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muffins on a rack cooking with book and ingredients in background
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Universal Muffin Recipe

Make your own homemade muffins with this flexible universal muffin recipe. Use what you have, try easy substitutions, or make just 6 muffins.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: universal muffin recipe
Servings: 12 muffins
Author: Martha | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour see notes for substitutions
  • up to 1/2 cup sugar see notes for substitutions
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • up to 1-1/2 cups optional additions see notes
  • optional spices and/or flavorings seet notes

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, along with any dry spices.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and oil or melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently just until combined. The batter should be lumpy. Fold in any optional additions.
  • Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
  • Bake for approximately 20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly before removing from the pan.

Notes

Universal Muffin Substitutions

Grains: Replace 1 cup white flour with oats, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, rye flour, or flaked cereal.
Cooked grains: Replace ½ cup flour with 1 cup cooked oatmeal, rice, or cornmeal. Reduce milk to ½ cup and increase baking powder to 3 teaspoons. Alternatively, use the blender technique described above.
Milk: Substitute buttermilk, sour milk, or fruit juice. With buttermilk or sour milk, use 1 teaspoon baking powder plus ½ teaspoon baking soda.
Fat: Substitute peanut butter for some or all of the oil or butter. Reduce fat when using wet additions if desired.
Egg: Substitute 1 heaping tablespoon soy flour plus 1 tablespoon water.
Sweetener: Use 2 tablespoons to ½ cup white sugar, up to ¾ cup brown sugar, or up to ½ cup honey or molasses. Reduce milk to ¾ cup when using honey or molasses.
Additions: Use up to 1½ cups total dry, moist, or wet additions. If using more than 1 cup wet additions, reduce milk to ½ cup.
Leavening: Increase baking powder to 3 teaspoons when using whole grains, cooked grains, or more than 1 cup additions.
Storage: Freeze completely cooled muffins for up to 3 months for best quality.
Calories and Points will depend on specific ingredients used.