Easy Vegan Blueberry Muffins
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These easy vegan blueberry muffins are soft, sweet, and loaded with bursts of tart blueberry goodness.
I love making these when it’s blueberry season! Blueberries can be used in so many wonderful recipes, but my favorite is probably blueberry muffins.
These delicious vegan muffins can easily be made gluten-free so read on for more details.
If you love this recipe, don’t forget to try my vegan strawberry muffins or these easy breakfast blueberry muffin tops.
Why you’ll love these vegan blueberry muffins
- Fresh and juicy blueberries: These muffins are studded with fresh blueberries, creating pockets of juicy, burst-in-your-mouth sweetness. Sooooo good!
- Healthier flour choice: The blend of all-purpose and spelt flour introduces a nutty flavor and a slightly healthier twist to traditional muffins.
- Unique cardamom taste: The addition of cardamom offers a distinctive, aromatic twist that sets these muffins apart, providing a complex and sophisticated flavor profile.
- Bright lemon zest: Fresh lemon juice adds a zesty, citrusy note that beautifully complements the sweet blueberries, creating a harmonious balance of flavors.
- Crunchy topping: The topping, featuring sugar, flour, coconut oil, and cinnamon, offers a delightful textural contrast with a sweet, crispy crust that enhances each muffin’s appearance and taste.
- Warm Aromas: The combination of cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla extract infuses the muffins with warm, inviting aromas. I love the way my kitchen smells when I have a batch of these in the oven.
- Nutrient-rich spelt flour: Spelt flour, a nutritionally rich option, not only contributes to the unique flavor but also offers essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Ingredients and substitution notes
Dry ingredients:
- Flour: The combination of all-purpose and spelt flour creates a balance between tenderness and nuttiness in your muffins. You can use whole wheat flour as a substitute for spelt flour. Measure the flour accurately by stirring the flour before measuring and leveling off the measuring cup for best results.
- Baking powder: For best results, make sure it’s fresh!
- Cardamom: I adore this flavor addition. I recommend using the freshest cardamon for the best flavor possible.
Wet ingredients:
- Almond milk: Almond milk serves as the liquid base for the muffin batter. You can use any plant-based milk you choose, such as soy or oat milk.
- Fresh lemon juice: The acidity of fresh lemon juice contributes a bright and zesty flavor and reacts with the flax meal to create a flax “egg,” helping bind the muffins.
- Ground golden flax meal: Flax meal, when combined with liquid, acts as an egg substitute and provides moisture, structure, and a slightly nutty flavor to the muffins.
- Vanilla extract: This enhances the overall flavor of the muffins, adding a sweet and aromatic dimension.
- Melted coconut oil: Coconut oil adds a rich and slightly tropical flavor to the vegan blueberry muffins. Make sure to soften it before incorporating it into the wet ingredients.
- Fresh blueberries: Fresh blueberries are the showstopper in this recipe. They add a burst of juicy sweetness and vibrant color.
Topping:
- Natural cane sugar: The sugar in the topping caramelizes during baking, creating a sweet and crispy crust on top of the muffins.
- Flour: Combined with sugar and coconut oil, flour forms the topping, adding a delightful texture and flavor contrast to the muffins.
- Melted coconut oil: The coconut oil in the topping helps bind the ingredients. I love the flavor it adds. You could also use melted vegan margarine as an alternative.
- Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon adds a warm and aromatic touch to the topping.
Recipe variations and add-ins
- Lemon glaze: After baking, drizzle the vegan blueberry muffins with a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and a touch of water or lemon juice.
- Chia seeds: Add chia seeds to the batter to boost omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and a subtle crunch.
- Nuts: Toast the nuts for an even richer flavor.
- Shredded Coconut: They pair really well with the blueberries and coconut oil. Add some shredded coconut to the topping.
- Dried fruits: Add dried fruits such as cranberries, cherries, or raisins.
Top tips
- Use Fresh Blueberries: Whenever possible, opt for fresh blueberries, as they provide the best flavor and texture. However, frozen blueberries can be used when fresh ones are out of season.
- Make a gluten-free version: Replace flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Also, add 1/2 teaspoon of xantham gum to the dry mixture.
- Measuring flour correctly: When measuring flour, stir the flour before measuring and level the measuring cup off with a flat edge. This prevents over-packing the flour, ensuring the right consistency of the batter.
- Don’t overmix: Mix the batter until just combined. Overmixing can lead to dense muffins. It’s normal to have a few lumps in the batter.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Allow your wet ingredients, like almond milk, to come to room temperature before using. This helps the ingredients blend more smoothly.
- Uniform scooping: This is my top tip – use a cookie scoop or a measuring cup to portion the batter evenly into the muffin cups.
Make ahead of instructions and storage
Make-ahead:
To save time on the day you want to bake the vegan blueberry muffins, you can measure and mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom) and store them in an airtight container.
Likewise, combine the wet ingredients (almond milk, lemon juice, flax meal, and vanilla extract) in a separate container and store them in the refrigerator. Keep the two mixtures separate until you’re ready to bake.
Storage:
Blueberry muffins can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days in an airtight container. However, be mindful of the weather and humidity, which can affect their freshness.
For extended storage, individually wrap the muffins in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them at room temperature or gently reheat them in the microwave or oven when ready to enjoy.
Wonderful Vegan Blueberry Muffins (GF option)
- Yield: Makes 12 muffins 1x
Description
These easy vegan blueberry muffins are soft, sweet, and loaded with bursts of tart blueberry goodness.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry:
- 1 1/2 cups flour (1 cup all-purpose and 1/2 cup spelt flour) (see note)
- 2/3 cup all natural cane sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of cardamom
Wet:
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon ground golden flax meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Topping:
- 1/2 cup all natural cane sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Start by making the topping. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl, except the melted coconut oil. When everything is well combined, add the coconut oil, and stir until the mixture looks like crumbs and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl or jar, add all the wet ingredients, except the melted coconut oil. Let it sit for a couple of minutes. Right before adding to the dry mixture, add in the melted coconut oil.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Stir until just combined. It will be thick. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Add the thick batter to a greased muffin pan. Fill almost to top of pan. Sprinkle topping on the muffins and bake for about 17-20 minutes.
Notes
- If you want to replace the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, use 3/4 cup whole wheat flour to replace 1 cup of all purpose flour.
- To make this recipe gluten free: replace flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Also add 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum to the dry mixture.