Vegan Blueberry Muffins — These are the BEST blueberry muffins I’ve ever had, vegan or otherwise. An avocado replaces the butter (and much of the oil) you’d typically add to muffin batter. These are fluffy, moist, and so easy to make!
The BEST Vegan Blueberry Muffins
These are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had. Period. They’re also probably the healthiest and happen to be vegan — I love it when things work out like that!
Last week on Facebook, I asked what kind of recipes you wanted to see more of this month. I got lots of requests for muffins, healthy recipes, seasonal fruit recipes, vegan recipes, and breakfast items. Ask and you shall receive. This blueberry muffin recipe hits all those points.
And it hits upon some sneaky chef antics. An avocado replaces any of the butter you’d typically put in muffins, and all but 1/3 cup oil. Don’t worry, you can’t taste the avocado, at least we couldn’t. I used a locally-grown California Hass avocado and no one in my family could detect it.
Just like in the Fudgy Avocado Brownies I made last week, the avocado here serves to add richness, creaminess, and moisture to the muffins, but doesn’t impart a telltale taste.
These homemade blueberry muffins are fast and easy to make, no mixer required. They were inspired by my Fluffy Vegan Banana Muffins. In many vegan quickbreads and muffins, bananas behave like eggs, binding, fluffing, and moistening the batter, and here a very ripe avocado does the same.
I love banana bread and banana anything, but not everyone does, so I kept them out of these vegan muffins. I also wanted true vegan blueberry muffins, not banana-blueberry. Even without eggs, these muffins are fluffy, light, and springy with enough density to be satisfying.
They’re the softest and moistest blueberry muffins I’ve ever had, even without butter. Love those plant-based oils from the avocado!
I upped the moisture and tenderness quotient even more by adding vegan sour cream. The blueberries are juicy and abundant. Tossing the berries with a couple tablespoons of flour before folding them into the batter helps prevent sinking.
How to Make Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Preheat the oven to 400F. Then, mash the avocado very well in a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar, oil, vegan Greek yogurt or sour cream, light brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine.
To that same bowl, add the flour and baking powder, and stir until just combined. You do not want to over mix the batter, otherwise your muffins will be tough!
In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with a few tablespoons of flour, then gently fold them into the vegan muffin batter.
Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake the homemade blueberry muffins at 400F for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake for another 15 to 17 minutes, or until muffins are done.
Why Lower the Oven Temperature Halfway Through?
A high initial oven temperature helps create steam and gives a nice rise to baked goods (this trick works not only for vegan muffins, but also for baking bread and other things you want to dome). But if you let these muffins bake at such a high temperature the whole time they’re in the oven, you run the risk of burning the outside of the muffins and undercooking the center.
What Vegan Yogurt Do You Recommend Using?
I used the So Delicious Dairy-Free Plain Coconut Milk Yogurt in these muffins. However, I’ve also tested these blueberry muffins with plain Chobani Greek yogurt (which contains dairy), and that worked nicely as well.
So feel free to use whatever plain yogurt you have on hand — vegan or otherwise — and please leave me a comment below with the brand and type of yogurt you used so I can share your results with other readers!
Tips for the Best Blueberry Muffins
I used frozen blueberries for these vegan blueberry muffins, but of course fresh berries will work. You may need to reduce baking time by a few minutes, however. So just keep an eye on the muffins as they’re baking. Once they’re set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, they’re ready to come out of the oven.
Note that if you’re using frozen berries, you should add them into the batter frozen — do not thaw! This prevents them from bleeding, running, and breaking apart as much.
Also, this is a good recipe for using up any (over)ripe avocados that may be almost past their prime. It parallels using over-ripe bananas for banana bread. Super ripe avocados mash so easily and they’re sweeter too, just like bananas.
More Vegan Muffin Recipes:
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins — The muffins are soft, springy, bouncy like little trampolines, and they’re vegan. They’re ridiculously moist, tender, delicate and light, without being airy, and as good as any traditional muffin with eggs and butter.
- Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Muffins — They’re hearty, sweet enough without being too sweet, and full of tons of chewy texture in every bite from the raisins and oats.
- Fluffy Vegan Banana Muffins — These muffins are extra fluffy and moist thanks to the combination of coconut oil and ripe bananas in the batter. This is a quick and easy muffin recipe you’re bound to love!
- Skinny Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins — Fast, EASY, one bowl, no mixer muffins that are on the SKINNIER side!! Loaded with CHOCOLATE in every bite! Soft, fluffy, and deliciously decadent tasting!!
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins — Soft, fluffy, full of PEANUT BUTTER flavor, and LOADED with CHOCOLATE in every bite!
- Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins — If you’re looking for a healthier carrot cake recipe that tastes AMAZING, make these muffins immediately!
