1-Bowl Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins (Vegan)

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Two vegan gluten-free blueberry muffins on a plate with more muffins in the background and foreground

Vegan, gluten-free blueberry muffins eluded us for some time (don’t ask how long…). But not anymore, friends! After several rounds of testing and troubleshooting, we present you with fluffy, sweet, perfectly tender blueberry muffins that are undetectably gluten-free and vegan.

They’re bursting with blueberries and come together quickly with simple ingredients in just 1 bowl. They’re the perfect companion for coffee or tea and will wow anyone you share them with! Let us show you how it’s done!

Flaxseed meal, lemon, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, salt, brown rice flour, potato starch, blueberries, almond flour, dairy-free milk, vegan butter, and cane sugar

How to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Muffins

These 1-bowl blueberry muffins start with making flax eggs for an egg-free, fiber-filled way to prevent the muffins from crumbling. Next we add cane sugar for classic sweetness, vegan butter for richness, and vanilla because always. Vegan “buttermilk” (a.k.a. dairy-free milk + lemon juice) is the acidic liquid that helps activate the baking soda.

If you’d prefer to keep these muffins naturally sweetened, coconut sugar works in place of cane sugar, but it lends a darker color and more wholesome flavor.

Using a hand mixer to combine flaxseed meal, water, dairy-free milk, and lemon juice

Next, we mix in the dry ingredients using a hand mixer, which creates more air in the batter, leading to extra light and fluffy muffins.

The gluten-free flour trio includes almond flour for a crumb texture, potato starch to keep the muffins light and fluffy, and brown rice flour for structure. The baking soda and baking powder create lift and sea salt adds flavor.

Gluten-free muffin batter whipped with a hand mixer

We then stir in a generous amount of blueberries (because are they even blueberry muffins if they aren’t bursting with blueberries?! Not around here, friends.). Don’t skip the extra blueberries on top.

Adding fresh blueberries to gluten-free muffin batter

Lastly, we bake these beauties until golden brown and fluffy and let them cool fully to allow the flours to soak up any excess moisture (an important step for gluten-free breads and muffins!).

Muffin tin with cooked blueberry muffins

We hope you LOVE these blueberry muffins! They’re:

Classic
Light + fluffy
Moist
Perfectly sweet
Bursting with blueberries
& Undetectably gluten-free & vegan!

Enjoy them as a healthier dessert, on-the-go snack, or sweet morning treat with coffee or tea. Bonus points? Each muffin contains 5 grams of protein, which can help offset the sluggish feeling you might get when your blood sugar crashes after a more classic sweet.

More Vegan + Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Blueberry muffins sliced open to show the inner texture

1-Bowl Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins (Vegan)

Undetectably gluten-free and vegan blueberry muffins made with simple ingredients and just 1 bowl! Fluffy, moist, blueberry-full perfection!
Author Minimalist Baker
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Two gluten-free vegan blueberry muffins on a plate
4.82 from 16 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 (Muffins)
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 4-5 Days

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds // to make flax eggs*)
  • 5 Tbsp water (to make flax eggs*)
  • 3/4 cup plain unsweetened dairy-free milk (we used almond)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup organic cane sugar (or sub coconut sugar, but the muffins will be darker and taste more wholesome)
  • 1/4 cup melted vegan butter (we like Miyoko’s or Earth Balance)
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups almond flour
  • 3/4 cup potato starch (NOT potato flour)
  • 1/3 cup brown rice flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 ¼ cups fresh blueberries (DIVIDED)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a standard muffin tin with paper baking cups. (We find the unbleached, brown paper liners work best — they don’t stick to the muffins when peeled away).
  • In a medium mixing bowl, prepare the flax eggs by combining flaxseed meal and water, and set aside to gel for 5 minutes. Measure out your dairy-free milk, and add the lemon juice to it. Gently stir and set aside to curdle.
  • Add the sugar to the flax eggs and use a hand mixer to beat briefly to combine. Then add the melted butter and vanilla and mix again. Add the milk/lemon mixture and mix once more to combine.
  • Add the almond flour to the liquid ingredients and mix again using the hand mixer, then add all remaining ingredients except the blueberries, and mix one final time. The mixture should be thick yet fluffy. Before adding the blueberries, place a small amount of plain batter in the bottom of each muffin tin (~2 tsp) and spread it out. This will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom and making your muffins soggy!
  • Once all your muffin tins have batter on the bottom, add 1 cup (160 g) of the blueberries to the remaining batter, setting 1/4 cup (40 g) of blueberries aside for the tops of the muffins. Gently fold and mix the batter to evenly distribute the blueberries.
  • Evenly divide the remaining batter between the muffin tins, and then top the muffins with the remaining 1/4 cup (40 g) of blueberries, pressing them into the top of each muffin so they don’t stick out. Optionally, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with cane or turbinado sugar for a sweet and sparkly topping!
  • Bake for 28-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, or with very few crumbs, and the tops are lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then remove from the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack. The wrappers peel away more easily and the muffin texture is best when completely cooled.
  • Once cooled, muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Video

