Easy Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

Name: Easy Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (gluten-free (we recommend Bob's Red Mill)); 1/2 cup almond flour (or substitute with 1/4 cup oat flour); 3/4 cups sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/3 cup vegetable oil; 2 tbsp chia seeds in 6 tbsp water (or sub 2 eggs); 1/3 oat milk ((dairy or non-dairy)); 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 3/4 cups chocolate chips; 3/4 cups blueberries (use directly from frozen if not using fresh)

Jump to Recipe

Easy blueberry chocolate chip muffins combine juicy blueberries with rich chocolate to create a moist, gluten-free muffin perfect for the whole family

Overhead shot of gluten free blueberry muffins, half-sliced, showing the rich texture and distribution of ingredients.

This content is for informational purposes only and not intended as medical advice. Please see our disclaimer page for more information.

Jump to:

👪Why You'll Love This Muffin Recipe
🫐Ingredients
👩🏽‍🍳Step-By-Step Instructions
💡Recipe Tips For The Perfect Moist Muffin
⏲️ Meal Prep & Time-Saving Tips
🌾 Tips on Using Gluten-Free Flour Mixes
🍪Substitutions
🥡Storage
❔FAQ
🥣More Easy Breakfast and Snacks
📖 Recipe

Perfect for busy families or households, these muffins are a go-to for a quick breakfast or a sweet afternoon snack. Packed with juicy blueberries and rich chocolate chips, they're sure to be a hit with both kids and adults.

This recipe was created with gluten-free all-purpose flour but it's versatile enough to work with regular whole wheat flour too (check out the substitution section for details). I've spent a lot of time experimenting with various gluten-free flours and mixes to develop recipes that consistently yield the best results (you can read more about that below). Along with this, I'm excited to share my top tips to guarantee you'll get a moist and fluffy muffin every time.

Let's dive into how you can whip up these moist, gluten-free goodies that are not just tasty but also cater to various dietary needs.

Recipe Variations:

Having a variety of easy, gluten-free breakfast and snack options is a lifesaver. Here are some more meal prep-friendly, easy-to-make grand-and-go recipes for families:

Classic Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins (vegan option)

Gluten-Free Blackberry Muffins (vegan)

One-Bowl Gluten-Free Baked Oat Squares (vegan)

Berry Cheesecake Overnight Oats (vegan option)

Close-up of freshly baked blueberry chocolate chip muffins with visible berries and chocolate chips on a wire cooling rack.

👪Why You'll Love This Muffin Recipe

Our blueberry chocolate chip muffins are another family favorite! Here is why I think this blueberry muffin recipe will be your favorite too:

Moist and Delicious: Each muffin is perfectly moist, thanks to the blend of gluten-free flours and just the right amount of oil, ensuring a delightful eating experience every time.
Allergy-Friendly: Free from common allergens like nuts, making them safe for school snacks.
Healthy Ingredients: Packed with wholesome, gluten-free ingredients for a nutritious treat.
Grab and Go: Perfect for busy mornings - just grab a muffin and you're set for the day.
Travels Well: Ideal for road trips or camping, these muffins stay fresh and delicious on the go.

🫐Ingredients

Whipping up these gluten-free blueberry chocolate chip muffins is straightforward. Here is the full list of ingredients to get that classic muffin texture:

Fresh Blueberries: The star of the show! Use fresh or wild blueberries during blueberry season or frozen when fresh isn't available. If using frozen, remember not to thaw them first.
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: When baking with gluten-free flour, ensure your mix includes xanthan gum. It's a game-changer for texture! If you are not on a gluten-free diet you can use all-purpose flour (wheat flour).
Almond Flour: Almond flour adds the necessary moisture and a hearty texture. Sub with oat flour if you need a nut-free alternative.
Mini Chocolate Chips (Gluten-Free): Who doesn't love chocolate? Ensuring they're gluten-free keeps our muffins allergy-friendly.
Chia Seed: To make this recipe egg free we use a chia egg. By mixing chia seeds with water this mixture helps bind everything together, creating a smooth, cohesive batter.
Milk (Dairy or Non-Dairy): Flexibility for those with dairy allergies or preferences.
Vegetable Oil: For that perfect tender crumb.
Granulated Sugar: Just the right amount of sweetness to balance the flavors.
Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla brings a warm, aromatic flavor.
Baking Powder: Our rising star, ensuring our muffins are fluffy and light.
Salt: A pinch to enhance all the other flavors.

