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Home » sweet things » cakes » Greek yogurt blueberry muffins (low sugar recipe)

Greek yogurt blueberry muffins (low sugar recipe)

Posted Feb 20, 2017 | Updated Apr 14, 2020 by Helen | 310 Comments |

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Greek yogurt blueberry muffins

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!

The inside of a Greek yogurt blueberry muffin on a cooling rack with more muffins behind.

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!

Greek yogurt blueberry muffins just baked in the muffin pan with a blue tea towel next to it.

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!!

Just baked blueberry muffins from above on an old table with a light blue tea towel.

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.

Greek yogurt blueberry muffins on a cooling rack from above.

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!

A Greek yogurt blueberry muffin split open so you can see the inside, with more muffins behind on a cooling rack.

Greek yogurt blueberry muffins (low sugar recipe)

Light, fluffy and pretty low calorie blueberry muffins. And they couldn’t be easier - just throw the wet ingredients into the dry, stir, and bake!
4.75 from 141 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Cuisine American
Servings (click to change) 12 - 14 muffins
Author Helen

Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)

cups/ounces - 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)
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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.

Notes

Sugar content
These are NOT like the super sweet blueberry muffins you usually find in cafes and bakeries. If you have a sweeter tooth and think you’d prefer them a bit sweeter, simply sprinkle a bit of extra sugar over the top of your muffins before baking. Brown sugar works well!
Batch size
Although I've said this recipe makes 12 to 14 muffins, it really depends on the size of your muffin cases! I've made just 10 in big muffin cases, and a lot more in smaller ones.
Getting your batter just right
I find that sometimes my batter is a bit thicker than other times, depending on which brand of yoghurt I use. If the mixture still seems a bit thick to you (you want it to be a soft dropping consistency, but not too runny) just add a bit more milk until it's thinned out a bit.
The result will still be good if your mixture's too thick, but I find the muffins end up looking better if it's exactly the right consistency!!!
Cooking time
And as for cooking time... although I usually bake my muffins for 17 to 20 minutes, sometimes they take longer to cook if they're bigger.
One time I made some really big ones and they took a good 10 minutes longer to bake. Just keep checking with a skewer every few minutes if you don't think they're done after 20 minutes.
A final note on substitutions/variations!
This is now one of my oldest and most successful recipes! 
I still make these blueberries regularly - at least once a month. We all love them!
So we can safely say this is a tried and tested recipe. I hope you like it as much as we do. 
The greatest thing about these blueberry muffins is that no matter what substitutions or adaptations you make, they seem to come out well. Take a read of the comments below to see the different ways readers have adapted them.
It really is hard to get them wrong!

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 5gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 65mgPotassium: 183mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 1.8mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 1.5mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know if you liked it!

Comments

  1. stacy says

    27 May 22 at 6:13 am

    I would like to use almond flour, less sugar and butter instead of oil. You think that will work?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      27 May 22 at 2:22 pm

      Hello Stacy! While I haven’t ever made these with almond flour, they work with most substitutions. I know they work with oat flour so I think they’ll be fine with almond flour too. They do work with melted butter instead of oil as well. If you like you can reduce the amount of butter a bit (maybe 1/3 less than stated) and add a little more yogurt or a drizzle of milk instead. If the batter seems dry at all, just add a little more yogurt or milk. And yes you can definitely reduce the sugar more if you like. Good luck!

      Reply
  2. Leslie says

    24 May 22 at 3:15 am

    Can I substitute some of the flour for soft wheat bran to make it more high fibre?i

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 May 22 at 9:36 am

      Hi Leslie, yes absolutely! I find this recipe works with most substitutions for some reason. Try substituting a third to a half and see how they turn out 🙂

      Reply
  3. Ada says

    06 May 22 at 5:58 am

    could I use mashed banana instead of blueberries?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      08 May 22 at 6:42 pm

      Hello Ada! I’ve never tried this but pretty much everything people try with these muffins seems to work out pretty well, so give it a go. It sounds delicious! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Emma says

    07 Apr 22 at 12:39 am

    5 stars
    I am in LOVE with this recipe!! It made about 44 mini muffins for my freezer stash (I did about 10 mins in the oven and they came out perfectly). I added a squeeze of lemon juice and vanilla extract to the batter and sprinkled the tops with crystal sanding sugar before baking. They’re not too sweet but have an amazing consistency and flavor! Will be trying the same recipe but with chocolate chips today. Thank you so much for posting this recipe and all your tips!!!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      07 Apr 22 at 10:05 am

      Aw thank you, Emma! You’ve made my morning! So happy to know the mini ones worked out so well for you and it’s useful to hear the details. People have raved over these for years now, but it’s good to hear they can still work their magic! Have a great day! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Kai says

    04 Apr 22 at 3:08 am

    5 stars
    Yum! These have a nice, light texture. I made them with vanilla Greek yogurt (all I had on hand) and did 1 cup blueberries + 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks. It worked well! Only change I’d make is adding lemon zest to enhance the flavour a bit.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      04 Apr 22 at 10:13 am

      So glad you enjoyed them, Kai! I like your idea of adding a bit of lemon zest!

      Reply
  6. DAWN Kingsford says

    19 Mar 22 at 8:49 am

    5 stars
    These muffins are the bomb…amazing…failsafe…and A M A Z I N G!!!!!!!

