Vegan Blueberry Muffins

These vegan and gluten free blueberry muffins are the perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack. They're easy to make, super fluffy, delicious and packed with flavor!

Why we love this recipe

• Super flavorful: fresh blueberries add natural, earthy sweetness, while lemon juice and zest add acidity and a punch of citrusy flavor. A coarse sugar topping adds a bit of crunch for a perfect bakery-style vegan blueberry muffin!
• Quick and easy to make: it only takes about 15 minutes to prep these vegan blueberry muffins and 30 minutes to bake.
• Allergy friendly: these muffins are fully vegan, gluten free and nut free (as long as you use oat milk!). They can also be made soy free depending on the vegan butter you use.
• Perfect for a quick snack or on-the-go breakfast: I love making a double batch of these vegan blueberry muffins and storing leftovers in the freezer. They heat up perfectly in the microwave for an easy snack!

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make these vegan and gluten free blueberry muffins:

Ingredient Notes

• Gluten free flour: we use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour in almost all of our baking recipes. It creates a perfectly light, fluffy texture!
  1. Pro tip: check to make sure your gluten free flour blend contains xanthan gum, an ingredient that helps stabilize gluten free baked goods. If your blend doesn't contain any, consider adding ½-1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe (it makes a huge difference in the texture!).
• Oat flour: In addition to gluten free all purpose flour, we also use a small amount of oat flour in most vegan and gluten free baking recipes. Oat flour contains more protein, which is often lacking in vegan baked goods without eggs. You can also sub with almond flour.
• Applesauce is our egg substitute of choice in these vegan blueberry muffins. It acts as a binder and also adds a bit of natural sweetness. We opt for plain unsweetened applesauce (although cinnamon applesauce would also be great in this recipe!).
• Oat milk: you can use any nondairy milk of choice in this recipe (cashew, almond, oat), but we prefer full fat oat milk for its neutral flavor and creaminess.

Step-by-step instructions

Here's how to make these vegan blueberry muffins in a few simple steps:

Prep: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.

Dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, stir together gluten free flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Blueberries: In a small bowl, toss blueberries in 1 tablespoon of flour to coat (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins). 

Wet ingredients: In a separate bowl or stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla extract, lemon juice and zest and applesauce and continue mixing.   

Mix: Add about ⅓ of dry mixture to wet mixture, then alternate with about ⅓ of the milk. Continue alternating until you add in all of the flour mixture and milk. 

Bake: Gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Fill each muffin tin almost to the top, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 29-31 minutes at 350˚F, until toothpick comes out clean.

Expert Tips & FAQs

• Don't want to make these gluten free? Substitute the gluten free all purpose flour and oat flour with 2 ½ cups of regular all purpose flour.
• Get your muffins in the oven as quickly as possible for the perfect rise. Without eggs and gluten, these vegan and gluten free blueberry muffins rely on the chemical reaction between baking soda and lemon juice to get a nice rise in the oven. The reaction starts happening as soon as the ingredients are mixed, so it's important to get the batter in the oven ASAP in order to make the most of the chemical reaction.
• Don't over-mix the batter. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy! If you over-mix it, these muffins won't rise quite as much and they may have a dense texture.

• The wet mixture might look a bit separated once you add in the applesauce, but don't worry! (see photo #6 in the step-by-step instructions) This is completely normal when you mix applesauce and vegan butter, but the batter comes together perfectly when you start adding in the dry ingredients.
• Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
• Freezer: store muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to a few months. Reheat muffins individually in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until warmed through. They reheat perfectly and taste like they've just come out of the oven!

Related recipes

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

Print