Missing and Ingredient or not gluten-free? Check out the substitution section

👩🏽‍🍳Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat and Prepare: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (177°C). Line your muffin tin with paper liners or give it a light greasing. This step is crucial for easy removal of muffins later.

Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Whisking not only combines but also aerates the ingredients, setting the stage for light and airy muffins.

Dry ingredients including gluten-free flour, sugar, and leavening agents neatly arranged in a clear mixing bowl for muffin recipe preparation.

Ingredients being mixed together with a wooden spoon in a glass bowl, starting the process of creating gluten-free muffins.

Step 3: Combine Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, mix your wet ingredients. Use a whisk to help blend your ingredients together smoothly. This is an important step for achieving a consistent texture in your batter.

Wet ingredients for gluten-free muffins in a bowl, featuring eggs, oil, and vanilla extract ready to be whisked together.

Glass bowl with the wet ingredients for making gluten free blueberry muffins being mixed by a whick held by a human hand.

Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry: Now, gently add the wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until just combined, don't overmix. Overmixing can lead to tough muffins!

Combining the wet and dry ingredients for muffins in a glass bowl, pouring liquid mixture into the well of the flour blend.

A glass bowl with a gluten free muffin batter being mixed together to show the consistency of the batter while prepping this recipe.

Step 5: Rest the Batter: Here's a unique tip for gluten-free baking: let your batter sit for 15 minutes. Gluten-free flours absorb more moisture, so this rest period is crucial. After 15 minutes, check the consistency and add more milk if needed. You are looking for a thick yogurt texture (see image).

A glass bowl with muffin batter inside and a human hand pouring in some oat milk to adjust the consistency of the batter. This step is to show the importance of resting gluten free batter to allow the flour to absorb the liquid and for an oppertunity to adjust the batter prior to baking.

A bowl with gluten free muffin batter mixed and ready for baking. The batter is at the right consistency and texture.

A bowl with muffin batter being mixed by a human hand holding a wodden spoon.

Step 6: Fold in Chocolate Chips and Blueberries: Gently fold in the chocolate chips. Then, carefully fold in the blueberries, being gentle to prevent them from breaking. This step ensures even distribution without coloring your batter blue.

A bowl of gltuen free muffin batter with chocolate chips about to be mixed in.

A wooden spoon folding blueberries into the gluten-free muffin batter, ensuring even distribution for perfect baking.

Muffin batter, speckled with blueberries and chocolate chips, portioned into a muffin tin, ready to bake.

Step 7: Spoon into Muffin Tin: Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup about ⅔ full. This ensures perfectly sized muffins that won't overflow.

Step 8: Bake and Cool: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Gluten-free blueberry muffin freshly baked in their muffin pan.

A collection of gluten free blueberry muffins on a wire rack with a focus on the scattered chocolate chips and baked blueberries.

Let your gluten-free blueberry muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Cooling in the pan helps them set, while moving them to a rack prevents soggy bottoms.

💡Recipe Tips For The Perfect Moist Muffin

To ensure you get moist blueberry chocolate chip muffins, keep these tips in mind:

Rest Your Batter: Let the batter rest for 15 minutes before baking. This step is crucial for gluten-free flours to absorb moisture and improve the muffin's texture.
Avoid Overmixing: Stir the batter until just combined. Overmixing can lead to tough muffins.
Check the Batter Consistency: Before baking, ensure the batter has the right consistency (refer to the image in the post). It should be neither too thick nor too runny.
Fill Muffin Cups Appropriately: Fill each muffin cup about ⅔ full. This ensures even baking and perfect muffin tops. Use the Toothpick Test: To check if the muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. It should come out clean.
Cooling is Important: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This helps them set without becoming soggy.

By following these insights and tips, you'll be well-equipped to bake delicious, moist, and perfect gluten-free blueberry muffins every time.

A muffin broken in half to showcase the moist interior with blueberries and chocolate chips, surrounded by whole muffins.

