Everyone loves a good blueberry muffin, don’t they? Enter these super light, moist and airy blueberry muffins made with protein-packed Greek yogurt. And as they’re relatively low sugar, you can enjoy one (or two – why not?) guilt free!
Get ready for the best blueberry muffins you’ve ever had
I received a rare compliment indeed from Mr. Scrummy the other day when I made these Greek yogurt blueberry muffins.
He said “As you know, I’m not much of a muffin man, but I think this was the best muffin I’ve ever tasted. It was perfect.”
Now maybe this isn’t saying much coming from someone who isn’t really a fan of muffins (how can that be?!), but all the same I’m going to take it as a compliment, and as an extra vote of confidence that these are good – really good.
This was one of those recipes that I was expecting to have to experiment with for a while to get right. But to my surprise it actually worked out perfectly first time. I think the thing with muffins is that there is a bit of wiggle room with the ingredients. If you add a tiny bit more or less liquid or sugar, for instance, you’ll still likely get a decent result, so long as you follow some simple guidelines.
UPDATE 2019: Just take a read through of the comments below. Many readers have made adaptations and substitutions and these muffins always seem to turn out well!
What guidelines, you ask?
Well, nothing earth-shattering – but there’s nothing wrong with a little reminder!
I think the keys to success for these particular Greek yogurt muffins are the following:
1 Don’t forget the ‘basic’ rule of muffin making i.e. keep the dry and wet ingredients separate until the last minute, then mix until barely combined. A few lumps are fine. You just don’t want to overmix, get the gluten in the flour all excited and make your muffins tough.
2 Add a tiny bit of milk (about a quarter cup) to thin out the mixture a bit. Using loads of Greek yogurt is great, but it’s thick, so we need to keep the consistency right!
3 As well as using baking powder, add a half teaspoon of bicarb of soda to balance out the acid in the yogurt and make sure you get a good rise and colour on your muffins.
4 Add PLENTY of blueberries so there are blueberries in every bite. Mmmm!
5 Erm… don’t forget the oil! I made these again last weekend and ended up having to make them twice as I forgot to add the oil the first time. I wondered why the batter was so dry and added more milk before I realised what I’d done. Duh. Can I still blame baby brain?
I really enjoyed making these muffins because, well… BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!!
Not quite skinny muffins!
But also… I have to say it’s pretty satisfying enjoying a truly light and airy muffin that also happens to be fairly light on sugar. And if calories happen to be important to you, each of these muffins only contain about 270 calories.
I’m not sure if that makes them ‘skinny’ muffins, but then again Starbucks’ skinny blueberry muffins contain 317 calories, so I’ll leave you to decide.
It’s also very satisfying being able to cook up a batch of these so quickly. As they contain oil not butter (I used a combination of canola and olive, but any is fine), there’s no creaming or even melting involved.
Just throw everything together (but not too quickly, in case you forget an ingredient like I did a few days ago!), pop into muffin cases, and bake.
How long do these blueberry muffins last, and can you freeze them?
I thought I’d have to freeze some of these muffins as we wouldn’t be able to eat them all before they went past their best, but no. I just ate the last one 4 days after baking (sorry not sorry, Mr. Scrummy!), and it was still light and moist. Although I do find they don’t last quite as long in the summer.
And when they truly are on their last legs, just pop them in the microwave for about 15 seconds before eating. Spoon over a little extra Greek yogurt (why not?) and enjoy!
But you can freeze them of course, if for some bizarre reason you can’t eat them all in a few days. Just make sure you cool them completely, then store in freezer bags for up to 3 months!
Update: October 2018
These Greek yogurt blueberry muffins have proven so popular (and I still make them ALL THE TIME) that I decided to post a chocolate chip version!
You can find my recipe for Greek yogurt choc chip muffins (also fairly low sugar) here. Enjoy!
I’ve also added a how-to video to this post (scroll down to below the recipe, or see top of post on desktop). You’ll see that I’m making the chocolate chip muffins in the video, but the method and ingredients for this blueberry muffin recipe are exactly the same. Just switch the chocolate for blueberries!
Greek yogurt blueberry muffins (low sugar recipe)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
- 2½ cups plain flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- ½ cup sugar (heaped)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- ⅔ cups oil (I used a mixture of canola and olive, but any is fine. Add a little more milk if the mixture still seems too thick)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1½ cups blueberries
- extra sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Combine the eggs, oil, yogurt, and milk in another bowl or jug.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Add a tiny bit more milk if the mixture still seems too thick (the consistency of the batter can vary depending on which brand of yoghurt you use). You want the batter to be a soft dropping consistency.
- Spoon the batter into muffin cases placed in muffin pans (you can fill almost to the top). Sprinkle a little extra sugar (white or brown) over the top of the muffins, if you like, then bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack, then store in an air tight container.
Karen Modrall says
I really enjoyed the light juicy muffins I made with this Blueberry Greek Yogurt Muffin recipe. I would recommend trying these to everyone. They are delicious.
