Bakery-Style Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Who doesn't love a sky-high muffin top? These bakery-style blueberry lemon muffins yield a fluffy, tall dome, like the ones from the bakery! After all, aren't the muffin tops the best?

We have a slight obsession with blueberries. We find that they work in both sweet and savory dishes. It helps when you have good, fresh berries practically in your backyard (we may be biased, but New Jersey blueberries are the best).

But what's even better than sweet fresh blueberries are those freakishly tall muffin tops that seem to only appear in coffee shops and bakeries. Well, not anymore! They're easy to replicate at home with the right batter and a few tricks, so let's get baking.

How to get tall domes

There are a few tricks out there for making tall bakery-style muffins (and no, it's not about using a bigger pan). Some recipes use high heat for the first few minutes, or rest the batter in the fridge. For these tall blueberry lemon muffins, we're using a lot of batter and filling them way more than you would with a typical muffin recipe.

To help them grow even more, we like to use 2 pans and fill every other muffin well. This allows room for expansion, and since there is a decent amount of batter, the muffin tops won't spread into each other.

Making the muffins

Making muffins is as easy as mixing dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients, and combining the two. Choose smaller blueberries if you can, so you get more bang for your buck (they also tend to be much sweeter).

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, adding the cooled butter last.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in the blueberries (gently) so they don't get smushed.

Step 4: Fill every other well of the muffin tin with batter (a lot of it). The batter should come up over the tops of the wells by at least ¾ of an inch.

Bake at 350℉ for 30-35 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs.

*These are abbreviated instructions. The full list of directions can be found in the recipe card below.

Expert muffin tips

• Weigh your flour. It's easy to overfill measuring cups when scooping flour, so for the best result, use a scale, or spoon the flour into measuring cups.
• Don't skip the muffin liners. They'll make your life easier. No muffin liners? use a generous amount of baking spray.
• Fill every other well. This allows steam to escape and helps the muffins grow tall without spreading into each other. It helps if you have 2 standard muffin tins, but if you don't, you can bake them in 2 batches.
• Use smaller blueberries. They are usually much sweeter and easier to incorporate into the batter.
• Try aluminum-free baking powder. This will eliminate the metallic taste that sometimes regular baking powder imparts, but you'll have to work quickly! It activates with liquid (not heat), so as soon as everything is mixed, get those muffins in the oven!

Additional flavor boosters

The ginger and vanilla give these muffins the right amount of flavor, without overpowering the blueberries. However, to add a little more zing, try adding:

• Cinnamon (up to 1 teaspoon)
• Cardamom (up to ½ teaspoon)
• Orange zest (instead of the lemon, or a combo of both)
• Lemon extract for more lemon flavor
• A mix of summer berries such as strawberries or raspberries
• Use wild blueberries instead (packed with even more flavor)

Save some for a rainy day

To store muffins, first allow them to cool completely. Store in a lidded container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Muffins can also be frozen for a rainy day. To freeze, wrap each one in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

Frequently asked question

Can we use frozen blueberries?

Yes! Go ahead, no need to thaw them first.

What if we don't have 2 muffin pans?

No problem! You can either bake 6 at a time, then reuse the same pan for the remainder of the batter, or use one pan. The worst that will happen is that the muffin tops might spill over onto each other (giving the appearance of a uni-muffin).

These recipes are so BERRY good!

Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 teaspoons, divided ((Set aside the 2 teaspoons to toss with the blueberries))
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp kosher or fine sea salt
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup full-fat sour cream or crème fraiche, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature ((can use 2%))
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 large lemon, zested
• 1½-2 cups fresh blueberries
• 3 tbsp turbinado (Sugar in the Raw), for sprinkling

Equipment

• 12-cup (standard) muffin pans
• muffin liners or baking spray

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners, placing liners in every other cup to allow more space between the muffins (you could also use baking spray).

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, sour cream, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Add in the cooled butter and stir until just combined.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, or until you no longer see any flour streaks. The batter will be lumpy. Toss the blueberries in the 2 teaspoons of flour, then gently fold the blueberries and the lemon zest into the batter to combine.

5. Fill each prepared muffin cup with batter. The batter should be over the muffin cups by about ¾ inch. This will ensure they bake up nice and tall. Sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar.

6. Bake at 350℉ for 30-35 minutes until the tops are golden brown, or a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Kitchen notes

• Weigh your flour. It's easy to overfill measuring cups when scooping flour, so for the best result, use a scale, or spoon the flour into measuring cups.
• Don't skip the muffin liners. They'll make your life easier. No muffin liners? use a generous amount of baking spray.
• Fill every other well. This allows steam to escape and helps the muffins grow tall without spreading into each other. It helps if you have 2 standard muffin tins, but if you don't, you can bake them in 2 batches.
• Use smaller blueberries. They are usually much sweeter and easier to incorporate into the batter.
• Toss the blueberries in a little flour. Tossing the blueberries in a little flour will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom when baking.
• Try aluminum-free baking powder. This will eliminate the metallic taste that sometimes regular baking powder imparts, but you'll have to work quickly! It activates with liquid (not heat), so as soon as everything is mixed, get those muffins in the oven!

*This recipe was modified on 5/20/26 to include clearer instructions. The vanilla was also increased to 1.5 teaspoons (from 1 tsp), and the zest was increased to 1 whole lemon (from 2.5 teaspoons). You can also add up to 2 cups of blueberries.