Notes

*If not vegan/egg-free, you could try subbing 2 eggs in place of the flaxseed meal and water, but we haven’t tested with this modification and can’t guarantee the result.
*Loosely adapted from Baked to Perfection by Katarina Cermelj.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with Earth Balance buttery sticks.

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 muffin Calories: 242 Carbohydrates: 24.5 g Protein: 5.1 g Fat: 14.9 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.6 g Monounsaturated Fat: 8.7 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 335 mg Potassium: 196 mg Fiber: 3.2 g Sugar: 8.3 g Vitamin A: 175 IU Vitamin C: 2 mg Calcium: 130 mg Iron: 1 mg

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  1. Lorelei says

    Love these. Made with huckleberries cause I had them. Had to sub tapioca for potato and sorghum for brown rice but I’ve made them twice and am saving this recipe! Next go I’ll make them with blueberries. Thank you, so many of your recipes are in my saved book I really can’t thank you enough.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review, Lorelei! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xoxo

  2. Michaela Catranis says

    I have an nut allergy. What would you recommend to replace the almond flour? Would a gf blend work? Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michaela, unfortunately the almond flour is pretty essential for the right taste and texture in these muffins. Cashew flour would be a good sub, but we assume you can’t have that with a nut allergy! Oat flour + GF blend might work (starting with less, maybe ~1 1/2 cups because they are more absorbent) but the muffins will probably be more dense and a bit gummy.

  3. ujwal meka says

    I loved this recipe. Made for a family friends b-day and they loved it better than their cake:) Definitely a keeper, and I recommend making another blueberry muffin recipe!;)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Prashanthi, Possibly dairy-free yogurt, but the butter is helpful for best flavor and texture. Fat/oil helps the muffins stay more fluffy, rather than overly dense and moist. Let us know if you do some experimenting!

  4. Sherry says

    The muffins rose well. I think a more finely ground almond flour would be better than the course one I used. They were tasty, but required some effort. Thank You. Sherry

  5. Randi Steckler says

    These muffins are absolutely delicious! I made them exactly as recommended. No one would be able tell that they lack gluten and dairy! Yum.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi April, the cane sugar is important for structure in this recipe, so we wouldn’t recommend subbing maple syrup.

  6. Jennifer Canal says

    Made these muffins today. Substituted tapioca starch for potato starch, didn’t have the potato starch. They are delicious. Crunchy on top and so moist throughout.

  7. Blythe says

    Great recipe! Easy to make! Texture is a bit crumbly but flavor is spot on. Not very sweet (probably due to my berries) would sprinkle more sugar on top next time for extra crunch too

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for the lovely review, Blythe! Baking for slightly less time should help with the crumbliness :) xoxo

  8. The Vegan Goddess says

    These blueberry muffins turned out great and so pretty!

    I subbed 1:1 vegan butter for coconut oil and it worked perfectly.

    We gave some muffins to an older relative who recently moved to an assisted living home.

  9. tiffany says

    can your baking mix be used for this recipe ? i just tried your chocolate cake mix and am in love!! thinking about buying your other mixes :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Tiffany, we’re so glad you enjoyed the chocolate cake! These muffins haven’t been tested with our gluten-free blend, it might work in place of the brown rice flour and potato starch, but we aren’t sure.

  10. Melanie says

    Can I make these gluten-full by subbing in all-purpose flour for the potato starch/almond flour/brown rice flour? Love your recipes but not wanting these to be gluten-free. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Melanie, we haven’t tried these with all-purpose flour. However, if you give it a go, we suggest keeping the almond flour amount the same and substituting all-purpose for the potato starch and brown rice flour!

  11. Mamta says

    I made this recipe, but substituted flaxseed with 2 eggs & used coconut oil instead of vegan butter. The muffins came out tasty but when stored in fridge next day it turned out very dry. Could it be because of the substitutes or these muffins tend to dry out in fridge?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mamta, yes, eggs will be more drying, so perhaps that was the issue? Coconut oil shouldn’t cause that.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mamta, we would suggest using coconut oil over coconut butter if you’re going to try a sub. Hope this helps!

