When juicy blueberries meet oatmeal muffins you get the best of both worlds. These are moist, soft, not-too-sweet gorgeous muffins that freeze wonderfully and are ready in under 45 minutes! A great breakfast on the run or an afternoon snack with your favorite beverage.
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This is a great breakfast muffin, a sibling to the popular oatmeal muffin.
It became a lifesaver in the morning (together with the morning glory muffins to be fair) as I'm not a breakfast person except for coffee.
So grabbing a muffin with some oats on the go is perfect. I keep them frozen and warm them in the oven while my coffee is getting ready.
- Soft, thanks to the oatmeal and buttermilk.
- Easy to make, they're ready in under an hour.
- Keep well in the freezer or refrigerator.
Ingredients
- Oats: I always use old-fashioned oats (also called rolled oats or traditional) because they have more texture. But you can use quick-cooking oats. The muffins might be a bit chewier and/or wetter.
- Buttermilk: is the best option because it adds some tenderness to the batter, but milk works just as well.
- Unsalted butter.
- Egg: fresh, large.
- Sugar: I use white granulated or light brown sugar. Both work well.
- Flour: my first choice is all-purpose flour, but have used cake flour when that's all I had and it works well.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Blueberries: use fresh or frozen blueberries without defrosting, they both work well. If fresh, make sure they are washed and dried.
The oatmeal
This is the part that makes these muffins wonderfully soft, tender, and moist.
Oatmeal is mixing oats with a liquid, in this case, buttermilk or milk. When they're left to hydrate together, even if it's for a few minutes, the oats soften and change their texture enough to become tender and wonderfully chewy in the baked muffin. So don't omit this step.
Mix lightly and let wait aside (image below) while preparing the rest of the recipe. The liquid might not cover all of the oats.
Simple steps
I strongly believe in muffin recipes that involve a lightly mixing of ingredients, the old-fashioned way. They're easy to put together and the results are dense but tender, just the right texture a muffin should have if you ask me.
In this recipe, we start with the oatmeal mixture, and the rest of the ingredients are added to it. So it's a one-bowl situation, something we love around here.
Add sugar to the oatmeal mixture and mix until combined.
Add egg and stir to combine well. No need to beat.
Pour in the melted butter and whisk until it's all integrated. The batter will be shiny.
Add the dry ingredients and the blueberries and fold until barely combined. Don't be tempted to mix too much.
Vintage Kitchen tip: use a wire whisk, a spoon, or a spatula to combine the muffin batter. No need for electric beaters of any kind, in fact, they will overbeat the mixture so they're discouraged to use in this recipe.
The final batter
After adding the dry ingredients mix lightly. Overworking it after adding the flour can produce tough muffins as the gluten starts to develop. We don't want that.
As you can see in the image below, there are very small patches of barely mixed batter here and there. That is fine. Don't worry, there will be no dry spots after the blueberry muffins are baked.
Muffin pan
You can use regular or mini pans. Or jumbo individual muffin tins. Simply adjust the baking times and start checking them 5 minutes earlier for mini ones and 5 minutes later for jumbo.
I like to use regular muffin pans with paper liners, but you can either spray them with baking spray, or butter and flour. If you do the latter, I recommend you put the pan in the fridge while making the batter, just like we do when preparing bundt cake pans. They will pop out more easily after they're baked.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Oatmeal: don't skip this step if you want softer and chewier muffins.
- Butter: make sure it's lukewarm (but still liquid) when you add it so it mixes better as the temperatures of both mixtures are similar. If you add hot butter to a colder preparation it will probably seize here and there and won't integrate as it should.
- Baking: they don't brown too much, but you can bake them for a couple of minutes in the end at a higher temperature to achieve a more golden top. They will still be moist.
Variations
- Liquid: besides buttermilk or milk, as suggested in the recipe, you can use almond milk or orange juice.
- Flavorings: add some lemon or orange zest to the batter, or a ground spice like cinnamon.
- Berries: raspberries and blackberries work wonderfully also.
- Sweeter muffins: these are barely sweet, but you can sprinkle each muffin top with a teaspoon of sugar before baking, or add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the batter. Or eat them with honey or maple syrup (my favorite way).
Storing
I firmly believe all muffins should be eaten within hours of being baked.
That said, these keep well for a day (maybe two) at room temperature. After that, I recommend refrigeration as they contain fruit and it can ferment or decay quickly when not stored properly.
Freezing: I keep these blueberry oat muffins frozen since I don't consume the whole batch in one sitting. Well wrapped (there's a whole post on freezer baking if you're interested) they keep for a month. When ready to eat, pop the frozen muffin in a medium (350°) oven for 5-10 minutes. Eat warm.
Related recipes you might like:
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Easy Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
When juicy blueberries meet oatmeal muffins you get the best of both worlds. These are super moist, soft, not-too-sweet gorgeous muffins that freeze wonderfully and are ready in under 45 minutes! A great breakfast on the run or an afternoon snack with your favorite beverage.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 medium
Ingredients
- 1 cup traditional oats
- ¾ cup buttermilk or milk, at room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose or cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup brown or white sugar, packed + extra for sprinkling before baking
- 1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Turn on the oven to 350°F/180ºC.
- Mix the oats with the buttermilk in a large bowl and leave to hydrate while preparing the rest.
- Line 12 muffin cups with liners. Or butter and flour them.
- Add the sugar to the oatmeal mixture and mix.
