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My mom always made the original non-vegan version of this recipe which was famously published in the New York Times when I was growing up. This veganized recipe delivers the classic hotel-quality muffins that are blistered with burst roasted fresh blueberries. They are so easy to make, that even if you suck at baking, your house will be filled with the steamy, heavenly aroma of vegan blueberry muffins in no time.
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This version of the famous Ritz Carlton blueberry muffins are:
⏱️ Stupid-quick and easy to make.
🥣 Made with a small number of easy-to-find ingredients in just one bowl.
🧁 Perfectly fluffy and insanely moist
If you are looking for something exquisite to serve along with vegan apple fritters, blue corn pancakes, and vegan breakfast sausages for breakfast, there’s simply nothing more lovely than these blueberry bad boys.
Jump to:
- The Beef of the Century:
- 🥰Why you'll adore the Ritz Carlton blueberry muffins
- 🔵 Ingredients for Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- 🤯Variations
- 📖 How to make vegan blueberry muffins
- 💡Serving Ideas
- 👉Top tips
- 🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
- ✌️Serve your vegan blueberry muffins with these:
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Dairy-Free Ritz Carlton Recipe)
The Beef of the Century:
Ritz Carlton's blueberry muffins and the famous Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins have been at an impasse for the better part of the last century, both having been named as some of the most popular blueberry muffin recipes in the land.
The Ritz Carlton muffins are known for their rich, cake-like texture. They use five eggs and ten tablespoons of butter, making them dense and luxurious with whole blueberries for flavorful bursts. In contrast, the Jordan Marsh department store's are lighter and sweeter, with just two eggs and less butter. They incorporate crushed blueberries into the batter, giving each bite a consistent blueberry flavor and a home-baked feel that resonates with nostalgic fans.
Personally, I love when muffins have that visual contrast of golden brown muffins and saturated purple burst blueberries. But alas, I was raised on the Ritz Carlton blueberry muffin recipe that, like many moms, mine had cut out and saved from its feature in the newspaper.
Whether you’re a skilled baker or someone whose signature move is burning and ruining everything you touch in the kitchen, don’t freak out. This recipe and the tips I have included are straightforward and reliable (reasonably limited in my dad jokes too…), ensuring you get gorgeous muffins every single time. So, grab your mixing bowl, and let's bake these yummers together!
🥰Why you'll adore the Ritz Carlton blueberry muffins
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan breakfast recipes, the best blueberry muffins in the actual galaxy are completely plant-based. No eggs, no dairy—just pure, delicious ingredients that are kind to animals and the planet.
🔬 Fluffy Aquafaba Magic: A supremely fluffy muffin is normally made with whipped egg whites. But vegan? Of course, I tried making these with flax eggs, and egg replacer powder, but after a lot of experimentation, I found that the soft peaks of whipped aquafaba give these muffins the most incredibly light and fluffy texture.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: As with all my vegan recipes, aside from being tested endlessly by the Ritz-Carlton hotel, this vegan version has been shared with a global team of recipe testers who successfully recreated it in kitchens around the world. You can trust this recipe to deliver perfect results every time.
🔵 Ingredients for Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Aquafaba
Aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas, is a fantastic egg substitute in vegan baking (the stuff makes my flaky vegan pie crust work like a gosh-darned legend in the mist). Its proteins and starches allow it to whip up into soft peaks, adding lightness and volume to the muffins.
But WTF are you going to do with all the chickpeas you just drained for their precious golden juice? My top recommendations are to make spinach chickpea curry, vegan chana masala, or bhel puri with ‘em!
Powdered Sugar
It is with many tears rolling down my face that I must inform you that not all powdered sugar is vegan. Many brands produce it by refining the sugar through a filtration system that uses charred animal bones. If you want this muffin recipe, your zeppole, or candied amla to be vegan, use cruelty-free powdered sugar!
Tapioca Starch
You can either use tapioca starch, extracted from the cassava root, or cornstarch, to stabilize the whipped aquafaba, ensuring the muffins have a light and airy texture. Potato starch and arrowroot can also be good substitutes if you don't have these on hand.
Got some left over from making this? Tapioca starch is essential for making Filipino mochi donuts (karioka) and Southeast Asian desserts like Malaysian bubur cha cha and Vietnamese kem chuoi ice cream bars.
Vegan Butter
Vegan butter, made from plant oils, adds richness and moisture to the muffins, mimicking the role of dairy butter. My personal fave is Earth Balance’s buttery sticks, and I use the darned stuff in everything from Vegan Oatmeal Cookies and Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting to Vegan Butter Chicken. If you can’t get a good vegan butter where you live, this recipe works well using vegetable shortening or refined coconut oil.