  12. Debra says

    I made this wonderful recipe but I added two tablespoons of lemon juice and grated lemon peel. These came out fantastic and I can’t wait to make them again! Thank you so much for your recipes💗

    Debra

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yum! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Debra. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo

  13. The Hungry Songbird says

    Wow! Frequent Minimalist Baker recipe-maker here, so I’m not surprised at how delicious these are, but… drool. I used sorghum flour in place of the brown rice flour, used mostly brown coconut sugar with a little Swerve cane sugar substitute, subbed real butter, and I added a few blackberries. They have the perfect texture, and I’m trying hard not to go eat another one. Thanks for the fantastic recipe! I feel like I could serve these muffins to anyone, regardless of their diet, and they’d love them.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Vijaya, we don’t think that would work unfortunately. The different flours in this recipe are key to give the muffins they’re fluffy texture!

  14. Chris says

    Excellent recipe, great crumb, even others I let sample my first batch commented on the great crumb. I did find the original recipe rich yet bland in flavor at the same time. For my first batch, I did follow the recipe as written except for subbing an egg and frozen organic blueberries in my original batch. So my second batch had these changes: chicken egg, 1 tsp salt, reduced sugar to 1/4 cup, fresh local blueberries, 1/2 t almond extract, toasted almond slices on the top. They were everything the original batch was missing. Thank you for all your hard work on creating great recipes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Chris!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you’re enjoying them. Thanks so much for the lovely review Chris-Ann! Xo

  15. Linda says

    I noticed in reading the comments that you suggested crumbliness might be due to super fine ground almond flour. I linked to Wellness to check that almond flour out, but the only one they have is labeled super fine almond flour. Is this a new item that replaced an almond flour that wasn’t super fine? Or, is it that their super fine isn’t as super fine as other brands?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Linda, great question and sorry for the confusion! The Wellbee’s is labeled as superfine, but it’s the correct one – the almond flour should be a crumbly texture vs. a more fine one like all purpose flour. What we were referring to is that lately we’ve seen ones being labeled “superfine” in stores that are more of the texture of all purpose flour, and we think that would contribute to issues. Does that make sense?

  16. Hadley H. says

    These are so good! I made them with arrowroot instead of potato starch as potato starch often doesn’t sit well with my stomach. Absolutely delicious! They tasted like a fancy bakery muffin and way less “healthy” than the actually are! I’ve been enjoying one nightly with a cup of herbal tea and even my husband (who is super suspect of any baked good with flax or almond flour) enjoyed them and ate three the first day I baked them!

  17. Cortney McMahon says

    Do you have another suggestion for brown rice flour? Or can I make my own by just using a food processor with uncooked brown rice?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Cortney, we don’t think a food processor would get it fine enough for a flour, but a powerful blender like a Vitamix should! Otherwise, we think oat flour or sorghum flour might work. Let us know if you try it!

  18. Ashley says

    These were delicious… even though mine turned our crumbly! I think it has something to do with the flax eggs, but I don’t know for sure. If I was going to use real eggs next time, think that would work? If so, how many would you use? Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ashley, sorry to hear yours turned out a bit crumbly! Is it possible you’re using superfine almond flour? We’ve seen more stores carrying that lately. Our preferred brand of almond flour is Wellbee’s. We think eggs would dry it out more and also make the muffins rise more. If using eggs, you might want to cut back on the baking powder/soda.

  19. emily says

    Hi, I made these & used olive oil which was great. The taste is fantastic, but found them a bit too crumbly. Is there something else I can do to ensure that they are still moist, but a bit more firm? My grandson turned them into a pile of sand (which was quite cute). I didn’t make any other substitutions. thanks alot

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Emily, sorry to hear that was your experience! Is it possible you were using superfine almond flour? That could cause it to be too crumbly. We get good results with Wellbee’s brand almond flour. If that’s not the issue, we think it could be the olive oil that’s the issue!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sara. Thank you for amazing review! xo

  20. Andie says

    Another hit! What a great recipe! These muffins have beautiful crumb without the dryness that comes with many gluten free baked goods. No squishy middles or gumminess either. The texture is light and airy, and they have a light sweetness that’s not overpowering (I used coconut sugar). Mine baked for about 26 minutes in our oven. I paired these with iced Dandy lattes and they were gobbled down quickly for a lovely Sunday breakfast.

