Gordon Ramsay Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s blueberry muffin recipe gets its moist, old fashioned crumb from buttermilk and oil instead of just butter, and the streusel topping gives you a crunch that most homemade versions skip. Fresh blueberries tossed in flour, lemon zest in the batter, and 25 minutes at 200°C (400°F) until golden and tall.

I have tried a lot of blueberry muffin recipes and the ones made with oil stay soft for days while the all-butter versions dry out by lunchtime. Ramsay uses both oil and butter here, oil in the batter for moisture and cold butter in the streusel for crunch, and that combination is what makes these worth making from scratch.

More Muffin Recipes:

• Classic Muffins
• Banana Oat Muffins
• Pancakes

What Makes These Muffins Stay Moist

The secret is buttermilk and oil working together. Buttermilk reacts with the bicarbonate of soda for lift and tenderises the crumb, while the oil keeps everything soft in a way that melted butter alone cannot.

I also rest the batter for 10 minutes before baking, which lets the flour hydrate and gives you taller domes. I skipped this step for months because I thought it was fussy, and the difference when I finally tried it was instant.

Blueberry Muffin Ingredients

• 250g (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 150g (¾ cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 large egg
• 120ml (½ cup) buttermilk
• 80ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g (1½ cups) fresh blueberries
• 1 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour) for coating berries
• 50g (⅓ cup) plain flour (all-purpose flour) for streusel
• 50g (¼ cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar) for streusel
• 30g (2 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed, for streusel

How To Make Gordon Ramsay Blueberry Muffins

1. Make the streusel: Rub the cold butter into the 50g flour and 50g sugar with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs, then put it in the fridge.
2. Mix the dry: Whisk the 250g plain flour (all-purpose flour), caster sugar (superfine sugar), baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl.
3. Mix the wet: In a separate jug, whisk the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Fold the batter: Pour the wet into the dry and fold with a spatula until just combined, leaving a few lumps.
5. Add the blueberries: Toss the blueberries in a tablespoon of flour, then fold them into the batter gently so they do not burst.
6. Fill and top: Divide into a lined 12-hole muffin tin, scatter the streusel on top, and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes until golden.

Common Mistakes When Making Blueberry Muffins

The biggest one is overmixing, which turns the crumb tough and flat. Stop folding the moment you cannot see dry flour, even if the batter looks rough and lumpy.

The second is not coating the berries in flour before folding them in, because without that coating they sink to the bottom and you end up with fruit in one half and plain muffin in the other. One tablespoon of flour fixes it completely.

What To Serve With Blueberry Muffins

Warm with salted butter is how I eat them most mornings, and a strong coffee alongside is all you need. For weekend brunch, I split them and add clotted cream or a thin spread of cream cheese.

I also set these out next to a plate of buttermilk pancakes and some fresh fruit. A batch of banana bread on the side table gives guests a second option, and for something lighter try the blueberry ricotta pancakes.

How To Store Blueberry Muffins

Sealed container at room temperature for 3 days. The oil keeps them moist longer than most muffin recipes, but the streusel softens after the first day so they are best eaten fresh if you want that crunch.

Freeze for up to 3 months in a bag and reheat in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 8 minutes. I would not microwave these because the streusel goes soggy, and the whole point of the streusel is the texture contrast.

FAQs

• Can I use frozen blueberries? Yes, but do not thaw them first or the juice bleeds into the batter and turns it purple. Toss them in flour while still frozen and fold in gently.
• Why did my muffins stay flat? Your baking powder is probably old. Test it by dropping a pinch into hot water: if it does not fizz, replace it.
• Can I skip the buttermilk? Mix 120ml milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice, wait 10 minutes, and use that instead. It curdles slightly which is exactly what you want.
• Do I need the streusel? No, the muffins work fine without it but you lose the crunchy top. If you skip it, sprinkle some demerara sugar on top before baking for a similar effect.

More Breakfast Recipes:

• Shortbread Cookies
• Vanilla Cupcakes
• Poached Eggs

Nutrition Facts

(Per muffin, makes 12)

• Calories: 245 kcal
• Total Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 35g
• Sugar: 18g
• Protein: 4g
• Sodium: 180mg

Gordon Ramsay Blueberry Muffins Recipe

Recipe by Sophie Lane

Servings

12

muffins

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Gordon Ramsay’s blueberry muffin recipe gets its moist, old fashioned crumb from buttermilk and oil instead of just butter, and the streusel topping gives you a crunch that most homemade versions skip. Fresh blueberries tossed in flour, lemon zest in the batter, and 25 minutes at 200°C (400°F) until golden and tall.

I have tried a lot of blueberry muffin recipes and the ones made with oil stay soft for days while the all-butter versions dry out by lunchtime. Ramsay uses both oil and butter here, oil in the batter for moisture and cold butter in the streusel for crunch, and that combination is what makes these worth making from scratch.

Ingredients

• 250g (2 cups) plain flour (all-purpose flour)

• 150g (¾ cup) caster sugar (superfine sugar)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 large egg

• 120ml (½ cup) buttermilk

• 80ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 200g (1½ cups) fresh blueberries

• 1 tbsp plain flour for coating berries

• 50g (⅓ cup) plain flour for streusel

• 50g (¼ cup) caster sugar for streusel

• 30g (2 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed, for streusel

Directions

• Make the streusel: Rub cold butter into 50g flour and 50g sugar until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs, then chill.
• Mix the dry: Whisk the 250g flour, caster sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl.
• Mix the wet: Whisk the egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a separate jug until smooth.
• Fold the batter: Pour wet into dry and fold with a spatula until just combined, leaving a few lumps.
• Add the blueberries: Toss blueberries in a tablespoon of flour, then fold gently into the batter.
• Fill and top: Divide into a lined 12-hole tin, scatter streusel on top, and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes until golden.