Easy Basic Muffin Recipe (and Variations!)

This is my favorite basic muffin recipe (and variations) that I developed for beginner bakers! I share TWO different methods to guarantee perfectly moist muffins – one method to make one batch, and second method to make multiple batches at once!

Along with detailed, foolproof tips and instructions, and so many ways to adapt this base recipe to make your favorite version, like classic blueberry muffins .

• Basic muffin recipe highlights
• Why this muffin recipe works
• Basic muffin recipe ingredients
• Three methods for making muffins
• How to make basic muffins (my preferred methods)
• My best recipe tips
• Basic muffin recipe variations
• Storage tips
• Commonly asked questions and troubleshooting

Basic muffin recipe highlights

Muffins are a type of quick bread, similar to classic banana bread , whole wheat banana bread etc. And true to that name, they are quick and easy to make.

The texture is somewhere between that of a cake and a bread – not so soft like cakes and cupcakes , but not as firm as breads either. In other words, they have the texture of cake, but are as sturdy as bread.

• They are perfect to split in half and enjoy with a nice pat of butter , because they are sturdier than a cupcake.
• Remains moist inside.
• Not chewy like bread.
• Quick and easy to make.
• Can be sweet or savory (limitless potential!).

Why this muffin recipe works

• You can make these in under 30 minutes!
• They have the perfect, delicious balance between cupcake and bread .
• Really moist inside, but also sturdy.
• Easy and fast breakfast to make fresh, or ahead of time.
• Can be baked and frozen for later.
• Can be adapted to be dairy-free or vegan .
• This is a great basic muffin recipe with variations that your whole family will love! Lots of flavors with one base recipe. See my blueberry muffins with streusel topping recipe for another classic flavor variation.

I’ve been making muffins for as long as I can remember. But my first attempts were pretty flat and boring. The first time I tried making blueberry muffins, I ended up with something green, that was too rubbery.

But the more I practiced, the more tips and tricks I picked up along the way, and I’m sharing all that with you guys here!

Basic muffin recipe ingredients

Wet ingredients

• Unsalted butter (or oil, or margarine)
• Sugar (white sugar / brown sugar or honey)
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Sour cream (or milk or buttermilk or cream or yogurt)

Sugar is considered a wet ingredient for muffins because sugar is hygroscopic. Meaning, it retains and attracts water, which is why sugar can easily become sticky or clumpy when exposed to air for prolonged periods of time.

Wet ingredients for making muffins

Dry ingredients

• All purpose flour (AP flour)
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Spices (ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg)

Dry ingredients for basic muffins

Toppings

• Raw sugar
• Cinnamon
• Chocolate chips

Optional add-ins

• Fruits (like blueberries, raspberries, raisins, or chopped fruits like apple)
• Dried fruits (like raisins, dates, apricots etc.)
• Nuts

Three methods for making muffins

Creaming method

Some recipes online use the “creaming method”, where butter and sugar are mixed until light and fluffy, before adding other ingredients.

This method isn’t traditionally used to make muffins. It gives muffins a more cake-like texture.

Melting method

This is the most common way to make muffin recipes. This is actually called “the muffin method”, so no surprise there.

You melt the butter to a liquid and mix all the other wet ingredients, and then add that to the dry ingredients for the basic muffin recipe.

This method is much quicker and easier. But there is a risk of over-mixing the muffin batter and making your muffins come out rubbery (because of gluten).

Stella Parks method

I love Stella! Her method of making muffins is genius, but involves an extra step.

She mixes the flour + other dry ingredients (including sugar) with butter until it’s mealy (has the texture of coarse sand). You can use a food processor or a hand / stand mixer to do this. Then she stirs in the rest of the wet ingredients.

The coating of flour with the fat from butter reduces gluten development when you stir in the wet ingredients. So, this reduces the likelihood of rubbery muffins .

But mixing the flour and butter is an extra step . Plus, it uses an extra kitchen equipment (mixer) that you don’t need to make perfect muffins.

Before baking

After baking

How to make basic muffins (my preferred methods)

One batch

If I’m only making 1 batch of muffins, I prefer the melting method .

It’s fuss-free, easy, and I only need to really dirty up 2 bowls – one for dry ingredients, and another for wet ingredients.

It’s perfect to make one batch of the basic muffin recipe . Here are the steps for this method.

1. Melt and slightly cool the butter.
2. Whisk in sugar, eggs, and other flavorings with the butter.
3. Sift and mix dry ingredients well in a separate bowl (flour, baking powder, salt).
4. Add other add-ins (chocolate chips, fruits, nuts etc.) and mix to coat.
5. Add the wet ingredients, and gently fold in and mix about 10 – 15 times to combine and wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
6. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the dry ingredients to fully absorb the wet ingredients.
7. Add approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into each muffin cup (using a cookie scoop), and bake.
8. The muffins are done when a clean toothpick inserted comes out dry, or when the surface of the muffin bounces back when gently pressed.