⏲️ Meal Prep & Time-Saving Tips

In today's busy life of juggling multiple tasks, every minute saved is precious. Here are some time-saving tips for making these blueberry chocolate chip muffins:

Prep Ingredients Ahead: Measure out your dry ingredients the night before and store them in an airtight container. This way, you're ready to go when it's time to bake.
Use Paper Muffin Cups: Opt for paper muffin cups in your muffin tin for easy cleanup. It saves time on greasing the pan and washing up afterward.
Batch Baking: Double the recipe and bake two batches. Muffins freeze well, so you'll have a quick snack or breakfast ready for busy days.
Set a Kitchen Timer: While the muffin batter is resting, use this time to clean up or prep for another meal. A kitchen timer ensures you don't lose track of time.

🌾 Tips on Using Gluten-Free Flour Mixes

Baking with gluten-free flour can sometimes be frustrating, often yielding different results. In my gluten-free chocolate chip muffin post, I share my experience testing various gluten-free flours and the results. It's a handy guide for gluten-free baking and the importance of moisture and flour types for the final result.

For this particular gluten-free blueberry muffin, I experimented with 2 gluten-free flour mixes to ensure you get a perfect result! I tried both all-purpose and 1-to-1 gluten-free flour, observing the differences in texture and moisture absorption. This experiment yet again highlighted how each blend behaves uniquely.

While the 1-1 batter created a taller more 'fluffy' muffin, they were drier, more crumbly, and did not last as long as the muffins made with AP flour.

Two stacks ofgluten free blueberry chocolate chip muffins to show the difference in texture, size, and color when using different gluten free flours.

Three gluten free blueberry muffins sitting on a cooling rack. The left side of the image shows muffins made with gltuenf ree AP flour and the right shows a muffin made with gluten-free 1-1 flour to demonstrate the size and color difference between these types of flours.

🙋🏽‍♀️Top Tip for Gluten-Free Mixes:

My recommendation for our chocolate chip blueberry muffins is to use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix and to rest your batter before baking (and adjust if needed). This will give you the best results and fluffy soft muffins!

Overhead view of blueberry chocolate chip muffins on a wire cooling rack, highlighting the golden-brown tops and chocolate chip details.

🍪Substitutions

In the kitchen, flexibility is key! Sometimes, we have to use what we have on hand, and that's perfectly okay! Here are some substitution ideas:

Flour: If you don't have gluten-free all-purpose flour you can use 1-1 gluten free flour.
NOT Gluten-Free: No problem, sub in regular all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour!
Chia seeds: Swap this ingredient for ground flax (same measurement) or 2 eggs.
Almond: Use oat flour in the same measurement or an equal amount of your main flour. The texture might vary slightly, but your muffins will still be delicious.
Sugar: Out of granulated sugar? Try using brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
Milk: Any type of milk works here, dairy or non-dairy. Feel free to use what you have in your fridge.
Chocolate Chips: If you're out of chocolate chips, chop up a bar of chocolate, or skip them altogether for classic blueberry muffins.
Blueberries: No blueberries? It's okay! This recipe is versatile. Try other berries or even dried fruits.

🥡Storage

Proper storage is crucial to keep your gluten-free blueberry muffins fresh and delicious. Here's how to do it:

In the Fridge: Store muffins in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. They are best in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Rewarming: To rewarm, place muffins in the microwave for a few seconds or warm them in the oven at 350°F (about 177°C) for a few minutes until heated through.

Freezer: Muffins freeze beautifully. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave them at room temperature or defrost in the microwave.

Aerial perspective of a batch of blueberry chocolate chip muffins showing the contrast of blueberries and chocolate chips on the muffin tops.

❔FAQ

Are fresh or frozen blueberries better for muffins?

Both fresh and frozen blueberries work well for muffin recipes. Fresh blueberries are great when in season, offering a bright, fresh flavor. Frozen blueberries have the advantage of being available year-round. Just remember, if using frozen, don't thaw them before adding to the muffin batter to prevent bleeding.

Can I make these gluten-free muffins without xanthan gum?

Xanthan gum is important in gluten-free baking as it helps mimic the binding effect of gluten. If your gluten-free flour doesn't include it, your muffins might be crumbly. I recommend using a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum for the best texture in your gluten-free blueberry muffins.

Why did my muffins turn out dense?

Dense muffins can result from overmixing the batter or not allowing it to rest. For moist muffins, remember to mix just until the ingredients are combined and let the batter sit for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the gluten-free flour to absorb moisture properly, leading to lighter, fluffier muffins.