Blueberry Rice Muffins

I noticed three interesting phenomena as I made this rice flour recipe for blueberry muffins for the first time:

  1. Rice flour expaaaaandsjust like how your stomach feels full after eating rice. I scooped some of the batter into my muffin pan, turned away for a minute, and by the time I came back to the pan the batter had already risen about half an inch up to the rims of the wells. While still on the counter!
  2. The kitchen smells like rice while baking. I know this one doesn’t sound like much of an “aha” but it didn’t really occur to me that there would be any aromatic differences versus my regular wheat flour muffins. That’s mainly because of notable phenomenon #3…
  3. Rice flour doesn’t really have much flavor. At least not white rice flour and at least not compared to wheat flour. It does have some taste to it but it’s really mild. It’s for this reason that I’m extra glad I decided to grate in some lime zest which added a little more flavor. To its credit, the rice flour did have a touch more texture to it than wheat flour, like a little nutty graininess along the lines of fine cornmeal.

So why did I venture into Blueberry Rice Muffins in the first place? I’d bought rice flour for a breaded chicken dish I made recently (rice flour, it turns out, makes for extra-crunchy breading – especially when used in conjunction with Japanese panko breadcrumbs!) and there was a blueberry muffin recipe printed on the side of the package. They came out just as light as wheat flour muffins and are a terrific gluten-free alternative if you’re ever baking for someone who needs to avoid gluten.

Beside the lime zest I also added a streusel topping, inspired by Barbara from Barbara Bakes who says, “Muffins without a streusel topping are kind of like cupcakes without frosting. Delicious without it, but irresistible with it.” I’m inclined to agree.

Blueberry Rice Muffins

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82 Comments

  1. Angela wrote:

    Finally something to do with the rice flour in my pantry! Good call on using it as a breading, too!

    Posted 6.23.11 Reply
  2. Maria wrote:

    I have never baked with rice flour. I will have to try your recipe!

    Posted 6.23.11 Reply
  3. Such a gorgeous muffin. I’m so impressed that they were made with rice flour. I’m passing this recipe on to my gluten-free friends. Thanks for the link love!

    Posted 6.23.11 Reply
  4. So excited to see you playing with gluten-free flours. I use rice flour a lot. Love working with it. I’ve yet to make a gluten-free blueberry muffin. Adding this recipe to my to-do list. The streusel topping is a must of course!

    Posted 6.23.11 Reply
  5. Marla wrote:

    Love rice flour & have experienced everything you mentioned here. However I only use it’s brown rice sibling. These muffins sound fantastic!

    Posted 6.23.11 Reply
  6. I love the idea of this!
    I have been trying to cute the gluten down in our house and since blueberry muffins are a favorite this is perfect!!!
    Also, great tip about using it as a breading along with panko!!

    Posted 6.24.11 Reply
  7. Shaina wrote:

    Gorgeous muffins. I love the idea of using rice flour.

    Posted 6.24.11 Reply
  8. Diane wrote:

    I like that saying about streussal toppings.

    Posted 6.25.11 Reply
  9. I just had to come back and comment. These muffins were great and easy to make. I will definately be making them again. Thank you.

    Posted 6.27.11 Reply
    • Kathy wrote:

      That’s terrific, Angie!

      Posted 6.27.11 Reply
    • Lurlene wrote:

      Just wanted to say thanks for leaving a review of the actual recip . and not wasting everyones time by saying “oh i cant wait to try this!”

      Posted 4.17.15 Reply
  10. Gluten-free baking scares me but I’ll have to try this recipe!

    Posted 7.6.11 Reply
    • Kathy wrote:

      Oh, it scares me too! I’m glad to say that this recipe isn’t scary at all, though. 🙂

      Posted 7.6.11 Reply
  11. Siew wrote:

    Good muffins – I used and would recommend a little xanthan gum (I used 1/2 tsp) to make the muffins hold together a bit better. Otherwise, a nice and simple GF recipe.