Blueberries
WTF kind of blueberry muffin recipe would these even be without a massive amount of FRESH blueberries to add bursts of nicely balanced sweet/tangy flavor and oodles of nutritional benefits, such as antioxidants and vitamins. I am telling you, it’s not even close. Fresh blueberries work SO much better than frozen ones in this recipe and other baked goods such as my vegan lemon poundcake. It’s a totally unfair comparison. That being said, you can use frozen ones if fresh are not available. Just make sure to break them up and quickly fold them into the batter so that their thawing juices don’t turn the whole darned project purple.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Add the zest and juice of one lemon to the batter. This not only enhances the flavor with a refreshing citrus note but also makes the natural flavor of the blueberries pop. Add some extra freshly made lemon zest directly on top of the muffins when they have finished cooling.
Vegan Blueberry Corn Muffins
Substitute ½ of the flour in this recipe for yellow cornmeal and the muffins will turn into some pretty dang glorious corn muffins!
📖 How to make vegan blueberry muffins
Nail this blueberry muffin recipe on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Preheat and Prep:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Step Two
Whip It Good:
In a stand mixer with a whip attachment, or using a whisk in a large bowl, whip the aquafaba, powdered sugar, and tapioca starch until soft peaks form, similar to whipped egg whites.
Step Three
Smooth Move:
In a separate large mixing bowl (or in another stand mixer bowl), cream the room temperature vegan butter and sugar until smooth. Slowly add the unsweetened plant-based milk and continue mixing until fully combined.
✅ Do not use cold vegan butter and milk. The batter for this recipe is already on the thick side, and if the fat is cold, the recipe will not perform as intended.
Step Four
You Ain’t About Sift:
Sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until no dry flour is visible, taking care not to overmix to avoid a lumpy batter.
Step Five
Blueberry Bliss:
Gently fold the whipped aquafaba and fresh blueberries into the batter, ensuring even distribution throughout.
Step Six
Filling Station:
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, either using a ¼ cup measuring cup, or an ice cream scoop. Fill each cup nearly to the top. Sprinkle the additional sugar over the tops of the muffins.
✅ If you prefer a more natural sweetener, use coconut sugar, palm sugar, brown sugar, or sucanat.
Step Seven
Make Your Home Smell Like $1m:
Bake for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (or at least just stained with blueberry-blood, just not cooked batter).
Step Eight
Let ‘Em Set:
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool enough not to scorch your face off. Getting them while they are warm is a little bit magical, though.
💡Serving Ideas
Muffins, of course, are great to serve at breakfast and with a cup of tea. My two fave sweeter teas to serve these muffins with are my vegan Thai iced tea, and Bandrek, a lightly spiced herbal tea from Indonesia.
👉Top tips
- Measure Flour Correctly: To avoid dense muffins, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag packs in too much flour, which can make a big difference in the texture of the muffins, especially if you are multiplying the recipe.
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Just like when you make vegan cake donuts such as my apple cider donuts, or Malaysian banana donuts, it’s important not to overdevelop the gluten. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Having all ingredients, especially the plant-based milk and vegan butter, at room temperature helps them mix more evenly, resulting in a smoother batter and better texture.
- Prevent Purple Muffins: If using frozen blueberries, toss them in a little flour before adding them to the batter. This prevents them from sinking and releasing too much bluish-purple juice into the batter.
- Rotate the Muffin Tin: If the heat in your oven is uneven, halfway through baking, rotate the muffin tin. Otherwise, your oven’s hotspots can cause some muffins to cook faster than others.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Store vegan blueberry muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Similar to its effect on yeasted baked goods (like vegan apple fritters and Korean twisted donuts), storing them under refrigeration can make the muffins a bit dense and “bready”.
This recipe works AMAZINGLY with a gluten-free flour blend in place of the regular all-purpose flour. Blends that contain xanthan gum will nail the OG texture nicely.
Like I do for my kuboos (Arabic pita bread), my recommendation is to use a 50/50 mixture of regular and whole wheat flour for the best results if you want to use whole wheat flour.
Sifting the flour ensures it is light and free of clumps, which helps create a smoother batter and prevents overmixing, resulting in a better texture for the muffins.
Yes, you can make mini muffins by using a mini muffin tin and reducing the baking time to about fifteen to twenty minutes. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don't overbake.