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The Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 Hass avocado, mashed very well (about 3/4 cup)*
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil, melted coconut oil may be substituted
- ⅓ cup vegan Greek yogurt or sour cream**
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups frozen blueberries***
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for tossing berries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a non-stick muffin pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. (I prefer cosmetically to not use liners, and they could stick to muffins; have not tested liners with this recipe)
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the avocado very well.
- Add the granulated sugar, oil, Greek yogurt or sour cream, light brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, optional salt, and whisk to combine.
- Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix. Set bowl aside.
- In a small bowl, toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour, which prevents them from sinking as much while baking.
- Gently fold blueberries into batter along with any flour that didn’t adhere. If using frozen berries, add them into the batter frozen, do not thaw. This prevents them from bleeding, running, and breaking apart as much.
- Divide batter evenly among 12-cups in prepared pan. Each cavity should be filled between 2/3 and 3/4 full. Do not exceed 3/4 full, or muffins could overflow while baking. If you have extra batter, make a 13th muffin or sample the batter – it’s vegan and safe.
- Bake at 400F for 10 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 350F and bake for another 15 to 17 minutes, or until muffins are done. Muffins are done when domed, golden, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. I baked for 15 minutes after lowering the temp, for a total of 25 minutes and used frozen berries.
- Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before removing. Muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Even More Blueberry Baked Goods:
*Note that most of the following recipes are not vegan. For vegan muffin recipes, please see the list of related recipes above the recipe card.
Blueberry Crisp — I love crumble topping anything and when paired with big juicy blueberries, I can’t resist. Even better when it’s a fast, easy, no-mixer, flexible recipe!
Blueberry Muffin and Buttermilk Pancakes Cake — This fast and easy cake tastes like a big buttermilk pancake that ran into a blueberry muffin on the way to the oven.
Blueberry and Jam Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Buttery Vanilla Glaze – One of the best coffee cakes or cakes I’ve ever made. Highly recommended – tied with the one below
Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars — These bars are buttery and packed with blueberry flavor! They take just 10 minutes of prep and then go straight into the oven.
Crustless Blueberry Pie — Somewhere in between pie, cake, and blondies is what you get with this FABULOUS blueberry dessert recipe! Take advantage of those FRESH blueberries!!
I seriously can’t believe there are people who complain about this recipe as “misleading” for vegans? Jeez, can’t everyone just appreciate this lovely recipe and sub vegan yogurt if desired? Ugh, I guess you can’t please everyone but in my opinion some people will just nit pick and complain until the cows come home…anywho! I plan on making this recipe tonight since I have ripe avocados. Can’t wait :)
I never knew how many people out there love to come to food blogs (where the recipes are free for the using as compared to a cookbook that you maybe use for 1 recipe and pay $30 bucks) and then complain or nitpick about said free recipes, until I started a food blog :)
Thank you for your support and enjoy the muffins!
These look amazing! Love the idea of using avocado in cakes! I often replace sugar in recipes with a 50/50 mix of xylitol (from birch, NOT from corn) and coconut sugar. It works really well – it doesn’t affect the texture or taste and reduces the amount of refined / high GI/GL sugar you’re getting. Win win! Can’t wait to try these! x
I have made this recipe twice and love how moist it is. Best of all, my 2 year old eats it =).
Thanks for trying this twice already and so glad you love it AND that your 2 year old does, too!
These look so good! I’ve always wanted to try avocado with baking and so I just put these in the oven! My batter is extremely green though…is that normal? Or is there a way I can avoid that in the future? Thank you! Your recipes are seriously amazing.
lol jk haha they’re turning a nice golden brown eep I am so excited! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Glad that they’re browning up and between the avocado AND the blueberries (which can turn batters green/blue), it’s not a lily white batter but they do brown up :) Glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Hi Averie!
I would like to make these but I am curious about substituting the sugar for stevia; have you had any experience cooking with stevia or do you know if it will make a difference? I’m not much of a baker, have ruined more recipes than gotten them right so if you’ve got any advice about cooking with stevia (or agave/other low glycemic sweeteners) please let me know!
I’m not much of a baker, have ruined more recipes than gotten them right = Based on those TWO statements, I would suggest you follow the recipe as written. As written, the muffins are great and I think you’ll love them. I don’t bake with stevia b/c I think it tastes chemically no matter what I do after heating/baking in the oven. It’s like the chemical taste intensifies. Agave is fine to use in some baking recipes (this one isn’t written for it and it would render the batter too runny).
Haha alright I will follow the recipe as is, thanks for the advice!
Right, you’ve inspired me, I’ve a glut of berries to use up and a picky vegan friend coming for dinner – will give these a go! (The pictures look gorgeous by the way )
Thanks for the compliments and hope you enjoy these!
Just tried this recipe (as the vegan option with Yoso coconut yoghurt) and substituted nectarines for the blueberries. They are lovely – light and airy – and a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing.
