Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins with crisp cinnamon sugar

This easy one-bowl Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins recipe is full of flavor with the addition of a crisp cinnamon sugar topping! The recipe is dairy-free but can easily be adapted with dairy ingredients, and notes on how to do this are included in the post. With fresh or frozen blueberries, they are the perfect long-time favorite made gluten-free year-round.

For me, there is nothing more comforting than a good blueberry muffin, especially with the extra touch of cinnamon in this recipe! Growing up, my neighbors would bring a batch of freshly baked blueberry muffins to our house every time we had bad news or a big snowstorm. And to this day, there is nothing I find cozier.

I re-made my neighbor's tried-and-true recipe over and over until the gluten-free and dairy-free blueberry muffins tasted exactly how I remembered them! There were no fewer than 9 trials with two different gluten-free flours to get them just right.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips before you start
• More gluten-free muffins and treats we love:
• Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Why you'll LOVE these Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins:

• you can't tell they're gluten-free
• the cinnamon sugar topping is absolutely mouthwatering
• the muffin base is light and fluffy
• they are exploding with blueberry flavor

For those of you baking for yourselves, it's easy to polish off a whole batch (6 muffins) by yourself in just a few days. If you're baking for family and friends, I definitely recommend doubling (or even tripling) the batch!

And if you're looking for a vegan gluten-free blueberry muffin or one with lemon zest, you will definitely want to check out my super popular Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins recipe!

Ingredients

Dairy-Free Buttermilk

• almond milk
• apple cider vinegar

To get a nice rise on gluten-free muffins, we need acid to interact with the baking soda and baking powder to create bubbles. Buttermilk is already acidic, with a pH of about 4.5.

To make a dairy-free or vegan buttermilk, we add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to plant-based milk for the same effect. I use this trick in all my dairy-free muffin recipes!

You can use regular buttermilk in place of this dairy-free buttermilk -- leave out the apple cider vinegar in this case.

For regular dairy milk, I also recommend leaving out the apple cider vinegar.

Dry Ingredients

• gluten-free 1-to-1 style flour (Bob's Red Mill was my favorite for this recipe)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• granulated sugar (I used coconut sugar)
• salt

Wet Ingredients

• vegan butter
• egg

Mix-Ins and Topping

• fresh or frozen blueberries 
• granulated sugar
• cinnamon

If using frozen blueberries, there is no need to thaw them ahead of time.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and grease or line 6 cups of a standard muffin pan.

Combine the buttermilk ingredients. I do this in a liquid measuring cup so the recipe needs only one mixing bowl. Set aside.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.

Add wet ingredients and vegan buttermilk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until just combined but do not overmix -- there will still be some small flour lumps in the batter and that's okay.

Add blueberries. Mix until just combined.

Portion the batter between the muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. 

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Mix 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the muffins.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 7 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 400 degrees F.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes. At this point, the muffins should be perfectly cooked! But you can insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin to make sure it comes out clean if you like.

Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan. Then gently remove the muffins and set on a wire cooling rack for an additional 10 minutes before eating.

Substitutions

• Dairy Milk or Buttermilk - instead of the vegan buttermilk, you can substitute regular dairy milk (omit the vinegar) or Buttermilk (omit the vinegar) in equal amount
• Butter - you can use real butter instead of dairy-free butter and they turn out perfectly
• Coconut Oil - while I prefer the flavor of the dairy-free butter in these muffins, coconut butter works nicely too

Variations

Check out these amazing Gluten-Free Strawberry Muffins with Chocolate Chips for a similar berry-filled treat!

Equipment

• muffin pan
• medium mixing bowl
• spatula or wooden spoon
• measuring cups and spoons
• ice cream scoop (optional)

Storage

Store on the counter for up to 2 days in an airtight container lined with paper towels (to absorb moisture and prevent sogginess).

They will last another day or two if stored in the refrigerator, but the texture is not as nice. I like to leave them on the counter for easy snacking for about 12 hours before storing them properly.

Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Tips before you start

Apple cider vinegar is key to beautiful rise and round muffin tops! If using plant-based milk, definitely don't skip it -- you won't taste the vinegar in the final muffin. If you don't have apple cider vinegar on hand, they will still taste great but will be a bit denser.

Starting at a higher cooking temperature is also part of getting these picture-perfect fluffy muffin tops. Wait for the oven to fully preheat before putting them in -- the first 5 minutes of baking are crucial for fluffiness. Lowering the temperature after the first 7 minutes prevents the muffins from drying out.

More gluten-free muffins and treats we love:

• Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake with strawberries and streusel
• Showstopper Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake
• Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Best Bakery-Style Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins
• Healthy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins with almond flour

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I hope you enjoy this juicy year-round favorite as much as I do!

xo, Jamie