Take your muffin game to the next level with these scrumptious raspberry muffins. They are the perfect blend of tangy raspberries and just-sweet-enough batter. And you can make them dairy free or vegan if desired.
The information provided on this site is based on my personal experience living with alpha-gal syndrome. I consistently cite and link to expert sources, but nothing published on this site should be perceived as medical advice.
Alpha-gal sensitivities vary by person. You should understand your dietary restrictions, making any adjustments needed, and directing any questions to your physician.
Who doesn’t go bananas for a fresh and fruity muffin, whether it’s for breakfast or a midday snack? This raspberry muffin recipe can be customized to fit your specific alpha-gal diet, even if you follow a dairy-free or vegan diet.
Made with juicy raspberries (instead of the more expected blueberries), these fluffy muffins are a delightful combination of tart raspberries and sweet (but not TOO sweet) batter, perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or a leisurely brunch with friends. And if you want to jazz them up a bit, I have several suggestions below from a sprinkle of turbinado sugar to crunchy streusel to lemon glaze. So, let’s get baking!
Sage Advice: You can make just about any type of muffin — sweet or savory — using this basic muffin recipe. If you’re a highly sensitive alpha gal, just be sure to use an alphga-gal friendly sugar and plant-based milk. (Get additional tips for both of those ingredients in the next section.)
In This Article
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Flour
You know what they say: Variety is the spice of life! That’s why I love to mix it up by using both all-purpose and whole-wheat flour when baking these scrumptious raspberry muffins. But hey, if you’re an all-purpose flour purist or need to go gluten free, you can easily use 100% all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour. I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour, so if you go nuts for almonds, proceed with caution!
Sugar
I use organic cane sugar that is both unrefined and vegan friendly so I can be sure that the sugar hasn’t been processed with any sneaky bone char, which could potentially trigger an alpha-gal reaction. Although I have not tested this recipe with sugar alternatives, like coconut sugar, if you are a pro at swapping granulated sugar for another sweetener, it will probably work here.
Eggs
While eggs are an alpha-gal friendly ingredient, vegans and other folks may not be so egg-cited about baking with them. No worries! You can easily swap in a plant-based egg substitute.
Olive Oil
I like to bake with olive oil, rather than butter, because it reduces the amount of dairy I consume as an alpha gal. Feel free to swap the olive oil for another vegetable oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil.
Are you more of a butter lover? No biggie! You can also substitute either regular or plant-based butter for the olive oil. Heck, you can even use butter-flavored Crisco!
Sage Advice: Do you love raspberries paired with lemon? Instead of 2/3 cup regular olive oil, replace half with lemon-infused olive oil.
Greek Yogurt
While some fruit muffin recipes call for buttermilk, I prefer plain Greek yogurt – mostly because I tend to always have it on hand. I have not tested this recipe with regular yogurt, but if you go that route, brace yourself for a potential curveball, because the Greek-style yogurt’s tartness and consistency is what really makes these muffins rock.
Need an option that’s dairy-free? No problemo! Just use vegan Greek yogurt instead. Or, make vegan buttermilk with two ingredients you probably have on hand.
Related Article: Dairy Free Baking: Proven Tips for Beginners
Raspberries
I think these raspberry muffins truly shine with in-season fresh raspberries. But hey, I get it, sometimes you have to go the frozen route. No worries! You can still whip up delicious raspberry muffins using frozen raspberries. For optimal results, check out these tips for using frozen berries in baking before making this substitution.
To Make This Raspberry Muffin Recipe Dairy-Free
For a dairy-free version of these raspberry muffins, use these ingredients and then follow the same instructional steps in the regular recipe below:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cups olive oil
- 1 cup vegan Greek yogurt or 1 cup vegan buttermilk
- ¼ to ½ cup plant-based milk
- 1½ cups raspberries
Related Article: Best Milk Alternative for Alpha-Gal Syndrome
To Make This Raspberry Muffin Recipe Vegan
For a vegan version of these raspberry muffins, use these ingredients and then follow the same instructional steps in the regular recipe below:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- vegan egg substitute equivalent of 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cups olive oil
- 1 cup vegan Greek yogurt or 1 cup vegan buttermilk
- ¼ to ½ cup plant-based milk
- 1½ cups raspberries
Optional Raspberry Muffin Toppings
Now, don’t get me wrong, this raspberry muffin recipe is delicious as is, but sometimes you want to give it a little pizazz – for a baby shower, a special brunch, or just because you’re feeling extra fancy. Here are a few suggestions to take your muffins to the next level.
Turbinado Sugar
Take these raspberry muffins from basic to bakery-style with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. Add a pinch of these golden, molasses-kissed sugar crystals before popping the muffins into the oven. As they bake, the sugar forms a caramelized, crunchy tiara – yum!
