BEST Basic Muffin Recipe
This BEST Basic Muffin Recipe is a plain batter yielding soft, yummy muffins that are easy to jazz up with your favorite add-ins...berries, diced fruit, chocolate, raisins, nuts, coconut, and more! For muffins that are infinitely customizable, this is the only recipe you'll ever need!
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If you're a fan of yummy muffins, you'll also love Banana Blender Muffins, Oatmeal Spice Muffins, and Carrot Cake Muffins!
Muffins are one of those easy-to-bake, fun-to-eat recipes that are suitable from breakfast to snack time to dessert. Why? Because there are infinite variations, of course! They can be sweet or savory...healthy or decadent...plain and simple or loaded with goodies. And with a tried-and-true Basic Muffin Recipe like the one I'm sharing today, you can quickly whip up a batch of homemade muffins in any ol' flavor you like!
This Basic Muffin Recipe yields muffins that are soft and tender yet substantial. These muffins are more dense than they are fluffy, but I promise that that's not a bad thing! It simply means that they have a pleasant texture that will stand up to pretty much any ingredient you'd like to stir in or sprinkle on top.
Ingredients
So what simple ingredients are required to make this basic muffin recipe?
- Flour. All-purpose white flour is the standard for most basic muffin recipes. However, to keep them on the healthier side, I almost always make my muffins with whole wheat pastry flour. This 100% whole wheat flour gives baked goods a lighter taste and texture than that achieved using regular whole wheat flour. In other words, your muffins will taste like they're made with standard white flour while actually having the nutritional value of 100% whole wheat!
- Granulated sugar.
- Baking powder + salt.
- Butter. Unsalted (I like to control the salt) and at room temperature.
- Eggs.
- Milk. You can use whole milk, low-fat milk, or your favorite non-dairy milk alternative, such as unsweetened almond milk.
- Pure vanilla extract. Don't skimp on it! And depending on your add-ins, swapping out the vanilla for a different extract (or incorporating an additional extract on top of the vanilla) might be appropriate.
- Optional add-ins. Scroll down for lots 'o inspiration!
How to Make a Basic Muffin Recipe
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
This muffin recipe is easy to make in one bowl in just a few steps.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and then add the cubed, softened butter to the bowl.
- Work the butter into the flour mixture using a fork or pastry cutter.
- Mix in the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into lined muffin pans and bake!
If you are stirring in add-ins, you'll want to do so during step 3. And if you're sprinkling goodies on top, you'll do that at the end…just before popping the pan into the oven.
Jazzing Them Up
This muffin batter is tasty enough to bake plain, but I almost always like to stir in something to jazz it up. It may be seasonal fruit, crunchy nuts, or simple chocolate chips. Or it may be a combination of ingredients to yield a certain effect. For example...
Tropical Muffins = pineapple tidbits + flaked coconut + chopped macadamia nuts
ChocoCherry Muffins = semisweet chocolate chips + dried cherries + sliced almonds
Ya catch my drift? 😉
Add-In Ideas
Here are some add-in ideas to get you started. Don't feel limited by this list, however...the sky's the limit! And remember that you can always combine a few of your favorites (like my examples above).
- Whole Berries. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cranberries. Berries may be fresh or frozen. However, if you're using frozen, don't thaw them first or they'll get mushy and break up when you stir them in.
- Diced Fruit. Strawberries, apples, bananas, peaches, pears, pineapple, or rhubarb.
- Citrus Zest. Orange, lemon, or lime zest add a puckery punch.
- Chocolate. Semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate in chips, chunks, or shavings...choose your favorite! Or for a different sweet and festive option, stir in colorful sprinkles instead.
- Dried Fruit. Raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or dried mango are all options, though large pieces of dried fruit may need to be chopped first.
- Coconut. Flaked or shredded coconut...sweetened or unsweetened.
- Nuts or Seeds. Chopped nuts add texture and crunch, particularly when they're toasted first. I typically add pecans, walnuts, or almonds to my muffins. Poppy seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are also nice additions.
- Granola. Store-bought or homemade granola both work great.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, or even pumpkin pie spice add warm spice to your muffins, used individually or in combination.
- Extracts. Vanilla is pretty standard, but almond, lemon, or rum extract can lend a unique flavor profile to a batch of muffins. I recommend using pure (not artificial) extracts when at all possible.
More Customization Ideas
To make gluten-free muffins, substitute a Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour for the regular flour.
For muffins where you add fruit, you may swap out a portion of the milk in the recipe for the corresponding fruit juice. The amount of juice to use will depend on how "strong" it is. For example, to make apple muffins, I'd replace ½ cup of the milk with apple juice (in addition to stirring some diced apples into the batter). But to make lemon muffins, I'd only replace ¼ cup of the milk with lemon juice (in addition to stirring in some lemon zest). This is because apple juice isn't as strong/tart/puckery as lemon juice, so more of it may be used.
Keep in mind that you can also sprinkle some goodies (such as granola or streusel or rolled oats) on top of your batter-filled muffin liners. This can be instead of or in addition to mixing add-ins into the batter.
Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment
- I like to use a cookie scoop to fill my muffin cups. This helps me avoid making a big mess when I try to pour and/or spoon muffin batter into the pans.
- If you do drip batter on your pan, wipe up the spill before baking. Otherwise, it will be that much harder to scrub off after it's baked onto the pan.
- My favorite muffin pan is non-stick and quick-release, though I still typically use muffin liners.
