Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Best Dairy-Free Recipe)

Fluffy vegan blueberry muffins made in 1 bowl with pantry staples. Use fresh or frozen berries. UK-friendly grams & cups, storage & freezing tips.

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Jump to:

• Why you'll love them
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• 📖 Recipe
• Substitutions and variations
• Flavor upgrades (bakery-style)
• Troubleshooting
• 💬 Comments

I always like to keep our cake dome well stocked at home. I have four children who are always looking for something to eat and having stack of snacks in the cake dome on the kitchen counter makes it easy to grab something without nagging me!  These vegan blueberry muffins aren't exactly a healthy option but they do contain some fruit which I consider a win most days! 

These vegan blueberry muffins also make a great addition to lunchboxes or to take out on a walk. At the weekends we tend to pack up a bag of snacks and drinks and go on a long walk as a family and these blueberry muffins are the perfect sweet treat at the halfway point. 

Why you'll love them

• 1-bowl
• dairy-free
• freezer-friendly
• fresh or frozen berries

Ingredients

• plain flour (all purpose flour)
• golden caster sugar
• coconut oil (melted)
• non dairy milk
• baking powder
• vanilla extract
• ground flaxseeds
• water
• salt
• blueberries (I used frozen but fresh blueberries work well too)

For exact quantities needed to make these healthy blueberry muffins please see the recipe card below.

The ingredients to these muffins are pretty standard. I use a good quality plain flour, and make sure that it is sieved as that will give the muffins a lighter texture. Baking powder gives them a nice rise. 

I use golden caster sugar in this recipe as I prefer the slightly golden colour that brown sugar gives the muffins. You could also use coconut sugar.

The fat content comes from the coconut oil but you could also use vegan butter in place of this. I use a mix of oat and coconut milk but you can use any non dairy milk that you prefer. I think soya gives a result more similar to regular dairy milk, but you could also use almond if you aren't nut free.

Blueberries are a favourite snack of my children. They are so portable as they don't need any prep (unless they are huge!) so they are easy to throw into a pot and take them in your bag. Blueberries also have lots of nutritional benefits. They are low in calories and high in antioxidants as well as being rich in Vitamin K and C. They have recently been labelled as a superfood so I am happy to try to get them into my children's diet where I can. 

If you're looking for even more ways to bake with blueberries, take a look at our collection of 30 Delicious Vegan Blueberry Dessert Recipes for plenty of inspiration.

Instructions

Top tip: For best results make sure that the milk is at room temperature or you warm it slightly before using, otherwise it will cause the coconut oil to harden.

Print

📖 Recipe

Substitutions and variations

You swap the coconut oil for olive oil, vegetable oil or non dairy butter. Olive oil will give your muffins a slightly denser texture. 

You can use any non dairy milk. I prefer to use a mixture of oat and coconut milk but all non dairy milks should work in this recipe. 

You can also swap the juicy blueberries in this recipe for raspberries or strawberries or another soft fruit and try replacing some of the milk with lemon juice and add lemon zest to add a lemon flavour.

I haven't tried this recipe with other flours, but I think you could swap out some of the plain flour for spelt flour if you wanted your muffins to have a more golden colour. I haven't tried this recipe with gluten free flour so if you do, let me know how you get on in the comments below. 

Flavor upgrades (bakery-style)

Lemon zest lift (quick, bright, not sour)

• Finely grate 1-2 teaspoon lemon zest straight into the wet ingredients so the oils perfume the batter.
• Optional: swap 1-2 tablespoon of the plant milk for fresh lemon juice if you like it a touch sharper (don't add more or you'll thin the batter).

Bakery-style crunch: two easy topping options

1. Coarse sugar sprinkle (fastest)

• Before baking, top each muffin with ½-1 teaspoon demerara/turbinado sugar.
• Add a pinch of lemon zest over the tops for extra fragrance.
• Bake as directed.

2. Crispy streusel crumb (café look)

• In a bowl, rub together until clumpy:
  • 40 g plain flour (about ⅓ cup)
  • 25-30 g light brown sugar (2-3 tbsp)
  • Pinch of salt + ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • 30 g cold vegan butter (2 tbsp), cubed
• Chill 10 minutes, then sprinkle generously over filled liners.
• Bake per recipe; crumbs should turn lightly golden and crisp.

Optional finish: lemon glaze

• Whisk 120 g icing sugar (1 cup) with 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice (and a splash of plant milk if needed) until pourable.
• Drizzle over cooled muffins. If using glaze, skip coarse sugar to avoid excessive sweetness.

Troubleshooting

Things don't always go to plan-here's how to fix the most common muffin hiccups.

Purple/grey batter (blueberry "bleeding")

• Use fresh firm berries or add frozen berries straight from the freezer (don't thaw).
• Fold in at the very end and only 2-3 gentle turns-stop as soon as they're just dispersed.
• Batter cushion trick: spoon a teaspoon of plain batter into each case first, then add batter mixed with berries on top.
• If using fresh berries, pat dry. Optional: toss in 1 teaspoon flour to help reduce streaking.
• Keep the batter thick; very loose batter smears the juices as you portion it.

Dense or heavy crumb

• Measure accurately (ideally in grams). Too much flour = dense muffins.
• Don't overmix. Stir just until no dry streaks remain-some small lumps are fine.
• Check leaveners are fresh (baking powder loses oomph after ~6 months open).
• Use room-temperature plant milk and ingredients for better lift and even baking.
• Let the batter rest 5-10 minutes before baking to hydrate the flour and improve rise.
• If your recipe uses bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), make sure there's an acid in the batter (e.g., lemon juice or vinegar) so it activates properly.

Blueberries sinking

• Aim for a thicker batter; if it's runny, add 1-2 teaspoon flour to the batter.
• Use smaller berries (wild blueberries sink less) and avoid overloading each muffin.
• Fill cases almost to the top and start hot: 220°C / 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 180°C / 350°F to finish. The quick set helps suspend the fruit.
• Optionally sprinkle some berries on top after portioning instead of folding all into the batter.

Flat tops (no domes)

• Portion evenly with a cookie scoop so all muffins rise at the same rate.
• Fully preheat the oven and bake on the middle rack. Avoid opening the door in the first 10 minutes.
• Use the "high then lower" method: 5 minutes at 220°C / 425°F, then finish at 180°C / 350°F.
• Fill liners generously (⅞ to the top). Under-filled cups won't dome.
• Confirm baking powder/soda are fresh and used in the right amounts.

If you liked this vegan blueberry muffin recipe, share it with your friends using the links to the left. If you are on instagram post a picture of your dairy free muffins and tag me @wemadethisvegan and use the hashtag #wemadethisvegan. I love to see what you are baking! You can also Pin this recipe for later.

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