Helen says
Hello Karen! Thank you so much for the great feedback – I so appreciate it! These have been my go-tos for years. Everyone seems to love them, and I’m so glad you liked them too 🙂
Kit says
2nd time making and I substituted blueberry with banana and choco chips. It tastes super, your recipe is really great as before using your recipes, my muffins all turned out to be quite a disaster. Thank you Helen!
Helen says
Hello Kit! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve made these and enjoyed them not once but twice! And hopefully you’ll go on to make them many times more. The fact that they turned out well for you when you haven’t previously had much luck with muffins has made my day to be honest. I love that you felt confident enough to make them your own the second time. Thank you so much, and have a great week!
Wendy says
Can I use frozen blueberries
Helen says
Hello Wendy! Yes, absolutely! Just try to fold them in very gently so that they don’t turn the batter purple, although that won’t change the taste at all! 🙂
Roslyn Xerri says
I made the Blueberry muffins today, sticking exactly to the recipe. Definitely a keeper. Now what I want to do, instead of Blueberries can I substitute Granny Smith Apples cut into cubes and add cinnamon for taste??
Helen says
Hello Roslyn – I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And yes to an apple version. I’d chop the apples into small cubes so that they soften a little in the short cooking time, but I think that will be absolutely delicious.
Brenda says
Since going gluten-free and trying to avoid sugar, we had all but given up on baked goods. I found this recipe after searching due to a hankering my hubby had. I used Krusteaz Gluten Free flour and reduced the sugar even further by using Stevia for half of it. The result was fantastic and the muffins were delicious!!! Thank you!
Helen says
Hello Brenda! Thank you so much for your rating and really useful feedback. It’s great to know that the muffins still work if you substitute with stevia, and also with gluten free flour. I hope you go on to make these many times over! 🙂
Pete Drewcock says
These turned out great, but next time I would add a half tsp. of salt to round the flavour. I added a half tsp of vanilla.
Helen says
Hello Pete! Thank you so much for the feedback. You’re absolutely right about the salt, and I’ve actually edited the recipe now to include it. 🙂
Jen says
Hello! If I only have regular yogurt and not Greek yogurt, do I need to adjust anything? For example, the amount of baking soda? Thanks!
Helen says
Hello Jen! I find that these muffins are extremely forgiving with changes, so I’m pretty confident that you don’t need to change anything. Enjoy!
Aileen says
Hi , would love to try these blueberry muffins but can you tell me what a cup is in grams or ounces please
Helen says
Hello Aileen! There’s a little button just above the ingredients where you can click for grams/ounces. Hope you enjoy them! This recipe is very popular!
Aileen says
OK thank you , can’t wait to try them 🙂
Mary J Robbins says
These are the best muffins I have ever made. They’re not too sweet and they have a perfect muffin top. I used an immersion blender to blend the wet ingredients and put them in the microwave for 30 seconds, which is something I always do. Thank you for the great recipe!
Helen says
Hello Mary. What a compliment – that you so much! And also for the tips! I really hope you’ve found a new family favourite, and have a great day!
Katie says
Amazing, simple to follow recipe, and beautiful muffins!
I got a little scared by the 1tbsp of baking powder and ended up using 1.5tsp with 0.5tsp baking soda and they turned out great, but I’ll definitely go for the full 1tbsp next time 🙂
Helen says
Hello Katie! I’m so glad these worked out well for you. I work on the basis of roughly 1 teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour. The baking soda is to neutralize the acids in the yogurt (or something like that, but it seems to work). I feel like these do generally turn out nice and light and fluffy and there’s no baking powder after taste, so all good! Thanks so much for the feedback! 🙂
Brenda says
I made them this morning and they were absolutely wonderful. At first glance I thought the 1 tablespoon of baking powder was too much. Boy was I wrong. Made 12 gorgeously big light muffins. I did sprinkle some sugar crystals on the top before baking. My tummy was so happy!
Helen says
Hello Brenda! I’m so happy you liked them! Yes a tablespoon does seem like a lot, but the recipe always works so well for me too. They’re big and light and moist and tasty! And you can absolutely add the bit of extra sugar on top if you like!
Anika says
I love this recipe; thank you for sharing it! I’ve made them with all white-wheat flour and substituting half the oil for more greek yogurt, and they were still scrumptious! A keeper, for sure🙂
Helen says
Hello Anika and thank you so much for the feedback. It’s always helpful to hear people’s variations. I love that you can make it completely your own recipe. So happy they worked out well for you! 🙂
Geoff says
first time i made them they turned out great [Sunday last week] i’m making another batch tomorrow,they are delicious. Thank you
Helen says
Hi Geoff. These are my go-to muffins even after many years. So glad you liked them too! I find they always work. Thank you for the feedback!
Fi says
I used mixed frozen berries and wholemeal flour and they taste amazing. I needed to cook them for 25ish mins (larger muffins).
I also doubled the recipe, one set of muffins snd a loaf, which is still baking 30mins into that.
Helen says
Thanks for the feedback, Fi. It’s interesting to hear you successfully made a loaf, too!