Easy Bakery Style Vanilla Muffins Recipe with Crumb Topping
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If you love everything vanilla, these easy vanilla muffins are for you! They’re the perfect weight with a light, fluffy texture, a crunchy crumb topping, and a delicious vanilla scent you can’t help but crave.
Light and fluffy with a crispy muffin top, these are the best vanilla muffins! They have a gorgeous vanilla flavor and scent but come together with simple ingredients and minimal effort. Thanks to the buttermilk, they have a slight tanginess that offsets the sweet vanilla flavor.
With a crunchy crumb topping and fragrant glaze, these muffins can stand their own even against vanilla cupcakes! Bake a quick batch of these fluffy muffins for brunch to serve with fresh fruit or as a quick dessert. You won’t even miss the frosting!
If you love vanilla flavor, don’t miss my vanilla recipes, including homemade vanilla extract, vanilla maple syrup, and vanilla honey! These are great ways to add that floral vanilla flavor to various recipes.
What are Vanilla Muffins?
One common question I get is, what exactly are vanilla muffins? They’re not the same as cupcakes, which have a very tender, light texture made from creaming butter and sugar together. Muffins are typically slightly denser with a moist texture. These fluffy vanilla muffins walk that line. They’re fluffy and tender with a moist texture that’s really satisfying.
And, of course, they’re full of vanilla flavor! I make my own vanilla bean paste with real vanilla beans, so you get those beautiful flecks in the muffins and the glaze. The muffins would be great even without the crumb topping, but that’s one of the best parts! It adds a crunchy, buttery flavor that makes these delicious vanilla muffins taste like pound cake.
They’re such a delicious treat, and I know you’ll love them, too!
Why you’ll love this easy vanilla muffins recipe
Equipment
To make this delicious muffin recipe, you’ll need:
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake liners
- Cooling rack
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Kitchen scale (optional, but recommended)
Ingredients for Vanilla Muffins Recipe
Vanilla Muffins Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – I like to weigh my flour to make sure I’m using the same exact amount each time.
- Baking powder – It’s a good practice to sift your baking powder to avoid sour-salty clumps.
- Kosher salt – The salt reacts with the baking powder to make these muffins rise!
- Sugar – These muffins are sweeter than regular muffins as I find sugar draws out the vanilla flavor.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk adds creaminess and helps make these muffins so light and fluffy!
- Vanilla bean paste – My homemade vanilla bean paste adds concentrated vanilla flavor to any recipe. It’s the secret to the best vanilla muffins every time!
- Coconut oil– I like to melt coconut oil and let it cool for a minute or two before mixing the wet ingredients. You can also substitute vegetable oil.
- Eggs – Set your eggs out at room temperature for a few hours before baking.
Crumb Topping
- Vanilla sugar – If you don’t have vanilla sugar, you can use regular sugar and add about 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.
- Flour – This helps hold the crumb together while the muffins are baking and adds a cookie-like crunch.
- Melted butter – Partially melted butter is the glue that holds this delicious crumb topping together.
Vanilla Bean Glaze Ingredients
- Powdered sugar – Add half the powdered sugar at first, whisk until smooth, then add the rest.
- Almond milk – Feel free to use any milk here, but I like using non-dairy milk so that I can leave these muffins out at room temperature.
- Vanilla bean paste – Just a little more vanilla bean paste adds an enticing vanilla scent that takes these muffins over the top!
This recipe was adapted from the perfect base muffin recipe by Baked by an Introvert, and the crumb topping was inspired by I Heart Naptime.
How to Make Vanilla Muffins with Oil
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line your muffin pan with silicone liners or paper liners.
Prepare the Batter
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a small bowl. Sift the baking powder to ensure it doesn’t have any clumps.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, add sugar, buttermilk, vanilla bean paste, and coconut oil. Beat until incorporated.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat after each one.
- Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just incorporated.
- Scoop your muffin mixture into your muffin liners, trying to add the same amount to each one.
Make the Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl, add the flour and vanilla sugar for the crumb topping. Add in half the amount of melted butter, stirring to combine. Continue adding butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the tops of the muffins.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes in a preheated oven or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. If using silicone liners, remove the muffins from the liners.
Prepare the Glaze
- In a small bowl, add the almond milk and vanilla bean paste for the glaze. Gradually whisk in half of the powdered sugar until combined and then add in the rest of the sugar. Dizzle the glaze over the top of each muffin once they are cool.
- Allow the muffin glaze to set completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Storing Suggestions
You can store these vanilla muffins in an airtight container in the fridge or counter. On the counter, they will last approximately 3-4 days. In the fridge, they will last a couple of extra days.