Wet ingredients and dry ingredients in the same bowl

Muffin batter, just mixed through

Multiple batches

If I’m making multiple batches at once , or making multiple flavors with one big base batch, then I prefer the Stella Parks method .

Whether it’s only one flavor, or I’m making the basic muffin base recipe but adding different flavors, this method is great to prevent the batter from becoming too tough and rubbery .

A good muffin is made when the batter is mixed lightly, but quickly. The more effort and time you put into mixing muffin batter, the more rubbery the texture becomes because of too much gluten development.

So, if you’re making multiple batches or multiple flavors, you will likely end up mixing the dry ingredients for a longer time, with additional mixing time for when you divide and add flavors to the batter.

Coating the flour with the fat will slow down gluten formation, allowing the batter to withstand some extra mixing time. Here are the steps for this method.

1. Place the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Mix well to combine.
2. Add the softened butter (not melted) and use a hand-mixer to mix the butter into the dry ingredients + sugar mix, until you get a mealy crumb mix.
3. If you’re only making one flavor, add any add-ins at this stage (fruits, chocolate chips, nuts etc). If making multiple flavors, then see step 5.
4. Whisk together all of the other wet ingredients in a bowl (eggs, milk, extracts) and add that to the mealy flour-butter mix. Fold the mix to combine the wet ingredients with the rest of the batter, until just combined and moistened.
5. If you’re making multiple flavors, divide the batter into different bowls. Add the desired add-ins to each portion of the batter.
6. Use 1/4 cup cookie scoop to fill the muffin cups and bake.
7. The muffins are done when a clean toothpick inserted comes out dry, or when the surface of the muffin bounces back when gently pressed.

Stella Parks method – butter mixed with flour

Rest of the wet ingredients mixed separately

So, there you have it. Two methods of making easy muffins!

It’s such a simple recipe, and perfect for breakfasts. Since you can whip up a batch in less than 30 minutes (including baking time), there’s really no excuse to not make this basic muffin recipe with variations!

My best recipe tips

• Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature .
• Use a separate, large bowl for the dry ingredients , as you will be mixing the batter in this. It’s obviously easier to mix efficiently in a larger bowl.
• When you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix as little as possible . Gently fold the dry and wet ingredients (although the Stella Parks method can withstand a little extra mixing).
• When you have this base recipe down, adapting it for variations is easy.
• Use a regular muffin pan for regular muffins, but you can also use a mini muffin pan or a jumbo muffin pan too. The cooking time will vary depending on the pan you use , of course.
• For a regular muffin pan, I use a little over 1/4 cup of batter (about 5 tbsp).
• Line the muffin pan for easy clean up . IF you don’t want to add muffin liners, you can grease the tin with butter (my preference) or cooking spray to make it non-stick as well.

Basic muffin recipe variations

• Cinnamon muffins – Add 1 – 2 tsp of cinnamon to the dry ingredients to make cinnamon muffins.
• Chocolate chip muffins – Add about ½ – 1 cup of mini chocolate chips when mixing in the last bit of dry ingredients to make chocolate chip muffins.
• Raisin muffins – Add ½ – 1 cup of raisins with the last of the dry ingredients.
• Blueberry muffins – Check out my blueberry muffins recipe here. I recommend using smaller wild blueberries if you can, as you get more blueberries inside the muffins.
• Banana muffins (like banana nut muffins) – Leave out 1 egg and reduce the sour cream to ½ cup and add 1 mashed banana (about ½ cup mashed banana) to the wet ingredients and toasted walnuts with the dry ingredients.
• Orange cranberry muffins – Add ½ – 1 cup of dried cranberries (craisins) and the zest of 2 oranges to the batter.
• Lemon poppy seed muffins – Reduce sour cream to ½ cup and add ¼ cup of lemon juice and zest of 2 lemons. Also add ⅓ cup of poppy seeds with the dry ingredients.

Muffin topping options

There are different ways to top muffins to add more flavor and texture!

• Sugar topping – This is the easiest! Topping the muffins with white or brown sugar before baking will result in a slightly crunchy, caramelly topping on your baked muffins.
• Crumble topping – You can also add a crumble topping or streusel topping, like I did for my blueberry muffins. This is more flavorful, but involves a little more work.
• Icing – Icing, frostings, glazes, or even ganache can be used to top sweet muffins! It can be simple as a water and confectioner’s sugar glaze, or a royal icing drizzle. You can also use any of my creamy frosting recipes too.

Storage tips

• Room temp – You can store these at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days . If they contain fruit, I prefer not to store them at room temp. for more than 24 hours.
• Fridge – Store them in an airtight container, and then in the fridge for up to 1 week . The fridge can make the muffins stale though, so you can keep a slice of bread with the muffins to keep the humidity up. Personally, I just store them in the fridge and gently reheat them wrapped in parchment paper in the microwave or oven to make them taste fresh again!
• Freezer – Can be stored in the freezer as long as they are in an airtight container. However, to prevent the muffins from sticking together, I wrap them or layer them between parchment paper before freezing. Frozen muffins can be thawed out at room temperature for a couple of hours, OR overnight in the fridge, or in a low heat (200 F) oven until heated through.