    I have been making them for a couple of years now because I work at SYDNEY MARKETS and always come home with damaged stock. Anyway blueberries is a common take home and the main thing they ask me to make is muffins and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get told that I should sell them, they are the best muffin they have ever eaten, not too sweet, delicious, moist, fabulous and so on.

    Thank you for this recipe as I’m now trying to make a vegan one for my brother when he visits me 🙂

    Reply
    • Helen says

      21 Mar 22 at 11:35 am

      Hello Dawn. Thank you SO MUCH for the feedback. I love that you get lots of compliments on these. I hope the vegan ones turn out well too. Do let me know if you get a chance 🙂

      Reply
  7. Jacinth says

    18 Mar 22 at 12:14 am

    Can you substitute blueberries with raspberries?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      18 Mar 22 at 5:28 pm

      Definitely! I’ve made them with raspberries a few times 🙂

      Reply
  8. Yvonne marshall says

    10 Mar 22 at 2:28 am

    I made the muffins using oat flour and oat milk I also used dairy free blueberry yougurt. I used applesauce instead of oil. They were delicious and vegan and dairy free

    Reply
    • Helen says

      10 Mar 22 at 10:23 am

      That’s so helpful to hear that you ‘veganised’ these successfully, Yvonne. Thank you for letting me know!

      Reply
    • DAWN Kingsford says

      19 Mar 22 at 8:37 am

      What do you use instead of eggs?

      Reply
      • Helen says

        21 Mar 22 at 11:36 am

        Dawn I’ve never tried making these without eggs but I’d love to know if it would work. If you take a look through the comments on the post I think you might find someone who’s tried it successfully. Otherwise here’s a good source for deciding on the best egg substitute to try: https://www.thekitchn.com/best-egg-substitutes-baking-23003895

  9. Cathy Adams says

    24 Feb 22 at 12:11 am

    I found your recipe only a few weeks ago and my family is thrilled. I had purchased fresh blueberries on sale and had frozen them in their store containers. I also had purchased the large container of Aldi’s Organic Greek Vanilla Bean yogurt. Following your directions the muffins were fabulous. I then experimented using only a little less than a 1/2 cup of canola oil and they were still incredible. I’m wondering how much of the oil could still be cut back.

    I am going to try whipping up a batch of muffins with the frozen cranberries I have in the freezer this weekend. Will let you know how it goes.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 Feb 22 at 9:41 am

      Hello Cathy! I’m so happy you’ve had success making these muffins – and also with adapting the recipe to your taste. This is where this recipe excels 🙂 I haven’t personally reduced the oil by that much, but it almost seems like anything goes with this recipe. If you browse the rest of the comments you’ll probably see some feedback from someone who’s reduced the oil by a lot. I think the fact that there’s also yogurt in there helps as yogurt can be used in itself as a substitute for oil. Generally with this recipe you can do (almost) anything you like to the recipe and it still seems to turn out well! 😉 Frozen cranberry muffins sound delicious! I could also imagine the addition of some orange zest really good!

      Reply
  10. A says

    23 Feb 22 at 10:37 pm

    Can you sub butter for oil?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 Feb 22 at 9:42 am

      Hello! I’ve never tried that but I think it would work well. You could probably reduce the amount of butter a little, to perhaps 2/3 of the amount of oil since butter is richer in taste. Good luck! I’d love to hear how you get on if you try it.

      Reply
  11. Anna says

    22 Feb 22 at 5:57 am

    I just made these with some tart strawberries and frozen partridge berries (Lingon Berry). The batter turned out velvety and soft like you described. I baked them at 425 for 10 mins to get the top dome started then turned the oven down to 375 and gave then an extra 5 mins ( I had large muffins)
    I wish I could show you how they turned out! Mmm, delicious and soft. Thank you for your recipe!

    Reply
    • Helen says

      24 Feb 22 at 9:43 am

      Oooh, you’re making me hungry. Those sound absolutely delicious, Anna! Thanks so much for letting me know how they turned out for you, and how you made them your own 🙂

      Reply
  12. Fran says

    20 Feb 22 at 9:00 am

    Can you substitute frozen blueberries?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      21 Feb 22 at 10:20 am

      Yes, absolutely! Just fold them in gently so that the batter doesn’t turn purple. The blueberries will run into the batter a little, but it won’t affect the look or taste. I’ve used frozen blueberries to make these many times. I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  13. anne says

    12 Jan 22 at 9:20 am

    5 stars
    Made these muffins today. They are really tasty. I used evaporated milk and used a little more then the
    recipe asked for.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      12 Jan 22 at 3:49 pm

      Great to hear what the results are like using evaporated milk, Anne – thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Barbara says

    15 Dec 21 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe! I followed the other comment, half oil and additional yoghurt, and used monkfruit sweetener, substitute some flour with whole wheat flour. I’m not a muffin person but this muffin is awesome! I love the subtle sweetness, perfect fruit acidity and bouncy moist texture ! Thank you for sharing this recipe! And thanks for the others sharing their tips on making that.

    Reply
    • Helen says

      15 Dec 21 at 6:53 pm

      Hello Barbara! I’m so glad these worked out well for you, too! This recipe seems to handle substitutions really well. 🙂

      Reply
  15. Zara says

    28 Nov 21 at 10:15 am

    Is it ok to use banana instead of blueberrys?

    Reply
    • Helen says

      29 Nov 21 at 10:04 am

      Hi Zara. I’ve never tried banana but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You mean pieces of chopped banana?

      Reply
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