Healthy Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins With Crumble

My kids all seem to have a sweet tooth and I wanted to come up with some healthy snacks that could double as treats. That’s where these blueberry muffins came from – I made some changes to my usual old fashioned muffin recipe to make it healthier. And they turned out amazing!

I swapped some of the white flour with whole wheat and replaced almost all the sugar with honey for a healthier muffin. The result is a delicious flavour combination that isn’t too sweet and you won’t feel bad serving kids (or eating yourself.)

What I really like about these blueberry muffins is they’re a great quick replacement for cereal during busy mornings. Make some up for back to school!

Is This Blueberry Muffin Recipe Actually Healthy?

Yes… And no. It’s not completely healthy, but definitely healthy-ish. I don’t really consider muffins all that healthy, and the crumbling is made from butter and sugar. BUT if you’re looking for a healthier alternative to your standard blueberry muffins this recipe is it.

Another important takeaway here is that this recipe is a bit lower on the glycemic index. Both honey and whole wheat flour are going to spike your blood sugar less than their refined counterparts. This recipe may or may not be diabetic friendly depending on your unique needs, but if you’re generally wanting to eating lower GI foods these healthy swaps help.

Ingredients for Blueberry Muffins

Whole wheat flour – I replaced about 3/4 of the flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour. Whole wheat is less processed and has more protein and nutrition than all purpose white flour.

You could also use only whole wheat flour in this recipe, but I find that sometimes it overpowers the taste and changes the texture. It really depends on your preferences, though!

Natural honey – I replaced all the refined sugar in the muffin batter with honey. Honey naturally sweetens the muffins while being slightly more nutritious. If you want to use sugar instead, bring the amount up to 1/2 cup – honey is more sweet than sugar, so I always cut it back when swapping.

Honey isn’t necessarily “way healthier” than sugar, but I do believe there’s something to be said about natural ingredients.

Olive oil – I bake with olive oil all the time, but it does have a stronger taste. It’s one of the healthiest oils out there! You can also swap it with vegetable oil or coconut oil one to one.

Skim milk – I used skim milk for my muffins, but you can actually use any kind of milk you have on hand. I just specified for the nutritional information.

Cinnamon – Adds extra flavour and also helps make the muffins taste sweeter even when there’s less sugar.

Wild blueberries – This is my go to blueberry variety. You can, of course, use regular blueberries too. I just find the wild ones are more flavourful. They’re also smaller which is better for baking with. Berries can be fresh or frozen.

I actually used frozen ones for this recipe and they baked up perfectly! If you use frozen berries, make sure they don’t thaw.

Other ingredients – The rest of the ingredients in this recipe are a large egg, all purpose flour, butter, and salt.

How to make Homemade Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins Step by Step

To Make the Blueberry Muffin Batter:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: 1 large egg, 1/2 cup of skim milk, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1/3 cup of honey. It may be difficult to incorporate all of the honey, that’s OK.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: 1 and 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of all purpose white flour, the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix them until just combined, don’t overmix. The batter will be very thick.
5. Carefully fold in the 1 and 1/2 cup of blueberries. Try not to squish them – some streaking will happen and that’s OK. If you’re using frozen berries, don’t let them thaw.

To Make the Old Fashioned Crumble:

1. Mix together 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of white all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of cubed cold butter.
2. Using either a pair of knives, pastry blender, or fork mix the butter with the other ingredients.
3. The texture should be corase with some larger and smaller butter chunks.

Baking Your Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins:

1. Line a muffin tray with non stick muffin liners.
2. Evenly distribute the batter between all 12 muffin cups.
3. Sprinkle the crumble over each muffin evenly. You should end up using it all.
4. Bake your muffins for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out batter-free. I baked mine 20 minutes exactly.
5. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Yield: 12 muffins

Healthy(ish) Old Fashioned Blueberry Muffins with Crumble

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These blueberry muffins are a healthier alternative to your typical muffin recipe without sacrificing taste.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

Blueberry Muffins

• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or another oil of your choice)
• 1/3 cup of liquid honey*
• 1 and 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour**
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons of baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of wild blueberries

For the Crumble

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour**
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. In a small bowl, beat the 1 egg, 1/2 cup of skim milk, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1/3 cup of honey together until well combined.
3. In a large bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Whisk lightly to mix.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in your egg, milk, oil, and honey mixture. Stir until combined. Batter will be thick.
5. Carefully fold in 1 and 1/2 cups of blueberries. Do not thaw frozen berries.
6. Make the crumble by combining 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix until the texture is coarse, leaving some larger chunks.
7. Fill a muffin tray with 12 muffin tins.
8. Distribute the batter evenly between the 12 muffin liners, being careful not to squish blueberries.
9. Evenly sprinkle crumble on top of each muffin.
10. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out free from wet batter.
11. Let cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Notes

• *creamed honey is also OK, but you may need too add more milk if it's too thick
• **If you prefer, you can use only whole wheat flour in this recipe, but I find this split tastes better.
• The crumble can be omitted for a less sweet and healthier muffin.
• Regular blueberries can be used instead of wild berries, but I prefer wild blueberries because they're smaller and more flavourful.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Parchment Baking Cups
• 
  Cox's Honey
• 
  Nonstick Muffin Baking Pan

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 159Total Fat: 6.7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 39mgCarbohydrates: 23.4gFiber: 1.3gSugar: 13.8gProtein: 2.4g

FAQs

Have a question not answered here? Leave a comment!

What’s the best kind of muffin liner to keep muffins from sticking?

This one is highly subjective, but my personal preference is muffin liners made out of parchment paper. They’re a little bit more expensive than the paper ones, but I absolutely hate it when muffins stick to the lining.

Can I skip the crumble?

The crumble is what transforms this blueberry muffin recipe from plain to extraordinary (at least in my opinion). But yes, you can absolutely omit it. Just keep in mind that little bit of sugar on top does add sweetness to these muffins.

Do I need to use whole wheat flour in this recipe?

Nope, it will bake up perfectly if you only use all purpose white flour too. I used whole wheat to make this into a healthier muffin recipe, but it will be delicious either way!

I’m not someone who loves whole wheat flour in a lot of baking, and I thought these muffins were seriously good, so I do suggest giving the whole wheat flour a try.

Can you freeze these old fashioned style blueberry muffins?

Absolutely! They freeze super easy and are perfect for pulling out on busy mornings when you don’t have time for a proper breakfast or as a tasty afternoon treat. To freeze, put cooled muffins in a freezer bag. They’ll keep up to 3 months.

To warm up frozen muffins, either let them thaw on the counter (or in the fridge) or pop them in the microwave.