspoon) and mix until combined.
- Slowly add all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cups) and mix until just combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Add frozen wild blueberries (1 cup) and mix for 5-10 seconds until just combined. I like to mix them just to the point where I can see little streaks of blue throughout the batter.
Tip: It's best to use frozen berries vs. thawed as they won't discolor your batter as much. Using thawed ones will make your batter very blue!
Step 2: Scoop Into Muffin Tin
- Line a light-colored metal cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
- Use a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into each one. Even though the dough is thick and will stay in "mounds" when scooped, you do not need to spread it to be flat as it will melt down in the oven.
- Top with turbinado sugar, if desired.
Step 3: Bake & Enjoy
- Bake at 350ºF for 22-24 minutes, or until tops are very lightly brown.
- Allow to cool before removing from the wrapper (if you try to unwrap them while they're hot, they will likely stick).
- Grab a cup of milk or coffee and bask in the glory that you made the most delicious blueberry muffins!
Storage & Freezing
- Storing: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days. To prevent the turbinado sugar from getting too sticky, consider placing a piece of bread or saltine crackers in the container to absorb moisture (although keep in mind that sugar does naturally dissolve with time so you can't totally avoid it!).
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 1-2 months. If planning to freeze, omit the turbinado sugar as it will get sticky. When ready to serve, thaw the frozen blueberry muffins to room temperature. These would be the perfect thing to keep in the freezer for a quick breakfast or to grab on those busy mornings!
Tips & Variations
- Use a scoop: This muffin batter is thick so I highly suggest using a 4-tablespoon sized cookie scoop.
- Turn into lemon blueberry muffins! Incorporate 1½ teaspoons of lemon extract and zest from 1 lemon for a zesty twist.
- Add Glaze: Drizzle with a glaze for an added touch! Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2-3 tablespoons milk or water. Drizzle on cooled muffins.
- Crumb/Streusel Topping: Combine ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup flour, and 2 tablespoons softened butter with a fork, leaving pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle on top of muffins before baking.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. But you do need to use one or the other, as it's crucial to the recipe!
These are sold in most grocery stores in the freezer section. They'll be by the other frozen fruits. Just be sure to get the "wild" blueberries! While you can use regular fresh or frozen blueberries, I stand firm that wild blueberries make the best blueberry muffins.
Turbinado sugar is a coarse, slightly crunchy sugar that gives the tops of the muffins a golden crystallization, delicious texture and extra sweetness.
A lot of bakeries use this on the top of their muffins and it makes them extra special! You can omit, if needed, or top with granulated sugar to just get the added sweetness.
I love using these white cupcake paper liners from Amazon. They are affordable (a pack of 500), release well, and are neutral colored for any occasion!
Looking for more easy quick bread & muffin recipes?
If you make & love this sour cream blueberry muffins recipe, check out some of my other favorite recipes using sour cream!
Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins (super moist!)
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream ½ cup unsalted butter and 1 cup granulated sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add ½ cup sour cream, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon almond extract and mix until just combined.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt and mix until combined.
- Slowly add 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and mix until just combined. The mixture will be thick.
- Add 1 cup frozen wild blueberries and mix for 5-10 seconds until just combined. I like to mix them just to the point where I can see a little streaks of blue throughout the batter.
- Line a light-colored metal cupcake pan with paper cupcake liners.
- Use a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop batter into each one. Even though the dough is thick and will stay in "mounds" when scooped, you do not need to spread it to be flat as it will melt down in the oven.
- Top with Turbinado sugar, if desired.
- Bake at 350ºF for 22-24 minutes, or until tops are very lightly brown. Place on a wire rack to cool.
- Allow to cool before removing from the wrapper (if you try to unwrap them while they're hot, they will likely stick).
- Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze up to 1-2 months. To help prevent the tops from getting sticky during storing, place a piece of bread or a few saltine crackers in the container to help absorb moisture.
Notes from Melissa
- Cupcake Pan: I use the Wilton recipe right cupcake pan. As with all my baking, I get the best results with light-colored aluminum pans.
- Cupcake Liners: I use & recommend using white cupcake liners for easy release and a neutral appearance.
Did you make this?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! Leave a review & photo of your creation and be sure to mention @DesignEatRepeat or tag #DesignEatRepeat on Instagram!Save this recipe!
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Can i make this into a bread (loaf pan size like your banana bread recipe)?
I haven't done it with this recipe but I think it would work!
It needed more blueberries. I made mine with grated lemon 🍋 peel. They were fabulous! Thank you!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Patricia!
Fantastic recipe. Had blueberries to use and searched and found this one. So moist. It's a keeper!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Mary Jo!
It’s Saturday and time to get ready for the week! Oh I admit I eat some of this batter, don’t judge 👩⚖️ until you try it😜! And they scoop out perfectly! Now the hard part, the wait while they cook 👩🍳
Happy Baking!!
Excellent recipe and easy to make. Delicious. I added extra blueberries, which lengthened cook time.
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Linda! I really appreciate it!
I wanted to wait before reviewing to see how they held up a couple days later. When they came out of the oven the tops were crispy crunchy with the sugar and after one overnight the sugar mostly dissolved. Next time I will try storing with a slice of bread. It was beyond delicious. I got several opinions and all of them reviewed this bake as tender and flavorful. Compared to other store bought muffins, these reviewed as “less sweet and less cakey than others” which was a very positive thing because not everyone wants to sit down with an overly sweet bake for breakfast. I used trader joes brand frozen organic wild blueberries and lemon zest in place of almond extract. The only thing I would do differently next time is add some berries, 1/2 turn/stir and add some more like 3-4 times because my batter was kinda greyish from stirring to evenly distribute.
Thank you so much for helping me test & leave such a thorough review, Sarah! You da best!
These were delicious! My kids and I loved them. A great use of the frozen berries that I need to use. I will make these regularly especially once school starts back.
SO glad to hear everyone loved this recipe!! Thank you so much for testing out this recipe for me and leaving a review, Katrina! I really appreciate it!!
The grandkids loved these muffins. So great warm from the oven definitely don't skip the sugar on top. It works wonderful with fresh blueberries also.
Awesome to hear everyone enjoyed the recipe!! Thank you so much for testing out this recipe, Lisa! I really appreciate it!!
So good!! My kids couldn’t wait to eat them and they ate them faster than I could put it on their plate! Anything with almond extract is my favorite! My oldest is very picky and he took a huge bite and yells mmmmm this is good.
Yay, so glad to hear EVERYONE in the fam enjoyed the recipe! :) Thank you so much for testing out this recipe for me, Hannah! I appreciate it so much!!
These blueberry muffins are moist and delicious! As with all of Melissa’s recipes, this one comes together quickly. I definitely recommend making these for your next brunch event!
Thank you as always for trying out my recipe and leaving a review, Tomma! :) I really appreciate it!