These vegan blueberry muffins are moist, tender, bursting with juicy summer berries and flavored with vanilla and just a hint of lemon.
I make a lot of muffins, and I’ve gotten to the point where I generally don’t follow a recipe anymore. I know, right? Soup without a recipe? Easy. Baking without a recipe? Never thought I’d get there.
Muffins are pretty straightforward though, and once you get an idea in your head of the ratio of basic ingredients like flour, liquid, leavening and such, you can kind of wing it, at least as long as you’re going for something pretty straightforward.
It doesn’t get much more straightforward than blueberry muffins, so I figured it was time I got some vegan blueberry muffins on the blog.
Should be easy right? Well, for whatever reason, I made my way through about a half-dozen fails before I got this one right.
It is entirely possible that I’m a bit pickier when coming up with blog recipes than when throwing together a batch of random muffins to snack on at home. My husband did question why at least two batches of muffins that came out of the kitchen over the past few weeks were unworthy.
The final batch of vegan blueberry muffins were perfect, and pretty easy to throw together.
First you’ll mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl. The wet ingredients get mixed in a separate bowl, or better yet, a large liquid measuring cup. Stir everything together just until mixed, and then fold in the berries.
Divide into muffin cups.
Bake to delicious, fluffy perfection.
Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- I’ve tested this recipe with both all-purpose, spelt, and whole wheat pastry flours. All work great, but the all-purpose will yield a softer, more traditional muffin (like those shown in the pics), while the whole wheat will give you something a bit grainier and heartier, and spelt muffins will be a bit more tender and nuttier.
- I’ve had readers tell me that gluten-free blends work too.
- One of the biggest reasons for baked good fails: old baking powder and/or soda. Test them by sprinkling your powder in a glass of water and your soda in a glass of vinegar. They should fizz. If not, toss and replace.
- Another reason for muffin fails in particular: overmixing the batter. Just stir until fully mixed and then stop. This will ensure you don’t overdevelop the gluten, which leads to tough baked goods.
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Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (can sub spelt flour)
- 1/3 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unflavored soy or almond milk
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°.
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Line a 12 cup muffin tin with papers.
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In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, lemon zest and salt.
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In a separate, smaller bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, oil, vanilla and lemon juice.
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Add the liquid mixture to dry mixture and stir just until blended.
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Fold in the blueberries.
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Divide the batter among muffin cups.
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Bake 17 to 19 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow muffins to cool completely before removing from tins.
So yummy. Used granulated coconut palm sugar (1/3 c plus two tblspn). Wish i had put a sprinkle on the top too. Thanks for the spelt flour recipe!
Glad you enjoyed them! Spelt flour is my favorite for baking. :)
Hi! I am a vegan celiac. We gluten intolerants can’t have spelt. Might my millet or sorghum GF mix work?
I’m not sure! I think your best bet would be a 1-to-1 gluten-free blend like Bob’s Red Mill, but I can’t be totally sure since I have’t tried this recipe with it myself. Please let me know how it works out if you try!
I also have celiac and tried the recipe out tonight with the Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF flour and it worked perfectly! The muffins were just the right amount of sweet (I really dislike the cake-like sweetness of some muffins) and had a great texture. I did have to cook the muffins for a bit longer with the GF flour, but only by 4 minutes more.
Awesome!! I always get questions on gluten-free substitutes, so I’m glad to hear this one worked!
I used Bob’s Red Mill one-to-one flour and they turned out well.
Can I substitute coconut or EVO for the canola oil without
Messing up the texture?
Yup! Either will work, you’ll just end up with a little bit of flavor from the oil.
Very moist and fluffy, tender, but still firm enough.
I’m glad you like them!
Delicious! I tried this recipe both as muffins and in a rectangular cake pan… both turned out lovely and delicious, fluffy and moist! I’m also going to try adding walnuts to the cake version because of a legendary blueberry walnut cake of my husband’s childhood :)
I’m oil feee as much as possible. Can I use apple sauce or some other oil substitute? Many thanks
I think applesauce would work, but I haven’t tried so I can’t be absolutely sure. I’d love to hear how it works out if you try!
Hi, I made this recipe to the tee and I’m not sure why they’re so dense still. I still have to bake beyond the required time and now they’re just turning dark brown. Why is this? I’ve baked it now for 25 minutes
Sorry to hear that! It could be that your baking soda and/or powder is dated. Try sprinkling a bit of the baking powder into a glass of water, and the baking soda into a glass of vinegar. They should both fizz – if either doesn’t it’s time to replace it.
These are perfect vegan muffins! The batter is not too sweet which allows the natural sweetness of blueberries to come out. I will definitely come back to this recipe, it’s one of the best ever, thank you for sharing!!
I’m so glad you like them!! Thanks Agata!
