Skinny Blueberry Muffins

These homemade skinny blueberry muffins are wonderfully soft, filled with fresh blueberries, and have irresistibly crunchy tops. Made with low fat Greek yogurt and skim milk, they’re a healthier alternative to the low fat muffins that you buy from the grocery store. 

These skinny blueberry muffins are a lightened up breakfast option that the whole family will love

Think low fat means dry and crumbly? Thing again! 

These low fat blueberry muffins are studded with juicy blueberries and have a surprisingly tender, moist crumb that everyone in your family will love. 

So, next time skip the store bought muffins and see how easy it is to make healthier low fat muffins at home. The muffin tops alone are worth the effort!

These low fat blueberry muffins are so soft and delicious 

Despite being low fat, these skinny blueberry muffins are incredibly soft and flavorful. 

My secret? I use low fat Greek yogurt in this muffin recipe. 

Not only does adding Greek yogurt keep these muffins irresistibly tender, but they also add a little boost of protein too! 

These muffins have perfect muffin tops 

Arguably the best part of these muffins are the tops. Especially when just freshly baked, the muffin tops are so perfectly crunchy and crispy. 

So, while the muffins are still good a day or two after making them, make sure to have at least one warm from the oven!

Is a blueberry muffin a healthy breakfast?

My family loves freshly baked muffins in the morning, but are blueberry muffins actually a healthy breakfast? Well, it depends on the muffin. 

Store bought muffins tend to be unhealthy

Muffins tend to get a bad rep for being essentially cupcakes in disguise. 

And when it comes to store bought muffins, this often is the case. Most of the muffins that you can buy at the grocery store are loaded with added sugars and fats. 

They also tend to be super high in carbs and low in protein, which means you’ll likely be hungry within an hour or two after eating one. 

Homemade muffins can be much healthier

But that doesn’t mean muffins can’t be healthy! Homemade muffins allow you full control over the ingredients. 

So rather than overly processed ingredients and preservatives, you can make a batch using real, whole foods such as fresh fruit. 

These skinny blueberry muffins are a healthier option as they: 

• Are lower in fat, thanks to low fat Greek yogurt and skim milk 
• Use less sugar than many other muffin recipes
• Contain fresh blueberries

Make these low fat muffins even healthier with a whole grain flour 

You’ll notice that I do use all-purpose flour for these low fat blueberry muffins as it keeps the texture a bit lighter, more like a bakery-style muffin. 

However, you can add a boost of fiber by swapping a whole grain flour instead. 

My recommendation to make this muffin recipe healthier: use ½ white spelt flour.

I like using spelt flour as it’s a bit easier to digest than regular flour and has a light nutty flavor. And just like regular flour, spelt has a whole grain version and a white one where the bran and germ have been removed. 

While slightly less nutritious than whole grain, using white spelt flour will result in a lighter, fluffier texture.

But, if you like muffins that are heartier, then you can try subbing in at least half of the flour with a whole grain variety. 

Can you use applesauce instead of oil for these muffins? 

I did experiment with making these muffins even lower in fat by swapping the oil for applesauce. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t work well. 

Using applesauce instead of oil made the muffins unpleasantly chewy. They also stuck to the paper linings way too much. 

So, as tempting as it might be, trust me when I say to just keep the oil in. The texture will be so much better! 

How to make skinny blueberry muffins 

These skinny blueberry muffins are easy to make and require ingredients that you likely already have on hand. 

Ingredients for making these low fat blueberry muffins 

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Sea salt
• Sugar
• Skim milk
• Eggs
• Neutral oil (such as sunflower or grapeseed)
• Low fat plain Greek yogurt
• Vanilla extract
• Blueberries 

And to get that crunchy topping, you’ll also need turbinado sugar and quick-cooking oats. 

Can you use frozen blueberries for muffins? 

Yes, you can use frozen blueberries in this muffin recipe. But, I have a few recommendations if you do. 

If you’ve ever made muffins with frozen blueberries, then you may have noticed that the resulting muffins turn a bit green. This because the juice from the frozen blueberries can stain the batter. 

However there’s a way around this! 

Here’s how to avoid frozen blueberries from causing green streaks in your muffins: 

Step 1: Rinse the frozen blueberries under running cold water until the water turns a very light shade of blue. 

Step 2: Next, pat the berries dry with a paper towel. 

Step 3: Place the blueberries in a small bowl and coat with just a little bit of flour - enough to lightly coat the berries. 

Step 4: Gently fold the flour-coated frozen blueberries into the batter. 

Simple! 

Low fat muffins take just 30 minutes to mix and bake 

This blueberry muffin batter comes together quickly. All you have to do is combine all the wet ingredients in one bowl, the dry in another, and then gently fold the wet into the dry. 

To end up with light and fluffy muffins, be careful not to overmix! 

Next, add in the blueberries, scoop into a greased muffin tin, and bake until the tops are golden brown. 

TIP: When baking muffins, start the oven hotter, and then turn the heat down after 5 minutes. The initial higher heat creates steam to help the muffins rise. 

How can you prevent muffins from sticking to the liner?

The one downside of baking low fat muffins is that they tend to stick to the paper liners. After countless batches of muffins, I’ve discovered that the quality of the paper liner that you use is super important for preventing sticking. 

Cheap, thin paper liners break down more easily with the moisture from the muffins.

Instead, I recommend using these liners, especially for low fat muffins. They’ve become my go-to as you don’t have to grease them and they’re environmentally friendly.

I ran out of these liners while I was making these muffins, but you can see what they look like in my Low Fat Banana Muffin post.

Other tips to help stop your muffins from sticking include:

• Let muffins cool completely before trying to remove the liner.
• Peel the paper away slowly and carefully. 
• Use foil liners instead of paper ones. 
• Skip the liners and simply grease the muffin tin. 

For greasing the foil liners, or the pan by itself, I like using an oil mister, like this one. It adds just the right amount of oil to each muffin cup and doesn’t clog up like other misters. 

For more details on ways to prevent your muffins from sticking, be sure to check out my Low Fat Banana Muffin post. 

Skinny blueberry muffins are best fresh out of the oven 

These low fat blueberry muffins are best enjoyed right away when they’re freshly baked. 

Now, they’ll still be delicious the next day, but the muffin tops just won’t be as perfectly crispy and crunchy. 

But don’t let that stop you from saving any leftovers to enjoy throughout the week! They’ll still be wonderfully soft and just the right amount of sweet. 

Skinny blueberry muffins are kid-friendly too! 

Thanks to being lower in sugar and made with whole foods, this recipe is one I feel good about giving to my toddler for a quick breakfast or as a snack. 

Want more healthy muffin recipes that the whole family can enjoy? Give one of these a try: 

• Vegan Blueberry Muffins
• Healthy Apple Muffins 
• Toddler Muffins
• Vegan Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins

Whether you’re making them for your family or keeping the batch all to yourself to enjoy throughout the week, I really hope this low fat blueberry muffin recipe makes it on your table soon! 

It’s definitely a recipe we make when we’re craving freshly baked muffins in the morning. Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below.