Delicious vegan blueberry muffins with a light crunchy topping. Feather light and pleasingly sweet, these vegan muffins are so moreish you’ll have a struggle to stop at eating just one.
There are classic muffin pairings that have stood the test of time – triple chocolate, chocolate chip, lemon curd and of course the ubiquitous blueberry muffin. There is something so simply joyous about munching your way through a soft, cloud like sponge filled with plump bittersweet blueberries. These muffins are easy to whip up in minutes making this is an ideal bake for when you’re short on time.
The ingredients
So let’s start with the most important ingredient – the blueberries. I’ve found frozen blueberries to be best option as they retain their shape once baked. When using fresh blueberries I’ve ended up with a purple mushy interior which might be ok for some but I’m after the perfect muffin!
Adding lemon juice to the mixture imparts a subtle zesty flavour and keeps the muffins light and tender. I’m definitely an advocate for using buttermilk in baked goods. The acid reacts with the bicarbonate of soda producing a lovely flavour and good rise. I have also experimented with using orange juice but found lemon to be the superior of the two as it gives the muffins a slightly sharper tang.
I’ve used olive oil rather than vegan butter for the choice of fat. The addition of oil give the muffins a moist, light crumb. Adding a little extra oil also acts as a natural binder without the need to find weird, hard to find egg replacements.
The method
This recipe is oh so simple that I won’t insult your intelligence by writing out the obvious! Once the wet ingredients are added to the dry, simply mix until the ingredients are just combined. Overmixing the mixture can result in the muffins developing a chewy and unpleasant texture.
Pour the mixture into the baking cases leaving a 1/2 cm gap from the top. This allows the vegan blueberry muffins to bloom into those perfect store bought muffins with the aesthetically pleasing full rounded top. Bake for 5 minutes at 200°C fan to get a good initial rise, then reduce to 180°C fan for 15 minutes.
On first bite there is a lovely smattering of purple from the burst blueberries nestled among the fluffy golden sponge. Then comes the slight crunch from the demerara topping. A classic, delicious bake that you’ll be thinking of long after you’ve devoured the last muffin.
Let me know how you get on making this recipe by leaving a comment. I’d love to see your creations over on instagram!
More sweet recipes
Vegan blueberry muffins
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- Good pinch of salt
- 140 g golden caster sugar
- 120 mls oat milk
- 60 mls freshly squeezed lemon juice roughly from 1 small lemon
- 80 mls olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 150 g frozen blueberries reserving a handful to decorate the muffins
- 1 teaspoon demerara sugar
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 220°C/ fan 200°C / Gas 7.
- Line a muffin tin with 7 muffin cases.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar and salt.
- In a jug, add the oat milk, lemon juice, olive oil, vanilla and whisk.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix until the mixture is just combined and there is no flour visible. Then gently fold in the frozen blueberries.
- Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, leaving a 1/2 cm gap from the top of cases.
- Dot over the remaining berries and sprinkle the tops with demerara sugar.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 220°C/ fan 200°C / Gas 7. Then reduce the heat to 200°C/ 180°C fan/ Gas 6 and bake for 15 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick and check to see it comes out clean. The muffins should be a beautiful golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Loved loved loved these. So simple and easy to bake. Family didn’t even realise they were vegan!!