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Use this perfect basic muffin recipe by itself or as a canvas for your favorite add-ins. This master recipe is easy, versatile, and make-ahead friendly. Get the recipe and answers to all your questions below.
Why we love this recipe
Life can be stupidly complicated. But making great muffins from a master recipe that caters to your whim? That’s simple. I find it reassuring to have recipes like this one on hand. Whatever else comes my way, a perfect little breakfast or a snack is never too far away.
This basic muffin recipe:
- Is light, tender, and just the right size
- Works beautifully on its own
- Includes plenty of tested substitutions
- Loves the add-ins and mix-ins you love
- Comes with a list of suggested additions, too
These muffins are adapted from Joy of Cooking. I first published a version of this recipe here way back in 2009. I’ve since made substantial updates to both the post and the recipe itself.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this basic muffin recipe.
- A good-quality butter imparts a great taste, but you can substitute four to six tablespoons of a neutral-tasting oil (safflower, canola, vegetable) if you prefer.
- Buttermilk creates a beautifully tender crumb and balances the sweetness. You can use plain yogurt or sour cream without any further substitutions. Or you can use milk (any fat content), half and half, or cream and omit the baking soda, using just the baking powder.
- A little bit of nutmeg and vanilla elevates the flavor of these basic muffins.
How to make them
Here’s what you’ll do to make a beautiful batch of our basic muffin recipe. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Melt the butter, then whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until just combined.
- Fold in your mix-ins according to the guidance below.
- Bake in a greased or paper-lined muffin pan in the center of a 400°F oven for 12 or more minutes depending on add-ins. Let cool for two minutes in the pan, and then on a cooling rack.
Suggested add-ins
I like to aim for three cups total mix-ins to add to this master muffin recipe. Often this takes the form of two cups chopped fruit plus one cup chopped nuts, but possibilities abound.
Fresh fruit
Try two cups of any of the following, or a combination. If using frozen fruit, defrost it thoroughly and drain all liquid, then pat dry.
- Diced firm-ripe banana
- Diced ripe peaches or nectarines
- Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or other small berries, or diced strawberries
- Halved or quartered cherries or sour cherries
- Diced apple or pear
Chopped nuts
I like to limit nuts to one cup.
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Macadamias
- Slivered almonds
- Pistachios
- Poppy seeds (limit to 2 tablespoons)
Dried fruit
Add up to a cup of dried fruit, chopped if large. You can add it directly or plump it up a bit first by letting it sit in very hot water for an hour before using.
- Raisins or golden raisins
- Diced apricots
- Cherries
- Sweetened cranberries
- Diced strawberries
Cooked meats
These muffins have a sweet flavor profile, but certain meats work well as mix-ins with the same vibe as “accidentally” getting some of your pancakes’ maple syrup on your bacon. Use a cup of:
- Crip-cooked and crumbled bacon
- Cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage
- Diced cooked ham
Chocolate chips
Yeah, I’m giving these their own category. Use a total of a cup of any of these, alone or in combination:
- Bittersweet, semisweet, milk, or white chocolate chips
- Mini chips
- Peanut butter or toffee chips
Additional seasonings
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Zest of 1 lemon, lime, or orange
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract
Toppings
In addition to mixing in, sometimes it’s nice to top your muffins for added decoration and texture. Simply place a small amount of any of these ingredients atop each muffin by hand right before baking.
- Raw old-fashioned rolled oats
- Pepitas
- Sunflower seeds
- Coarse sugar
Favorite combinations
- Lemon poppy seed (lemon zest, poppy seeds, lemon extract if you like)
- Apple walnut (diced apple, cinnamon, walnuts, topped with oats)
- Berries, white chocolate, and macadamia
- Peach walnut (pictured in video)
- Dried cherry, pistachio, bittersweet cocolate
Expert tips and FAQs
Yes! You can freeze muffins either before or after baking.
To freeze beforehand, portion batter into paper-lined muffin tins and place in freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer to a zip-top bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to six months. To bake, return frozen batter to muffin cups and add about five minutes to baking time.
