These Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping are my absolute favorite. They have a soft, tender bite, with a crunchy streusel crumb topping and tons of blueberries inside. They taste AND smell incredible!

To me, these are the best of the best.

Blueberry Muffins - With a Streusel Crumb Topping

The inside is properly loaded with lots of blueberries, held together with a muffin batter that bakes up soft and cakey, with a wonderful hint of citrus taste and aroma, and finished off with a sweet and crunchy streusel topping.

In some sense, there’s a lot going on with this muffin. That’s part of its greatness, is there are multiple textures, flavors, and aromas.

But they’re actually not fussy or difficult to make.

It’s a bakery-quality muffin, with no mixer or fancy equipment required. It’s simply made by stirring together the ingredients by hand in a standard bowl.

Blueberry Muffin Recipe - Baked from Scratch with Frozen Blueberries and Streusel

Another thing that’s nice about these muffins is I find they taste best a couple hours after they’re baked. 

This means that they’re fantastic for making ahead of time, whether you’re baking them ahead for hosting at home or if you’re bringing them elsewhere. They’re one of my go-to’s for brunch, along with these moist buttermilk Chocolate Muffins.

I find myself gifting these quite a bit to friends, family, and neighbors. I put them in these cute paper boxes that I buy online (affiliate) and they look so beautiful!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins - With Soft and Tender Interior, Studded with Blueberries

How to Make Them:

Start with the Streusel Crumb Topping:

The crumb topping takes less than 5 minutes to make and really takes the muffins up a notch. Don’t skip it!

In a small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon:

Sugar, Flour, and Cinnamon in a Mixing Bowl

Whisk that all to combine, then pour in some melted butter:

Adding Melted Butter to the Dry Ingredients

Stir together with a fork until large crumbs form:

Streusel Topping - Stirred Together into Crumbs

Place that in the refrigerator to chill and harden while you prepare the muffin batter.

Make the Batter:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and both orange and lemon zest:

Flour, Sugar, baking Powder, Salt, Orange Zest, and Lemon Zest in a Bowl

When I can find them, I like to use solely Meyer lemon zest here. The day I shot these pictures, the store actually had some but they didn’t look fresh.

When I can’t get Meyer lemons, I do a combination of equal parts orange and lemon zest.

In another bowl, combine one egg, melted butter, and buttermilk:

Egg, Buttermilk, and Melted Butter in a mixing Bowl

Please, oh please, use true buttermilk here. Not milk mixed with vinegar. I have used the latter in a pinch but the real stuff is definitely better.

Buttermilk tends to come in a quart size container, which is more than you need for this recipe, but it’s a good excuse to also try this incredible Lemon Buttermilk Pie.

Or make Buttermilk Pancakes, this amazing Cornbread Recipe, or this legendary Fried Chicken Recipe. My friend Lindsay also has a post on How to Freeze Buttermilk, though I haven’t tried it myself. I just make a point to use it all up!

Whisk the wet ingredients until combined, and don’t worry if it looks curdled and lumpy:

Buttermilk Butter Egg Mixture Whisked Together - Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and you’ll end up with a very thick dough:

Homemade Blueberry Muffins - thick Batter Made from Fresh Ingredients

Add blueberries, either fresh or frozen (I almost always do frozen), and stir them in just enough to distribute them somewhat evenly. If you stir too much you’ll make the whole batter purple.

Blueberry Muffins Recipe From Scratch - Using Frozen Blueberries in Thick Batter

Use a large 3-tbsp cookie scoop (affiliate) to portion the batter into muffin liners. I find that a generous scoop with this size is the right amount for each well.

Scooping Blueberry Muffin Batter into Muffin Liners

Get the streusel crumb from the fridge, and break it up with your fingers a bit. Crumble it over the tops of the muffin batter:

Putting Streusel Crumb Topping onto Scooped Muffin Batter

Bake the muffins for about a half hour, until the crumb topping is golden.

Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe - One Dozen muffins with golden crumb topping

If you have a toothpick handy, you can check that no wet batter comes out when you insert it into the center of the muffin. Though I honestly find it easier to just press my fingertip gently onto the top center of the muffin. If it springs back, it’s done.

These blueberry muffins are nice enjoyed warm out of the oven, but I personally believe they are best after they’ve cooled for a couple hours.

A close up of a blueberry muffin with crunchy golden topping and bowl of blueberries on side

Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Coffee Cake, and English Style Scones are a few of my other favorite brunchy baked treats. Enjoy!

A close up of a blueberry muffin with jammy purple blueberry spots and golden crumbs on top

Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping

Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
These amazing blueberry muffins are flavored with citrus zest and topped with a crunchy streusel crumb, for the perfect baked treat!
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Ingredients

For the Streusel Crumb Topping:

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (72g)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (112g)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter melted (salted or unsalted both work)

For the Blueberry Muffins:

  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (212g)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • Zest of 2 meyer lemons (or do zest of 1 orange plus zest of 1 lemon)
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted (about 5.33 tbsp)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups blueberries (I use frozen)

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
  • Start with the streusel crumb topping. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and mix with a fork until crumbs form. Chill in the refrigerator while you continue with the recipe.
  • For the muffin batter, in a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and citrus zest. 
  • In another large bowl, whisk to combine the melted butter, egg, and buttermilk. It's fine if it looks curdled or lumpy. 
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir just enough to bring the batter together. It will be thick and lumpy, and that's fine. Take care not to overstir, which can make your muffins tough.
  • Dump in the blueberries, and fold them in gently, just enough to distribute them somewhat evenly. Take care not to stir too much, or your batter will turn purple.
  • Use a large 3-Tbsp cookie scoop and scoop slightly overfilled portions evenly into the 12 lined muffin wells.
  • Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and break up the crumbs with your fingertips, sprinkling the topping onto each of the muffin batter scoops.
  • Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown. To make sure they are done inside, I gently press my fingertip in the top center of the muffin. It should spring back to the touch.
  • They can be enjoyed warm out of the oven, but I personally find the flavor to be at its best after they've cooled for about 2 hours. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 28mg, Sodium: 96mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 24g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas

Post and recipe updated in May 2020. Originally published July 2011.