What a great swap for this time of year! Love nectarines and glad you love the muffins!
This are one of the best muffins I’ve ever made! My little sister is really critical of baked goods that use avocados or bananas, but she loved them and quickly inhaled 2 of them before I stopped her. For anyone who wants to “healthy-fy ” this recipe, I subbed the sugars for 3/4 cup of honey, and used plain low-fat yogurt with the juice of a lemon. I couldn’t find frozen blueberries, so I used mixed berries, and all in all, the muffins are divine!
Thanks for your glowing review of the muffins and glad you think they live up to their title, The Best! :) Glad to know honey and lowfat yog with lemon juice worked, too. Thanks for trying them and that even your sister was a fan!
Made these yesterday – SO good! I will definitely make them again. I also made your avocado brownies and am totally hooked on subbing avo for other fats in recipes. Keep ’em comin’! Love your blog.
Thanks for trying these as well as the avo brownies! So glad you’re happy with both recipes and thanks for saying you love my blog :)
I loved these. I was really doubtful that avocardo in a muffin would work out but they were soo good! thanks for the recipe!
Glad you liked them & thanks for trying the recipe!
I just made these last night, and they are amazing! The first vegan baked good I have ever made, and I am seriously impressed. Very moist and delicious. I used fresh blueberries and baked them for 10 minutes at 400° and 13 minutes at the 350° temp. I also used muffin tin liners and they do not stick to the liners.
Thanks!
Thanks for trying them & the detailed field report! Glad the liners aren’t an issue, that fresh bb’s worked great, and so glad you love them!
I made these tonight and they are truly amazing however too sweet. Next time i will definitely cut down to about 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/4 of light brown sugar, its more then enough. otherwise an incredible recipe Averie, thanks!!
Everyone’s tastes (and avocados/ripeness/sweetness) are different but yes just adjust sugar to taste. Glad you love them!
So did you actually use the vegan version of Greek yogurt or sour cream? Or did you just write in the directions that vegan versions could be used?
https://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/cultured-coconut-milk/plain-greek-cultured-coconut-milk
Is this the product that you actually used? I just want to know if you actually used it, that’s all. A lot of vegan recipes are just rewritten to include vegan options but haven’t actually been made with the vegan ingredients so the consistency is weird. Your recipe is written ‘use vegan if desired’ which leads me to believe that you didn’t. I don’t want to waste ingredients so that’s why I’m asking.
Yes that is what I used in these photos. I have made the recipe with both So Delicious as well as Chobani Greek Yogurt. Both turn out beautifully. I write my recipes for the probably 95%+ of readers who are not vegan and if I call for a vegan product, most will tune out and click off the page thinking this is not approachable or do-able for them in their life, budget, on-hand groceries, etc. If you feel like you’re going to waste ingredients then don’t make these! I love them but I don’t want to twist anyone’s arm.
Also just came across this pin. I have no idea who this woman is but she just made them and wrote they turned out perfectly.
Can you remove the “vegan” from the headline? It’s misleading and dishonest to call a recipe vegan when one of the main ingredients you call for is dairy. Even if you use “vegan” versions.
I made them as vegan muffins; and not as any other version but vegan. I give others the option to make them based on the ingredients THEY have on hand. Choices, options, it makes the world go round.
Why the lowering of the oven temp? Will they get too browned on top then? I was thinking of also making into mini muffins….the baking time would obviously be less than for the regular sized muffins but would I still need to lower oven temp you think? Thanks!
A high initial oven temp helps create steam and give a nice rise to baked goods, i.e. baking bread and other things you want to dome. But if you leave it high for the duration, you can run into surface-burning before the interior cooks through.
If you’re baking as mini muffins, yes, you’d still want to lower the oven temp, proportionally, based on how long they’ll need to cook. About 1/3 of the way in – lower it.
1 cup of sugar for a 12 muffins doesn’t add up to “healthy” in my mind. I’m always surprised how much sugar is in most vegan recipes (and usually processed cane sugar). So disappointing. It takes a bit of trial and error to reduce sugar content in recipes, but it’s easy and worth the effort in my mind.
Vegan doesn’t always mean healthy. There are tons of foods that are very UNHEALTHY that are vegan. Are you familiar with the website accidentallyvegan.com There are lots of mainstream foods on it that are vegan, but far from healthy.
I don’t make the claim that these are the healthiest muffins in the world but they’re better than many. To each her own. 1 cup of sugar for 1 dozen muffins is a fairly standard ratio and measurement for muffins. If you want to play around with the recipe that I’ve developed, feel free to use your time, energy, money, and ingredients to suit your needs.
Hi Averie, thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe again! Can’t wait to try it out! But I was wondering if I could substitute the frozen blueberries with raspberries instead since I have some at home? Would it require any changes to the recipe? Thanks!
No other changes needed! Enjoy! They sound like they’ll be delish! LMK how they turn out!