Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins with Crumble Topping
If you love a classic blueberry muffin but want to take it up a notch, this version with a sweet, crumbly topping is for you. Simple ingredients, easy technique, and that perfect bakery-style finish—all without leaving your kitchen.
There’s something about a crumble topping that makes a blueberry muffin feel a little fancier. This recipe is a follow-up to my easy and delicious blueberry muffin recipe, but with one small (and very necessary) upgrade: a buttery, sugary crumble that bakes into a crispy, golden layer on top.
Nothing else changes—same soft, fluffy muffin base packed with juicy blueberries.
The only difference is a quick mixture of flour, sugar, and butter that transforms these into bakery-style perfection.
A crumble topping isn’t hard to make, but getting the texture just right? That takes a little finesse. Let’s break it down.
crumble topping tips
- Use very cold or frozen butter. This is the secret to a real crumble. Soft or melted butter will just blend in, but cold butter creates those perfect little chunks that crisp up beautifully in the oven. Just grate frozen butter into the flour mixture and lightly mix until crumbly.
- Use a food processor for the easy way. Toss everything in, pulse a few times, and you’re done.
- Do not overmix. If you blend it too much, you’ll end up with a solid layer on top instead of a crumbly topping. Aim for a mix of pea-sized bits and smaller crumbs.
- Customize it. Want to switch things up? Add cinnamon, swap half the brown sugar with white sugar, throw in some oats, or mix in chopped nuts for extra crunch.
gather your ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (or your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour with xantham gum)
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar
- Baking powder (make sure it’s gluten-free!)
- Salt
- Avocado oil, or oil of your choice
- Egg
- Milk (or non-dairy milk if you prefer)
- Vanilla extract
- Fresh or frozen blueberries
- Butter
Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins with Crumble Topping
These gluten-free blueberry muffins are soft, moist, and bursting with juicy blueberries in every bite! Topped with a buttery, golden crumble, they taste just like a bakery treat—but made right in your own kitchen.
Equipment
- 12 cup muffin tin
- mixing bowl
- measuring cup
- cookie scoop
- grater (for crumble topping)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten free flour, I use Bob's Red Mill – make sure your gluten free flour blend has Xantham gum or you can add separately – see notes
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder, I use Rumford
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup + 3 tablespoons milk, or non dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, or use frozen
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup gluten free flour, I use Bob's Red Mill
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 5 tbsp frozen butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Measure oil into a measuring cup. Crack in one egg. Now fill it with milk until you reach just slightly OVER the 1 cup line. Gluten free flours need a bit more liquid to work right. This is about 1/3 cup of milk plus a three tablespoons.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix lightly. Carefully fold in blueberries. Note: If using frozen berries – there will be more staining. But I think this is kind of pretty.
- Make the Crumble Topping: Mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Grate frozen butter over the flour mixture and then mix until crumbly with fingers or a fork.
- Place a scoop of batter in each cupcake liner. I use a cookie scoop to keep each muffin even. If filling to the top: you should be able to get 8 large muffins. If you're filling halfway, you should be able to get 12 cupcake size muffins.
- Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with the crumble topping. For larger muffins, bake for 24 minutes. For the smaller cupcake size muffins, bake for 22 minutes, until a toothpick in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Xanthan gum is a must-have for gluten-free baking! It helps bind batters, lock in moisture, improve texture, and keep things from spreading too much. Some all purpose gluten free flours don’t include Xantham gum, so you need to add it separately. There’s no exact formula, but a good starting point is 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum per cup of flour. For this recipe – I would use 1/2 teaspoon.
Place muffins in an airtight container. They will be good for 3-4 days. These can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Recipe inspired by AllRecipes Muffins.
Tried this recipe? Questions?Leave a Comment and let us know!
Bakery style muffins at home? Yep. This is my go-to gluten free muffin recipe. Let me know what you think!