These super soft blackberry muffins are bursting with juicy fruit and sweet chunks of crumble topping in every bite. Made with sour cream for the best texture and a touch of lemon zest for brightness, they're the perfect summer breakfast treat!
Despite the heat, I think summer is a fantastic time for baking because of all the fresh fruit that's in season. It makes some of my all-time favorite recipes possible - this mixed berry galette, berry-swirled cheesecake ice cream, and buttery blueberry scones.
Today we're adding to that list with these berry streusel muffins! They're soft and moist, packed with fresh blackberries, layered with a sweet crumble topping, and finished with a vibrant drizzle of blackberry icing. If you're looking for the perfect muffin recipe for warm-weather brunches, this is it!
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Why You'll Love This Blackberry Muffin Recipe
- BIG and Soft - I call these "bakery style" muffins. Like my classic double chocolate muffins and lemon poppy seed muffins, they bake up with big, domed muffin tops while staying perfectly soft and squishy on the inside.
- Flavor-Packed - With nearly 2 cups of blackberries in a batch plus fresh lemon zest, a streusel topping, and a sweet blackberry glaze, these are anything but your average muffins!
- Easy to Follow - Although there are 3 parts to this recipe (streusel, muffin batter, and icing), none of them are complex, and the whole process takes about 30 minutes in total. The step by step photos below will help guide you along.
- Gluten Free Adaptable - Want to make this recipe with gluten free flour? No problem!
- Versatile - Switch things up by making these with blueberries, raspberries, or mixed berries.
Muffin Ingredients
Here's a quick look at what you'll need to make these muffins, with some helpful notes below. Head down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient list with quantities.
- Butter - This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but if you want to use salted, just decrease the salt in the crumble topping to a pinch, and use only ½ teaspoon salted butter in the muffin batter. You'll need melted butter for the crumble topping and softened butter for the batter.
- Flour - For gluten free blackberry muffins, swap with any all purpose gluten free blend that contains a binder like xanthan gum or guar gum. I like King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill.
- Eggs - These should brought to room temperature before using so they whip into the softened butter properly.
- Lemon Zest - We'll use just enough to give the flavor of these muffins a little lift, without making them overly lemon-y. If you'd rather skip it, that's fine too!
- Sour Cream - Full fat is best. It keeps the batter thick while adding plenty of moisture, and its acidity helps create muffins with a soft, tender texture. Whole milk Greek yogurt also works. Like the butter, you'll want to bring this to room temperature before you start.
- Blackberries - Unless your blackberries are small, it's best to chop them into halves or thirds so they'll be better disperse through the muffins. If you want to use frozen blackberries, I would suggest adding them to the batter while frozen. For the icing drizzle, you'll need to thaw the berries first.
Step by Step Instructions
Crumble Topping:
- Step 1: Combine all ingredients for topping in a small mixing bowl and mix together with a fork until evenly combined into a coarse, crumbly mixture. If needed, use your fingertips to help the mixture clump together into larger chunks. Refrigerate while prepping the muffin batter.
Muffins:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Step 3: Remove 1 ½ tablespoons of the flour mixture and add to the chopped blackberries. Toss gently to evenly coat the berries in flour.
- Step 4: In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a large bowl and handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and well-combined.
- Step 5: Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat until the mixture is smooth, fluffy, and paler in color. Scrape down the bowl and beater as needed to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Step 6: Using low speed, beat in ⅓ of the dry ingredient mixture, then ½ of the sour cream. Repeat with another ⅓ of the dry ingredient mix, the remaining sour cream, and finally the remainder of the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until mostly combined.
- Step 7: Add the berries to the batter in two portions, gently folding in with a rubber spatula to disperse. The batter should be fairly thick, with no streaks of flour remaining.
- Step 8: Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. They should be completely full. Spoon streusel over the top of each muffin cup and gently press it into the batter with your fingertips or palm.
- Step 9: Bake muffins at 400ºF for 10 minutes. Then, reduce to 350ºF and bake another 13-15 minutes, until puffy and lightly golden. A toothpick inserted into the center of one should come out clean. Cool in pan for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Baking Tip
If you bake these muffins in muffin liners, you may need to make more than 12. Your muffin pan will be full as-is, and liners will take up extra space.
Blackberry Drizzle
- Step 1: Mash blackberries in a small bowl using a cocktail muddler or fork.
- Step 2: Strain juice from mashed blackberries into a separate, small bowl by pressing them through a fine mesh strainer or a piece of cheesecloth.
- Step 3: Measure out 2 tablespoons of blackberries juice. Combine with powdered sugar and whisk until mixture is smooth and thick enough to hold its shape when drizzled. Add more powdered sugar if needed.
- Step 4: Use a spoon or a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to drizzle icing over the cooled muffins.
Storing and Serving Muffins
Once the blackberry drizzle has set, these muffins can be transferred to an airtight container for storage. They should be fine at room temperature for up to 24 hours, but for longer storage, especially in warmer months, it's best to keep them in the refrigerator.
If you plan to serve these for a special occasion and want them to look and taste their best, I would recommend making them the day of or day before your event and adding the blackberry drizzle the day you serve them.
Leftovers (in my opinion!) are best if sliced in half, toasted, and topped with a little bit of melty butter.
My Top Tips for This Recipe
- Bring your butter, eggs, and sour cream to room temperature before you start. This recipe uses the creaming method (whipping butter and sugar together), and if your ingredients are too cold, the batter can curdle instead of coming together smoothly.
