Top Tips From Home Cooks: How to Make the Best Muffins

Allrecipes home cooks bake muffins by the dozens, and they're not shy about sharing their tips for muffin-making success. Here, they answer some of your most frequently asked questions about how to bake muffins.

By

Vanessa Greaves

Updated on April 5, 2021

Mmmm...muffins! Simple to make and easy to eat. You can wrap one up and toss it into your backpack or lunch box, or simply enjoy it on-the-go. Try doing that with a frosting-topped cupcake. But, as easy as they are to make, there are a few tricks and tips that make all the difference in how your muffins turn out. Read on for top tips from Allrecipes home cooks for how to make the best muffins.

Tips from Home Cooks: How to Make the Best Muffins

How do I make tender muffins?

"The secret is not to over mix the muffin mixture, but to fold ingredients until just combined and all lumpy."—Aussie Chef

How do I make moister muffins?

Patty M. adds an extra egg to ensure her muffins are moist, while many reviewers add a little more fruit to fruit-filled muffins to bump up the moisture. Don't go overboard, though — you're going for moist, not soggy.

How do I keep add-ins from sinking to the bottom of the batter?

"To avoid this, just toss them in a little bit of flour before adding them to the batter. That'll prevent them from sinking."—Jen Welch Lackey

How do I keep blueberries from staining the batter?

"Remember (especially if using frozen blueberries) to coat them in flour before adding them to batter, this way the muffins arent blue all over."—Josie

How do I make better crumb toppings?

"The butter/margarine has to be just the right temp/consistancy. Not straight out of the fridge, and not melted."—KDL1221

"Just barely combine the crumb ingredients... it is supposed to be crumb-like... kind of like soft slightly damp sand. You should be able to squeeze it in your hand, and have it hold together."—KDL1221

"I noticed a lot of people had trouble w/their muffins sinking. You're over mixing or it's from adding TOO MUCH topping."—Chef Joy

"I decided to add the crumb topping about 5 minutes before taking them out of the oven. This prevents the crumb topping from melting into the muffin." —MOONANGEL

"To keep topping from being soggy the next day put a few saltine crackers in with the muffins when you store them. (to absorb moisture)." —ValerieB333

How do I stuff creamy fillings into muffins?

"I found that it was easier to fill the muffin cups part way, add the cream cheese, and then put another spoon of the batter on top. This keeps your cream cheese at the center instead of at the top of your muffins."—Hannah Roddy

How do I keep muffins from sticking to the pan?

"If you use a non-stick spray and spray the entire pan including the top, they should fall out easily." CINDERW

Can I substitute ingredients?

Thinking about using oil instead of butter? Patty M. says don't. "To address all the people who are substituting oil for butter — stop doing it! You're compromising the taste."

AVO didn't use butter OR oil: "I replaced half the oil with unsweetened applesauce and the texture was incredible!"

Can't use eggs? Try this tip from I'm nuts too...: "My 1 year old is allergic to eggs, so I omitted the egg & added an extra banana to the mixture & it turned out AWESOME!"

MARGIE YETTER likes to use brown sugar instead of white sugar in most of her dessert recipes, saying, "I think they taste better."

How do I make oversized muffins?

"If you're using the huge tins, be sure to lower the heat a bit and let them cook about 10 minutes longer."—AVO

How do I make mini muffins?

NHBLONDIE fills mini muffin tins with muffin batter and bakes it for only 15 minutes.

What do I do if I don't have a muffin tin?

That certainly didn't stop BABYANDAMY: "I lost my muffin pan in the move so I used a bread loaf pan and reduced the heat to 300. Baked for about 90 minutes, came out GREAT!!"

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