The perfect addition to any breakfast or bunch, and the classic vanilla flavor perfectly compliments a cup of coffee!
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Soft, fluffy muffins with lots of buttery vanilla flavor are made with simple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
- These easy vanilla muffins are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack!
- Use this as a base recipe and add your favorite ingredients. Use about a cup to a cup and a half of mix-ins.
Since you can't let your family eat cupcakes for breakfast, this vanilla muffin recipe is just what you're looking for.
These simple vanilla muffins don’t need a vanilla buttercream or vanilla glaze topping to make them delicious. Just a sprinkle of sugar or powdered sugar is perfect!
Try these easy air fryer chocolate chip muffins, too.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an "at a glance" list of ingredients. You'll find the list and the measurements in the printable recipe card below.
📖 Variations
Add up to 1 cup total of any of the following ingredients. You can even mix them as long as you don't just more than 1 cup total.
- blueberries
- chocolate chips
- sprinkles
- chopped pecans
- chopped walnuts
- dried cranberries
- dates
- raisins
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Please see the yellow recipe card below for complete instructions.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl or with an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time.
- Mix in vanilla and sour cream. Blend in the milk.
- Mix in the dry ingredients
- Evenly fill the prepared muffin cups with batter and bake.
🍴 Equipment
- mixing bowl
- muffin pan
- whisk or electric hand mixer
- measuring cups and spoons
- muffin tin liners
🥫 How to store leftovers
Although it doesn’t often happen with these sweet muffins, there are sometimes leftovers.
To start, make sure they are cool to the touch on the wire rack before storing them.
Muffins can be kept in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days at room temperature.
To freeze you can put them in a ziploc bag or a freezer container with parchment between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature and reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds when you're ready to eat.
💭 Things to know
⭐ Expert Tip: Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the muffin batter into the paper liners. This method will help ensure all the muffins cook evenly, at the same speed, and turn a delicious golden brown!
- Use vanilla sugar for even more vanilla flavor.
- Be sure to lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with the back of a knife.
- If using an electric mixer, use low speed. You want the muffin batter lumpy.
- Don’t over-mix. The muffins will become dense and tough.
- You can ditch the muffin liners, but coat the muffin tin with a good layer of nonstick spray.
- Put the batter-filled muffin tins into a preheated oven.
- Let cool in the pans or they may deflate a bit.
- This will make 12-16 muffins depending on the size of your muffin pans.
💡Great Idea: Add some chocolate chips to the top of the muffins (or stir them into the batter) for an extra sweet treat.
✨ FAQs
Yep! They are used interchangeably. If you do not have paper liners, you can use parchment paper and press them into the muffin cups. You do want the edges of the paper to extend the top of the muffins to make it easy to pull them out.
I recommend using a full-fat sour cream for best results but you can also use plain Greek yogurt.
You can use different types of flour if needed. But, this recipe calls for all-purpose flour so if you want to use cake flour, whole-wheat flour, or gluten-free flour, you may need to use more or less, depending on the type.
📚 Related recipes
You may also like -
- French Breakfast Puffs
- Easy Easter Sweet Rolls (Made with Crescent Dough!)
- Brown Butter Banana Pecan Muffins
- Date Nut Bread
📞 The last word
This vanilla muffins recipe is one of our favorites. It's so simple to make and the muffins come out tender, moist, and full of flavor.
Nothing fancy but oh-so-good.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Easy Vanilla Muffins
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature, room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream , can substitute with yogurt or greek yogurt
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, optional - for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl mix the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until combined.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each.
- Add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix well.
- Add the milk and mix until the milk is incorporated.
- Add the flour in 3 increments, incorporating the flour before adding the next one.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt with the last batch of flour.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a cupcake pan with liners.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) fill the cupcake to ¾ full.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F.
- Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for an additional 9 to 11 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. The temperature in the center will be 190° - 200℉ when an instant-read thermometer is inserted in the middle.
- Cool off in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
Cool completely.
Muffins can be kept in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days at room temperature.
To freeze you can put them in a ziploc bag or a freezer container with parchment between the layers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Thaw at room temperature and reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds when you're ready to eat. Tips:
- Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop so each muffin is the same size. They'll bake better.
- Use vanilla sugar for even more vanilla flavor.
- Be sure to lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with the back of a knife.
- If using an electric mixer, use low speed. You want the muffin batter lumpy.
- Don’t over-mix. The muffins will become dense and tough.
- You can ditch the muffin liners, but coat the muffin tin with a good layer of nonstick spray.
- Put the batter-filled muffin tins into a preheated oven.
- Let cool in the pans or they may deflate a bit.
- This will make 12-16 muffins depending on the size of your muffin pans.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Cherie E Hinchliff says
We loved the vanilla muffins. They were moist and so flavorful. Getting ready to make another batch because I only have 2 left in the freezer. Thanks for the recipe Marye.