I normally don’t do a lot of Vegan Baking. I rarely feel like it is worth while…something is missing or a substitute affects the flavor. These, however, were delicious! Thank you very much!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks Laurie!
Hi! Would frozen blueberries work for these? Also, can the lemon juice and zest be left out? Thanks so much!
Yes to both! Enjoy!
These were amazing! I used monk fruit extract instead of sugar and they were perfect!
I’m so glad to hear that!! Thanks Emily!
Hi! Will it be possible to use olive oil as a sub for the canola oil? Will it affect the recipe? Thanks a lot!
That would work just fine! You might be able to taste the olive oil a bit, but I actually find the flavor to be really delicious in sweet recipes like this one. :)
These muffins were delicious but not sweet enough for me. I think I’ll add a lemon glaze on some just for me and leave the rest as they are for my husband and kids. If you prefer muffins that are barely sweetened these are perfect! Lovely recipe, great texture on the muffin with simple ingredients and very easy recipe to follow. Thanks so much for this!
Glad you like them! You can add a little extra sugar to the next batch if you like – I tend to prefer my muffins lightly sweetened. :)
These are absolutely delicious! I’ve made them several times and they turn out perfect every time! I have tried many vegan muffin recipes before and none of them were ever quite like a muffin. These are perfect!
I’m so glad you like them! Thanks so much Shari!
These were awesome. I used 1/2 cup of apple sauce in place of the canola oil just to see. They worked out beautifully. For anyone who really needs a sweeter muffin, 1/4 cup of maple syrup would probably do the trick. I don’t think it needed it. I also used half whole wheat and half all purpose because I wanted them to be more breakfasty. I just wanna say that I recently found your blog and everything I tried has been phenomenal. Today I made the chickpea meatloaf and the muffins. They’re outstanding. I appreciate you.
Yay! Thank you so much Sheila! I’m so glad you enjoyed these, and glad to hear that applesauce worked!!
Heads up that this recipe does NOT work if you substitute an equal amount of almond flour for all-purpose flour!! The batter was so runny, which should have been my first clue. They baked into sloppy sunken-in messes. Turned out perfectly when I tried again with all-purpose!
Thanks for the tip! I’m glad it worked out with the all-purpose flour!
My substitutions based on what I had in the house: Instead of almond or soy milk, I used coconut milk (from a can). Instead of lemon, I used orange. Instead of fresh blueberries, I used frozen (without coating in flour first). Obviously the flavor is different than the recipe as printed but I want folks to know that this recipe can take it. These are PERFECT vegan muffins. You’re a wizard, Alissa.
All great substitutions! And really like the idea of including orange – I might try that with my next batch. I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Holly!
Really love this recipe, I’ve made it with slight modifications twice. This will be a go-to muffin recipe for me. Thank you very much for sharing!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thakes Elie!
I used sprouted spelt flour and substituted unsweetened apple sauce for the oil. I used frozen wild blueberries, which are smaller than commercial blueberries. Fantastic results. Greatly appreciated by the folks at Bernie Sanders’ office, where I volunteer.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And great to know that applesauce works as a sub for the oil! Thanks Barbie!
Now that spring is finally here, I was looking for a quick and easy lemon blueberry recipe that was also vegan. I stumbled upon this recipe and just made it. Let’s just say they are still warm and I have already ate two! They are absolutely delicious. I’ll be bringing in some to some coworkers tomorrow and will certainly use this recipe in the future.
Cheers!
Awesome!! I’m so glad you like them! Thanks Jill!
Great recipe! Loved the lemon flavor!
Awesome! Thanks Cathy!
I was too late in reading Patti’s comment that almond flour as a sub does not work. Neither does coconut flour. It was so dry the muffins never made into a batter, just dry clumps. So don’t try coconut flour as a substitute.
Thanks for the tip! With most baked goods it’s a bad idea to sub coconut or almond flour for wheat – they react in different ways with the liquid ingredients. You’d be better off seeking out a recipe that specifically calls for one of those flours. :)
Im going to try it. If I want to substitute some whole wheat flour for a part of the white, how much would you recommend. As a diabetic, baked goods with little fiber shoot my sugar level to the moon. Also, a little sparkling sugar gives a nice taste of sweetness without having to add a lot to the batter.
I’d try using whole wheat pastry flour – I bet you could get away with replacing all of the white flour with that (I’ve done this in other recipes with success). If you want to stick with regular whole wheat flour, try replacing half. Enjoy!!
I made these with 100% whole wheat pastry flour and they turned out amazing!
Glad to hear it! Thanks Julie!
I just made this using frozen wild blueberries (which gave a marbled look to the batter), and reduced oil and sugar to 1/4 cup each. I LOVED the flavour and texture of the muffins with whole wheat pastry flour. Thank you! :)
Wonderful!! Glad you enjoyed them!
