Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins (Low Sugar Recipe)
on Oct 12, 2022
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Everyone loves a good blueberry muffin, don’t they? Enter these super light, moist and airy blueberry muffins made with protein-packed Greek yogurt.
Super easy to make in around 30 minutes, these delicious yogurt muffins have a perfect ‘muffin top’ and always seem to turn out well. And as they’re relatively low sugar, you can enjoy one (or two – why not?) guilt free!
The best blueberry muffins you’ve ever had
I received a rare compliment indeed from Mr. Scrummy the first few times 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.” I take this as an extra vote of confidence that these are good – really good.
Years later, I still make these muffins regularly for morning or afternoon teas, lunch boxes, portable and healthy-ish breakfasts, and even gifts. Every time, I think to myself that this is definitely one of the very best recipes here on Scrummy Lane. I really hope you try them, and come to love them as much as we do!
Why you’ll love them
✔ THEY’RE EASY. Like, I’ll stick my neck out and say that these yogurt blueberry muffins are impossible to mess up. I’ve made them more times than I can count. I haven’t always (ahem) been super accurate with the ingredients amounts, but they pretty much never fail.
✔ PERFECT TEXTURE. You’ll love how light, fluffy and moist they are! They’ve been described as the fluffiest muffins ever, and also as having ‘the perfect muffin top’ – nicely risen, golden brown, and lightly crisp!
✔ THEY’RE A HEALTHY BLUEBERRY MUFFIN RECIPE. Or at least healthiER. Low sugar, high protein, packed with nutritious blueberries, and fairly low calorie. Each of these muffins only contain about 270 calories.
[I’m not sure if that makes these ‘skinny’ muffins, but then again Starbucks’ skinny blueberry muffins contain 317 calories, so I’ll leave you to decide ;-)]
✔ SO QUICK TO MAKE. You can cook up a batch within about 30 minutes. No fancy beating or creaming of ingredients. Just mix the wet ingredients into the dry, pop into muffin cases, and bake.
✔ ENDLESSLY ADAPTABLE. Really. Take a look at the hundreds of comments below the recipe. It constantly astounds me how many successful adaptations and substitutions readers have tried. Apparently, they even turn out well at high altitude!
5* Reviews
“I have been baking for well over 65 years and these are the best blueberry muffins I have ever made. I love them!” (Marybeth)
“Unbelievably amazing! I’ve finally found the perfect blueberry muffin recipe, so light and fluffy. They’re perfect for both breakfast or dessert!” (Ella)
About the ingredients
As you can see, you only need 7 main ingredients (plus raising agents and salt) to make these failsafe Greek yogurt muffins.
Here’s what you need to know.
All-purpose flour (plain flour): Sometimes I replace some of the flour with whole wheat flour (wholemeal). Readers have reported successfully using all white whole wheat flour, cake flour, and gluten free flour. I’ve also successfully substituted in a little spelt or coconut flour.
Sadly these muffins do not appear to work with all almond flour, but you can try substituting a little.
You may need to add a little more milk to compensate for different types of flour.
Baking powder: Yep, there’s a whole tablespoon of baking powder in these muffins – around a teaspoon per cup of flour. It might seem like a lot, but the muffins turn out with a great ‘muffin top’. And don’t worry, there is no horrible aftertaste.
Baking soda: Just a little, apparently to balance out the acid in the yogurt and make sure you get a good rise and colour on your muffins.
Sugar: For me, just half a cup of plain white sugar provides the perfect amount of sweetness. If you have a sweeter tooth, you might like to sprinkle a little extra over the top of the muffins before baking. You can also use even less sugar if you like.
The recipe doesn’t seem to depend on the sugar for the texture of the cake. Many readers have successfully replaced all or some of the sugar with alternative sweeteners such as Stevia.
Salt: After feedback from readers over the years, I now include half a teaspoon of salt to round out the other flavors.
Eggs: 2 large, lightly whisked. I haven’t tried it myself, but several readers have successfully used egg replacements to make the muffins vegan.
Oil: I use either canola oil (or another vegetable oil), light olive oil, or a mixture of the two. Another oil such as melted coconut oil would work, as would melted butter.
Several readers have tried substituting around half of the oil with more yogurt. They’ve been happy with the results!
