Name: Raspberry Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups whole milk; 2 tablespoons white vineagar; 5 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 1/2 cups white sugar; 1 cup applesauce; 2 eggs; 4 teaspoons vanilla extract; 3 cups frozen or fresh raspberries

Jump to Recipe

If you are looking for the best raspberry muffins you have ever made, you just found the recipe. These muffins are tender, fluffy, and absolutely packed with juicy raspberries in every single bite. Whether you are baking with fresh raspberries straight from your garden or a bag of frozen raspberries from the freezer, this recipe delivers perfect results every single time.

Why You Will Love This Raspberry Muffin Recipe

These are not your average muffins. The combination of homemade buttermilk and applesauce gives these raspberry muffins an incredibly tender crumb that holds together beautifully without being dense or heavy. They come out of the oven with gorgeous muffin tops and they taste like something from a really good bakery.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is how flexible it is. Fresh raspberries, frozen raspberries, and even leftover raspberries from your garden all work perfectly here. If you have ever found yourself with more raspberries than you know what to do with, this is the recipe you need.

Growing Your Own Raspberries

There is something really special about baking with raspberries you grew yourself. I have been growing raspberries in my garden for over 15 years and every summer when the berries start coming in, raspberry muffins are one of the first things I make. If you have ever thought about growing your own raspberries, I promise it is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your garden. Check out my complete guide to growing raspberries at home to get started.

That said, you absolutely do not need a garden to make these muffins. Store-bought fresh or frozen raspberries work just as beautifully in this recipe, and the muffins taste just as incredible either way. This is truly a great recipe no matter where your raspberries come from.

Ingredients for Raspberry Muffins

Here is everything you need to make this raspberry muffin recipe:

2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp white vinegar
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1½ cups white sugar
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs
4 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups frozen or fresh raspberries

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Whole milk and vinegar: Combining these two ingredients creates a homemade buttermilk that is the secret to incredibly tender muffins. Do not skip this step! The acidity reacts with the baking soda to give these raspberry muffins their beautiful rise and soft texture.

Applesauce: This is what makes these such a healthy muffin option compared to most muffin recipes. The applesauce replaces melted butter or oil and keeps the muffins moist without adding a lot of extra fat. You will not miss the butter, I promise.

Flour: This recipe uses all-purpose flour for the best results. If you want to experiment, you can substitute up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour, but the muffins will be a little denser. I recommend sticking with all-purpose flour your first time making this recipe.

Raspberries: Frozen raspberries are my first choice for this recipe because they hold their shape better when you fold them into the muffin batter. If you are using fresh raspberries, handle them gently when folding them in so they don’t break down too much and turn your batter pink. Either way, you are going to end up with beautiful, juicy raspberries in every bite.

Want to mix it up? White chocolate chips are an incredible addition to this recipe. A little lemon zest or a splash of lemon juice also pairs beautifully with the raspberries if you want a bright, citrusy flavor. You could also swap the raspberries for blueberries if you want to make blueberry muffins with this same base recipe.

raspberry muffins on a white plate with frozen raspberries

Equipment You Will Need

You don’t need anything fancy to make these raspberry muffins. A large bowl, a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, a standard muffin pan, and a measuring cup are really all you need. I use a standard muffin pan with paper liners or a light coating of cooking spray, and both work great. A silicone muffin pan also works well if that is what you have on hand.

How to Make Raspberry Muffins

Makes approximately 24 muffins

Step 1: Make your buttermilk. Combine the whole milk and white vinegar in a measuring cup, stir, and let it sit for 5 minutes. The milk will thicken and curdle slightly, and that is exactly what you want. This homemade buttermilk is what gives these muffins their tender crumb and beautiful rise.

Step 2: Mix your wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, and your milk and vinegar mixture. Mix until everything is well combined and you have a smooth, even mixture.

Step 3: Add your dry ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to your wet ingredients. Mix the flour mixture in until just combined and do not overmix. Overmixing is the number one reason muffins turn out tough instead of tender, so stop as soon as you no longer see dry streaks of flour.