Ok. I don’t know where I went wrong but my batter was way too thick. I added more milk to thin it out but by doing that the batch was over stirred. The first six are in the oven so I’ll see how they turn out.
The first batch came out ok. They are a little heavy but still good. I used cashew milk instead of soy and almond milk and used almond oil instead of canola oil.
Sorry to hear that! The batter should be pretty thick, but they should still come out pretty light. Is it possible your baking powder or soda is dated? You can test baking soda by sprinkling it in a small glass of vinegar to ensure it fizzes. Do the same with baking powder, but using water instead.
I hate blogs and NEVER write reviews, but this recipe warrants it. I made non-vegan muffins with local peaches for my summer class, and wanted an option for my vegan students. Everyone in the class LOVED these, even the “what’s-the-point-of-vegan-muffins” crowd kept coming up to grab more during class. Without margarine or any sort of flax egg situation, I was shocked at how lovely the texture was and how nicely they held together! I sprinkled course sugar on top and doubled the recipe. Worked amazing in my silicone muffin cups and I will definitely make these again and again! I don’t usually like muffins because I find them too sweet, but these were perfect! Thanks! :)
Woo hoo! I love hearing that! I’m so glad they were a hit, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!
I just want to say that I am not vegan but was looking for a vegan muffin recipe so I could make vegan muffins for a friend of mine. These turned out absolutely beautifully! I honestly can say that they have the best texture of any muffin I’ve ever made and I will never make another non-vegan muffin again. Thanks so much for this excellent recipe.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you like them! Thanks so much Kristy!
These were delicious, simple to make with ingredients on hand and received rave reviews from my family. I followed your recipe But used unsweetened vanilla almond milk so cut back on the vanilla extract. They were moist and bursting with fresh blueberries with a subtle lemon flavor. I cook and bake allot so have built a collection of favorite recipes and this one is now saved to the collection. They are company worthy! Thank you for sharing.
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed these! Thanks Pat!
Woah, amazing muffins! I was worried when the consistency of the batter came out more like bread dough than cake batter (might have been the whole wheat flour I was using), but it ended up fluffy and yummy after baking!
Yay! The batter is generally pretty thick, but you’re right that whole wheat flour could have made it even thicker. Glad you like them!
Is the nutritional information for one muffin?
Yup!
Hi. I’m going to try these, but I don’t have any paper liners. Will it be okay to just spray my muffin tin with nonstick spray instead of using paper liners? Thank you.
That should work just fine! Enjoy!
These are so good! Used spelt flour and half coconut sugar half date sugar. Also used grapeseed oil for a more alkaline version. Turned out fluffy and moderately sweet. If I left out the blueberries and added poppy seed would they be a good lemon poppy seed muffin?
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed them! I think they’d work well as lemon poppy seed muffins. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try!
The lemon is fantastic. I used silcone liners with no issues of sticking.
Glad you like it!
I made these last night, and they came out perfect! Only a few subs… I used whole wheat pastry flour, omitting the extra 2 Tbsp. (because wheat absorbs more liquid than white). I also used vanilla soy in place of the unsweetened soy. I had frozen a crate of blueberries that I knew I wouldn’t get to in time, so I threw them in frozen instead of fresh. This would be a perfect base for all kinds of muffins (chocolate chip, carrot raisin, etc). So glad I found it; thanks for sharing!
Pretty good except the amount of flour was a bit much. Like some others, the batter ended up being really thick. I couldn’t get rid of the dry spots. Baking powder and baking soda check out, so this wasn’t the issue. I would recommend using 1 cup 3/4 of flour instead of 2 cups + 2 tbps! Other than that, these were lovely, really enjoyed the lemony taste.
I followed the recipe except I forgot the vanilla flavoring. I probably used a bit more lemon juice. They were very tasty. Even the non vegans liked, and most importantly the toddlers! The batter was extremely thick so my frozen blueberries really muddled the batter…but very good. I usually sub some applesauce and cut back on the oil, but didn’t this time.I think I’d advise use . 3/4 cups of all purpose due to the extreme gummy thickness of batter. I used a mini muffin pan and sprayed with avocado oil. So many juicy berries, so it stuck a little, small berries would’ve been better for my minis…but using what we have! I used large tins and paper liners for your delicious chocolate chocolate chip muffins we baked alongside. Four year old granddaughter loved making the chocolate ones and they were a huge hit!
Love these and have been making them for my husband over a year now. One question: do you suggest keeping them in the fridge and if yes, for how long?
I’m glad you’re enjoying them! I usually don’t refrigerate them. They should be good in a sealed bag at room temperature for about 3 days. If you’re going to keep them around longer than that I’d freeze them.
I made these this morning and they turned out gummy on the inside and hard on the outside