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 190C/375F.
- 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.
Hi Helen,
Tried baking these today and I’m a sucker for coconut sugar and coconut oil so substituted those and it turned out beautifully. Thank you for a yummy and healthy muffin. Honestly it’s the first time muffins have turned out right for me (I’m normally a cookie person). Will be using this as a base many many muffins to come 🙂
Hi Mala! Oh thank you SO much for taking the time to leave your feedback – and of course for the 5 star rating. These muffins never cease to amaze me! It seems you can make almost any kind of substitution and they still come out well. I might try the coconut subs next time – I bet they add a lovely subtle background flavor! 🙂
Thank you for your best blueberry muffins with yoyort. They are delicious and very mois.
Thanks, Sarah! So glad you enjoyed them. I just took a batch out of the oven actually… I still make these all the time. Today I’ve made strawberry and blueberry as I didn’t quite have enough blueberries. Yum!
It’s really so so delicious.. I love a good blueberry muffin. Thanks for your sharring
I made these without the oil, and added water and lemon juice until my mix reached a good consistency. I also reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup. I’m on WW, so I am always on the quest for good snacks! Just came out and are toddler and mama approved! Thanks!
Hi Allison! Thanks so much for leaving a review! It never ceases to amaze me how failsafe and versatile these muffins are. No matter what you do or how many subs you make, they always seem to turn out well. I really appreciate you sharing how you adapted the muffins. It’s particularly interesting that you left out the oil and further reduced the sugar!
Great easy recipe, super light and fluffy! Thanks 🙂
You’re welcome! Thanks so much for bothering to leave a review – really appreciate it!
Hi Helen,
My daughter say this is the best recipe she had ever had! And I am going to try it anyway, I have three questions, can I skip the soda? For sugar, can I use brown sugar instead of white? Also, not talking about calories, if I substitute the oil with butter, how much of butter will you recommend?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Samantha! I’m so glad you’re going to give these a try! I hope you won’t be disappointed! I find these muffins always turn out well, but I’ve never tried making the substitutions you’re thinking of doing. I think you’ll be fine skipping the soda. As for the sugar, because there’s only a small amount (relatively) in the recipe, I think that will work too, but I can’t guarantee it as I haven’t tried it.
I also think you’ll be fine substituting oil for butter. Just melt the butter in the microwave and use it as you would the oil. I’d use 2 sticks of butter (8 ounces/227 grams) and see how that goes!
If you get a chance, I’d love it if you’d pop back here and let me know how you got on!
Just made these muffins and they are delicious. I’ve tried other recipes and the blueberries sink but these are perfect.
Hi Jill. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your review. That’s interesting that the blueberries have sunk with other recipes you’ve tried! I never thought of that to be honest, but that’s great that they don’t sink in this recipe. I think the batter is fairly thick for these compared to some other muffin recipes, so maybe it’s that. Anyway, so glad you enjoyed them! These have been my go-to recipe for muffins ever since I first made them!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I did not have plain Greek yogurt, so I used 1/2 blueberry Greek yogurt and 1/2 vanilla Greek yogurt. I also added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and the zest from one lemon. I subbed 1.5 C of whole wheat pastry flour for the white flour. also had to add some extra milk and some additional oil to get the batter loose enough to fold in the blueberries (perhaps because I used ww flour?). These are excellent and will make again.
You’re very welcome, Rebecca! I’m so glad you tried a few substitutions and still got a great result! I find these are hard to mess up. Sometimes I need to add a bit more milk too, depending on what type of yogurt I use, but they always turn out good!
This recipe is AMAZING!! I haven’t has muffins this light and fluffy before. It has just the right amount of sweetness, I added more blueberries and some brown sugar and almond streusel on top for a bit of crunch.
This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you.
Thank you so much for leaving your review, Eryani! I’m so glad you like the muffins so much. I love how you customized them, too. I sometimes add the bit of brown sugar on top but the almond streusel sounds divine!
Unbelievably amazing! Ive finally found the perfect blueberry muffin recipe, so light and fluffy. They’re perfect for both breakfast or dessert!
Hi Ella. Thank you so much for bothering to leave your review! We make these extremely regularly, and they’ve never let me down. I’ve made big, small, with fresh blueberries, with frozen blueberries, with chocolate chips instead of blueberries, etc. etc.! They always seem to be good. So glad you enjoyed them too!
Just made these today with a 20m/o and a 4y/o for Father’s day. Despite having to make a few substitutions (plain yogurt for Greek, no milk so just used extra yogurt, chocolate chunks for blueberries) and some dodgy measuring (no actual measuring cups and spoons) they came out amazing! 12 big golden fluffy muffins. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hello Joy! Thank you so much for taking the time to pop back here and comment. It’s really encouraging to me to hear that these worked out well despite some changes. I always see these muffins as pretty fail safe so it’s good to hear that someone else has found the same. Really glad you all enjoyed them, and thank you for the 5 star review!