    Posted 11.20.11 Reply
  12. Heather wrote:

    A bit too much baking powder, I think, but otherwise tasty.

    Posted 2.1.12 Reply
  13. Briana wrote:

    I love this recipe. I didnt have a muffin tray so i ended up making a loaf and it turned out great! Added about 1/4cup of yellow corn flour of the 1cup of rice flour just to make it a bit stickier and hold better for the loaf. I will be making this again, hopefully next time i’ll have a muffin tray! Thank you!

    Posted 6.28.12 Reply
  14. Misty wrote:

    I just made these tonight. I’m always skeptical, but these truly were AMAZING! I will be making these again. Thank you so much!

    Posted 7.11.12 Reply
  15. Thank you for the recipe- been following a Blood Type diet for the last 3 weeks and I’m not supposed to have wheat & corn ( among other things) for my blood type.
    This muffin recipe was very simple and I couldn’t believe how little sugar was in this recipe. I was worried it would lack flavor so I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of lemon oil & I added more blueberries. I had to bake the muffins about 4 minutes longer because of this but the muffins were really good! This is my first attempt at baking with rice flour after starting the Blood Type lifestyle.

    Posted 8.2.12 Reply
  16. Diane wrote:

    I have a wheat and sugar allergy that is driving me crazy! This recipe sounds great and I have Stevia to put in place of the sugar. 🙂 I just hope I am able to find rice flour somewhere. LOL Thank you for the yummy sounding recipe!

    Diane

    Posted 11.19.12 Reply
  17. Nicole wrote:

    I made these today as a healthier alternative for my husbands birthday however I used peaches because that was what I still had in my fridge and these muffins turned out delicious! Everyone loved them. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

    Posted 12.1.12 Reply
  18. Loren wrote:

    I just made these. Nasty. They taste like baking powder and canola oil. I wanted to use coconut oil but had just run out. Maybe it would be better with butter? The best part was the blueberries; I wish I had just eaten a handful of them instead.

    Posted 1.11.13 Reply
  19. ari wrote:

    These turned out amazing. So delicious. My kids and husband loved them. I put in a tablespoon of chia seeds, used olive oil instead of canola, and put cinnamon in the struesal topping. I also had to double the recipe because I knew they would be gobbled up quick.

    Posted 1.15.13 Reply
    • So glad you liked them, Ari – and your additions sound fabulous!

      Posted 1.15.13 Reply
  20. Georgie wrote:

    mmm, I have just baked them and they are delicious. Unfortunately I didn’t have blueberries and some other igredients so I made little changes but I love them! 🙂 thanks for publishing the recipe!! 🙂

    Posted 4.27.13 Reply
  21. Liz wrote:

    I bought the EXACT same flour and it still had the same recipe on it! I just made some and they turned out amazing, only I used raspberries instead of blueberries. Unfortunately I forgot the streusel but I still love them. I also changed the recipe by subbing in coconut oil and agava nectar to make them healthier.

    But my batter didn’t expand in the tins before baking like you mention above, wonder why? And I was curious, was your’s more batter like or dough like?

    Posted 7.19.13 Reply
  22. wai-leng wrote:

    I just made this muffin and it turned out not so bad. However, I did a little modification, using dried raisins instead of blueberry(It is not so convenient to get this in Malaysia ), it tasted alright to me. I was wondering how to make it slightly moist because mine is too dried. Will experiment again. Thanks to the recipe.

    Posted 8.2.13 Reply
  23. Dawn wrote:

    This was a delicious recipe, and I used brown rice flour and made 24 mini muffins.
    YUM!! I was curious what the nutritional values/carbs etc. were for this recipe?

    Posted 9.28.13 Reply
    • I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Dawn! I’ve never calculated the nutritional values, but I’m sure there must be online calculators out there that can help with that info.

      Posted 9.28.13 Reply
  24. Amy wrote:

    Thanks for the recipe! I just tried it and they turned out yummy. I substituted oat milk, olive oil, coconut sugar, and added a ripe banana for sweetness.