- Use a scale! Although not mandatory, weighing your ingredients with a kitchen scale will help you nail the proportions, for perfectly soft and tender muffins with big muffin tops. Here's how to measure your flour properly without one.
- Avoid overmixing - once you start mixing flour into the batter, less is more. Too much mixing can give you tough or rubbery muffins.
- Fill those muffin cups to the brim. This is another key step for getting big muffin tops. A thick batter (which we have here) will rise up instead of out, so don't be afraid to fill your pan!
FAQs
Is there a difference between streusel topping and crumble topping?
These terms are often used interchangeably, so you'll see me refer to both here. Toppings with thicker, chunkier crumbs - like on these muffins - are usually called streusels, but you could just as easily call these blackberry crumble muffins.
Can I freeze these muffins?
I wouldn't recommend freezing these muffins unless you skip the crumble topping. If you do that, wrap them individually in plastic wrap once completely cool, and then store in a freezer-safe container or zip top bag. You can always add a fresh icing drizzle after they've defrosted.
pair this with a drink!
Iced Lavender Coffee
Homemade lavender vanilla syrup gives this iced coffee a floral, summery twist that pairs perfectly with fresh berries!
More Berry Recipes
Make the most of fresh summer berries with these recipes!
Recipe Card
Blackberry Muffin Recipe
This easy blackberry muffin recipe makes soft, bakery-style muffins using fresh blackberries and lemon zest, complete with a sweet crumble topping. It's a perfect treat for summer breakfast or brunch!
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup all-purpose flour regular or gluten free
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Blackberry Muffins
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour regular or gluten free
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest freshly grated
- 1 ½ cups full fat sour cream room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups blackberries cut into halves or thirds, depending on size
Blackberry Drizzle
- ½ cup blackberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Crumble Topping
- Combine all ingredients for streusel in a small mixing bowl and mix together with a fork until evenly combined into a coarse, crumbly mixture. If needed, use your fingertips to help the mixture clump together into larger chunks. Refrigerate while prepping the muffin batter.2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter |½ cup all-purpose flour |2 tablespoons granulated sugar |1 tablespoon brown sugar |¼ teaspoon salt |⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
Muffins
- Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour |2 ½ teaspoons baking powder |½ teaspoon baking soda |¾ teaspoon salt
- Remove 1 ½ tablespoons of the flour mixture and add to the chopped blackberries. Toss gently to evenly coat the berries in flour.1 ¾ cups blackberries
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using a large bowl and handheld electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and well-combined.½ cup granulated sugar |¼ cup brown sugar |½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and beat until the mixture is smooth, fluffy, and paler in color. Scrape down the bowl and beater as needed to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.2 large eggs |1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract |½ teaspoon lemon zest
- Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture, beating in on low speed until mostly combined. Follow with ½ of the sour cream, another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the last of the sour cream, and finally the last of the flour mixture, mixing each portion in just until mostly incorporated before moving on to the next.1 ½ cups full fat sour cream
- Add the berries to the batter in two portions, gently folding in with a rubber spatula to disperse. The batter should be fairly thick, with no streaks of flour remaining.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. They should be completely full. Spoon streusel over the top of each muffin cup and gently press it into the batter with your fingertips or palm.
- Bake muffins at 400ºF for 10 minutes. Then, reduce heat to 350ºF and bake another 13-15 minutes, until muffins are puffy and lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Cool in pan for at least 15-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Blackberry Drizzle
- Mash blackberries in a small bowl using a cocktail muddler or fork.½ cup blackberries
- Strain juice from mashed blackberries into a separate, small bowl by pressing them through a fine mesh strainer or a piece of cheesecloth.
- Measure out 2 tablespoons of blackberries juice. Combine with powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when drizzled onto the muffins. Add more powdered sugar if needed.1 cup powdered sugar
- Use a spoon or a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to drizzle icing over the cooled muffins.
Notes
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the crumble topping to one pinch, and reduce the salt in the muffin batter to ½ teaspoon.
- Sour cream can be substituted with whole milk Greek yogurt.
- Raspberries, blueberries, or a mixture of berries can also be used.
Preparation:
- If using muffin liners, you may need to make more than 12 muffins since the liners will take up some space in the pan.
Storing and Serving:
- Once blackberry drizzle has set, muffins can be transferred to an airtight container for storage. Store at room temperature for up to 24 hours, or in the refrigerator for longer storge.
- For the very best taste and presentation, make these muffins no more than one day in advance and add the blackberry drizzle the day you plan to serve them.
Nutrition
Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 587IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is an estimate per serving, calculated using standard ingredients. Actual values may vary based on brands used, measurement methods, and more.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to hear from you - leave a rating and review!
Paige
Something is off in the base recipe. I think I would increase the salt and decrease the baking powder. Not sure what else to do. It has an odd taste.
Alexandra Azary
Hi Paige,
I would suggest seeing if the baking powder you use contains aluminum. That tends to add a strange/metallic taste that could be noticeable in a recipe like this. The base recipe is one I've reused many times for different types of muffins so I'm confident it works well!
Greg Garrison
These (like pretty much everything else on this blog) are absolutely phenomenal. The blackberry drizzle on top really compliments the blackberries that are inside of the muffins. The streusel topping really ties everything together. Next time I make these, I think I’ll be tripling the recipe so that I can eat these muffins all week long. 10/10 highly recommend.