Step 4: Fold in the raspberries. Gently fold in your frozen or fresh raspberries using a rubber spatula. Make sure you break up any big clumps of frozen raspberries so they are distributed evenly throughout the muffin batter.

Step 5: Fill your muffin tins. Scoop the batter into each muffin cup, filling all the way to the top of the cup. Filling the cups all the way to the top is what gives you those gorgeous high muffin tops that make these look like they came from a bakery.

Step 6: Bake. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 16 to 18 minutes. The higher temperature at the start is the trick to getting that beautiful domed muffin top. Your muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

The Secret to Perfect Muffin Tops

The two-temperature baking method in this recipe is the key to tall, domed muffin tops. Starting at a higher temperature causes the muffins to rise rapidly before the outside sets, pushing the top up and out of the muffin tin. Then dropping the temperature finishes baking the center through without over-browning the outside. This little trick makes these the best muffins I have ever pulled out of my oven.

raspberry muffins on a wire cooling rack

Tips for the Best Raspberry Muffins

Don’t overmix. This is the most important tip in this entire post. Stir your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients until just combined and then stop. A few small lumps in the muffin batter are completely fine and will bake out. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes muffins tough instead of tender.

Fill cups all the way to the top. Most muffin recipes tell you to fill cups two thirds of the way full, but this recipe is designed to be filled to the top. That is how you get the big, beautiful muffin tops that make these raspberry muffins look so impressive.

Keep frozen raspberries frozen until the last second. Add them to your batter straight from the freezer right before you scoop it into your muffin tins. This prevents them from bleeding too much into the batter and keeps your muffins looking beautiful.

Want jumbo muffins? This recipe works great in a jumbo muffin pan. You will need to increase your baking time by about 5 minutes and keep a close eye on them after the temperature drops to 350.

More Delicious Raspberry Recipes

If you love baking and cooking with raspberries as much as I do, you will want to check out these recipes too:

Homemade Raspberry Jam: Easy Preserves Recipe — if you have a big raspberry harvest this summer, this jam recipe is a must
How to Make Homemade Raspberry Lemon Balm Tea — a refreshing way to enjoy fresh raspberries from your garden

How to Store Raspberry Muffins

Once your muffins have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. I like to place a paper towel in the bottom of the container to absorb any extra moisture and keep the muffins from getting soggy. For longer storage, place cooled muffins in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

To reheat from frozen, just pop a muffin in the microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds and it will taste like it just came out of the oven.

raspberry muffins and frozen raspberries on a white plate

Can I Make These Muffins Ahead of Time?

Yes and they actually get even better on day two once the flavors have had a chance to develop. You can also mix your dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately the night before and store them in the refrigerator, then combine them and bake in the morning for fresh hot raspberry muffins with very little effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use sour cream or Greek yogurt instead of applesauce? Yes! Sour cream or Greek yogurt can be substituted for the applesauce in equal amounts. The muffins will be a little richer and slightly less sweet, but they will still be absolutely delicious.

Can I use paper liners instead of cooking spray? Absolutely. Muffin liners work great in this recipe and make cleanup a breeze. Both a silicone muffin pan and a standard muffin pan with paper liners work beautifully here.

Can I make these into a loaf instead? I have not tested this recipe as a loaf, but if you try it next time let me know how it goes in the comments! I would expect the center of the loaf to need significantly more time to bake through.

Can I add lemon to this recipe? Yes! Adding a teaspoon of lemon zest or a tablespoon of lemon juice to the wet ingredients gives these raspberry muffins a bright, fresh flavor that pairs beautifully with the berries. Highly recommend trying it.

These raspberry muffins are one of those recipes that you will come back to again and again. They are big, fluffy, bursting with juicy raspberries, and so much easier to make than they look. Whether you are baking them for a weekend breakfast, a potluck, or just because you have a bag of raspberries in your freezer that needs to be used up, I promise they will not disappoint.

If you make these muffins, I would love to hear how they turned out! Drop a comment below and let me know.

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