These gluten-free blueberry muffins are soft, tender, and loaded with juicy blueberries throughout. The batter is oil-based, so there’s no creaming butter or pulling out a mixer. Just two bowls, a whisk, and about 10 minutes of hands-on time before they go into the oven.
I’ve tested this recipe at different oven temperatures to figure out which one gives the best rise without drying out the muffins. Getting height and dome with gluten-free baking can be tricky, and 400°F turned out to be the sweet spot. The oil-based batter also helps. Muffins made with oil instead of butter stay moist longer and have a softer crumb.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Blueberries – I like to use smaller blueberries so that they are more evenly dispersed throughout the muffins. While I prefer fresh blueberries, you can also use frozen. Do not thaw them before adding to the batter to prevent bleeding.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour in the blue bag, which contains xanthan gum. I have not tested this recipe with other gluten-free flour blends, so I cannot verify that they will work in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar – I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe, because it will affect the browning and texture of the muffins.
- Salt – Regular table salt but kosher salt will also work fine.
- Milk – Whole milk gives the richest crumb, but any milk works including oat, almond, or soy.
- Eggs – Use large eggs (50g each) at room temperature for the best incorporation into the batter.
- Vegetable Oil – Any neutral-flavored oil like vegetable, canola, avaocado or sunflower oil works well. Butter-based muffins tend to dry out faster so I like oil.
- Turbinado Sugar – This coarse sugar adds a nice crunch and texture to the muffin tops. If unavailable, you can use regular granulated sugar or skip it entirely. You can also put a gluten-free crumble topping on the muffins if you prefer. My gluten-free blackberry muffins also have a lemon glaze that would be lovely on top of these blueberry muffins.
Keep Your Blueberries From Sinking
Toss your blueberries in 1 tablespoon of gluten-free flour before folding them into the batter. This helps them stay suspended throughout the muffin instead of sinking to the bottom during baking. If using frozen blueberries, keep them frozen for this step.
Recipe FAQs
I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag), which contains xanthan gum. I can’t verify other brands will work since I haven’t tested those.
You can use frozen blueberries if fresh blueberries are out of season. Do not let the frozen blueberries thaw them before adding them to the batter. Thawed blueberries can release excess moisture, potentially making your muffins too wet and changing the texture.
I love the crunch that you get from the turbinado sugar, but you can omit it if you don’t have any on hand. A gluten-free crumble topping (use the one in my gluten-free mixed berry muffins recipe) would be delicious on top, too.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Airtight container for 2-3 days.
- Refrigerate: Up to 5 days in a sealed container. Warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
- Freeze: Wrap individually and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Microwave from frozen for 25-30 seconds, or thaw at room temperature for about an hour.
Serving Suggestions
These are always part of my weekend brunch lineup. I like to round out the table with my oven baked bacon and gluten-free breakfast casserole so there’s something savory to go with the muffins.
For drinks, my cucumber lemonade or basil lemonade are easy to make ahead and go with everything.
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
For the Blueberries:
- 9 oz (255 g) blueberries - about 2 cups total
- 1 tablespoon (9 g) gluten-free flour blend - Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, in the blue bag, which contains xanthan gum
For the Muffins:
- 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free flour blend - Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, in the blue bag, which contains xanthan gum
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (120 g) whole milk
- 2 (100 g) large eggs
- ½ cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) turbinado sugar
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Toss the blueberries in 1 tablespoon of gluten-free flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk gluten-free flour blend, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add together milk, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the flour-coated blueberries, being sure not to overmix so that the batter does not get dyed with blueberry juices.
- Portion out the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin using a cookie scoop or measuring cup. The muffin cups will be almost filled to the top. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
- Bake at 400°F for 15-17 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and tops spring back when lightly pressed. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Set on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour: This recipe uses Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour, which already contains xanthan gum. I cannot verify that other brands of gluten-free flour will work in this recipe, as I have not tested them.
- Measuring Flour: Accurate measurement of gluten-free flour is crucial. For best results, use a food scale and weigh the flour using the metric measurements provided in the recipe card. Different brands of flour will weigh different amounts for 1 cup, so weighing will always be more accurate. If you don’t have a food scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife, rather than scooping directly from the bag, to avoid using too much.
- Frozen Blueberries: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding to the batter, as they can bleed into the mix and change the color and consistency of the muffins.