You can freeze a batch of these vanilla muffins to enjoy anytime you’d like! Simply bake a batch, let it cool completely, and freeze them in a freezer-safe bag. Allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
What to Add to Vanilla Muffins
Although you can easily make just the vanilla muffin base and skip the crumb topping and glaze, they really make them wonderful! You can also try sprinkling a little vanilla sugar on top of the muffins before they bake for a more subdued appearance.
You don’t need to save these tasty muffins for a special occasion, although you certainly can! They’re delicious on their own. I especially love how they taste with fresh berries or a dollop of golden raspberry jam.
- Serve at a brunch with fresh strawberries and blueberries
- Break into pieces and serve with vanilla pudding, fresh fruits, and whipped cream for a mini trifle
- Dip into a French vanilla glaze
- Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee
- Top with your favorite jam
Tips & Variations
- Buttermilk substitutes – If you don’t have buttermilk around, you can substitute plain yogurt, sour cream, or Greek yogurt. Since those are so thick, I recommend using 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup water.
- Sift your baking powder – If your baking powder is running low, it’s possible it’s starting to clump. No one enjoys that salty-sour flavor of plain baking powder in the middle of a delicious muffin! Take a minute to sift your baking powder to remove clumps. It’s worth the extra dishes!
- Change up the oil – I prefer coconut oil in this recipe because I always have it on hand. You could also use vegetable oil or even melted butter, but let the butter cool down to room temperature before using.
- Use room-temperature ingredients – If you skip the rest of my instructions, don’t skip this one! If you mix melted coconut oil with cold buttermilk, your batter may have little oil clumps. This will affect your final texture and flavor. Let your eggs and buttermilk come up to room temperature first.
- Vanilla bean paste options – If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, substitute pure vanilla extract or scrape the caviar out of 2-3 whole vanilla beans. I recommend making my vanilla bean paste recipe; it has just as much vanilla flavor as the store-bought stuff for way less money.
- Skip the crumb topping – These muffins are great even without the crumb topping! Sprinkle a little vanilla sugar on the tops of the muffins instead for a little crunch.
FAQs
Both of these ingredients will add a nice kick of vanilla flavor, but I prefer vanilla bean paste at all times. It has real vanilla beans in addition to the extract, so you get another layer of flavor. Plus, those little vanilla bean flecks make any dish look instantly delicious. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste though, use your regular extract! They’ll still be good without it.
Technically, yes, you can absolutely make muffins without oil, and there are tons of oil-free recipes out there in the world. I prefer to use oil in my muffin recipes because it really gives them a super soft, tender texture. I usually use melted coconut oil instead of vegetable oil to avoid the seed oils, but they both work well in these delicious muffins!
The secret starts with the batter. If your muffins are dry and crumbly, they won’t wow anyone! Make sure your batter is moist and tender by using ingredients like buttermilk and oil. It’s also important to get enough vanilla flavor in there! I like to use vanilla bean paste, but a big part of flavor is the scent. The fresh vanilla bean glaze on top really adds that aroma of vanilla that gets your stomach rumbling. Oh yeah, and the bakery-style crumb topping is a nice touch as well!
Related Recipes
- Lemon Lavender Muffins
- Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Pudding Cups
- Butterscotch Pudding Pie
- Caramel Apple Galette
- Vanilla Simple Syrup
Easy Vanilla Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 1 muffin pan
- 12 cupcake liners silicone or paper
- 1 Stand mixer or hand mixer and bowl
- 2 small bowls
Ingredients
Muffin Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, 260 g
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar, 200 g
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, or vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Crumb Topping Ingredients
- 1/4 cup vanilla sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tbs melted butter
Vanilla Glaze Ingredients
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbs almond milk, or reggular milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line your muffin pan with silicone liners or paper liners.
Prepare the Batter
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a small bowl. Sift the baking powder to ensure it doesn’t have any clumps.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, add sugar, buttermilk, vanilla bean paste, and coconut oil. Beat until incorporated.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat after each one.
- Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just incorporated.
- Scoop your muffin mixture into your muffin liners, trying to add the same amount to each one.
Make the Crumb Topping
- In a small bowl, add the flour and vanilla sugar for the crumb topping. Add in half the amount of melted butter, stirring to combine. Continue adding butter until the mixture looks crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the tops of the muffins.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes in a preheated oven or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. If using silicone liners, remove the muffins from the liners.
Prepare the Glaze
- In a small bowl, add the almond milk and vanilla bean paste for the glaze. Gradually whisk in half of the powdered sugar until combined and then add in the rest of the sugar. Dizzle the glaze over the top of each muffin once they are cool.
- Allow the muffin glaze to set completely before storing them in an airtight container.