Greek yogurt: I always use an authentic style Greek yogurt made with just yogurt cultures and milk. However, readers have reported using ALL KINDS of Greek and Greek style yogurts in this recipe, even flavored versions. It seems they all work!
Since the yogurt is the key ingredient in these muffins, I wouldn’t try to completely miss it out.
Milk: I usually add between a quarter and a half cup of milk. The amount I add seems to depend on the particular brand of yogurt that I use i.e. how thick it is. Add even more if you think the batter needs it. It should be quite thick and fluffy, but not dry.
Blueberries: Around a cup and a half of fresh blueberries makes sure there are blueberries in every bite! Feel free to use frozen blueberries. Frozen sometimes create a few blue streaks in the muffin batter. I don’t find this to be a problem if I fold the fruit in carefully with just a few brief folds with a wooden spoon.
How to make them
The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.
it couldn’t be easier to make a batch of these healthy blueberry muffins with yogurt. Here’s what you do.
Step 1: Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners (or silicon if preferred). I usually lightly spray them with oil to help prevent sticking. I also start preheating the oven at this point.
Step 2: Mix together all the dry ingredients (including the sugar) in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Mix together all the wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl or jug.
Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until ‘just’ combined.
Step 5: If the mixture is at all dry, add a little more milk until it isn’t any more.
Step 6: Fold the blueberries through the mixture gently. Then divide batter between the muffin liners (you can fill to the top).
Step 7: Bake for anything from 17 to around 25 minutes. This will depend on the size of the muffins, really. As soon as a skewer or sharp knife poked into the center of a muffin comes out clean, they’re ready!
Helen’s top tips
- Don’t forget the ‘basic’ rule of homemade 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.
- Don’t be afraid to add a little more milk than the recipe calls for. The batter should be thick but not dry.
- Experiment! Feel free to tweak the recipe to make these blueberry yogurt muffins your very own (see ideas for variations below!).
Variations
These Greek yogurt muffins are the most (successfully) tweaked and altered recipe on the site! It’s a fantastic recipe to experiment with and make your own.
Here are my favorite ideas (thanks to reader feedback over many years).
- Replace some or all of the blueberries with different fresh or frozen fruit. Make alternative healthy berry muffins with raspberries or blackberries, or how about grated apple, chopped pear, chopped banana or peaches? I’ve tried nearly all of these. All turned out great, and I’m pretty sure other fruits would work too.
- These Greek yogurt blueberry muffins have proven so popular that I decided to create a chocolate chip version. Take a look at my recipe for Greek yogurt choc chip muffins (also fairly low sugar) as well. Enjoy!
- Add chopped nuts or dried fruit.
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or almond essence, or some lemon zest.
- In the mood for a slightly sweeter treat? Sprinkle a little brown sugar and cinnamon on top before baking.
- Make a Greek yogurt blueberry bread instead! It’s just as phenomenally delicious as the muffins. Simply reduce the oven temperature by 50F/10C and bake for about an hour until a skewer poked into the center comes out clean.
- Try these Greek yogurt banana muffins (with caramel chips) as well some time!
Recipe FAQ
4 days after baking, these muffins are still light, moist and delicious if they’ve been stored in an airtight container in a cool spot. In the summer, it’s best to keep them in the fridge. They’ll keep well for up to 5 days.
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!
Yes, these yogurt muffins freeze really well. Just make sure you cool them completely, then store in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Perfect for a grab-and-go healthy breakfast, or for school lunches or afternoon snacks.
A thousand times YES! I’ve never received so much positive feedback on a recipe after people have made different substitutions! You can make these with dairy free Greek yogurt (try coconut) and dairy free milk, with gluten free flour, with a sugar substitute such as stevia, and even with an egg substitute to make them vegan.
As already mentioned, you can even replace some of the oil with more yogurt, and reduce the sugar more if you like. If I haven’t mentioned the particular substitution that you want to try, I highly recommend browsing through the reader comments below. There’s a good chance your substitution has already been tried!
You can! Simply bake for 10 to 13 minutes, checking after 10 and then every minute after that if not ready.
More healthier cakes
- Not in the mood for blueberries? Try these Greek yogurt choc chip muffins instead, or these healthy banana muffins (also with Greek yogurt and low sugar!).
