Bakery Style Low Carb Blueberry Muffins (+Gluten Free and Keto Friendly)

A few weeks back, I made a chocolate chip bakery-style muffin, and the follow-up emails were pretty clear.  I had several requests for bakery-style low-carb blueberry muffins. 

My friend Tracy over at Wildflowers and Wanderlust also has a “thing” for blueberries.  I asked on Instagram what everyone’s favorite muffin was, and everyone was quite adamant that blueberry with lemon was a hands-down summer favorite, so I whipped up this recipe for her and for those readers who took the time to email.  Thanks for the ideas!  

Ok ok! You all love blueberries. I get it.  More blueberry desserts!  (I’ll try my best). 

Homemade gluten-free almond flour blueberry muffins

Fresh out of the oven with a blob of butter? Yes.  Yes, please. 

Who doesn’t love a fresh blueberry muffin slathered in butter with a hot cup of tea or coffee? It’s like the ultimate comfort food.   

Only this comfort food doesn’t come with extra sugar or gluten!  

Imagine baking up this gluten-free blueberry muffin recipe and the scent of vanilla, blueberries, and lemon wafting through the house.  Right?  I have that warm, happy feeling when I smell blueberry muffins baking up in the oven.  

If you love blueberries as much as I do you should check out a few of these popular recipes:

• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
• Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
• Blueberry Quick Bread
• New York Style Blueberry Cheesecake

A bit about the blueberry keto muffin batter

These almond flour blueberry muffins have a beautiful crumb, not at all light and airy, but dense and muffiny (I just made up that word, it’s ok, I do it often).

But to get that perfect crumb, there are a few tricks. 

• First, beat your eggs until they are light yellow and fluffy, this ensures a good batter. I’ve tried just adding my eggs and lightly beating them in, but it isn’t the same.  Beating the egg yolks ensures the blueberry muffins bake up fluffy. 
• The second trick is to fold the wet ingredients into the dry gently.  You don’t want to overbeat here, as that will deflate the eggs, and will make the batter bake up heavy.   
• You will also want to make sure you line your muffin tins. I find coconut and almond flour brown up quickly, and the muffin liner helps protect the bottoms of the muffins, so they do not overcook. 
• Don’t skip the Xanthan gum. It acts as a binder and helps hold everything together. Since we are not baking with gluten, we need to replace the binder with something and in this recipe, we use Xanthan gum. Don’t have Xanthan gum on hand? Check out these possible replacements.

For more tips and tricks check out my full guide to baking with almond flour.

Are Blueberries Low Carb?

There are 10.5 net carbs in half a cup of blueberries.   Although berries like raspberries and blackberries are ok for low carb diets, blueberries tend to be a bit higher on the carb scale. 

Blueberries should be eaten in moderation.  If you’re doing a keto diet, the recommendation is to eat them in small amounts only occasionally. 

For our purposes in this recipe, the blueberries only add a few net carbs per muffin.  I’d say if you were going to enjoy your berries, this is an excellent way to it!

A bit about the blueberry muffin flavor profile 

For this low carb blueberry muffin, I did a lemon blueberry flavor profile.   The lemon flavor does enhance flavor of the blueberries. 

I also find that the lemon juice tends to mask or hide any aftertaste from sweeteners. 

My only tip here is to use freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh rind.  I don’t particularly like bottled lemon juice as I find it far too bitter, sour, and it always seems to have an off-taste.  

The lemon rind also adds a nice punch too, and you don’t want to omit it.  As always, though, you can do whatever your heart desires. 

You could go crazy and add vanilla instead of lemon (just as good).  

Feel free to use fresh or frozen blueberries here. It doesn’t matter.  Just make sure you save a few to dot the top of the muffins before they go into the oven. 

What sweeteners are best to use for this low carb blueberry muffin recipe?

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Use your favorite 1:1 sugar substitute.  

Powered is preferred over granular, as it blends better and has a more delicate texture.  Erythritol and xylitol also tend to get grainy when cold, but I found the powdered versions to do it much less.   

If you don’t have powdered erythritol or xylitol and only have granular, go ahead and give it a blast with a high-speed blender or food processor.  My favorite powdered sweetener by far is So Nourished Monk Fruit Blend. I find it has almost no aftertaste at all.   

Swerve and stevia will work perfectly fine here as well as does any powdered erythritol or xylitol brand. 

Allulose will work great in this recipe.  Just remember that it is 70% as sweet as sugar, so you will need to add a bit more to the recipe. 

Just remember, xylitol is poisonous to dogs and cats, so if that’s your choice and you have little furry friends running around, be aware that it can be deadly for them. 

Storage & Serving suggestions

You can keep these low carb blueberry muffins covered on the counter for up to three days.  They keep for a bit longer in the fridge.  I like them cold out of the refrigerator because the muffin tends to be a bit firmer.  But they are as good after 10 seconds in the microwave and a dab of butter.  (ok a smear of butter… ok a dollop of butter, don’t judge me!)

You can also freeze these low carb muffins for up to a month!  They defrost well in the fridge.  You could make a full batch and freeze a few for a quick out-the-door snack. 

These blueberry muffins also come loaded with 9 grams of protein, and you might find they fill you up until after lunch.