- Whole wheat pastry flour is one of my must-have pantry staples. It's different than regular whole wheat flour, and it's the key to achieving baked goods that are light and airy as opposed to heavy and dense. However, if you're making your muffins gluten-free, this flour is my favorite option.
- Muffins are best enjoyed fresh. I store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. If any remain after a couple of days (which is rare), I pop them in the fridge.
So are you ready for some fun and tasty kitchen experimentation? You're just 30-ish minutes away from the best batch of muffins ever! Because not only is this basic muffin recipe yummy, but YOU get to incorporate your favorite goodies to make any batch of muffins YOUR OWN!
Happy baking, friends. 🙂
Basic Muffin Recipe Variations
Just to show you how easy it is to customize the flavor of this Basic Muffin Recipe with a few simple ingredient swaps or additions, here are some adaptations I've created over the years:
The BEST Basic Muffin Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour, all-purpose white OR whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Up to 2 cups of add-ins, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 16 to 18 muffin cups with paper liners (see Notes below).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Work in the softened butter with a fork or pastry cutter. Blend in the eggs, milk, and vanilla until all ingredients are incorporated. Stir in desired add-ins, but do not overmix. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the muffins just test done with a toothpick, taking care not to overbake. After a few minutes, remove the muffins from the pans and cool on a wire rack, or eat them warm out of the oven with a pat of salted butter.
Notes
- Made as directed, this basic muffin batter (without any add-ins) will probably yield 15 or 16 muffins. If you mix in 1 to 2 cups of add-ins, the yield should increase to 18 muffins.
- Store (completely cool) muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. After that, transfer the container to the refrigerator.
- Add-In Ideas: berries, diced fresh fruit, raisins or other dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, chopped nuts, granola, etc.
Nutrition
Post originally published on August 27, 2019, and updated on September 25, 2020, and April 24, 2023.
this recipe is an actual abomination...tried several different times and all I got was overcooked outers with undercooked innards...even had my oven checked and calibrated...I figured out the mistake in your recipe and it is too much flour...I want muffins not oven baked pancakes or half cooked muffins.
So sorry to hear about your experience, J. As explained in the post, these muffins are not intended to be light and fluffy. Rather, their texture is a bit more substantial in order to stand up to whatever you may wish to stir in. That being said, they should cook through just fine. Too much flour could definitely be the culprit if your flour was compacted. The most accurate measurement will come from fluffing the flour, spooning it into your measuring cup, and then leveling off. All of that being said, I'm sorry you didn't have success with this recipe and I hope you find another muffin recipe that works out better for you! 🙂
Hi I love your recipe especially for baking I love muffins any kind of muffins I also love any cake with coconut
thank you
SOO GOOD! I added some cinnamon and diced strawberries to mine and my house smelled like heaven. Amazing taste too! I love this recipe😊
Used oil instead of butter and flax sub for egg. Split the batch and mixed half banana nut and the other half left plain. Delicious and easy recipe!
OH MY GOSH! I made 2 batches today and have one more to "create" tomorrow. I made the basic recipe and added 2c mashed bananas and 1 cup chopped walnuts, the other one I made is the mixed berry with cream cheese, I have to say that one is my favorite so far. Tomorrow I will "create" the Lovely orange and add dried cranberries. My batter was perfect, it all went smoothly and I ended up with 2 1/2 dozen on each batch. I live in a 55+ community and share with some of my neighbors so, don't even think I will be eating all of these myself! LOL. :o)
My batter was almost bread dough.
I had to add another cup of milk to be able to stir at all. The recipe calls for 3 cups of flour to one cup of milk. Is that right? Thank you
Hi Judy! I'm sorry to hear that your batter was too thick. This batter *is* thicker than many muffin batters, but it should not be like bread dough. The measurements in the recipe card are correct, and you can watch the video if you'd like to see the expected consistency of the batter. 🙂 Did you fluff and level your flour for accurate measuring? I hope your muffins tasted okay despite the overly-thick batter.
Thank you for the quick & easy muffin recipe. I used a plant based milk as well a a stick of salted butter because I didn’t have unsalted so I didn’t add the salt. It was delicious even before I added the chopped apples and cinnamon to the batter and the granola topping. It was perfect! No too sweet and quite flavorful.
These were very yummy, we always use reusable silicone liners so no issue there! Used unsweetened almond milk and earth balance “butter” as we have dairy allergies in our house, added coconut orange and mango and they were delicious.
My only thing is they were so sweet! (Which my 4 year old had no complaints about 😂) I made one plain one and it almost tasted like a cupcake! Have you ever had any feedback about whether this recipe works with half the sugar?
Hi Samantha! Glad you enjoyed these! We don't find them overly sweet, but I think you could probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup without adversely affecting the recipe. If you do decide to cut the sugar in half, please let me know how the muffins turn out! 🙂
I just want to thank you for this recipe. I made coconut pineapple muffins. They turned out great! I don't drink regular milk so I used almond milk(unsweetened). They tasted like cow's milk muffins to me.👍
Turned out perfectly. Had no trouble peeling from cupcake liner.
Will use this recipe again definitely
I love your muffins recipes the only problem I have is that they stick to the paper liners is it better if you spray the liners before adding the batter ?
Hi Jacquie! I find that the liners peel off pretty easily/cleanly as long as the muffins are totally cool. But if you are having an issue with sticking (or if you like to eat your muffins straight out of the oven), you can definitely lightly spray the liners with non-stick cooking spray before filling. Or you can try using foil liners, which tend to come off really easily. 🙂
This recipe looks great! Have you ever converted it to Einkorn flour or gluten free flours???