Basic Muffin Recipe (One Batter, Endless Flavors)
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This basic muffin recipe makes tall, bakery-style muffins with any add-ins you’d like! Yields, tender, fluffy, and deeply flavored muffins with a batter that comes together quickly and easily. Includes instructions for standard, mini, and jumbo muffin tins. Don’t miss the how-to video!
Anything-But-Basic Muffin Recipe
Every baker needs a solid basic muffin recipe in their collection, and today I’m proud to be sharing mine. Don’t let the name fool you–this recipe makes the most stunning muffins with gorgeous, tall tops and perfectly moist, fluffy interiors. Even better, it can be adapted to suit whatever add-ins you like!
I’ve recently updated this recipe to use the same base as my beloved blueberry muffin recipe. While the original version was good, I felt there was a little room for improvement. This new and improved version went through vigorous blind taste tests until we absolutely nailed the rise, flavor and softness.
Why This Recipe WORKS
- One recipe, endless variations. As-is, this recipe makes incredible vanilla muffins; however, I like using it as a starting point and then add my favorite additions like fresh or frozen fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips for chocolate chip muffins.
- Bakery-style results. Despite their name, these muffins are anything but basic! I’ve shared all of my favorite tips and tricks for bakery-style muffins, like resting the batter and adding a sprinkle of sugar before baking.
- Two temperatures are better than one. We start with a very hot oven to give the muffins a nice rise, then drop the temperature to finish baking without drying out our muffins. This gives us tall muffin tops with soft, fluffy centers. I learned this trick for using two temperatures years ago, and it’s made all the difference in my muffin recipes!
- Thicker vs. thinner batter. A thicker batter means your add-ins stay suspended (no sinking berries or need to dust them with flour!) and encourages rounded muffin tops. Seriously, do not be alarmed when your batter is SUPER thick!
If you were a fan of my original basic muffin recipe, I’ve still linked to it in the recipe card. But I’d really love for you to try this new and improved version!
Ingredients
There are a few key ingredients that make this muffin recipe anything-but-basic. I’ll review them before we get started!
- Flour. Be careful when measuring and make sure you don’t accidentally over-measure, or your muffins may turn out dry. I have a post on how to measure flour if you need to brush up on this skill.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch is my secret ingredient for a soft, tender crumb. It plays a role in some of my most popular recipes (including my lemon blueberry cake and best chocolate chip cookies) and helps make the batter thick and the resulting texture soft and fluffy.
- Butter and oil. The dream team for moist AND flavorful results! Using all butter would make for flavorful muffins, but they’d be on the dry side. All oil would make for very moist muffins, but they’d be missing flavor. Pairing the two together is the way to go (and a trick I use in my vanilla cake recipe, too)!
- Sour cream. I previously used buttermilk in this recipe, but I’ve since updated it to use sour cream. Sour cream yields a thicker batter and has a slight advantage when it comes to moisture and flavor (two very important muffin characteristics, as you can see!). I suspect plain, full-fat Greek yogurt would work here as well (but sour cream has the edge on flavor).
- Add-ins (optional). Like chocolate chips, nuts, fresh berries, etc. Frozen fruit will work here too, but you may need to extend the bake time by a few minutes. Do NOT thaw frozen fruit before adding it to the batter; add it frozen.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Sam’s Tip
If you plan to add nuts to your muffins, give them a toast first. It boosts their flavor and makes such a difference! You can use the instructions in my post on how to toast pecans for any nuts, not just pecans.
How to Make Muffins
- Make & rest the batter. Prep the batter by first combining the sugar with the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl or large measuring cup, then use a spatula to gently fold them into the flour mixture. When everything is about 50% combined (to avoid over-mixing!, fold in your add-ins. If you have time, cover and let the batter rest for up to an hour.
- Bake & cool. Divide the batter (it will be VERY thick!) into a lined muffin tin. Bake for 8 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature and continue baking until the tops are lightly golden brown and the centers are baked through (a toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter). Don’t let your muffins sit in the hot pan for too long, or you’ll end up with greasy muffin liners. Leave them for about 7 minutes, then carefully remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Sam’s Tip
Over-baking is the quickest way to dry out your muffins. Always start with just a little less baking time than you think you need (just in case your oven is running too hot!). You can always add another minute or two if needed.
