These easy classic basic vanilla muffins and moist, tender, fluffy, and come together in just one bowl and are a perfect muffin base.
They are filled with vanilla flavor and are the perfect base muffin recipe so you can add many flavors and fillings!
These easy vanilla muffins are perfect for vanilla lovers! You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste for these for a pure vanilla flavor. These muffins have the most perfect domed top and fluffy texture.
These muffins have a delicious vanilla flavor for vanilla lovers and can turn into different flavors by adding your favorite muffin add-ins like chocolate chips, blueberries, lemon zest, etc.
If you like vanilla recipes, check out our vanilla cheesecake and our 8 inch vanilla layer cake.
Jump to:
Why this recipe works
- Simple- They are made without an electric mixer. All you will need is a whisk and a bowl!
- Perfect for add-ins- This is the best muffin base recipe to add many add-ins like chocolate chips, blueberries, crumble topping, etc.
- Domed top- These muffins have a perfect domed top that makes them perfect!
- Easy vanilla muffin- moist and delicious muffins that are made with super simple ingredients you can find in your kitchen or near a grocery store!
- Texture- These muffins are perfectly fluffy and tender and stay moist for 4 days!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this easy vanilla muffins recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious muffins.
Eggs- you will need eggs for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Flour– we used all purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Baking soda and baking powder – baking soda and baking powder help the muffins rise and spread. Make sure that your levelers aren't expired.
Granulated sugar– We like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Milk- Use whole milk for this recipe.
Greek yogurt- you can use either Greek yogurt or sour cream. Get your Greek yogurt to room temperature. Any percent of fat will work for this recipe.
Vanilla extract- Vanilla extract adds extra flavor. For extra vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean extract or an actual vanilla bean!
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs, yogurt, kosher salt, vanilla extract, milk, and granulated sugar, and mix until combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mix until just combined.
Don't overmix the batter! Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step creates the signature domed tops that the best muffins have!
Scoop the batter with a large ice cream scooper into the muffin tins, filling them almost completely.
Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 5 minutes, and then bake for another 10-12 minutes at 180c (350f) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist muffins and not dense and dry muffins.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making muffins is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired. This can ruin your muffins and waste your time and money on the ingredients. So every time you bake anything, make sure that the ingredients are not expired.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these muffins as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up. These muffins are extra moist and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait for the wait.
Faq's
My biggest tip for getting muffins light and fluffy with a domed top is to let the muffin batter rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step allows the gluten to rest and activates the leaveners.
We use all-purpose flour for these muffins. Self-rising flour and cake flour will work great as well.
I love using butter for muffins. Using butter in muffins gives the muffins a delicious flavor that is richer than oil.
These muffins will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Yes! Simply combine 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoon of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla paste.
Storing
Store these muffins for 3 days at room temperature, in an airtight container, or covered with plastic wrap, or store these in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Cover the muffins with plastic wrap or foil to prevent them from drying out.
Freezing
Freeze these muffins after they cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge overnight.
Substitutions
Gluten-free - If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free- You can make these muffins dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter and the sour cream with vegan sour cream.
Variations
Toppings- These muffins can be topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting or maple cream cheese frosting. Use your favorite toppings that you like to make the most!
Add-ins- make this recipe your own and add your favorite muffins add-ins: chopped walnuts, blueberries, chocolate chips, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, etc.
Jam- swirl the muffins with your favorite jam-like blueberry jam, strawberry jam, raspberry jam, etc.
Zest- add a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest for an extra citrusy flavor and aroma.
Serving Suggestions
- Spread- slice these muffins in half just like you do with a biscuit or a scone, and fill them with your favorite spread like chocolate spread, almond butter, peanut butter, Nutella, cookie butter, etc.
- Vanilla ice cream- slice a muffin in half scoop a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, and make a vanilla muffin ice cream sandwich for the ultimate vanilla dessert!
- Strawberry shortcake- make these into strawberry shortcake muffins by slicing the muffin in half, and filling it with strawberry jam and whipped cream.
- Breakfast- Serve these for breakfast next to your favorite savory or sweet breakfast like bacon, eggs, sausages, fruit salad, home fries, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Apple corer and slicer
- Muffin pan
More muffin recipes
Cinnamon roll muffins- These cinnamon roll muffins are soft and tender, and are filled with cinnamon flavor and are topped with a cream cheese glaze.
Lemon poppy seed muffins- These lemon poppy seed muffins and moist, soft, fluffy, filled with lemon zest and poppyseed, and topped with a delicious lemon glaze.
Blueberry banana muffins- These blueberry banana muffins are extra moist and melt in your mouth. They are made with ripe bananas and blueberries.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
- Share/pin this recipe to Pinterest.
- Leave a comment down below!
📖 Recipe
Moist And Fluffy Vanilla Muffins
Ingredients
- 115 g Butter melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ⅔ cup Yogurt or sour cream
- ¾ cup Milk
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, eggs, yogurt, kosher salt, vanilla extract, milk, granulated sugar, and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and mix until just combined.
- Don't overmix the batter! Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This step creates the signature domed tops that the best muffins have!
- Scoop the batter with a large ice cream scooper into the muffin tins, filling them almost completely.
- Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 5 minutes, and then bake for another 10-12 minutes at 180c (350f) or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist muffins and not dense and dry muffins.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Make sure that you are using fresh ingredients! One of the most common mistakes in baking and making muffins is not noticing that your baking powder or baking soda is expired. This can ruin your muffins and waste your time and money on the ingredients. So every time you bake anything, make sure that the ingredients are not expired.
- Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to eat these muffins as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be more firm and won’t crumble up. These muffins are extra moist and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait for the wait.
Molly says
These were wonderful muffins! I made for my grandson, he loves vanilla! I added chopped fried chicken pieces and sweet corn to make a dinner muffin for him. Super idea and it worked! Thank you for all the helpful baking tips & I will definitely bake these again.