Vegan Blackberry Muffins

Name: Vegan Blackberry Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 1½ cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp salt; ⅓ cup coconut oil (melted, use refined to avoid a coconut flavor); ⅓ cup maple syrup; ½ cup plant-based milk; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup fresh blackberries; 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional, to sprinkle over the muffins before baking)

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These delicious vegan blackberry muffins are just as good as the ones you find at the bakery! They are filled with antioxidant-rich sweet blackberries and include an optional light brown sugar crust, they are also easy to make and great for meal-prep. Perfect for breakfast, snack, lunch boxes, dessert and kids love them. They will become a favorite summertime treat!

Close up on a vegan blackberry muffin on a plate with some tea in the background.

We especially enjoy these healthy zucchini muffins and 3-ingredient banana oatmeal muffins, which are easy and perfect for breakfast too. Having breakfast ready for us in the morning makes our day so much better! And these vegan orange muffins with fresh cranberries are perfect for the holiday season.

But, if you are looking for a nice treat to prepare during berry season, then you have got to try these vegan blackberry muffins. They are super moist, soft and fluffy, plus they are packed with tons of juicy and sweet pieces of blackberries. There is a whole cup of fruit in the recipe, which really infuses them full of summery flavors, they are SO good!

Plus, they are made completely vegan, meaning no eggs, no dairy, no butter (no vegan butter either) and they can easily be made gluten-free too.

They actually have a bakery-style texture that really feels like biting into a slice of cake and they are nicely sweetened, thanks to the natural sugar from the blackberries and their amazing little brown sugar crust. They are perfect enjoyed with a cup of warm peanut butter coffee for the grown ups or a glass of chilled hemp chocolate milk for the kiddos.

You can also make a big batch ahead of time and freeze them for later, although they are so good you might not end up with extra muffins to freeze! They should take you no more than 25 minutes to make, from gathering the ingredients until fully baked, making them a nice last minute treat you can make in a pinch.

Hope you give them a try and let me know how they turned out in the comments below! ❤️

Overhead view on a pile of vegan blackberry muffins on a plate.

Why this recipe works

Perfect treat to prepare in the summer
Uses only simple pantry ingredients
Bakery-style cakey texture
Sweetened with maple syrup (no refined white sugar)
Filled with amazing berry flavors
Kids and toddlers adore them!
Great for meal-prep and freezer-friendly
Versatile: can swap for any other berries of your choice
Fits many diets: they are vegan, dairy-free, nut-free and made without eggs.
Can be made gluten-free simply by using a gluten-free flour

Ingredients you'll need

Flour: I used an all-purpose flour to make them. I haven't tested using any other flour, but usually, you can swap up to 50% of the regular for whole wheat flour.
Baking powder and soda: leveling agents, make sure they are not expired!
Plant-based milk: use any milk you have on hand. I used oat milk from Oatly.
Lemon: balances out the flavor, but also, the lemon juice helps to slightly curdle the milk and recreate a buttermilk-like texture to help fluff the muffins.
Maple syrup: used to sweeten the muffins. Do not swap for granulated sugar.
Coconut oil: use a refined coconut oil to avoid overpowering the flavor with a coconut-y taste, although both refined and unrefined work.
Vanilla extract: I love pairing vanilla with berries, although this ingredient is optional.
Blackberries: you will need a whole packed cup of berries to make them. The sweeter they are, the better your muffins will be, so this recipe is best when done during berry season!
Brown sugar: optional, but highly recommended if your berries aren't that sweet. The brown sugar goes on top of the muffins just before baking them to help create a sweet crust. Can be omitted all together.
Salt

Showing are the ingredients needed to make vegan blackberry muffins.

How to make vegan blackberry muffins

Start by pre-heating the oven to 350º and also, line a muffin pan with 9 paper liners.

I also recommend to roughly chop the blackberries in half if they are small or in 4 pieces if they are large. Set them aside.

Make the batter

In a medium bowl, melt the coconut oil until completely liquid in the microwave (about 1 minute).

