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    Home » Baking

    Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins with crisp cinnamon sugar

    June 8, 2022 by Jamie · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Side and top views of gluten free blueberry muffins to show the fluffy texture, round tops, and crisp cinnamon sugar topping.
    Side view of the inside of a gluten-free blueberry muffin to show the fluffy texture and tons of juicy blueberries!
    Gluten free blueberry muffins on a cooling rack and in a muffin tin.

    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.

    Side view of a fresh batch of six gluten free blueberry muffins with cinnamon sugar topping on a cooling rack.
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    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

    The 10 ingredients you need to make gluten-free blueberry muffins with cinnamon sugar topping.

    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.

    Pouring apple cider vinegar into a glass measuring cup with almond milk.

    Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.

    Mixing all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

    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.

    Mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

    Add blueberries. Mix until just combined.

    Mixing fresh blueberries into a gluten free muffin batter.

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

    Six cups of a standard muffin tin filled with gluten free blueberry muffin batter.

    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.

    Cinnamon sugar sprinkled generously over six muffin cups filled with batter.

    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.

    Six freshly baked gluten free blueberry muffins in a muffin tin and cooling.

    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.

    Overhead view of gluten free blueberry muffins cooling on a wire cooling rack.

    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.

    Two stacked gluten free blueberry muffins with a bite taken out of the top one to show a fluffy texture and tons of blueberries!

    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
    Print
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    Two stacked gluten free blueberry muffins with a bite removed from one to show fluffy texture and tons of blueberries!

    Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins


    ★★★★★

    5 from 2 reviews

    • Author: Jamie Monkkonen
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 6 1x
    • Diet: Gluten Free
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins with dairy-free buttermilk, fresh or frozen blueberries, and a cinnamon sugar topping that crisps!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Dairy-Free Buttermilk*

    • ½ cup + 1 tablespoon almond milk
    • ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar

    Dry Ingredients

    • 1 cup (142 grams) gluten-free 1-to-1 style flour
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt

    Wet Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted but not hot
    • 1 egg

    Mix-Ins and Topping

    • ⅔ cup (110 grams) blueberries 
    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and grease or line 6 cups of a standard muffin pan.
    2. Combine the buttermilk ingredients. I do this in a liquid measuring cup so the recipe needs only one mixing bowl. Set aside.
    3. Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
    4. 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.
    5. Add blueberries. Again, mix until just combined.
    6. Portion the batter between the muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. 
    7. 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.
    8. Bake at 425 degrees F for 7 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 400 degrees F.
    9. 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 dry to double-check if you like.
    10. 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.

    Notes

    * If using regular dairy milk or buttermilk, do not add the apple cider vinegar. Simply use the buttermilk as-is because it is already acidic.

    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 15
    • Category: Baking, Breakfast
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: gluten free muffins, gluten and dairy free blueberry muffins

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vibrantlygfree on Instagram and hashtag it #vibrantlygfree

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

    xo, Jamie

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    Comments

    1. Anya

      June 13, 2022 at 11:57 am

      I love how fluffy these muffins are! The small batch was perfect and we gobbled them up in two days.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Jamie

        June 13, 2022 at 1:10 pm

        Thank you so much Anya!

        Reply
    2. Kat

      June 13, 2022 at 11:58 am

      I don’t know if I could taste the vegan buttermilk but I do think it made them fluffier. When I combined ingredients the baking soda bubbled a little before mixing. This will be our go-to recipe! The coconut sugar was really good in this too!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Jamie

        June 13, 2022 at 1:10 pm

        That's exactly right -- the buttermilk helps the muffins to stay nice and fluffy, not dense like some gluten-free baked goods. Thank you so much Kat!

        Reply

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