Homemade Basic Muffin Recipe (with 7 Variations)
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With more than a million page views and 175 comments, our soft and tender Homemade Basic Muffin Recipe is super easy and delicious! It’s one of the most popular recipes on my website for a reason and our family’s favorite way to jazz up any meal!
Our family’s favorite muffin recipe always makes our meal feel special. This Basic Muffin is soft and tender and can be flavored according to your tastes so everyone in your family thinks so too. You may want to double it so there are a few left for breakfast tomorrow.
My family has always loved muffins and any time that I thought that I just needed to add something special to a simple meal it always came down to this Basic Muffin Recipe.
The photos featured here are my Lemon Poppy Seed version.
Even after working all day, if I had some soup on the stove I could whip up this Basic Muffin in a jiffy. They took the soup to a whole new level.
These muffins are so versatile. You don’t have to do a thing to them but here are a few variations that I make to these homemade muffins that make people think my recipe box is just full of muffin recipes:
Basic muffin ingredients
The thing we love about this recipe is the uncomplicated ingredients that you probably already have. If you need substitutions, see our “Basic Baking” article for help with techniques, ingredients, and supplies.
- Egg. Grade A large is what we recommend
- Milk. Any variety will do
- Vegetable oil. Or any neutral flavor oil
- Vanilla extract
- Sugar. White granulated sugar. Substitutions work well in the recipe as well.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
How to make muffins from scratch
- Preheat the oven and line a muffin pan with muffin papers or grease the pan well.
- Combine Egg, Milk, and vegetable oil in a small bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine baking powder, flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Blend only until combined.
- Spoon batter into each muffin paper until 2/3 full and bake.
Tips for the perfect baked muffin
- I mix the wet ingredients together separately from the dry ingredients before combining them. This assures that our ingredients are well mixed which will prevent over-mixing if they’re all combined together. Over-mixed muffins can be tough or rubbery.
- Baking powder can lose its potency. Replace it every 6 months or test it by putting 1/4 cup of boiling water into a bowl and adding about 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. If it bubbles, it’s still good.
- Turn the muffin pan in the oven halfway through baking. Even the best ovens can heat inconsistently. Turning them will ensure even baking.
- If you feel your batter is to thick to scoop, add a little extra milk. See the video to see how thick my batter is.
- This muffin can be served warm. We remove them from the muffin tin after removing them from the oven and let them cool on a baking rack.
“Made muffins with my 3 year old after finding this recipe and can I just say WOW! Easy to follow, delishious, and even my picky little one ate 2! We made snickerdoodle muffins and they were divine! Thank you for sharing this.”
Brittany
Basic muffin variations
- Lemon Poppy Seed – Exchange vanilla extract for 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and add 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds.
- Snickerdoodle – Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and sprinkle turbinado sugar over the top before baking.
- Lemon Blueberry – Exchange vanilla extract for 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and add 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Almond – Exchange vanilla extract for 1 teaspoon of almond extract and top with shaved almonds.
- Morning Glory – Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup raisins, and 1/4 cup of walnuts. Sprinkle oats over the top if desired.
- Cinnamon Raisin – Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup raisins.
- Apple Pie – Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 cup chopped apples. Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar.
- Chocolate Chip – Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips
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As you can see, these homemade muffins have so many options and they bake up so quickly. It makes the perfect recipe to introduce baking to the kiddos too.
In no time at all, they can dig into their works of muffin art! My favorite is just a plain muffin, hot from the oven and drizzled with honey. I’m salivating just thinking about them!
Pin these yummy homemade muffins
Whew, We knew we loved a great muffin recipe! That’s not even all of them and my brain has a few more waiting to be created!
If you like this recipe, we would appreciate your comment and a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!
Homemade Basic Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 cup milk any variety will do
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup flour all-purpose
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Line a muffin pan with muffin papers or grease the pan well.
- Combine Egg, Milk and vegetable oil and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl combine baking powder, flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Blend only until combined.
- Spoon batter into each muffin paper until 2/3 full. Bake for 16-20 minutes.
- Store in an airtight bag or container.
Video
Notes
- We mix the wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients together before combining them. This assures that our ingredients are well mixed which will prevent over-mixing if they’re all combined together. Over-mixed muffins can be tough or rubbery.