    Posted 1.25.14 Reply
  25. sarina wrote:

    I’ve made this recipe 2 times now and I just don’t get it.it tastes amazing, but I’m getting absolutely NO RISING AT ALLfrom. Maybe it’s because I used brown rice instead of white, but this time I added an extra teaspoon of baking powder and still nothing. I also found that if I have the temperature that high they burn and have uncooked centers. So I lowered to 350 degrees and added an extra 5 minutes the second time. I am at sea level so it shouldn’t make any difference for temperatures and batter rising.Wonder what is going on?

    Posted 1.29.14 Reply
    • Hi Sarina – It’s hard to say for sure, but sometimes differences in baking can come from the actual oven temperature. I know with my oven, even if it beeps that it’s preheated it’s still about 100 degrees from being ready (I tested it with an oven thermometer). Other ovens are hotter than they indicate – perhaps that could be it?

      Posted 1.31.14 Reply
  26. Steph wrote:

    I tried these out – and they came out like dry hockey pucks of very grainy batter. I have no idea what I did wrong, but it was not a great hit here. The topping was the best part, and the blueberries. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly.

    Posted 3.8.14 Reply
    • It’s hard to say what went wrong, but clearly something did!

      Posted 3.8.14 Reply
  27. G wrote:

    I’m sorry, but these were very plain and kinda crumbly. After tasting the batter I noticed it was not very sweet so I added 1/4c more sugar… still didn’t help. They are edible, but not exciting 🙁

    Posted 4.2.14 Reply
  28. Trisha wrote:

    I added an extra egg, swapped the blueberries for grated zucchini, added orange essence and added half a teaspoon of guar gum. Baked at 180c for 15mins (made a tray of mini muffins)

    These taste good and easily customisable

    Posted 4.15.14 Reply
  29. Greta wrote:

    Thank you for posting this recipe – this was my first time baking with rice flour, and it turned out pretty well! I’m trying to eliminate sugar, so I subbed about 1/4 cup mashed ripe banana, used raspberries instead of blueberries, and added a little cornstarch to compensate for the extra liquid. Also used brown rice flour, and added a few drops of vanilla to the batter, which worked fine. I will definitely use this recipe again in the future when I get a baked-goods craving 🙂

    Posted 4.16.14 Reply
  30. Regina Cleary wrote:

    Just made these muffins used coconut oil instead of canola, they look fine but don’t taste nice! Very dry and not much flavour from them ????

    Posted 5.22.14 Reply
  31. Brenda Humphries wrote:

    Thank you – Quick, simple ingredients that were already in the pantry, delicious, and now my family can come and visit and know they can have gluten free cake!

    Posted 6.28.14 Reply
  32. nyssa wrote:

    Best gf muffin i hav ever had that didnt cost an arm and a leg to make! Thank u so much for this recipe, my husband and i polished off 12 of these in 1 evening so looks like we’ll be needing another batch tomorow!!!

    Posted 8.27.14 Reply
  33. Jennifer wrote:

    Hi, I made these this morning and they were very tasty. I too was shocked that with such a low amount of sugar they would taste so good. I used frozen blueberries and while I toyed with the idea of adding mashed banana decided to save that step for next time. I did a double batch, added two tsps of xanthym gum powder, and an extra egg, along with powdered soy milk. Next time I will substitute a third of the rice flour with corn starch, which will make them a bit lighter I think and help them rise a bit more. All in all these were the best gluten free muffins I have eaten or made so far. Thanks for the recipe.

    Posted 9.6.14 Reply
  34. Jane wrote:

    Fantastic! I subbed the milk for unsweetened almond milk to make it dairy free and added a splash of vanilla. The muffins were light and the streusel topping added a nice sweet crunch to the muffin. They were delicious straight out of the oven. Haven’t had a chance to try once they’ve cooled down. Thanks so much for providing the recipe.