Sam’s Tips for Bakery-Style Muffins
All of the muffins above are made from the same batter, but they have completely different looks (and in some cases, texture/flavor!). Here are my favorite tips for transforming this basic muffin recipe into a bakery-style muffin recipe!
- Rest the batter. Resting the batter is the *best* way to get the ultimate texture, appearance, and even flavor from this recipe. Similar to resting a pancake batter, it encourages the muffins to rise nice and tall with a beautiful fluffy texture. It also gives the flavors time to develop. You can see the difference in the photo above; the first and third muffin compare unrested vs. rested results.
- Alternate muffins. Portion your batter into every other cavity in your muffin pan (you’ll need two muffin tins, or to bake the muffins separately); it encourages them to rise even higher. It’s magical! 🪄
- Double-up the batter. Want a jumbo muffin look, but don’t have a fancy muffin tin? You can still make oversized, bakery-style muffins in a standard muffin tin (the fourth muffin in the photo above) by doubling up the batter. To do this, simply portion your batter into 6 liners instead of 12. Make sure to alternate the liners if you do, otherwise the muffins will bake into each other and flatten out instead of baking upwards.
- Sprinkle with sugar. Add a bit of coarse sugar (turbinado or baker’s sugar) over the muffins before baking. This is an easy way to give your muffins a bakery-style upgrade! Or, get even fancier and drizzle or dip your muffins in vanilla glaze or lemon glaze after they’ve cooled!
- Bonus tip: use my parchment paper muffin liners to really emulate those bakery muffins.
You can also make this recipe in different-sized muffin tins; I include baking instructions for mini and jumbo muffins in the recipe notes below.
Frequently Asked Questions
This basic muffin recipe is specifically designed to accommodate add-ins that won’t change the base muffin recipe itself. If you’re looking to do something a bit more radical, like adding bananas or making the base chocolate, I recommend you use my specific recipes for banana muffins, lemon muffins, or double chocolate muffins instead.
I’ve warned about the dangers of over-mixing when making staples like buttermilk pancakes and vanilla cake, but it’s just as important when making muffins. Stirring too much will almost always result in dense, dry muffins.
Instead, use a spoon or spatula (never an electric mixer) to gently fold together your wet and dry ingredients. If you’re adding any add-ins, toss them into the batter once the wet and dry ingredients are about halfway combined (to avoid running the risk of over-mixing). A few flour streaks in your batter is A-OK.
Using the right ingredients (butter and oil, cornstarch, sour cream, etc.), stirring the batter until it’s just combined (meaning don’t over-mix!), resting the batter before baking, and using two oven temperatures are all key to a really good muffin recipe that yields soft, tender, flavorful and bakery-style results.
More Recipes to Try:
Please leave me a comment if you try this recipe. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it, and what flavor combinations you come up with!
Enjoy!
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Basic Muffin Recipe (One Batter, Endless Flavors)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral cooking oil, (avocado, vegetable, or canola oil)
- 1 large egg, room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream
- 1 ½ cups your favorite add-ins, optional (chocolate chips, fresh or frozen berries, nuts, etc., see note if adding frozen fruit)
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated sugar or coarse sugar for sprinkling on top, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (215C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners (muffins can also be made bakery-style or in different sized tins, see note). Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until well combined.1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together melted butter and oil. Whisk in egg and vanilla extract then add sour cream and whisk until well combined.¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (60 ml) neutral cooking oil, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup (240 g) sour cream
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold together until batter is about 50% combined. Add any add-ins you are using and continue to stir until batter is completely combined and add-ins are well distributed. Don’t over-mix or the muffins could be dense/dry.1 ½ cups your favorite add-ins
- Optional rest for taller muffin tops: If desired, cover batter with a clean towel and allow to rest for 15-60 minutes before proceeding.
- Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if using, and transfer to center rack of 425F (215C) preheated oven. Bake muffins for 8 minutes and then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and continue to bake another 10-12 minutes longer, until the tops are a light golden color and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Note that if you used frozen berries the muffins sometimes take a few minutes longer, I begin checking after 12 minutes.1 Tablespoon Granulated sugar or coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
- Allow muffins to cool in the tin for 7 minutes, then carefully remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. Muffins that cool completely in the tin are prone to slightly overbaking (meaning they end up dry) and the bottoms become soggy and greasy. Enjoy!
Notes
Different sized muffins
Make them in a mini muffin tin: Bake on 375F (190C) for 12-14 minutes. Recipe makes 48 mini muffins. Make them in a jumbo muffin tin: Bake in a jumbo muffin tin on 425F (215C) for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and bake for 15 minutes longer/until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make them big/bakery style in a regular 12-count muffin tin: Divide all of the batter into just 6 wells (it will seem like a lot, that’s fine!), filling every other well. Bake on 425F (215C) for 8 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake 18 minutes longer/until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Resting the batter
This is optional, it helps give the muffins taller muffin tops. Let the batter rest for up to one hour.Add streusel
You can use my streusel recipe to top the muffins. Muffins with streusel sometimes take an extra minute or two to bake. This recipe is especially good with toasted pecans in the batter and streusel on top, one of my favorite combos!Adding frozen fruit
If you are adding frozen fruit the muffins typically take a few minutes longer to bake.Flavor variation suggestion:
I like to add 1 ½ cups chopped pecans and top the muffins with my streusel crumb topping!Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or wrap tightly and freeze for up to a month. Allow to thaw completely before unwrapping (to help retain best texture).Recipe updated
I originally published this recipe nearly 10 years ago but have since made a few tweaks to improve upon it. If you’re looking for it, you can find the old recipe here.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Sam My Baking Buddy! So grateful for you and your baking wisdom! Perfection every time!
You are so sweet, Alyssa, thank you for your kind words and for trusting my recipes! <3
Outstanding, as always. Do you have an ideal time and temperature recommendation for mini-muffins? Sometimes, usually, we just want a bite, not a whole muffin. I’m doing 375 for 10ish minutes, give or take(?)
I apologize if this information is in the top part of this page. I don’t have the fastest internet connection and literally cannot read it, (lots of photos, poppy things, videos). So I “Jump to Recipe” for all your recipes.
Hi Mary! You can bake them at 375 for 10-11 minutes and that should work.
I made these today using fresh blackberries and they came out perfectly. AWESOME recipe! I use Saco cultured buttermilk blend (a powder) whenever I have to use buttermilk in a recipe and it works great. Just an fyi in case you had never heard of it. It is in the baking aisle of most grocery stores. My cousin turned me on to it. Keep up the good cooking. Yum.
Thank you so much for the tip Toby! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the muffins so much! 🙂
I’ve made these muffins many times, so often that I know it by heart, (still have to check the time and temp.) All sorts of versions, all great. I use less sugar, but that’s just me. Next time, I might try double chocolate, just to be decadent.
Oh my!!!
Let me tell you: this recipe here it’s like the holy grail of muffin recipes!!
I’m so blown away by how easy and how awesome my blueberry muffins are I can’t believe!!
I found myself at 8pm without bananas (my regular recipe uses bananas) and scrolled on the internet for a recipe. This popped up and I’m so so glad I tried it !!!
Thank you so much for the recipe!
This is a keeper and I’ll check your website more throughly once I get the chance.
Have a lovely day/night!
We’re so happy you loved the muffins, Ildi! Please let us know if you try any of our other recipes 😊
Tried this recipe today. I used a bit less sugar and substituted Kefir for buttermilk, and they turned out great!!
I have made your other more updated bluberry muffin recipe too, and they are also delicious! I love both recipes. Thanks Sam!
I started making this recipe about one year ago and I love it! It’s my go to recipe, in fact I’ve made these so much I know the recipe by heart. I look forward to getting my feet wet with more of your baking recipes.
I’m so glad you have enjoyed them so much, Ryan! 🙂
Do you kind of “season the blueberries and raspberries with lemon of something like that?