Commonly asked questions and troubleshooting

Why are my muffins tough?

Muffins become tough or dry if you add too much flour to the batter, or too little liquid or sugar. If your muffins are tough and rubbery, that’s because they were overmixed. Mixing the muffins too roughly and for too long will result in more gluten formation, which produces bread-like muffins, and they’ll lose their cake-like, light texture.

How can I bake these from frozen, and can I freeze the muffin batter?

I do not like to freeze the batter or bake muffins from frozen. Any recipe that contains chemical raising agents (baking powder or baking soda) will be impacted from being frozen before baking (only exception is cookies). These reactants will lose their potency, and the muffins will not rise as much when baked from frozen. Alternatively, I prefer to bake the muffins while fresh, and then freeze the baked muffins. When reheated, they will still taste absolutely delicious AND fresh!

How can I make my muffins more moist and fluffy?

There’s a balance between a moist muffin and the muffin turning into a cupcake. Too much moisture in the batter will essentially turn a muffin into a cupcake. Muffin batter is meant to be thick, with some structure. Adding more moisture will make the batter runny, like cupcake batter. However, adding ingredients such as sour cream or yogurt that have a high fat content, and acidity helps to keep the muffins moist and fluffy! The acidity will react more with baking powder and baking soda and make the muffins fluffy! Being gentle with the batter without overmixing will also create a very tender crumb.

More breakfast recipes you’ll enjoy

• Cream scones
• Blueberry scones
• Pizza egg muffins
• Sheet pan pancakes
• Strawberry shortcake
• Overnight yeasted waffles
• Blueberry pancakes

Recipe

Basic Muffins Recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 340 g AP flour 2 ¾ cups (spooned and leveled)
• 1 tbsp baking powder 3 tsp
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients

• 150 g unsalted butter 10 ½ tbsp (room temperature)
• 170 g sugar ¾ cup + 1 ½ tbsp
• 2 large eggs
• 180 g sour cream ¾ cup (buttermilk, milk, yogurt, or cream can be substituted)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings (optional)

• Raw sugar and cinnamon
• Extra chocolate chips

Additions (optional)

• 1 cup mini chocolate chips for chocolate chip muffins
• 1 cup raisins or dried currants for raisin cinnamon muffins

Instructions

Creaming method (for one batch of muffins)

• Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.
• Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners, OR butter and flour all of the muffin pan wells.
• Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to mix really well. 340 g AP flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp sea salt, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Add any additions if you like, and toss to combine (leave out cinnamon if you don’t like or want the taste of cinnamon). Set aside. 1 cup raisins or dried currants, 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. Let it cool slightly. 150 g unsalted butter
• Add the sugar to the melted, warm butter. Whisk until emulsified. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla, and mix until smooth and well-mixed. 170 g sugar, 2 large eggs, 180 g sour cream, 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
• FOLD to mix wet and dry ingredients. Take care not to over-mix, and make sure there are no dry spots (of dry ingredients) in the batter. It’s OK if the batter is lumpy.
• Set aside for a few minutes to allow the flour to hydrate (about 2 - 5 minutes).
• Divide the batter between the 11 - 12 muffin tin wells (about 4 ½ - 5 tbsp each). I use a cookie scoop to evenly divide the batter.
• Sprinkle some raw sugar on top. (If you’re making chocolate chip muffins, sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.) Raw sugar and cinnamon, Extra chocolate chips
• Bake in preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until a clean skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Then turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Stella Parks method (for multiple batches of muffins)

• Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.
• Line your muffin pan with cupcake liners, OR butter and flour all of the muffin pan wells.
• Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the sugar to the bowl as well. Whisk to mix well.
• Add the softened room temperature butter to the dry ingredients, and use a hand mixer to cut the butter into the flour. Mix until the flour mix is mealy (looks like coarse sand), and there are no large clumps of butter remaining. See picture in the post for reference.
• If you’re only making one flavor of muffins, add the flavor additions to this mealy mix and toss to combine. If you’re making multiple flavors, you’ll be adding those flavors later.
• Mix the rest of the wet ingredients (excluding butter and sugar) in a bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold to combine.
• Do NOT over-mix at this stage (as you might be mixing in more additions later). Evenly divide the batter to flavor it.
• Add your choice of flavoring to each portion of muffin batter (chocolate chips, fruits etc.).
• Using an ice cream scoop, evenly divide the batter between the muffin tin wells (4 ½ - 5 tbsp of batter each).
• Bake in preheated oven for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until a clean skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Then turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

More info on three main methods of making muffins

Recipe tips

Basic muffin recipe variations

Storage tips

Nutrition

Recipe from The Flavor Bender by Dini Kodippili

Basic Muffins Recipe https://www.theflavorbender.com/easy-basic-muffin-recipe-variations/