Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins

Almond flour blueberry muffins are quick and easy to make, fluffy, moist, delicious and gluten free! They’re also low-carb, paleo and a great healthy breakfast or snack for anytime of day. The recipe is dairy-free, grain-free, refined sugar free and loaded with real food ingredients – a truly great tasting muffin!

I cannot say enough good things about these almond flour blueberry muffins! The recipe took lots of testing but eventually, I was rewarded with a perfectly moist muffin with great texture and flavor. It doesn’t taste gluten free, which is what the goal always is.

Whether you regularly eat gluten-free or just looking for a healthier alternative, this is a recipe you won’t want to miss. My toddler actually asked me to make a second batch, which never happens.

If you’re an almond flour muffin fan or just looking for gluten-free muffins in general, check out my coconut muffins, coffee cake muffins, and almond poppy seed muffin recipe. Or use up brown bananas on this fantastic almond flour banana muffin recipe!

OR if you don’t want muffins, but want more easy almond flour recipes, these almond flour pancakes are to die for! They’re on regular rotation in our home.

Why this is THE BEST almond flour blueberry muffin recipe

This lightened up blueberry muffin recipe is epic. It’s a favorite of mine because:

• Light, fluffy, moist and full of flavor
• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Paleo
• Easy to make vegan
• Free from processed sugar (uses honey or agave instead) and low in sugar
• Loaded with protein (6 grams)
• Perfect grab and go make ahead breakfast, especially if freezing
• Great in texture (not your standard gritty gluten-free feel)
• Full of healthy fats from the almonds, eggs, and coconut oil

Ingredients

I definitely recommend making the recipe as written using the ingredients I used but listed substitutions where possible. Here are the ingredients needed for these these paleo blueberry muffins:

• almond flour – the main ingredient, almond flour is finer than almond meal and will make for a lighter, fluffier muffin. This recipe is made for almond flour specifically so please do not substitute another flour type and expect it to work!
• coconut flour – necessary for texture, tapioca flour may work as a substitute but I haven’t tested it.
• salt – I use mineral salt for almost everything.
• baking soda – necessary for leavening the muffins.
• baking powder – I tested both ways and the best muffins came from using both soda and powder.
• large eggs – act as a binding agent and are necessary (to make vegan, an egg replacer like Ener-G would be a better choice than flax eggs.
• honey or agave syrup – I typically use honey but you can use agave syrup or even pure maple syrup if vegan or if you prefer those and a little less if you want it more low carb or keto.
• plain unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice).
• coconut oil – you can substitute another oil like avocado oil or olive oil if you prefer.
• vanilla extract – use pure vanilla.
• Blueberries – frozen blueberries or fresh blueberries work just fine.

You maybe wondering why coconut flour is added to an Almond flour muffin recipe. Trust me, it’s important! Since almond flour is essentially just ground up nuts, it doesn’t have the binding capacity that all purpose flour does.

Coconut on the other hand, is highly absorbant. This makes the muffins hold together better and overall less crumbly. I tried making them without it and it just didn’t create the right texture.

How to make almond flour blueberry muffins

This recipe is pretty easy. With blueberry almond flour muffins there’s no grinding flours or mixing a ton of ingredients to get the perfect gluten free flour blend. We stuck to just two flours that do the job perfectly. Here are the key steps in the process:

1. Mix dry ingredients – almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder – together in a medium bowl.
   
2. Whisk wet ingredients – eggs, honey, almond milk, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract – together separately in a large mixing bowl. Remember, room temperature ingredients always work best in baking!
   
3. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix together. Fold in the blueberries.
   
4. Pour or spoon muffin batter into a prepared muffin pan lined with paper liners or with thickly greased muffin cups. The batter will be very thick!
   
5. Bake at 350° F for 22-24 minutes.
6. Remove muffins from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tray before letting cool completely on a wire rack. Let cool fully before storing and enjoy!
   

How to store and freeze the muffins

Once the muffins are fully cooled, they will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days and 4-5 days in the refrigerator. I store them on the counter since they can get a bit harder and less moist in the fridge.

TIP: do not stack the muffins on top of each other or the muffin tops will get gummy and overly moist. Use a sheet of parchment paper to separate layers of muffins.

For longer storage, freeze for up to two months in a tightly sealing freezer bag. For longer freezer storage (4-5 months), individually wrap each muffin in parchment paper before freezing. To defrost, either allow the muffin to defrost in the refrigerator overnight or microwave for about 45 seconds. If microwaving, eat quickly after or texture will not retain moistness. Add butter or dairy free butter for the ultimate experience post freezing.

How to make vegan almond flour blueberry muffins

To make these almond flour blueberry muffins vegan, swap the honey for agave syrup or pure maple syrup. From there, you’ll need to use another binding agent in lieu of the eggs. Flax eggs won’t give the best texture in this recipe. I recommend using an egg replacement like Ener-G.

I haven’t tested this particular recipe with that egg replacement but have used it in similar recipes and have found that, while not a perfect dupe, it works better in dense recipes like muffins than other types of vegan or dairy free swaps.

Variations

These healthy blueberry muffins are excellent as the recipe is written but you can certainly tweak for a new flavor. Here are a few ideas:

• Add lemon juice and/or lemon zest
• Make almond blueberry muffins by adding 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
• Add cinnamon or pie spice for a bit of warm spice
• Add chopped nuts like toasted pecans or walnuts
• Add chocolate chips – white chocolate would pair great with the blueberries
• Use another berry like raspberries, chopped strawberries, or halved cherries

Recipe originally published August 27, 2020 but post content has since been edited to provide more detail.