Hello, Amy! You do not need to. If you wish to make blueberry muffins, I recommend checking out my blueberry muffin recipe for more tips. 🙂
These are amazing. Easy and completely worth making. I use frozen berries as an add in.
So glad to hear you enjoyed, Haleigh! 🙂
Hi Sam,
I just wanted to thank you for your recipes!! Also for taking us through the steps … You make it a joy to bake 🙂
I especially love the bakery style chocolate chip muffins, at least so far , lol. My next to try is the Milk Cake with Chocolate Frosting..
Thanks to you,Sam, this is my Go-To Basic Muffin Recipe. Thanks again 😊
You are very welcome, Marie! I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins so much and I really appreciate your kind comment. I hope you love the hot milk cake too. 🙂
Sam,
Can the sugar in these muffins be reduced, to say 1/2 cup, without it affecting the outcome of the muffin? Thanks.
Hi, Tiffany! I have perfected this recipe to my liking, as far as reducing the sugar, you will need to experiment some here. It should be ok, but without testing it myself, I can not advise. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Thanks for replying. I made them today exactly as the recipe states and did half the battery with chocolate chips and the other half with freeze dried strawberries and chunks of cream cheese. The family loved them. But they were a bit too sweet for me as I follow a lower sugar diet but the texture and rise was so great that I’d like to continue to use your recipe but just with less sugar so I can enjoy them as well. I will try next Sunday as that’s when I usually bake and let you know. Thanks.
Wonderful! I am glad that they turned out well and look forward to hearing how your next batch compares. Thanks for trying my recipe, Tiffany! 🙂
Love all your recipes. But I always have problem with muffins raising the spreading over the lip. Always always use scale, oven thermometer. I’m in Ireland starting to think our butter has too much fat? HELP 🤔
Hi Ann! I would just try filling your muffin tin up slightly less with batter. If there’s too much batter in each cavity it can overflow. Just discard any excess batter. 🙂
You’re silly Sam. Don’t discard that batter. There should be just enough for one more muffin!
Do I decrease flour if I use cocoa
Hi Judy! Cocoa makes things a little bit trickier and can really dry out a muffin. I would recommend my double chocolate chip muffins instead. 🙂
These are THE BEST muffins I have ever had, and I was never a big muffin fan! Really amazing! I have also tried the banana muffins, and they were delicious as well. The only change I made was substituting buttermilk with heavy whipping cream because I did not have buttermilk at home. The result was fantastic, but I will try with buttermilk next time.
Thank you so much! We’ll be doubling the doses next time!
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cristina! 🙂
What is the purpose of the corn starch and why one egg and one egg white? Thanks!
Hi Abbi! The cornstarch helps with the texture and the one egg and one egg white is the best combination for the best muffins. 🙂
Hi Sam,
I’ve made a bunch of your recipes at this point and have absolutely loved them all. People always say “Wow Emily! I can’t believe you can bake like this!” And I say “I actually really can’t bake like this – I’m just obsessed with this girl’s recipes!” I’ve definitely passed the Sugar Spun Run link along to more than a few people. The hot chocolate cake and the dark chocolate mini cupcakes with salted caramel frosting were legitimately the most delicious things I have ever eaten, but so many more have been incredible as well!
I’ve made this muffin recipe as cranberry muffins and as chocolate chip muffins a couple of different times – as expected they were so awesome and your instructions were extremely helpful as always. I was wondering if you could pass along some advice… I have three little kids who are just obsessed with “nuffins,” as they like to say. With that said the length of time it takes them to eat these, the amount of crumbs, and dear God the sugar rush… what adjustments do I need to make to turn these into mini muffins?? Anything with the ingredients? Or just less oven time? Thank you so much!!
Thank you for such a sweet comment and for sharing my site with your friends and family. I am so glad that you have enjoyed my recipes and greatly appreciate your continued support, Emily. As for your “nuffins” no adjustments are needed to the ingredient list, the bake time will just be less. 🙂
Thanks! What about the 2 temperatures? How long do you think I should keep it at 425 before I decrease it?
Hmmm.. given that they are so small I would try doing it for 5 minutes then reducing it down. Let me know how that works. 🙂