These gluten-free blueberry cream cheese muffins are soft, tender, and absolutely loaded with juicy blueberries. The sweetened cream cheese on top bakes down into this rich, almost cheesecake-like layer that honestly makes them just as good for dessert as they are for breakfast.
The batter is oil-based, so there’s no waiting around for butter to soften, and the cream cheese filling is just three ingredients. You toss the blueberries in a little flour to keep them from sinking, spoon on the cream cheese mixture, and that’s it. Gluten-free, easy to make dairy-free, and they never last long around here.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese – Full-fat, block-style, softened to room temperature. This matters more than you’d think. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the filling, and those lumps don’t magically smooth out in the oven.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I’ve tested this with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 (blue bag) and King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose. Both work great. I can’t guarantee results with other brands.
- Vegetable Oil – Any neutral oil works: vegetable, canola, avocado.
- Blueberries – Fresh gives you the best texture and the least color bleeding. Frozen works too, but keep them frozen when you toss them in flour and fold them in. Don’t thaw them first or you’ll end up with purple batter.
- Turbinado Sugar – This is what gives the muffins that crackly, sparkly top. Regular granulated sugar won’t give you the same crunch. Look for it near the regular sugar; it’s sometimes labeled “raw sugar.”
How to Quickly Soften Cream Cheese
Leave the cream cheese in the foil packaging and place it in a bowl of warm water (not hot water) for about 5 minutes. It will soften to room temperature without melting. Always use room temperature cream cheese for a smooth filling.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The cream cheese topping means they shouldn’t sit out longer than that.
Refrigerate: Wrap individually or store in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating, or warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
Freeze: Freeze muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or microwave from frozen for 30-40 seconds.
Serving Suggestions
Set out a batch of these alongside gluten-free chocolate muffins and gluten-free lemon poppy seed muffins for a brunch muffin spread. They also pair well with a gluten-free blueberry banana bread for a blueberry-themed breakfast. For a lighter option, serve them with fresh fruit and yogurt.
Gluten-Free Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Mixture:
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese - softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Muffin Batter:
- 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend - divided, I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag) which contains xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) vegetable oil
- 2 (100 g) large eggs
- ¾ cup (183 g) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (185 g) blueberries - divided
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) turbinado sugar - or other coarse sugar
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups.
- To make cream cheese mixture, beat 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Set aside 1 tablespoon of the 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend to toss with the blueberries later.
- In another bowl, whisk together the remaining gluten-free flour blend, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar and ½ cup (113 g) vegetable oil for 2 minutes.
- Then, add 2 (100 g) large eggs to the sugar mixture and beat until combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add ¾ cup (183 g) whole milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into the mixture and mix well until combined.
- Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Toss 1 cups (148 g) blueberries with the reserved 1 tablespoon of gluten-free flour until coated. This will help them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- Gently fold coated blueberries into batter, being careful not to crush them.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Press remaining 0.25 cups (37 g) blueberries into tops of batter.
- Spoon a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese topping onto each muffin. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons (8 g) turbinado sugar over tops.
- Bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes, until muffins are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center (avoiding cream cheese layer) comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Gluten-free flour: I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (blue bag). King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose also works well.
- Storage: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
How about switching the blueberries with chocolate chips. I think that would be great.
I’m tempted to ignore this comment. Not everything needs chocolate mom!
I love blueberry cream cheese muffins! The first recipe I posted was a blueberry lemon cream cheese muffin that was absolutely amazing. I personally believe that cream cheese can make ANYTHING taste good, haha
Oh wow these sound delicious! and look so so cute too 🙂 a muffin with blueberry and cream cheese sounds like my kind of heaven!
they look amazing!
Mmm, cream cheese in a blueberry muffin? That sounds like heaven to me.
My husband loves everything blueberry, so I will definitely be making these for him! Thanks!
Would frozen blueberries work? I’m in quarantine ?
These are amazing! Hello from Australia. I used frozen blueberries and they turned out perfectly. I also added the grated rind of a lemon in the batter and 2 drops of food grade essential lemon oil in the cheesecake mix. I love, love, love the combination of lemon and blueberry. ?
With all the sugar in these I thought they were going to be so delicious. They are just okay. Not worth the time though.
Yes these are worth the time to make b/c they are delicious. Easy and quick to put together and in the oven they go. As with any recipe, if you simply read through the ingredients first, then you can decide what alterations with sugar or any other ingredient to make it to your own taste. My hubs and granddaughter loved these muffins.
Thank you Mary Ann! I’m so glad you enjoyed these!
Just made these however I needed to add more milk possibly because I was using oat milk or just different gluten free flour blend.
I also used extra dairy free cream cheese (as it was about to go off) sweetened with maple syrup which I put inside and on top as I made rather large muffins.
They were INCREDIBLE!!!
Finished within one day……absolutely delicious.
Thanks for the recipe
So glad you liked these!!