To freeze baked muffins, cool completely, then place into a zip-top bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to six months. Reheat frozen muffins on baking sheet in the center of a 350°F oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
Sure thing. This recipe will make about 48 mini muffins or 6 jumbo muffins. Bake minis for about 10 minutes and jumbos for about 22. As with regular muffins, bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out without raw batter on it. If jumbo muffins start to brown too much, you can cover them loosely with foil or reduce the oven temperature to 350°F after the first 10 minutes of baking.
Muffins are at their prime on baking day. But, once cooled, they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
More best-in-class breakfast basics
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- American or French scrambled eggs
- Eggs Benedict or Florentine
- Bacon
- Oatmeal
- Hard-boiled or 7-minute eggs
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Basic Master Muffin Recipe with Mix-in Ideas
Ingredients
For the muffins
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (135 grams) sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons (112 grams) butter
- 1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Suggested mix-ins (use up to 3 cups total)
- Refer to the notes section below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the center.
- Grease a standard 12-muffin pan or line with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
- Melt the butter. I like to do this at half power in the microwave in a 4-cup glass measuring cup.
- Whisk in the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stop when there are no pockets of unmixed dry ingredients. Batter will not be perfectly smooth.
- Stir in any additions and divide evenly among prepared muffin cups.
- Bake until a tester comes out without wet batter on it, 12 to 15 minutes or more depending on what you’ve added to the muffins.
- Let cool for a couple of minutes in the pan before unmolding to cool on a rack.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Muffins are at their prime on baking day. But, once cooled, they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
- Instead of buttermilk, you can use regular milk (anywhere from skim to cream). If doing so, omit the baking soda and use only the baking powder.
- You can substitute four to six tablespoons of a neutral-tasting oil (such as canola, safflower, or vegetable oil) for the butter if you like. I prefer the taste of butter.
- You can substitute light brown sugar for the sugar if you like.
- You can freeze muffins either before or after baking. To freeze beforehand, portion batter into paper-lined muffin tins and place in freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer to a zip-top bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to six months. To bake, return frozen batter to muffin cups and add about five minutes to baking time.
- To freeze baked muffins, cool completely, then place into a zip-top bag or other airtight container and freeze for up to six months. Reheat frozen muffins on baking sheet in the center of a 350°F oven or toaster oven until warmed through.
- You can use this recipe to make about 48 mini muffins or 6 jumbo muffins. Bake minis for about 10 minutes and jumbos for about 22. As with regular muffins, bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out without raw batter on it. If jumbo muffins start to brown too much, you can cover them loosely with foil or reduce the oven temperature to 350°F after the first 10 minutes of baking.
Suggested add-ins
I like to aim for three cups total mix-ins. Often this takes the form of two cups chopped fruit plus one cup chopped nuts, but possibilities abound.Fresh fruit
Try two cups of any of the following, or a combination. If using frozen fruit, defrost it thoroughly and drain all liquid, then pat dry.- Diced firm-ripe banana
- Diced ripe peaches or nectarines
- Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or other small berries, or diced strawberries
- Halved or quartered cherries or sour cherries
- Diced apple or pear
Chopped nuts
I like to limit nuts to one cup.- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Macadamias
- Slivered almonds
- Pistachios
- Poppy seeds (limit to 2 tablespoons)
Dried fruit
Add up to a cup of dried fruit, chopped if large. You can add it directly or plump it up a bit first by letting it sit in very hot water for an hour before using.- Raisins or golden raisins
- Diced apricots
- Cherries
- Sweetened cranberries
- Diced strawberries
Cooked meats
These muffins have a sweet flavor profile, but certain meats work well as mix-ins with the same vibe as "accidentally" getting some of your pancakes’ maple syrup on your bacon. Use a cup of:- Crip-cooked and crumbled bacon
- Cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage
- Diced cooked ham
Chocolate chips
Yeah, I’m giving these their own category. Use a total of a cup of any of these, alone or in combination:- Bittersweet, semisweet, milk, or white chocolate chips
- Mini chips
- Peanut butter or toffee chips
Additional seasonings
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- Zest of 1 lemon, lime, or orange
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon chocolate extract
Toppings
In addition to mixing in, sometimes it’s nice to top your muffins for added decoration and texture. Simply place a small amount of any of these ingredients atop each muffin by hand right before baking.- Raw old-fashioned rolled oats
- Pepitas
- Sunflower seeds
- Coarse sugar
Favorite combinations
- Lemon poppy seed (lemon zest, poppy seeds, lemon extract if you like)
- Apple walnut (diced apple, cinnamon, walnuts, topped with oats)
- Berries, white chocolate, and macadamia
- Peach walnut (pictured in video)
- Dried cherry, pistachio, bittersweet cocolate
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I added apples and used cinnamon instead of nutmeg (I ran out haha). They are amazing! Soft and flavourful
Kathryn! Experiments — albeit highly uncontrolled — have been conducted. Muffins have been eaten. Photos have been taken (see above). You can use the following substitutions:
For the flour, 3/4 cup white flour + 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
For the sugar, 1/2 cup sugar + 2 frozen bananas, defrosted (in microwave on medium power for 2 minutes is fine) and mashed (should be scant 1 cup).