- Baking powder can lose its potency. Replace it every 6 months or test it by putting 1/4 cup of boiling water into a bowl and add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. If it bubbles, it’s still good.
- Turn the muffin pan in the oven half-way through baking. Even the best ovens can heat inconsistently. Turning them will assure even baking.
- This muffin can be served warm. We remove them from the muffin tin after removing them from the oven and let them cool on a baking rack.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
As amazing as these muffins are, here are some of our most popular!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
As you can see, there’s nothing basic about this basic muffin recipe. It’s just waiting to be reinvented in your kitchen!
These quick and easy muffins also make a yummy breakfast treat the next morning, Just store them in an airtight bag or container if you have any leftovers!
Can you think of a couple of homemade muffin varieties that you would put on your table? I’d love it if you shared it in the comments below!
Intrigues by this simple recipe I gave it a try and something went wrong. I followed all the steps, as they are very simple, but baking them on 400 for 20 minutes resulted in white uncooked product. I left them in for another 5 minutes and another 5 minutes. They turned slight golden. There were no typical muffin cracks on top. They also came out rather chewy and hard to peel from the paper. Suggestions?
Hi, Serge thank you for reaching out. Did you use Baking Powder? I’ve had readers make this mistake because it’s a bit unusual. I’ve never had any difficulty as you describe.
I sure did. 2 teaspoons. I baked mine in the silicone baking form, not aluminum, not sure if that makes any difference.
I’m just not sure Serge. Have you had any difficulty with your oven baking any other recipes?
Are you at a higher altitude? We tried making muffins this weekend at a higher altitude (not this recipe, because I just barely found this one) and they turned out much like what you are describing. I looked online and found many suggestions for baking muffins 25 degrees hotter at higher altitude. Just an idea!
Going to try these muffins today!
Thank you, Sara, for your insights! Please let me know how your muffins turn out and any additional comments you have.
I am already on my second batch. Well, I should mention, the first batch was a mistake on my part. I been making cookies and other baked goods that use baking soda, so I subconsciously used baking soda instead of baking powder in the recipe. Oops! They looked good nonetheless. This new batch is still baking, but I’m sure it will be good. Thanks for sharing this simple recipe.
Thank you for making my day with your sweet comments. This is definitely my go-to recipe when we want something just a bit sweet for dinner. How did the new batch come out?
I just did the same! !
And thought “why is no one commenting about that! “
I hope you’ll try them again Marie and let me know what you think.
I was wondering if you could reduce the oil and add some pumpkin puree for a holiday treat
I would think that could work Wanda. I often replace oil with applesauce. If you give it a try let me know how it goes.
These muffins are amazing! Stumbled across the recipe when I was looking for easy from scratch muffins. The only thing I did different was to throw in a package of dried cherries(because they were on hand and needed using up). Just wow! Will be making these often! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Katharine! Cherries would definitely be amazing in this muffin recipe!
My family has always loved muffins but we don’t know how to make it. I thought that it’s not easy but you gave me a easy way to make it . Thank you so much
Thank you so much, Lisa! These muffins are so easy to make. Give them a try and let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to know if you make the plan version or mix up your own version.
Simple and delicious!
Thank you!
Hey thanks for the recipe!!! They were good but they only problem is that they were so hard outside while inside soft…… I don’t know where I could’ve gone wrong
Hmmm Gareth the only thing I can think of is that you may want to either reduce the cooking time or the temp on your oven by 25 degrees. These muffins shouldn’t come out with a hard exterior.
Oh my word!!!! I think the time was the problem because I baked them for +-35 min
oops! Give them another try and let me know what you think! Thanks for letting me know and so glad you’ve isolated the issue. Have an amazing day!
I love muffin too, they are both cute and delicious. Thank for your recipe, I made the blueberry muffin yesterday and its taste was amazing!
Thank you so much for letting me know! These muffins are what I make most often with a good cup of soup.
This recipe was great!! Its really hard to find plain muffins to buy, so this is amazing!! I’m not huge into a lot of sweets, so this is perfect for me & simple enough to make anytime without alot of effort!!
thanks again!
