Basic Muffin Recipe

Everyone needs a Basic Muffin Recipe that can go from sweet to savory in seconds! Grandma’s recipe is easy to make, uses simple pantry ingredients, and is open to endless possibilities. The muffins are tender, delicious, and homemade to perfection.

When I was looking through my grandma’s recipe box and found this. The recipe card read “plain muffins” and had the exact number of strokes for mixing these muffins. Her recipe was written as a savory muffin and if she was making them sweet she would add a little sugar and rely on additions (berries, chocolate chips, etc.) for more sweetness.

I can vividly remember her green measuring cups and Sunbeam stand mixer. When I close my eyes I can still hear the sliding of the kitchen drawers and the timer going off on the stove. Nostalgia. I hope this easy muffin recipe brings as much joy to you as it does to our family. For more nostalgia try this Buttermilk Cornbread recipe by my friend’s grandma.

Why You Will LOVE This Muffin Recipe

1. You can make savory muffins or sweet muffins with this recipe.
2. They are easy to make and done in under 30 minutes.
3. Only 6 ingredients, 7 if you want the muffins to have a little sweetness and sugar in them.
4. No fancy equipment needed. A large bowl, whisk, and spatula is all you need to make these muffins with LOVE!

Basic Muffin Ingredients

This plain muffin recipe is the perfect base to make your own. It uses 7 ingredients that are probably in your pantry right now.

• Flour: This recipe uses all purpose flour but Gluten Free 1:1 works great as well.
• Granulated Sugar: Omit this if you are choosing to make a savory muffin.
• Baking Powder: Used as a leavening agent to give the muffins a light and tender crumb.
• Salt
• Milk: Whole milk brought to room temperature works best in this recipe. Milks that are lighter in fat tend to change the crumb.
• Eggs: Bring them to room temperature.
• Oil: This gives the muffins moisture without weighing them down. Any light in flavor oil works, vegetable, canola, or olive.

How to Make Basic Muffins

Here is a quick overview of how to make these plain muffins whatever you want them to be. The recipe card below will have full details and instructions.

• Step 1 – Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together your flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. If you are adding other spices, cinnamon or garlic, they will be added here.
• Step 2 – Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together your milk, eggs, and vegetable oil in a large measuring cup. If you are adding extracts, vanilla, they will be added here.
• Step 3 – Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with 18 turns of your spatula. If you are adding add-ons, fruit, chocolate chips, bacon, cheese, they will be added here. Fold batter 10 times, add the add-ons, and fold remaining 8 times.
• Step 4 – Divide batter and bake. Fill the cavities 2/3 of the way full with batter. Bake at 400° F for 12-17 minutes.

Storing Information

Your muffins should always be stored in an airtight container or resealable bags. At room temperature they will last up to three days, in the refrigerator up to one week, and in the freezer up to three months.

Watch Me Make This Easy Muffin Recipe

Sweet and Savory Add Ins

The possibilities are endless with this recipe! Just remember to take notes so you can remember for the next time you make them.

Also keep in mind too many add-ons or certain ingredients may change the texture, bake time, and rise of these muffins. You may have to experiment to get them just how you like them. Here are a few ways I have made this plain muffins not so plain:

Sweet Muffins Add Ins

• Vanilla Blueberry Muffins: 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 cup of frozen blueberries tossed in 1 tablespoon of flour.
• Lemon Poppyseed Muffins: 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 zested lemon, 2 tablespoons of poppyseeds.

Savory Muffins Add Ins

• Bacon Cheddar: 1/4 cup bacon bits, 1/3 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.
• Ham and Chive: 1/2 cup of finely diced ham, and 1/4 cup chopped chives.

4 Tips for the Best Muffins

1. Make sure your eggs and milk are at room temperature to promote an even bake.
2. Do not overmix your batter, 18 folds is all you need. If your batter still has lumps it’s okay, this means your muffins will stay moist and fluffy.
3. Work quickly. Once your muffin batter is mixed you will want to bake it immediately. Allowing the batter to sit in the bowl or in the muffin tin will cause the muffins to become tough and potentially stick to your baking cups.
4. Use a light colored muffin tin to keep your muffins from overbrowning. Dark colored muffin tins absorb a lot of heat especially at the temperature we are baking these muffins.

BONUS TIP! If you want to make this recipe gluten free, check out my guide, Converting Recipes to Gluten Free. Substitute the all purpose flour for 140 grams of measure for measure (1:1) gluten free flour. Add an additional 1 teaspoon of baking powder and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes prior to dividing into your lined muffin tin.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

More Muffin Recipes You Might Like To Try

• Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Banana Carrot Muffins
• 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
• Cardamom Spiced Coffee Cake Muffins
• Blueberry Earl Grey Muffins with Streusel

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