Blueberry muffins are breakfast essentials with countless variations, but two famous recipes stand out: the Ritz Carlton's blueberry muffins and those from the now-closed Jordan Marsh department store. Both recipes have been contenders for the title of the best for nearly 40 years. The Ritz-Carlton muffins, perfected by pastry chef Charles Bonino and later adapted by NYT Cooking (where my mom fell in love with it), are very moist muffins, thanks to five eggs and ten tablespoons of butter, with whole blueberries providing flavorful bursts. (Don't stress though, we have veganized 'em here!)
In contrast, the Jordan Marsh muffins are rumored to be an adaptation of the ones featured in Esther Howland’s 1847 cookbook, “The New England Economical Housekeeper, and Family Recipe Book.” Beloved for their more rustic look and home-baked flavor, they were a staple at one of the city's best-known department stores. They are lighter and sweeter, using just two eggs and slightly less butter. The recipe also calls for crushing a cup of the blueberries and folding them into the batter, ensuring a consistent berry flavor throughout. This technique, makes every bite of the Jordan Marsh muffins a throw-back delight for fans of the now-defunct store.
✌️Serve your vegan blueberry muffins with these:
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Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Dairy-Free Ritz Carlton Recipe)
Ingredients
Vegan Egg Whites:
- ⅓ cup aquafaba
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup vegan butter
- ¾ cup unsweetened plant-based milk soy milk, oat milk, etc
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups blueberries (fresh are preferred, but frozen work)
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In either a stand mixer with whip attachment, or a large bowl with a whisk, whip the aquafaba, powdered sugar, and tapioca starch (or cornstarch) until it forms soft foamy peaks, which resemble whipped egg whites.
- In a separate bowl, cream the room-temperature vegan butter and sugar until smooth. Slowly add the unsweetened plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar and continue mixing until well combined.
- Sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until no dry flour is visible. Be careful not to overmix to avoid a lumpy batter.
- Fold in the whipped aquafaba and blueberries gently, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup nearly to the top. Sprinkle the additional sugar over the top of the muffins.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 24-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
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Emily says
Made this last week and it was surprisingly successful despite me messing up - I didn't whip the butter with the sugar. Instead I had added the sugar to the other dry ingredients by accident. Yet they still came out pretty good! I added a bit of vanilla, lemon zest, and almond extract. The whipping aquafaba took a long time, so these aren't a quick, 1-bowl muffin, but everyone agreed they tasted great. They even had a crusty top (though they softened after a day in storage).
hg says
Being in the heart of Blueberry season, no better way to use the over abundance of berries I have from my bushes, than making these muffins. Multiple berries in each bite, and not overly sweet leading to a perfect balance of sweet and tart. Was going to put them out for guests I had over, but decided to be selfish and keep them all for myself.
Dosa Princess says
Absolutely amazing muffins, very easy recipe to follow. Each muffin is bursting with blueberry goodness. I like that these muffins are not too sweet and so light and fluffy. My guests could not stop eating them and they are definitely one for my brunch rotation. Thank you Adam great recipe
Adam Sobel says
Sooooper glad you loved 'em!
Akriti says
OMG DROP EVERYTHING AND MAKE THESE RIGHT NOW! Cannot believe these are vegan - perfect texture and consistency, definitely will be a recipe on repeat.
Do you think adding vegan protein powder could work? You know, to make it totally acceptable to eat multiple in one sitting for breakfast, haha!
KRB says
these were excellent - the extra step of whipping aquafaba is worth it. i couldn't believe how many blueberries were in this but it made for a fantastic burst of blueberry in every bite. i skimped a little on the sugar topping but won't next time!
Erika says
These muffins melt in your mouth. So fresh & delicious. Wonderful with morning coffee or afternoon tea.
Katie Debus says
These muffins are bursting with blueberries, and they get a little jammy around the edges of the muffin cups. They're so light and fluffy you'll want to keep eating them. When you make these get jamming with Led Zeppelin playing in the background. You won't need a Stairway because these little blueberry angels taste just like Heaven!
Heva says
Vegan perfection... this recipe is a culinary masterpiece. Must-try!
Kelly McLaughlin says
This muffin recipe is amazing! The aquafaba mix folded in, plus the epic amount of blueberries, really put these in the top tier of muffins I've ever baked at home.
Adam Sobel says
I'm a little biased, having grown up on the non-vegan version of these muffins, but I agree. Honestly, I think this is a huge improvement on the OG recipe that just has WAYYYY too much baking powder in it
Devon says
This recipe is incredible!! Every bite is loaded with sweet blueberry goodness. My father made these for me and I loved them so much I took the rest of the batch home. Luckily they freeze really well and make a great breakfast treat!
Adam Sobel says
No fair! I want a dad who makes me muffins too! Glad you folks loved 'em ❤️