Then, add the milk, lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla extract to the bowl with the coconut oil and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and then stir until mostly combined (do not overmix the batter).

Add the chopped blackberries to the batter and fold them in. Again, do not overmix.

Bake

Divide the batter in between the 9 prepared muffin liners and then, sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top (optional). You can also garnish with a half blackberry on top for a nice look.

Bake for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Ideally, unmold them right away so there is no steam forming in the pan while they cool down (which can make them turn soggy). You can let them cool down on a cooling rack.

In process picture: view on a unmixed batter.

In process picture: blackberry over muffin batter.

Baking tips

I recommend to use the spoon and level method to measure your flour.
Did I mention not to overmix the batter? If you do stir too much, then you will break those nice bubbles forming in the batter that helps make muffins light and fluffy. Simply stir until you do not see any lumps of dry flour anymore.
These non-stick paper liners are amazing and my muffins never get stuck to them, no matter if the recipe is super healthy or not. I love them!
An ice cream scoop is a great tool to divid the batter: it makes them all about the same size and it's a little less messy too. I used the middle size scoop from these ice cream scoops that I got online (capacity of 1.4 oz or about 3 tablespoons per muffin).
All ovens are different, so you will have to check on doneness to determine when they are done baking. My oven is pretty strong, so these muffins were done after 16-17 minutes, but yours might take longer to be fully done in the middle.

Overhead view on a muffin pan filled with 9 vegan blackberry muffins.

Close up on a vegan blackberry muffins on a muffin pan.

Serving suggestions

These delicious muffins are so flavorful and perfect as is, but if your blackberries aren't that sweet, then I recommend adding a little sprinkle of brown sugar over before baking them.

Also, it would be delicious to add a drizzle of this healthy cashew vanilla icing or some vegan whipped cream over the muffins. Be sure to wait for them to be completely cooled down before adding any toppings.

Variations to the recipe

The vanilla flavor in these muffins is amazing, but if you don't have any, then you can flavor them differently. Here are a few ideas:

Spices: such as cinnamon, powdered ginger, cardamom and nutmeg, which would all go so well with the blackberries.
Lemon: there is a little lemon juice in the recipe, but the lemony flavor is really mild. To add a stronger zesty flavor, then add some lemon zest (not lemon juice)!
Texture: you can add a nice crunch (and healthy omega-3) by including some chopped walnuts, or also, some poppy seeds for a fun pop.
Other berries: this muffin recipe is great to use as a base and include any berries that you have, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and fresh cranberries. You can also do a mix and match using a few different berries!

View on a table with some vegan blackberry muffins and cups of tea.

Storage tips

Keep the muffins at room temperature for about 24 hours. After this, I recommend to transfer in an air-tight container so they don't dry out and also, keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.

For longer storage, then freeze them! You can make a double batch and freeze them all once cooled down. That way, you can thaw only one or a few at a time or simply sneak them in lunch boxes in the morning, they will have enough time to thaw until lunch or snack time in the afternoon.

Before enjoying them, you can reheat them slightly using the microwave.

Close up on a vegan blackberry muffin sliced in half showing its moist and fluffy interior texture.

FAQ's

Can I make them using frozen blackberries?

Yes you can! Simply roughly chop them while still frozen and then, toss them in a little bit of flour before incorporating them in your batter. This will help absorb some of the extra moisture while they thaw + bake and might also prevent them from sinking to the bottom. You might also need to bake the muffins for a few extra minutes, just check for doneness using a toothpick!

How can I make them gluten-free?

I haven't tried it, but this 1:1 GF flour from the brand Bob's Red Mill, which usually works well in baking recipes.

Can I make mini muffins with this recipe?

Yes you can! You can use a mini muffin pan to make these muffins, although check for doneness after 10 minutes using a toothpick. They will cook quicker!

Overhead view on a pile of vegan blackberry muffins with the top one sliced in half.

More vegan muffin recipes to try

Try these berry recipes next!

I hope you like this vegan blackberry muffin recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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