- Then the egg and stir to combine. No need to beat.
- Finally add the melted butter, vanilla, and cinnamon and combine everything well without beating.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) to the oat mixture with the blueberries.
- Fold in with a spatula just until blended. It’s important you don’t overmix the batter at this point.
- Fill the muffin cups ¾ full, dividing the mixture as evenly as possible.
- Sprinkle the tops with extra sugar, about ½ a teaspoon for each muffin.
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out dry.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
- Store in the fridge after one day or freeze for up to a month, always covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container.
Notes
- Oats: I always use old-fashioned oats (also called rolled oats or traditional) because they have more texture. But you can use quick-cooking oats. The muffins might be a bit chewier and/or wetter.
- Oatmeal: don't skip this step if you want softer muffins.
- Butter: make sure it's not very hot when you add it. Lukewarm works best because it integrates better as the temperatures of both mixtures are similar.
- Baking: they don't brown too much, but you can bake them a couple of minutes in the end at a higher t° to achieve a more golden top. They will still be moist.
- Freezing: I have these frozen on a regular basis since I can't consume them fast enough. Well wrapped (there's a whole post on freezer baking if you're interested) they keep for a month. When ready to eat, pop the frozen muffin in a medium (350°) oven for 5-10 minutes. Eat warm.
- Variations - Liquid: besides buttermilk or milk, as suggested in the recipe, you can use nut milk or orange juice. Flavorings: add some lemon or orange zest to the batter, or a ground spice like cinnamon. Berries: raspberries and blackberries work wonderfully also. Sweeter muffin: these are not too sweet, and you can add a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the batter. Or drizzle when eating the warm muffin.
- Paper cup liners: I love kraft colored paper baking cups, which can also be more artisanal tulip cupcake liners.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12
- Calories: 174
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 73.1 mg
- Fat: 5.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.8 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 29.9 mg
Keywords: blueberry oatmeal muffins
Barbara says
These were delicious! The oats really helped with the texture and moistness.
I used blueberries I had picked & frozen. I will definitely make these again.
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
I'm so happy to know that Barbara! Have a great week.
Amanda says
These were yummy. I subbed blueberry greek yogurt for the buttermilk and it worked out great! I also used fresh picked wild blueberries. Heavenly!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Great to know they turned out well Amanda! I wish I had wild blueberries too, love them. Have a great week.
Gigi says
These were soo moist & delicious - I def will be making them again! I used brown sugar instead of white and also threw in some chopped pecans as I had some that needed using. Thank you for sharing the recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
Gigi says
...oops, I forgot to add...nor did I sprinkle sugar on the top. Nor did we need to eat them with butter or honey - sweet and moist enough without! 🙂
Paula Montenegro says
Love the idea of pecans and brown sugar Gigi! Thanks for letting me know. Happy baking.
Chelsea says
I was wondering if you’d tried substituting with oat flour? I’m thinking of trying these as a breastmilk supply booster
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Chelsea! I never tried it and don't use oat flour really.
What I know is that it's lighter and has a different texture than wheat flour and no gluten. So if you're thinking of substituting all of the flour for oat the texture of the muffins I assume will be quite different, not fluffy I imagine and I don't know how much they'll rise. Maybe sub a part of it and see how it goes. I would do a test run without berries and with half the recipe at the most so it's not a waste of ingredients if they don't turn out well. Hope this helps.
A Hug n Kiss says
These muffins went in one afternoon … Super easy …
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to know that!
Donna says
Hi, I made your muffins with the orange juice you recommended in the variations along with cranberries for one batch and repeating using orange juice with blueberries for another batch keeping all other ingredients identical to your recipe and they turned out amazing!!! This muffin recipe is definately a keeper worth printing, Thank You!!
★★★
Paula Montenegro says
Happy to know they worked out well Donna!
Allison says
These were a big hit at our house! I've made them twice in a row and they go fast! Love how the sugar makes the tops kind of crunchy
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
So happy they turned out so well Allison! Happy holidays!
Roxann says
Hi
I just came across this looks so good and healthier, was going to make them now
BUT, I have two questions...
1) Can I use Old Fashioned Oats .?
2) Can I use something other than Butter ?
Hope to hear from You soon, Thank You in advance for Your Response !!!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Roxann! You can use old fashioned oats, and can use oil instead of butter, same amount in volume (cups or tablespoons). Happy baking!
J says
These are yummy!!!! Love the texture. I took your suggestion and sprinkled a little brown sugar on top, also added a super-thin slice of butter and a little more brown sugar. They came out perfect, with a nice soft, sweet crunch on top. Thank you for this recipe!!
★★★★★
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to hear they came out so well J! Have a great week.
Brenda says
I’m diabetic. Do have this recipe without sugar t
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Brenda, I don't have a recipe without sugar. You might try googling for muffins for diabetics.
Nancy Buscemi says
You can substitute Splenda or any generic store version one to one for a diabetic recipe. If you use Spenda brown sugar, refer to the directions on the back for the conversion chart becsuse it uses less sweetener. You may also use Coconut sugar or other sweeteners such as Stevia, Swerve, Monk Fruit or Purye, but be aware that if you use these, the flavor may vary just a little and you may have to play with the recipe due to the variations in the grain of the sweetener and how it absorbs. Some taste sweeter than others. Always double check the packaging to make sure there isn't a chart telling you how much sweetener to use based on sugar in the recipe. The more you use the different options, the better you will get. Enjoy!
★★★★★