The Ultimate Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

In these epic sour cream blueberry muffins, plump and juicy blueberries, warm cinnamon and brown sugar, and fresh lemon zest all combine for the best blueberry muffins! The sprinkling of sugar on top adds the perfect crunchy lid without making them too sweet. It's a no-fuss, one bowl muffin recipe, and you can even use frozen berries if you prefer.

I love this time of year, when there are berries aplenty at the local farmers markets. I always have to make this blueberry pound cake, as well as these blueberry turnovers.

But, I recently realized that I didn't have a blueberry muffin recipe on my site. How did that happen?? In an effort to rectify that, I tested 5 different recipes over the past two weeks, and landed on this one that is, dare I say, perfection.

Starting with a fluffy and tender texture, it's plump full of juicy blueberries, with a hint of lemon, warmth from a smidge of cinnamon, and finished with sugary domes for the ultimate crunchy muffin top. Happy baking!

Jump to:

• ⭐ Why These Muffins Are The Best
• 🪄 How to Create Tall Muffin Domes
• 🫐 Ingredient Notes
• 📝 Variations & Substitutions
• 🔪 How to Make Epic Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips and Tricks
• ☕ More Muffin Recipes
• The Ultimate Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

⭐ Why These Muffins Are The Best

• Sweet and juicy blueberries, warm cinnamon and brown sugar, and fresh lemon zest all combine for the best blueberry muffins! The sprinkling of sugar on top adds the perfect crunch without making them too sweet.
• Quick and simple: No special equipment is needed and this one-bowl recipe is easy enough for beginners.
• Light and fluffy homemade muffins that can be made using fresh or frozen blueberries.

🪄 How to Create Tall Muffin Domes

There are several ways to ensure tall bakery-style muffins, and we're implementing two of them in this recipe. First, our muffin batter is super thick, and second, we're going to fill the muffin cups to the top with batter.

You can also start baking the muffins at a higher heat (425 degrees F.) for the first 5 minutes, and then drop the temperature to 375 degrees F. for the remaining 20 minutes.

🫐 Ingredient Notes

• Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter helps you control the amount of salt in your baking.
• Granulated sugar - This provides structure for the muffins, and also creates a deliciously crunchy lid for the muffin tops!
• Light brown sugar - Adds moisture and deeper flavor compared to if we only used granulated sugar.
• Lemon zest - Adds bright citrus notes
• Sour cream - I recommend using room temperature sour cream, as it will mix into the the muffin batter easier. You can also use unsweetened, plain yogurt for similar results.
• Egg - Using a room temperature egg will help to create lighter and fluffier muffins.
• Ground cinnamon - Adds a touch of warm spice.
• All-purpose flour - Make sure that you spoon and level your flour. To do this, spoon your flour into a measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. This ensures an accurate measuring, as opposed to scooping the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup.
• Blueberries - You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, but if using frozen, do not thaw them, and be sure to toss them in 1 tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter.

📝 Variations & Substitutions

• Gluten-free muffins: You can substitute using a 1:1 ratio with any all-purpose gluten free flour.
• Frozen berries: Make sure that you use the berries straight from the freezer (don't thaw them), or the color will bleed into the batter. Additionally, toss the frozen berries in 1 tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
• Use your favorite berries. You can easily substitute raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries!
• For jumbo muffins: Prepare muffins as directed, then scoop into a jumbo muffin pan and top with sugar. Bake at 375 degrees F for 27-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Make mini muffins: Prepare muffins as directed, then scoop into a mini muffin pan and top with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

🔪 How to Make Epic Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 9 paper liners, or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a large bowl (I find that 45 seconds in a microwave does the trick). Add in granulated sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest, and sour cream, and use a whisk to combine ingredients.

Whisk in egg and vanilla extract.

Next, add in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk together.

Add the flour and blueberries, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold them into the muffin batter just until combined. Don't overmix! There should still be a little bit of flour visible at this point, and the batter will be very thick.

Using a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, divide the muffin batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling them all the way to the top.

Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with ½ teaspoon granulated sugar, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

👩🏼‍🍳 Expert Tips and Tricks

• Storage: After muffins have completely cooled, store them at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or, they can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 days.
• How to freeze: Transfer cooled muffins to a large freezer bag, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Fold in the blueberries. Use the gentle method of folding to avoid crushing the berries. To do this, use a rubber spatula and go straight down the middle of the bowl and swoop to the left, making the letter "j". Turn your bowl 25%, and repeat until the berries are incorporated into the batter.
• Use paper liners. This makes clean up so much easier.
• Use room temperature eggs and sour cream. This helps them blend more smoothly into the batter.
• Don't overmix. You should still see traces of flour in your muffin batter.
• Use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to fill the muffin cups.
• Spoon and level your flour. Spoon your flour into a measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. This ensures an accurate measuring, as opposed to scooping the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup.

☕ More Muffin Recipes

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