Thank you, Davion! I’m so glad that you stopped by and let me know that you enjoyed this recipe. It really made my day!
These are really great. I know you said any milk will do. I live in the Caribbean and fresh coconuts are readily available so I make my own coconut milk. Do you think homemade coconut milk would work in this recipie?
Lucky you, Lisa! I know coconut milk will work wonderfully and give this muffin an amazing flavor.
Hi. So update. I just made this using homemade coconut milk and I put the fresh coconut fruit in for texture and look. I baked it into a loaf pan ( I could not find my muffin tins) . Came out great. The only thing I would change with fresh coconuts, is that I would use less sugar. Love love this !!!!!!
Thank you Lisa! I’m so happy that you stopped by to let me know that this worked out for you. I am sure that the coconut milk and fruit worked and was delicious!
As a chef in training I normally lean towards the more complicated recipes. I’m making this right now and I can’t wait to taste. So simple so easy and so versatile. Thank you for posting and sharing
Thank you Tasha! I hope you’ll let me know how they come out and what version you made.
If i wanted to make blueberry muffins, would I follow the recipe as is and just add blueberries?
That’s correct Jasmine! I do it all the time. 12 cup per batch works great and a lemon extract instead of vanilla is yummy too. Thanks for stopping!
Can you replace some of the flour with cocoa powder to make chocolate muffins? What would you recommend?
Hi Shawn. How much cocoa powder are you thinking of adding? If it’s a tablespoon I would just replace the flour. If it’s more than that I would add the cocoa in addition to the flour and add an additional teaspoon of oil or even applesauce so the muffin isn’t dry. Let me know how your muffin comes out. Thank you for contacting me.
I love how versatile this recipe is! Muffins are one of my favorite things to bake!
Thank you Madi! I love muffins too. I think I’ve probably baked this recipe more than any other.
I love that this is a basic and how you can make it to a different kind! It would be fun for a Sunday thing, make the batter and everyone makes own kind they want!
Thank you, Deanna! It is certainly one of our favorites too!
These are the best kinds of recipes — easily changed up to match your mood and always delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Michaela! I agree!
This is so great to have!!! A good muffin base is essential and then putting different varieties in there is just so much fun! Love this!
Thank you Angela!
I love having a basic recipe that just needs a few additives to make a whole new muffin! I love the idea of a plain muffin with soups. My family usually does cornbread but I am looking forward to trying these!
Thank you, Jennifer! We just love this one. Quick easy and yummy!
How delicious, what a lovely recipe! It’s amazing how versatile this is – certainly a flavor for everyone! Breakfast is served!!!
Thank you, Debra!
I love the convenience of these muffins – just grab and go. And, they are so delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
Thanks, Debi! They are so yummy and I love having an extra one for my morning breakfast!
These were so easy! We ate all of them at my coffee club and really enjoyed them!
Thank you so much, Michele! You are one busy girlie. Thank you for trying them and so happy you enjoyed them.
These muffins look so delicious! It’s great to have a basic recipe that you can change up into so many different flavors!
Thank you Lisa! We really enjoy them.
Great recipe! I love that they are so versatile!
Thank you, Karly! This recipe is definitely my go too for a quick special addition to a meal.
I am in love with this recipe Julie. So amazing that it’s so simple and easy. Loved how you have given so many other flavor combinations. I am going to use this recipe to create Eggfree version. Will link back to yours and am sharing it on my FB Blog Page.
Love,
Sonal
Thank you so much Sonal! This is a simple recipe but it’s one of my most special. I’ve been using it forever and hope you will enjoy it as much as we have! Hugs my friend!
We used to have “plain” muffins, with soups or casseroles sometimes, and for breakfast, too. I haven’t heard of that for awhile. Maybe it was more popular before ppl went all low fat and then low carb.Yours look beautiful, Julie!
Thank you so much! I love muffins with savory dishes but am no snob. I’d snarf one by itself too!
I love muffins too and agree they add so much to any meal. Thanks for providing so many variations to your basic recipe Julie. New Ideas for the next muffin baking day – fruit and lemon are favorites 🙂
Thank you Judi! This is such a simple recipe but it’s about the only one I use consistency. I tend to either just use the basic or Lemon!