- Pumpkin season? This healthy pumpkin bread with pear is phenomenal, with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Looking for healthy party cakes? No one will believe this 30-minute healthy chocolate cake is a healthier cake, and these healthier vanilla cupcakes with a 2-ingredient cheesecake frosting are so easy to make.
Or check out all my healthier desserts.
Also check out this list of 25 low sugar cakes (that still taste great!).
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GET ON BY LEAVING A COMMENT AND RATING BELOW… AND DON’T FORGET TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE ALL MY NEW RECIPES BY EMAIL!
Greek Yogurt Blueberry Muffins (Low Sugar Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, (= plain flour) Cake flour also works. You can substitute some or all for white whole wheat flour if you like.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda, (= bicarbonate of soda)
- ½ cup sugar, (heaped)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cups oil, (I use either canola or light olive oil, but any oil is fine.)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, I prefer authentic Greek yogurt, but any Greek yogurt works. You may have to adjust the amount of milk.
- ¼ cup milk, (Actually, ¼ to ½ cup. The mixture should be quite thick, but if it's dry add a little more milk.)
- 1½ cups blueberries
- extra sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C (this is the temperature I bake them at in my convection/fan oven. If you're using a conventional oven, increase temperature to 400F/205C.)
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in a large bowl.2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Combine the eggs, oil, yogurt, and milk in another bowl or jug.2 large eggs, ⅔ cups oil, 1 cup Greek yogurt, ¼ cup milk
- 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). The batter will be fairly thick, but not dry.
- 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.extra sugar
- Cool on a wire rack, then store in an air tight container.
Great muffins!
Do the few remaining muffins need to be refrigerated?
Hi Mary! I’m so happy you liked them! In the winter/cooler weather, you can keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days and they should stay beautifully moist. If it’s summer however, or on the warmer side, I’d keep them in the fridge in an airtight container. Then just take them out of the fridge to let them come back to room temperature, or you can even warm them for a few seconds in the microwave to make them taste like they just came out of the oven again! Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your prompt reply!
The answer wasn’t needed- there were no leftovers!! But, it’s good to know for the next time!!
Thank you again!
Mary
You’re so welcome, Mary! I hope you enjoy these many times over (with no leftovers!), and have a lovely day 🙂
As muffins or a loaf, this recipe works. Moist and tasty.
Thrilled to hear this, James, and thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!
Just made this recipe with mulberries, using 2 cups of berries cut in half and a teaspoon of cinnamon. Delicious. Look forward to trying it as a berry bread and perhaps trying apple mulberry combo.
Hello Poppy! Your version sound wonderful! Where I live in Western Australia, mulberries grow in our local area. I love the sound of the mulberry cinnamon combo. So happy you enjoyed them, and love your ideas for the bread!
So earlier today I made these muffins. What I didn’t read is that they don’t work with almond flour and they didn’t. Not wanting to toss them, I took them apart and put them on the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkled some sugar, added ground up almonds . Served it cold this evening with cool whip. Omg. Sooooo good
Hello Philomena! Oh wow, what a great ‘save’! That is very creative of you, and really does sound delicious. I am sorry that the muffins didn’t work out well for you, though. You are right, these do not turn out well with all almond flour. I hope that you’ll give them another go using all-purpose flour. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know your experience!
Hi, can you tell me if the oven temperature quoted is for a fan forced oven or not please?
Hello Lorraine! Yes, it is. I’ve always had a fan forced oven and put it on at the temperature stated in the recipe. If you have a non fan forced, I would go with 200C/390F.
Thank you Helen. My oven has both options but I prefer to use fan forced whenever I can and some recipes, I’ve discovered, use non fan forced as their standard then give you the other temperature lest you prefer it. It’s great to know that all your recipes use fan forced as your first choice.
You’re welcome, Lorraine! I must admit in the earlier days on this site I was not always diligent in stating the temperatures for both, but make sure I do with new recipes. I tend to state fan forced first since it seems that’s what most people are using these days. I hope you have a lovely day! 🙂
Delicious, light and easy to make!
I made them as high protein raspberry white chocolate muffins
Modifications:
Doubled recipe, added vanilla (~2.5 tsp), used kilos high protein Greek yogurt, replaced 1/2 cup of flour with protein powder, did ~2.5 cups raspberries and ~1.5 cups white chocolate chips
They came out great, are so tasty and a great grab and go snack!