  21. Valerie Gates says

    I loved these muffins. The taste and texture were great. You wouldn’t know they were vegan. I guess I would add a bit more sugar and some lemon zest for a little extra something. Goes great with Irish butter and lemon curd if you’re not vegan! Thank you for another great recipe!

  22. Leona says

    I made this muffins, I did not have butter so I used coconut oil instead.
    They are nice and fluffy with a lot of flavor but I found them to be a little bit dry, maybe because I did not use butter?
    Thank you for all your recipes!!!

  23. Susan says

    Do you have a suggestion to replace potaoto starch and brown rice flour for this recipe? Thank you.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Susan, when we tested these muffins we tried a few different variations of starches and flours and potato + brown rice had the best results in terms of fluffiness and moistness (without being dense). That said, some ideas for potato starch subs could be corn starch, arrowroot starch, tapioca starch, or cassava flour. For brown rice, we think oat flour or sorghum flour would work, but we cannot guarantee results with any of these swaps. Hope this helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Maggie, unfortunately white rice flour acts very differently than brown rice flour and would probably result in more dense/gummy muffins, but we haven’t tried it so we aren’t sure! If you have oat flour or sorghum flour those would be more ideal subs. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Robin, we haven’t tried that and we suspect that it might make the muffins a bit more crumbly/oily, but we aren’t sure. The same amount would be worth trying!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jane, unfortunately the almond flour is pretty essential for the right taste and texture in these muffins. We haven’t tried any substitutions so we cannot guarantee results, but in the past readers have had success subbing cashew flour for almond. Oat flour might also work (starting with less, maybe ~1 1/2 cups) but the muffins would probably be more dense/gummy. Let us know how it goes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Suz, we haven’t tried this with coconut butter and aren’t sure if it would work. We think coconut oil might be a better sub texture-wise, but we also haven’t tried that and cannot guarantee results. Hope this helps!

  24. Mary says

    What if you want to keep it vegan, but switch to whole wheat pastry flour. We are not gluten free. Would the pastry flour work?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mary, we haven’t tried this recipe with whole wheat pastry flour so we cannot guarantee results, but we think it might work! We’d suggest starting with ~1 1/2 pastry flour (in place of the almond flour, potato starch, AND brown rice flour) and increasing if needed until you reach a thick cake batter consistency. Let us know how it goes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Melissa, we haven’t tried that and we suspect that it might make the muffins a bit more crumbly/oily, but we aren’t sure. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  25. Eva says

    Question – can I use coconut oil instead of the vegan butter? I don’t have any vegan butter, but I do have loads of coconut oil… thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Eva, we haven’t tried that and we suspect that it might make the muffins a bit more crumbly/oily, but we aren’t sure. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

  26. Lauren says

    Do you think oat flour would work in place of brown rice flour? Normally I wouldn’t replace flours but given that it is only 1/3 a cup, maybe it would be okay here?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Lauren, we haven’t tried that so we cannot guarantee results, but it could work. It might make the muffins a bit more dense/gummy, but we aren’t sure. Let us know how it goes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Valerie, unfortunately the almond flour is pretty essential for the right taste and texture in these muffins. We haven’t tried any substitutions so we cannot guarantee results, but in the past readers have had success subbing cashew flour for almond. Oat flour might also work (starting with less, maybe ~1 1/2 cups) but the muffins would probably be more dense/gummy. Let us know how it goes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Dana, unfortunately the flour combination in these muffins is pretty important for the best texture. When we tested this with a gluten-free blend the muffins were too moist and dense, but it might be better depending on what kind you use. Hope this helps!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi there, we haven’t tried that sub and we aren’t sure if it would work. The butter is helpful for the best flavor and texture, since fat/oil helps the texture of muffins stay more fluffy and crumby, rather than overly dense and moist. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jenn, potato starch offers a decent amount of fluffiness that arrowroot and tapioca starch typically do not. If you were going to try it, we’d suggest tapioca starch over arrowroot, or even corn starch if you have it. We haven’t tried it, though, so we cannot guarantee results. Let us know how it goes!

      • Jenn says

        I usually have potato starch on hand but I’m out, so I worked with what I have, and that was arrowroot. They turned out great! Definitely making them again, but next time I’ll make sure to have potato starch and see how they differ. Thanks for another great recipe!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Woohoo! Thanks so much for sharing your successful substitution, Jenn. So glad you enjoyed!