Gluten-free Blueberry Muffins
Summertime makes it so hard to decide what fruit to use for the next recipe. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums…there are just so many incredible options right at our fingertips! I’m too indecisive for that many choices.
But I will say there is something about a blueberry muffin that steals my heart. It’s a classic coffee shop favorite that just begs to lure you in.
The light golden tops with tender yet firm exteriors that lead to soft centers filled with bits of juicy sweet blueberry in each bite. Completely irresistible.
If for some insane reason you don’t like blueberries {do you really exist?} then you can always substitute them with your fruit of choice, or even better, gooey chocolate chips…mmmmhhhmmhhhm.
I made a few batches to test substitutions {agave vs maple syrup and fresh vs frozen blueberries} but chocolate chips are still on the to-make list. For the record, I did find that I prefer to use fresh blueberries and agave nectar. Both versions are good but the flavor of the first combo really knocked our socks off. Just a warning though: my fresh blueberries were a little large so many of them sunk to the bottom and caused a few of the muffins to drop their britches, so-to-speak.
What? Don’t tell me you don’t know what britches are.
Anyway, my point is that petite blueberries work better…unless you want to use paper liners. The bigger berries just need a little extra support. But they do get more attention. Okay I’m just going to leave it at that.
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 cup light agave nectar or maple syrup*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 eggs, separated
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or line a muffin tin for eight muffins.
- Combine dry ingredients (brown rice flour, almond meal, salt and baking soda) in a medium-size bowl and sift together.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (applesauce to almond milk) as well as the egg yolks (reserve whites in a bowl for beating) and mix together.
- Beat the egg whites on high for thirty seconds (until fluffy) then add them to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the same bowl with the wet and use a spatula to gently fold together until just combined. It’s okay if there are a few lumps.
- Lastly, add the blueberries and fold together until evenly distributed. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter at a time into the muffin tin so that there are eight muffins total. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown. A knife should come out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
Notes
*I’ve found that using light agave nectar yields the best flavor in these muffins but maple syrup will also work. I haven’t tried raw honey but I would use 1/3 cup instead of a 1/2 cup/
I don’t recommend using large blueberries as they will sink to the bottom and make it difficult for the muffins to hold together.
Update: a reader mentioned that rolling the fresh blueberries in the flour mixture helps to keep them from sinking to the bottom.
Mmmmmm you’re right–there’s just something about a blueberry muffin that’s just calls to me at coffee shops. Or chocolate chip, depending on the severity of my sweet tooth.
Mmm… I love a good blueberry muffin! And I actually did have a friend in high school that was allergic to blueberries. Talk about a sad day when she found that out!
I think you read my mind…I have been looking for a muffin recipe to make ahead of time for the day of my wedding to munch on while all of us girls are getting ready in the morning. These would be perfect!
blueberry muffins will always be a classic! Chocolate chip muffins are my favourite, but blueberry is a close second ;-)
I don’t know why I do not make blueberry muffins more often considering I love them. These look gorgeous and sound delicious! I bet they would be awesome with chocolate chips too :)
I LOVE it when muffins drop their britches! I may be the only person who does, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said the words, “hey muffin: drop your britches.” Okay, I’ve actually never said that, but I’m totes fine with a mushy bottom muffin.
What were we talking about? Oh, muffins. So…I need to bake a batch of GF muffs asap. Brown rice flour and almond meal? Wins me over every time!!
I think blueberry muffins are the perfect food- and actually now that im fiinnnnallly seeing what everybody loves about gluten free eating, and I’ve started subbing out gluten whenever possible- i think you just made them more perfect.
I’m proof that people who don’t like blueberries exist! Except that I have a weak spot for blueberry muffins (and pancakes). So maybe they only half exist? And are still lured in by tasting looking muffins (even if they’re dropping their britches, lol!)
I love muffins and haven’t made any lately – I think that needs to change soon! I also agree that summer fruits are AMAZING and I just love them all :)
Drop their britches…hahaha you’re adorable!! It’s such a great time for blueberries too. I’m a person who uses the frozen ones in the winter fresh blues and fresh muffins sounds lovely!
Think it’s ok to switch up the flours with some white whole wheat? Oat?
Oat flour tends to be a little finicky so that’s risky but I think white whole wheat would work. You might have to use a little more oil or applesauce though because the almond flour adds some moisture. Let me know if you give a try!
haha you crack me up!
Blueberry muffins are my favorite – I love lots of flavors but blueberry is what I always come back to! These look awesome … care to come over and whip me up a batch?? :)
Confession: blueberries are always my first choice when trying to decide on what fruit to use in a recipe — they’re amazing. I think chocolate chip will always be my first choice when it comes to muffins, but I’ll never turn down a delicious blueberry one either :D
I went blueberry picking with my best friends 2 days ago, so I’m thinking we should have a baking party and make these muffins with them! Blueberry muffins remind me of summer mornings at my Grandma’s house! They taste like a bite of childhood! xx
Love, love, love blueberry muffins! In fact, Justin’s been asking me to make them quite often this summer. Can’t wait to give this gluten free version a try. They sound delicious!
I’m so inspired and impressed with all the gluten free baking you do! I just bought a nice gluten free baking cookbook that I am going to start using soon, but for some reason it scares me when recipes start talking about using more than one type of flour. I need to conquer my fear though, because these muffins look amazing!
I used to LOVE blueberries, so much so, I would eat 2 pints in a sitting of about 5 minutes, ha! Then in about an hour I would have to rush to the bathroom, but you know… It was good going down ;)
Sadly – no more fruit for me :(
You have given me a massive craving for blueberry muffins and orange juice. I adore blueberries and put them into and on almost everything. These sound delicious!
Your gluten-free baking just blows me away. These look unreal! I love the look of these photos with the orange juice. And also love your PG13 comments :)
I reallllllyyyyy need to try some of these gluten free recipes!! This looks SO good!!!!
These turned out really nice. I measured my flours (240g rice, 56g almond meal) and as suggested used fresh berries and agave. I also added some baking spices and lemon zest. A tip to help blueberries from sinking is to take out some of the dry mix and toss the berries to coat before adding to the batter. Mine made 12 muffins. I’m very pleased with the results as gluten free recipes usually have some other starches and multiple flours. I also have started buying those little snack size applesauce cups which are perfect for 1/4 cup as I rarely eat applesauce. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them Leslie! And thank you for the tip on the blueberries. I’ll add that to the notes for the recipe. :)
My muffin recipes are almost always a disaster. I do not want to give up! I’ll try this recipe, which by the way comes with great tips (big blueberries no more!).
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Thanks for the recipe. It has great ingredients. They are in the oven now. I used stevia instead of sugar. Also, I had to use a lot more liquid than you had recommended…more than twice as much….it was way too dry. I used rice milk
My guess is that using Stevia in place of the agave/maple syrup is what made the batter so dry.
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These were easy to make and are delicious! They aren’t too sweet even though I did use 1/2 cup honey instead. They also ended up making 11 muffins which I was happy about! :)
I thought you made the flourless muffins! I didn’t realize you ventured all the way back this old recipe. ;)
I really need to update these photos, eeesh.
Thank you for letting me know how they turned out! I’m glad to hear the honey worked well. I hope the little one approved too! :)