I did find I needed to increase the cooking time a bit for both the regular sized and mini muffins I made.
So happy to hear this, Alicia, and thank you for the helpful info about how you adapted them a bit. Thank you so much for taking the time to review! 🙂
Absolutely delicious!! The best I’ve ever tasted. Low sugar, I added even less and I used kefir instead of milk. The bakery and grocery store versions are too sweet. I will be making these for a long time. Thank you.
What a huge compliment, Lori – thank you so much! It’s helpful to hear the kefir worked out well (great idea!), and I agree that store muffins are way too sweet. Look out for another ‘healthier’ muffin coming soon – just tweaking the recipe still but should be ready for posting soon. 🙂
Best ever blueberry muffins I baked or ate, no doubt.
What a huge compliment! Thank you so much, Louise, and I’m so happy you’ve found a new favorite! 🙂
These are the best blueberry muffins I have ever made. They turned out great and were not too sweet! I will definitely keep this recipe!
I’m thrilled to hear this, Cory, and of course that is the biggest compliment ever. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and I’m so happy you’ve found a new favorite! 🙂
Hi Helen! I’ve enjoyed this recipe very much. I’ve used blueberries and chopped strawberries. But I was wondering if anyone has tried apples? I’m sure the water content in apples might affect the texture. Any suggestions to adjust the liquid balance?
So happy to hear this Adrienne! And yes they’re also great made with apple. Just chop the apples into really small pieces and keep the amount the same as the blueberries. You won’t need to change anything else but I’d also add 1 or even 2 teaspoons of cinnamon!
Muffins were not too sweet, I probably could have heaped the sugar a little more. I used 1/4 cup buttermilk rather than milk and a squeezed a bit of lemon to add flavour. Turned out great except the tops did not brown as much as photo. I believe a little more sugar might solve so will try again. Still a great muffin, texture is a bit like a tea biscuit which I really like.
Very pleased you enjoyed them – thank you so much for the detailed feedback. As for the browning, I’ve been making these for many years and this has happened to me too a couple of times. It’s still in the mystery basket for me as to why, but general tips on muffin browning include only mixing the batter until ‘just’ combined, making sure the oven is at temperature before putting them in and putting them on the highest shelf. I think it can sometimes be the type of yogurt used too (how runny or thick it is, for instance). A simple solution is to sprinkle a little more sugar over the top before they go in the oven and also brushing over a bit more milk or yogurt which should naturally make the tops glossy. Good luck and I’d love to hear about it if they brown more next time! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Mine are baking right now and they look great! I’m going to have to try the chocolate chip and banana muffins as well.
So happy to hear that you gave this recipe a go, Adrienne, and I hope they didn’t disappoint! 🙂
They were Great! I did, however, add a half-teaspoon of vanilla powder. Sadly, they did not make it through the night. I’m going to try again, this time with frozen strawberry chunks.
So happy to hear this, Adrienne! They would work perfectly with strawberries, or any frozen fruit really. Enjoy!
This is the best blueberry muffin recipe!
Can I use room temperature butter for the oil in the recipe next time? Would the measurement be the same?
Hello Kaitlin! Yes, absolutely – readers have tried this before successfully. I would go with between half a cup to two thirds of a cup of melted and slightly cooled butter. If you go with the lower amount you can replace the rest with either more yogurt or even applesauce. Let me know how you get on!
Really great recipe – I used unsweetened natural yoghurt and a teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk (just because I had it over from something else). 12 great muffins!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jennifer, and I’m so happy they turned out so well for you. I’m glad you found such a delicious use for that last drop of condensed milk!
Everything about the muffins was great, easy, well explained and laid out for us as some others have also commented, BUT I have one question that made me question if I read something wrong in the recipe.
I followed it exactly and made no subs. I always do that on a new recipe I’m trying first before I start “editing” if at all to our particular tastes and style.
So I used 2/3 Cup of oil as stated.
I found that there was “oil” sitting in the bottom of each of my cupcake cups when they came out of the oven. Almost “swimming” in oil and the batter even seemed a little “oily” after stirring and mixing.
They baked up fine but literally fell out of the cupcake cups due to the oil – BUT, they didn’t taste “oily”. They were moist and tasty. Not too sweet. Not overcooked or undercooked.
Any ideas or suggestions??