    Posted 4.18.15 Reply
  35. Ashley wrote:

    Thanks for the recipe. I made a few variations and they could have turned out better due to a couple mistakes I made. I added frozen berries and the coldness of the batter (I think) did 2 things: caused muffins to not rise much if at all, and caused them to stick to the paper liners. However- they did taste good considering the changes I made: dropped the oil altogether, added a banana, and 2 tbsp of honey instead of the sugar. I also added 2 tbsp ground flax and 2 tbsp garbanzo flour. Oh, and I decided to overmix them! Lol. This made 9 small muffins. Even with the banana added, there wasnt much batter. I left out the streusel and baked at 400F for about 13 min. Even with the overmixing, they still turned out moist with a pleasant flavour and good texture! I’ll be trying these again with the orignal recipe next time!

    Posted 5.10.15 Reply
    • Sounds like you came up with your own new recipe! 🙂

      Posted 5.3.16 Reply
  36. Amelia wrote:

    2 T unsalted Kerrygold butter, melted, instead of oil. Amazing flavor! Butter is much healthier, more vitamins, Omega 3, and satiates…. oils increase hunger, body weight and inflammation. I only had frozen blueberries, 15 min was plenty. Topping made it too sweet for our family (we’ve cut back on sweets). Wonderfully easy, tasty recipe. Thanks!

    Posted 6.23.15 Reply
  37. Anastasia wrote:

    Hi. Is it possible to make the muffins with rice milk or almond milk instead of dairy milk?

    Posted 7.25.15 Reply
    • It’s worth a try. I’ve only baked with dairy milk so I couldn’t say for sure. ~Kathy

      Posted 5.3.16 Reply
  38. Kitty wrote:

    Tried this with coconut oil because it heats to 425 better than canola. It’s great.
    Thanks for the recipe.

    Posted 2.4.16 Reply
  39. Tmlark143 wrote:

    Just made these exactly as instructions stated and they were delicious…however are they sup posed to be so gooey inside? I’m wondering if filling the muffin tins halfway instead of 3/4 full would help or maybe baking longer on a lower temperature? Thanks. I don’t like gooey centers and the outside started to get a little too crusty when baking longer.

    Posted 5.3.16 Reply
    • They shouldn’t be gooey at all. Everyone’s oven heats differently — it’s possible that yours runs a bit on the hot side, so yes, I’d try lowering the temperature and baking for longer. ~Kathy

      Posted 5.3.16 Reply
  40. Joan wrote:

    I just found your recipe for Blueberry muffins using white rice flour. I just bought brown rice flour, can I use this instead? Thank you

    Posted 8.10.16 Reply
    • Hi Joan — I imagine brown rice flour would work just as well, it’s worth a try. ~Kathy

      Posted 8.10.16 Reply
  41. Why only six? I’d need to quadruple this recipe. LOL

    Posted 9.16.16 Reply
  42. Leah wrote:

    Just made these! YUM, I used frozen wild blueberries and olive oil and they turned out great! (blue for sure ;)) Thanks!!! 🙂 little guy loves them!

    Posted 12.7.16 Reply
  43. Mona Neill wrote:

    Blueberry muffins are my family’s favorite! I just added some vanilla to the wet ingredients before mixing with the dry. Mahalo!!!

    Posted 7.2.17 Reply
  44. Laura wrote:

    These muffins are delicious! I used coconut sugar and almond milk instead and they turned out great! I also added a little bit of almond extract for flavor.
    I wanted a recipe that used rice flour so this was a great find! Thank you!

    Posted 4.30.18 Reply
  45. Linda wrote:

    I just made these for my cafe , they were very gritty and dry . They looked beautiful to look at but the texture and taste was not good at all . I went my the recipe excactly .

    Posted 5.15.18 Reply
  46. Sara wrote:

    I have never baked with rice flour but these came out delicious! I used brown rice flour and added some vanilla and honey. Good texture and flavor. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

    Posted 8.4.18 Reply
  47. Tim Humbert wrote:

    Can you use dried cranberries in place if blueberries?

    Posted 12.13.18 Reply