Bake for the full 22 minutes.
I added out-of-season blackberries and walnuts to ours and would not recommend the blackberry-banana situation, either in terms of sweetness or in terms of added moisture. Maybe try a combination of walnuts and soaked, drained dried cherries? Something dry and not too sour. No reason.
These were amazing! I diced up fresh cranberries, orange zest, diced pecans, sliced almonds and of course white chocolate chips! They were quick to make and I subbed sour cream for the buttermilk and while wheat flour because that’s what I had on hand. I can’t wait to make a savory breakfast version! Thanks so much!!
Hi, Kathryn! I think you could easily swap out half the white flour for whole wheat flour. The texture would be a bit denser, but if you’re used to baking with whole wheat flour, you’d probably like them that way. If you decide to try them with more than half whole wheat flour, you should add an additional 1/2 tsp. of baking powder. I haven’t tried these yet with any whole wheat flour, so if you do it, please report back. I may try it this weekend, too, and update the recipe.
As for the frozen bananas, you know, I’m not sure. When bananas defrost, they get very liquidy, so I don’t think there would be any chance of your getting muffins with chunks of banana. Wouldn’t recommend tossing frozen chunks into the batter since the muffins don’t bake for very long. However, I think you could probably fold defrosted, mashed banana into the batter since the batter is quite thick. (Then, though, you might be disappointed to be eating banana muffins that aren’t spiced like banana muffins. Hmm.) Honestly, I can think of better uses for frozen bananas — namely banana ice cream and smoothies. People rave about this recipe for banana ice cream from Alton Brown, if you’re feeling motivated. Let us know what you decide!
If one was in the habit of buying bananas with the intent of eating them before they turned completely brown but always seemed to fail to do so, and thus had a freezer full of incredibly ripe (albeit frozen) bananas, would said bananas be appropriate for use in this recipe? And if so, should they be thawed before being folded into the batter or can they just be chopped frozen? I have only ever used frozen bananas in banana bread and am SO ready to try something new…
Also, any tips on incorporating whole wheat flour into this recipe?
Thanks as always for the great post and even better advice!
Thanks, ladies!
Jill, I definitely see you making this one.
Elle, that ice cream of yours is fantastic. I can’t wait to haul out the ice cream maker for the summer and will definitely be giving that one a try.
Kalyn, how you could possibly hold down a teaching job in addition to all of your culinary work is beyond me. I know retirement from teaching is often bittersweet, but congrats! You totally deserve it.
Cute kids! This made me laugh out loud: “not trade my lucrative corporate job, on the eve of the next great depression, for the opportunity to park it on the couch during baby naptime and daydream out loud about food.” Maybe it’s because I’m abandoning my own not-lucrative-but-steady teaching job!
I love muffins, and having a great base recipe is such a good idea. Thanks for sharing–they look delicious! Adorable kiddos, too.
Elle’s last blog post..Guacamole Ice Cream…sort of!
yummy!!!
another recipe I just may try!
and I LOVE the pic of the girlies!!!! 🙂