Mixed Berry Muffins

A recipe for mixed berry muffins made with almond milk, oats, and cornmeal, plus your choice of fresh or frozen berries. These berry and oat muffins are the best mixed berry muffin recipe!

Why Make These Mixed Berry Muffins?

I love summertime because it means access to lots of fresh produce. After a long winter (and endless months of seeing nothing but cabbage, kale, and root vegetables at the greenmarket!) the colors and flavors of summer bring a welcome change.

I especially love all of the varieties of berries: blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. (And if I’m in the UK, redcurrants and blackcurrants, too…) But because fresh berries have a short shelf life, I often find myself with too many berries. More often than not, I’ll wash them and throw them in a plastic food storage bag, then toss the bag in the freezer for later. It’s a good thing that frozen berries work for so many baking recipes, from mixed berry crumble and mixed berry hand pies to these mixed berry muffins.

This healthy-ish berry muffin recipe utilizes about 200 grams, or 1 1/2 cups, of mixed berries. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand. I  tested this recipe with a mix raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, but any combination will work. (Cherries and cranberries are good additions to this recipe, too.) Use fresh or frozen berries, or a mix of both.

Mixed Berry Muffin Recipe Ingredients

To make these mixed berry muffins, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Rolled Oats – Use old fashioned or rolled oats for this recipe, not instant, “quick cooking” or steel cut oats.
• All Purpose Flour – Or plain flour, in the UK. You’ll need (2/3 cup), plus more for coating the berries.
• Cornmeal – Cornmeal is a coarse flour made from ground dried corn, commonly used in baking, frying, and as a base for recipes like cornbread.
• Light Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar adds moisture, sweetness, and a slight caramel flavor, and also contributes to the soft and tender texture.
• Baking Powder – Baking powder acts as a leavening agent, for nicely risen muffins that spring back when touched.
• Spices – I’ve added ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg, along with kosher salt. You can also mix up the spices—try ground ginger, ground cardamom, or even a pinch of ground allspice.

• Unsalted Butter – It is important to melt the butter before combining it with the other wet ingredients.
• Almond Milk – Use unsweetened almond milk. Or substitute another plant milk, like oat or soy. You can also use whole or skimmed dairy milk in this recipe.
• Egg – You’ll need 1 large egg, at room temperature
• Lemon – I’ve added about 1 tablespoon of zest, finely grated on a Microplane, plus 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. If you don’t have lemon on hand, substitute fresh orange instead.
• Vanilla Extract – Choose a good-quality vanilla extract, or substitute vanilla bean paste.
• Berries – You can use fresh or frozen berries, or a mix of both. If using frozen berries, do not thaw.
• Demerara Sugar – Demerara sugar (or Turbinado sugar, or sugar in the raw) creates a sweet, crunchy topping.

Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Berries for Mixed Berry Muffins?

I tested this mixed berry muffin recipe with both fresh and frozen berries. In my opinion fresh is best, but frozen berries work nearly as well.  (This recipe and my mixed berry hand pies are my go-tos for using up all of those ends of bags of berries at the back of the freezer!) If you do use frozen berries, do not thaw before adding to the batter.

Tips and Tricks for Making Berry and Oat Muffins

Line your tin. I suggest silicone muffin liners. The second best option is a silicone muffin pan, but paper liners will also work in a pinch. I do not suggest baking these muffins in an unlined metal tin.

Use uniformly-sized berries. Slice any large berries (such as strawberries) into smaller pieces before adding to the batter.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Store leftover mixed berry muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Mixed berry muffins also freeze well. To freeze, layer muffins between sheets of parchment or wax paper and freeze in an airtight container, or wrap individually in foil. Thaw at room temperature.

Other muffin recipes you might enjoy:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Strawberry Muffins

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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