Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Easy Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins – these soft blueberry muffins are packed with fiber, but still delicious. Almond extract gives them incredible flavor!

Whenever fresh blueberries are on sale, I stock up so I can make recipes like these muffins, Lemon Blueberry Bread, and Made From Scratch Blueberry Pancakes. Delish!

A HEALTHIER BLUEBERRY MUFFIN RECIPE

It’s no secret that I love muffins. And blueberries. And almond extract. So when I saw this muffin recipe at the Sister’s Cafe that featured all three, I knew that I had to try it.

Then I saw that it also had some whole wheat flour, and my heart almost skipped a beat. Three favorite ingredients, plus healthy fiber? I practically ran to my kitchen!

I have made these healthy Blueberry Muffins several times already and they are one of my new favorites. So darn good! I love the heartiness of the wheat, the juicy berries, and the hint of almond flavoring. My mouth is watering just thinkin’ about them.

When I serve them, my family has absolutely no clue that these muffins have whole wheat flour in them. (Unless of course they happen to stumble into the kitchen while I am grinding the wheat.) They are soft and delicious!

With a little bit of coarse sugar sprinkled on top, aren’t they pretty?

TIPS FOR MAKING THIS MUFFIN RECIPE:

The batter for these muffins is very stiff, especially if you are using frozen berries. I learned that it makes a big difference what order you mix the ingredients.

One time I forgot to mix the sugar with the wet ingredients and just added it to the flour mixture. It did NOT work. The batter was so dry that I had to add more milk.

I realized, oh duh, the sugar dissolves in the wet mixture, making more liquid. But not if you add it to the flour. So make sure you follow the directions and you will be just fine.

 

How to Make Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

• large eggs
• oil (I use vegetable oil or canola oil, but melted coconut oil should work as well.)
• milk (skim, 2%, or whole milk will all work just fine)
• granulated sugar
• almond extract (gives the muffins great flavor, don’t leave it out)
• whole wheat flour (Freshly ground is best, if you use prepackaged whole wheat flour, your muffins will be more dry. I only use white wheat for my baked goods.)
• all purpose flour 
• baking powder
• salt
• blueberries (Fresh are best, but frozen blueberries work well too.)
• coarse sugar (Totally optional, but I love to sprinkle it on top of the muffins.)

1. WET INGREDIENTS – Whisk eggs, oil, milk, sugar, and almond extract.
2. COMBINE – Stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Batter will be very stiff. Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin tins.
3. DECORATE TOPS – At this point, I like to sprinkle the tops of the muffins with coarse sugar. Regular sugar works OK, but doesn’t add the same crunch and sparkle to the top. But you can of course just leave them as is.
4. BAKE – Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Don’t over-bake or the muffins will be dry.

How to store blueberry muffins?

If stored in an airtight container, these muffins will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature.

They also freeze well. Let them cool completely, then place them in heavy duty freezer ziplock bags. Squeeze out as much air as possible. They will keep for 3-4 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature, or heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

VARIATIONS:

• The original recipe called for salted, shelled sunflower seeds. They are actually a pretty tasty addition, so if I have them on hand, I will toss some into the batter.
• Instead of sunflower seeds, you can add any type of nuts to the batter.
• For a more sweet muffin, stir some white chocolate chips into the batter with the berries.
• Add 2-3 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest. You can’t go wrong with a lemon and blueberry combination!
• If you are really opposed to almond extract, you can use vanilla extract instead. Just don’t tell me about it. (I kid. We can still be friends.) Use a teaspoon of vanilla, since it’s flavor isn’t quite as strong as the almond.
• For an even heartier muffin, you can use all whole wheat flour instead of half wheat/half white. 
• Drizzle the tops of the muffins with a simple powdered sugar glaze. They won’t be quite as healthy, but they will be extra tasty!

MORE TASTY BLUEBERRY MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY:

• Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins
• Cherry Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Double Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
• Orange Blueberry Muffins

RECIPES WITH WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR:

• Whole Wheat Zucchini Pancakes
• Soft Whole Wheat Bread (a family favorite for years!)
• Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (No one can ever tell these have whole wheat flour in them.)
• Incredible Whole Wheat Muffins (one of my personal favorites)

(originally published 6/12/2009, updated February 2020)