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
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!
Hi hostessatheart,
Thank you very much for sharing your recipes. I will try Homemade Basic Muffins.
Thank you, Sandra! It’s one of our favorite recipes.
I love this recipe for it’s simplicity and consistent results. I used lemon extract and added a bit of lemon zest and blueberries. My husband, who is very particular thought these were the best muffins I have ever made! (And he is very particular.) Thank You!
Thank you so much, Joni! I make these muffins all the time. They’re one of our favorites and I’m glad that your husband enjoyed them too!
Quick & easy recipe!
I believe adding in the vanilla is missing from the instructions??
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Fran and thank you so much for pointing out that the vanilla isn’t in the instructions! I’ve had this recipe for ever and no one (including me) has ever caught that!
I used this recipe and folded in chocolate chips prior to spooning the batter into muffin tins. The consistency of the batter is more sticky and lumpy than other batters but the issue with this recipe is there is a very strong baking powder taste. Not something I long for in muffins so I will not be using this recipe again. They’re definitely edible but they also weren’t great. I’d recommend not wasting your time or ingredients on this recipe and find another recipe to use instead.
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you, Chelsea. It’s not a lumpy batter but it’s definitely thick.
@Chelsea, use a baking powder with no aluminum in it, Rumsford,for example. This will take away the metallicy baking powder taste.
Thank you, Richard!
My mother used to add orange marmalade a teaspoon full in the middle of the muffin batter before baking. She called them surprise muffins,my kids love them too!!
That’s a great tip! I’ll have to try it with this muffin recipe Brenda! Thank you!
I would love to see a strawberry rhubarb muffin and I think the turbinado sugar on top would be perfect. I love baking from scratch and can’t wait to try these!
Thank you Jodie! I love suggestions like this one. I do have rhubarb muffin https://hostessatheart.com/rhubarb-oat-muffins/ and a strawberry rhubarb bread https://hostessatheart.com/strawberry-rhubarb-bread-strusel-topping/. I hope one of these will work for you until I can get a strawberry rhubarb muffin made? Have an amazing day and thanks again. ~Julie
Great vegan too. I used a flax egg and almond milk. I used jam instead of white sugar. Kept same measurements.
Thank you so much for the tips, Iris! Our community thanks you.
I loved the muffin. I added cinnamon and it was wonderful. The badder was stiff like cookie batter but came out really well. I’m going to try other flavors
Thank you, Terice. You are correct, the batter is very thick with this recipe.
Hi JULIE, I reduced the sugar and added applesauce. Not sure where I went wrong but I ended up with a very dry muffin. Flavor was great but crumbly and dry. I didn’t give any star rating because I changed your recipe. But for flavor it’s a five. I’ll keep working on it and let you know
Thank you for letting me know Marsha. Did you keep the milk and oil in it? Replacing or reducing the sugar shouldn’t have changed the moisture or texture that much? You may want to reduce your oven temp to 375 too. It may have cooked them too hot.
Can I reduce the sugar and use applesauce?
In most recipes yes you can. I’d try a 1:1 substitution. I haven’t tried it with this one so if you do, please stop back and let me know how it goes.
Ick. Why do they taste like baking soda? I made the mistake of baking 2 variations before reading the reviews. What a waste of time, ingredients and electricity.
I 100% measured carefully and thoroughly combined the dry ingredients before adding it to the wet ingredients.
Disappointing.
I think it’s like anything else, C, some people have reported a taste of baking soda but honestly, we don’t and never have. Many of my readers love this recipe as much as I do, but that’s why I leave the comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
@C, you were supposed to use baking powder, not baking soda. This is why the taste is off.
It’s always good to have a basic recipe like this in your back pocket. And I love all the flavor suggestions.
Thank you, Debi! This is one of my favorite recipes.
There is a very strong taste of baking powder to the muffins. Unfortunately I had been sipping coffee with my taster muffin and didn’t notice. I did taste it in the second batch. Other than that the muffins are good. I’m going to play with the ingredient amounts some more to see if I can find a good balance.
Made these with my 4 year old and mixed 2 tsp cinnamon in them and topped with cinnamon and brown sugar and both my kids loved them! Wonderful texture and flavor! Thank you! Huge hit in my house.
That is an amazing combo, Jacquelyn! Thank you for sharing.
I was a professional baker for years. I made the lemon poppyseed variation and was sadly disappointed.
I did all the measurements EXACTLY so why is my batter ridiculously thick? There is not enough wet to dry here. Something is definitely missing.
This is a scoopable batter almost like cornbread batter, Jennifer not one you would pour. When you say ridiculously thick are you talking pancake batter or what? I make this recipe regularly and haven’t ever had that issue?
@Julie Menghini, it happened the same to me. It was thick in a big lump that not even all the flour could be incorporated.
I added 1/2 of sourcream and only then it was scoopable.
I’m not sure why Zu, I’ve never had this issue. If the batter is very thick for you, I’d add a small amount of milk until you get a scoopable batter.
Great basic recipe! Thanks so much. So far I have turned it into oatmeal raisin, chocolate chocolate chip, gingerbread Molasses, and apple pie. I have added 1/4 cup sour cream to them to compensate for the added ingredients. Can’t wait to try more!
I love your variations, Kathleen! Thank you!!
It is so good to have a reliable muffin recipe in my back pocket! I love making muffins with whatever I have on hand. So far I have tried these with lemon zest and poppy seeds, and this weekend I’m trying them with blueberries.
Julie, thanks for your lovely recipe. Simple and a good basic recipe to bank on. So far, my 2 variations (cranberry, cranberry orange) turned out superbly fluffy and delicious! I replaced your veg oil with butter and milk with orange juice respectively. Thanks a mil!
Thank you, Pam! It’s one of my favorite recipes too and so easy to do variations. I love yours!
Tasty! When fresh, they taste like pancakes when fresh, and vanilla muffins after they’ve cooled or sat out for a bit (a day in my experience)
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thank you.
I followed the recipe exactly and these were not great. And I could taste the baking powder. Probably won’t use this recipe again
That’s odd Jessi, I’m sorry they didn’t work for you. I’ve never had that experience. If you could taste the baking powder than the dry ingredients needed to be whisked together a little more.
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. Happy holidays! ✨
Thank you, Brittany! I’m so glad that you and the kiddo loved them. This is an old recipe and one I make the most!
Can this recipe be used for muffin tops? Any changes?
I think it may be a denser muffin top than maybe you want? Most of our other muffin recipes would work a bit better. How about our vanilla muffin? https://hostessatheart.com/vanilla-muffins/? You could even top it with streusel if you wanted to?
I used this recipe to make Huckleberry muffins. Very easy and delicious!! Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Kathy! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Huckleberries. I’ve got to get my hands on some and give it a try.
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve tried making it and it taste good. The only thing is that there are brown specks on my muffins, not sure why. I’ve used caster sugar and olive oil instead of the stated ingredients.
Could it be residual from the pan they were baked on? None of the ingredients listed should leave brown specks on them. I’m glad you enjoyed them, Denise!