Yogurt Muffins
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Learn how to make moist and fluffy yogurt muffins using my one bowl recipe! They’re naturally sweetened, kid-friendly, and a family favorite.
I’m a sweets-for-breakfast guy–in case you can’t tell. If I can satiate my sweet tooth AND squeeze some protein into my breakfast, I’m all in.
That’s where this yogurt muffin recipe comes in. It’s every bit as light and fluffy as old-fashioned muffins, just with a healthy dollop of yogurt for some protein, probiotics, and a tangy twist. What surprised me most during testing was how well the yogurt kept the muffins soft and moist. Even a few days later (yes, I meal prep these), they tasted freshly baked. My partner cannot resist these.
Arman’s tips before starting
Don’t overmix the muffin batter. This is the quickest way to end up with dense muffins. I mix everything just until the flour disappears and then stop.
Remove the muffins from the tin. Once they’re cool enough to handle, transfer them to a wire rack. Leaving them in the hot muffin tin for too long can cause them to continue cooking.
Sift the dry ingredients. I’ll admit I don’t always do this, but when I do, the batter comes together more easily, and the muffins bake up a little lighter and fluffier.
No yogurt? Use sour cream. I’ve tested this recipe with sour cream several times, and the muffins still turn out moist and fluffy.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I just made these. So light and fluffy. Delish” – Nafisa
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into this recipe, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Bananas. Brown and spotty bananas are best since they’re naturally sweeter and mash more easily. I usually keep overripe bananas in the freezer specifically for recipes like this. If using frozen bananas, thaw them completely first.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter softened at room temperature. I’ve also made these with refined coconut oil and had great results.
- Maple syrup. For sweetness and to bind the ingredients.
- Yogurt. I tested Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, and plain yogurt, and honestly, they all worked well. I do prefer full-fat yogurt because it gives the muffins a softer, more tender crumb.
- Eggs. Room-temperature eggs mix easily in the batter and don’t firm up the butter.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good muffin!
- All-purpose flour. Either regular flour, white whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour. If you use the latter (as I did), ensure you use a blend with added xanthan gum.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Both are needed to give the muffins rise and tenderness.
- Salt. Just a pinch to balance out the sweet ingredients.
- Mix-ins. I typically use walnuts and chocolate chips, but you can use anything you like (I’ll provide some suggestions in the variations section below) or omit them completely.
Variations
- Make them vegan. Replace the eggs with an egg substitute, use dairy-free yogurt (coconut yogurt is fantastic!), and swap the butter for coconut oil or canola oil.
- Blueberry. Use blueberry-flavored yogurt and fold in 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Strawberry. Use strawberry-flavored yogurt and fold in ½ cup of fresh strawberries.
- Chocolate chip. Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
- Lemon blueberry. Use lemon-flavored yogurt and fold in 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
- Pumpkin. Replace the bananas with 1 cup of pumpkin puree.
How to make yogurt muffins
Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, butter, and wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and combine.
Bake. Divide batter into the muffin tin and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Cool. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frequently asked questions
What does yogurt do in muffins?
Yogurt is the secret to the texture of these muffins. It adds moisture and helps create a soft, tender crumb without making it heavy. I also found that flavored yogurt, like vanilla or blueberry, adds a subtle extra layer of flavor.
What does yogurt replace in muffins?
In many muffin recipes, yogurt can replace some or all of the butter or oil. However, I don’t recommend making that swap here. This recipe was specially developed and tested with both yogurt and butter, and changing the ratios can affect the texture of the finished muffins.
Yogurt Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas mashed, 340g
- 1/4 cup butter softened, 55g
- 2/3 cup maple syrup 160mL
- 1/2 cup yogurt 120g
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour 250g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 12-count muffin tin and fill them with muffin liners. Set them aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, butter, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Fold through any mix-ins of choice.
- Distribute the batter evenly amongst the muffin tin and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
More healthy muffin recipes to try
Originally published December 2022
Can I use honey instead of syrup?
Yes absolutely 🙂
Love these muffins! My absolute favorite. Step 2 is missing the yogurt so make sure you add that to the wet ingredients. Otherwise it’s amazing.
Thank you for the reminder!!!
Today this was my breakfast. I must say it was really delicious.
Extremely great tasting yogurt muffins I made for my husband who’s not a carb watcher like I am; he’s a bread & muffin lover. He absolutely ❤️ed the taste w/ the bananas & maple syrup. As an added extra for him, my dark chocolate ❤️er, I added a decent amount of dark chocolate chips. He told me can make these Yogurt Muffins anytime for him. I’d say they’re a WINNER in my house!
Wow this looks amazing. I love all ingredients so much.
I must give it a shot to try.
Can I use peanut or almond butter instead of usual butter?
10/10
Delicious
Loved this recipe! I used gluten free baking flour (bobs red mill) I wanted to see if I could replace the bananas with apples/ apple puree/ apple sauce?
Whoops typical me I forgot to add the Yogurt! A pretty key ingredient in a Yogart muffin…. And they still came out Amazing!
Your recipes all look so delish and simple to make. Only issue – could they be in metric (g) as well please? It would be such a breeze not to have to convert the recipe myself. TIA.
I found this recipe in the vegan section.?
I just made these. So light and fluffy. Delish
Thank you, Nafisa!
Do you think sour cream could be substituted for the yogurt in this recipe? Mostly I’m asking because I have sour cream I want to use up. I know sour cream and yogurt can often be used interchangeably in baking, but I wasn’t sure if it would be okay to do with this recipe.
The muffins look beautiful! I’m about to quit doing keto and just go back to calorie counting and these look like a good way to make a healthy break back into carbs. 🙂