Thank you.
Hello Mary, I’m so happy you enjoyed the cupcakes and that you found them moist and tasty! As for the oil in the cupcake wrapper, I do notice a little smudging sometimes but definitely not what you describe with a really oily result. Over the years there has occasionally been a similar comment however. I’m wondering if it’s just due to slight differences in ingredients e.g. type of yogurt. Try using some really good quality cupcake wrappers. Others have successfully reduced the oil a bit for instance down to half a cup. You could try that, or alternatively, replace some of it with applesauce or a little more yogurt. If the batter seems ‘oily’ at all (I don’t remember that at all) you could add a tablespoon or two more of flour. The batter should be fairly stiff but not dry. I hope that helps a little and please do let me know what happens if you try again! Thanks for trying the recipe!
Wow wow wow. Amazing recipe. Thank you so much. I had to modify the oven temperature as fan wasn’t listed.
The cupcakes were moist and simply delicious. I substituted sugar for coconut sugar which is less sweet but still amazing.
Thank you again
Wonderful, Collette! This makes me so happy to read! The recipe works fine as is for a fan oven, but it’s so forgiving I’m sure you didn’t have any trouble using the adapted temperature. Thank you so much for leaving your feedback!
I was a bit leery about trying this recipe as the flour and baking soda ratio is off. But I needed to get rid of some non fat Greek yogurt I bought as a mistake. I followed the recipe as written ands they turned out perfect. Literally. Best blueberry muffin I’ve ever had, let alone made. My six year old son got a kick out of helping with every step. This will be my go to recipe for muffins now! Thank you!!
Hello Mark. Thank you so much for your honest and detailed review. I love that the recipe didn’t disappoint despite your reservations, and that you chose to give it a chance in the first place. I love that you got your six year old enjoyed helping, and hope that you’ll make these time and time again and make the recipe your own. Best wishes, Helen.
I have no milk. Could I get away with using water or mixing water with some of the yoghurt to think it to milk consistency?
Hello Elizabeth! Yes, you definitely could get away with water or a mixture of water and yogurt. It’s just to get it to the right consistency really. I hope this answer came in time!
Thanks for taking the time to reply – very helpful
You’re so welcome, Elizabeth!
First time making one of your recipes. The way you lay out the ingredients and amounts within the body of the recipe is genius! Why aren’t all recipes written this way? Muffins still in the oven but all signs point towards this being a winner. We will be back for more recipes! Thanks!
Hello, Katelin, and welcome! That is the biggest compliment ever, and I hope the muffins were as good as you were expecting. It’s helpful to hear how much you like that feature within the recipe instructions. I can’t take credit for it – it’s the very talented plugin creator Brecht who came up with that, but I do love it, too. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Five stars for sure! Very soft and fluffy with a moist crumb. I’ve made these twice already (and just made a batch of the choc chip version today). These are super adaptable and not fussy at all. I’ve used different types of yogurt, larger amounts of blueberries, different amounts of sugar, different extracts, and I’ve liked all the results. I like adding some lemon zest, a dash of cardamom, and a few drops of almond extract, if I’m feeling fancy. Recipe cuts in half just fine. Make them!
Thank you so much for this encouraging feedback, Dee – I so appreciate it! I really love the sound of your version with lemon zest, cardamom and almond extract and am keen to try that myself. Thank you so much, and I’m really happy you’re enjoying the recipe so much! 🙂
Hello,
I just made your blueberry muffins for the first time today! Oh my goodness, they are wonderful! They are moist, light and delicious! I love all of the blueberries, and the way we can fill them almost to the top and it creates the perfect muffin top! I was looking for a healthy recipe with less sugar and that used yogurt so that I could add more protein, and this recipe checks all of the boxes. I also want to thank-you for putting the ingredients needed for each step right below each step, and not just in the ingredients list. That has saved me a lot of time, not having to scroll back and forth to see the amount of each ingredient!
Thank-you for sharing this wonderful recipe, and for all the work you have done to make this recipe perfect, easy, delicious and time-saving too!
Thank-you!!
Hello Wendy! Aww, I really appreciate this wonderful feedback – thank you so much! I’m so happy it managed to tick all the boxes, and also that you appreciate the recipe ingredients appearing again under the instructions. I really find this useful, too! So happy you enjoyed it so much!