Sage Advice: Turbinado sugar is also known as demerara sugar, raw cane sugar, or simply raw sugar. It is always vegan friendly and never processed with bone char.
Streusel Topping
Perhaps it’s my German roots, but I am a sucker for a streusel topping. Just mix butter into flour and sugar and you have a fancy crumb topping that transforms everything from muffins to pie into something wunderbar!
Here’s how I make streusel:
- In a medium bowl, combine ⅔ cups all-purpose flour and ⅓ cup light brown sugar.
- Cut ¼ cup of cold butter into thin slices. (Yes, you can use a plant-based butter, if preferred.)
- With a pastry blender, fork, or your squeaky-clean hands, mix the butter pieces into the flour and sugar mixture until it is coarse and crumbly and resembles wet sand.
- Let the streusel chillax in your fridge while you make the raspberry muffins.
- Generously top each muffin with streusel just before baking according to the recipe directions.
Lemon Glaze
Another way to dress up these muffins is with a hint of lemon from a lip-smacking lemon glaze. The sweet-citrusy zing is the perfect complement to the sweet-tart flavor of the raspberries.
Here’s my lemon glaze recipe:
- Mix ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon zest into a small bowl.
- Slowly stir 2 to 3 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the powdered sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Move the lemon glaze to a small plastic zipper bag, snip off a small piece of the corner, then drizzle the glaze over the cooked and fully cooled muffins.
How to Make Raspberry Muffins
These raspberry muffins are fast and easy to make:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients. The mixture will be pale yellow.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined.
- Gently fold in the raspberries.
- Spoon the muffin batter evenly into the cups of a lined muffin tin. Top with turbinado sugar or streusel, if desired (see notes above in the “optional raspberry muffin toppings” section).
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Storing Instructions
If you manage to resist the temptation of devouring all these scrumptious raspberry muffins at once, they’ll stay fresh at room temperature for up to three to four days. To keep them in tip-top shape, store them in an airtight container. But if that’s not an option, a big ol’ Ziploc bag with a layer of paper towels will do the trick. The towels will soak up any sneaky moisture and stop your muffins from going soggy. Just swap out the paper towels daily to maintain peak tastiness.
Got a surplus of muffins? No worries! You can freeze these raspberry delights for up to three months.
Raspberry Muffins (with Dairy-Free and Vegan Substitutions)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- ⅔ cups olive oil
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ to ½ cup milk The mixture should be quite thick, but if it's dry add a little more milk.
- 1½ cups raspberries
- Optional Toppings: Turbinado sugar, streusel, or lemon glaze (see notes above in the “optional raspberry muffin toppings” section)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Prepare a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, yogurt, and milk. The mixture will be pale yellow.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. The batter will be fairly thick.
- Gently fold in the raspberries.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin liners. I like to use a small ice cream scoop for this step.
- Optional: Add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar or a spoonful of streusel topping to the raspberry muffins (see notes above in the “optional raspberry muffin toppings” section)
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are a light golden brown and firm, but slightly springy, to the touch.
- Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
- Optional: Top the cooled muffins with lemon glaze (see notes above in the “optional raspberry muffin toppings” section).
I love to add raspberries to my baking goodies, which is why I wanted to give thos muffins recipe a try! Turned out super good, fluffy and moist.
These muffins were fantastic! I loved the raspberries – my first time using them in muffins – and the topping was sweet and added a nice texture. Yum!
These are delicious! The yogurt in the batter gives them a great taste and goes so well with the raspberries!
And we always have Greek yogurt in the fridge, so these are easy to make when the baking bug bites!
I loved these muffins! I think the secret ingredient is the Greek yogurt – it keeps the muffins so nice and moist. And the berries? Yum!
Yay! So glad you liked them!
I love anything with raspberry, and these muffins did hit the spot. Yum, I can’t wait to get baking again.
What a delicious muffins. Raspberries are our favorite berries in our household. So these muffins become one of our favorites too. And I love the option for vegan and dairy-free option. My niece is excited to try this recipe too as she has dairy intolerance
It’s ALMOST raspberry season for us, and I can’t wait!! I want to make these muffins with our own raspberries! They’re so delish!!
I love raspberry season!
My GF sister-in-law LOVED these muffins! I subbed in 1:1 GF flour and she was so thrilled to get a whole batch of treats to herself!
Oh, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
These fruity raspberry muffins are so moist and delicious. The kids loved them.
I have never made raspberry muffins and I am so glad I made them now. These are the best ever and I love the flour blend. I usually bake with whole wheat pastry flour and the measurements you gave for APF and whole wheat flour work great.