Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

Looking for the best recipe for Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Muffins with a scrumptious streusel topping? Look no further. A tender muffin with the perfect bakery-style muffin dome, topped with a crunchy almond streusel and bursting with fresh blueberries. Oh my! Those muffins get most of their sweetness from the blueberries and the gluten free almond streusel topping which makes them a perfect breakfast on the go option.

If you are new to gluten-free baking, this simple recipe made with mostly pantry staples is the perfect recipe to try.

If you love blueberry recipes, make sure to check out my gluten free blueberry cake and gluten free blueberry cheesecake.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: In this gluten-free blueberry muffin recipe I use my gluten-free flour blend. I also tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 baking flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour and both blends work great. I did have some texture issues with the raw muffin batter made with Cup4Cup. All those blends mentioned already contain xanthan gum.

Almond Flour: The almond flour gives those gluten-free blueberry almond muffins their beautiful structure and crumb. If you prefer to keep this recipe nut-free, please substitute the almond flour with the same amount of gluten-free flour. (Pro Tip: Check the baking aisle at your local Aldi – their Almond flour is exceptional)

Milk: I have tested this recipe with whole-fat, low-fat milk and dairy-free milk like Almond Milk. All three work great here – so any milk you have in your fridge will work (do NOT use buttermilk!) Muffins made with non dairy milk will appear lighter in color.

Blueberries: I use frozen blueberries for most of my baking but if you have fresh blueberries, please feel free to use them.

Almond Extract: I use Nielsen Massey Almond Extract for my baking. Almond Extract does not taste like almonds since it is made with bitter almond oil and ethyl alcohol. Whole bitter almonds are actually inedible, but their oil has a strong, sweet flavor. Please be very careful with this extract. A little goes a very long way!

Almond Streusel Topping

You can either make the Almond Streusel first thing and place it in the fridge while you prepare the muffin batter OR you can make it while the unbaked blueberry almond muffins are resting in the fridge before getting baked.

A basic streusel topping is just made of brown sugar, flour, and butter. Sometimes you see streusel toppings with added oats and nuts. It can be used to top tarts, cakes like my gluten-free blueberry buckle, pies, and sprinkle it of course on top of muffins.

This gluten-free almond streusel can be made in one large bowl. Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, almonds, salt, cinnamon) and with a fork or your hands work in room temperature butter until it resembles crumbles. Make sure your butter is not too soft. It should not appear greasy. Store the crumble in the fridge until you are ready to use it. You can also make a bigger batch and freeze it.

How to make Blueberry Muffin Batter

To make these gluten-free blueberry muffins you will a standard muffin pan, a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, a flexible spatula, and a medium/large cookie scooper. And of course a digital kitchen scale.

If you have ever made one of my Gluten Free Levain Style Cookies, this process will seem very familiar to you. Blending the COLD butter with the dry ingredients will produce a tender crumb and gives the muffins a high dome. Also, it will reduce the risk of air bubbles and "tunnels" in your muffins.

Using cold ingredients in this recipe will help the muffins rise and result in a beautiful bakery-style muffin.

Step 1: Line your muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and set aside. Sometimes the liners are called Muffin Cups or Cupcake liners.

Step 2: Sift together gluten-free flour, almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer.

Step 3: Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. If your kitchen is very warm, I recommend doing this first thing and placing the unsalted butter in the freezer while you gather all the other ingredients.

Step 4: Mix at a low speed until it resembles a mealy powder. This should take around 2 minutes. It's okay if there are still some small chunks of butter.

Step 5: In a separate medium bowl whisk together the cold milk, cold eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if using) and add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until a thick batter forms.

At this point, you can store the muffin batter in your fridge for up to 3 days. Please be prepared it will need to sit at room temperature for a bit to become scoopable again.

How to bake Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

Step 1: Drop a medium scoop of plain muffin batter in each prepared muffin liner. If your batter is stiff, use the back of a spoon and press it down. This will help to prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffin. Look at it as a barrier to keep the blueberries afloat. I prefer using a cookie scoop (which looks like an ice cream scoop) to portion out muffins.

Step 2: Carefully fold in the leftover blueberries in your remaining muffin batter. Blueberries tend to bleed in the batter, so I recommend doing this by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. If you use frozen berries, the muffin batter will become very stiff (the berries will cool down the batter quickly and make it hard to stir)

Step 3: Equally divide the batter between your muffins. You can fill all the paper liners up to the rim with batter. I like to use a large cookie scoop for this but two large spoons work perfectly here.

Step 4: Top each muffin with a generous amount of streusel. Use your hands to gently press it on top of your muffin batter.

Step 5: Place the gluten-free muffins in the fridge while your oven preheats to 350F. Allowing the batter rest, even if it's just 15-30 minutes will help hydrate the flour which builds a better crumb. Also - cold muffin batter will rise higher!

Step 6: Bake your muffins at 350F for 16 minutes, rotate the muffin pan and continue to bake for an additional 8-12 minutes until they are golden brown. I always check the doneness after 26 minutes. The muffins are done when until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure not to overbake them. That will cause them to dry out.

Step 7: Allow the blueberry almond muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack/cooling rack. I use a spoon or a butter knife to remove them from the muffin pan. There will be some "loose streusel" - it makes a fabulous snack.

The best gluten-free blueberry muffins taste amazing when still warm....

Storing and Freezing of Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Store the gluten-free blueberry muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. These muffins are the best eaten the day they were baked.

To freeze the gluten-free muffins, place them on a sheet tray and pop them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes or until they are solid. Once frozen transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to eat, allow for them to thaw at room temperature or nuke in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.

Variations of this Muffin Recipe

This gluten-free muffin recipe is a wonderful "base recipe" to have on hand. You can mix up the add-ins to your liking or whatever you have on hand.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins: Follow the recipe as directed BUT rub 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest into the granulated sugar. Do not sift the granulated lemon sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients. Just add it to the mixing bowl.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins: You will need around 100 grams of cream cheese for this (block, not spreadable) cut in 12 pieces. Follow the recipe as directed until you have the PLAIN muffin batter scooped (Step 1 - How to bake Blueberry Muffins). At this point place a piece of cream cheese in the middle of each muffin. Finish the recipe as directed. This will give you a delicious cream cheese filling in the middle of your muffin.

FAQ for Gluten Free Blueberry Almond Muffins