These cinnamon streusel muffins have a subtly sweet vanilla base that’s topped with a buttery brown sugar crumble. They’re every bit worthy of breakfast or dessert!
Why this recipe works
These cinnamon streusel muffins are soft and tender with subtle vanilla flavor. But the highlight is the cinnamon and brown sugar crumble topping. It’s good enough to eat by itself! Sweet and buttery, this topping tastes just like the kind you get at bakeries and coffee shops, reminiscent of coffee cake.
These cinnamon streusel muffins are much like a cupcake in that they start off with a creamed butter and sugar base. When adding the dry ingredients, do not overmix. This will help ensure your muffins are tender. When making the streusel, I like to use my hands to incorporate the butter. The mixture will hold together and clump when squeezed if properly mixed.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
FLOUR – We’ve tested these muffins many, many times, and the absolute best way to get soft, tender, moisture-rich muffins is to measure your ingredients using a kitchen scale, especially the flour! Excess flour will absorb the surrounding liquids, leaving you with dry, crumbly, and even dense muffins. It’s very easy to over measure flour. If you do not own a scale, use the scoop and sweep method. Scoop your flour into the measuring cup with a spoon until it is overflowing. Then, level it off with the flat end of a butter knife. Do not pack down your flour in the cup.
BAKING POWDER – Double check that it is not expired before beginning.
STREUSEL – You’ll want to be sure to use fresh brown sugar. If your brown sugar is dry and crumbly, your streusel will also be dry and crumbly. It’s much easier to make a streusel with room temperature butter as it incorporates with the sugar more quickly. Use your hands to combine the streusel ingredients well, giving it a good squeeze throughout to make sure everything is incorporated. Once it’s prepared, place it in the fridge to firm back up. This helps it hold its shape once baked.
How to Make Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray, or line cavities with paper liners.
To Make the Streusel
- In a medium bowl, use your fingers to combine topping ingredients until completely incorporated. Mixture should be moist but crumbly and hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.
To Make the Muffins
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisking by hand, combine melted butter, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients and using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir just until combined. If you still see small streaks of flour that’s okay. Do not overmix.
- Let batter rest in the bowl for 20 minutes.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle generously with streusel topping, pressing down gently on the tops to ensure that it sticks. Each cup should be full once the streusel is added.
TIP – As seen in the photo above, in order to get nice domes, I used 2 muffin pans and filled 6 holes in each to give them room. But, this isn’t imperative, and you do not have to do it like I did. However, this helps make sure none of the muffins stick together and helps them all rise nicely. - Bake muffins at 425 F for 5 minutes. Then without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 F and bake another for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Letting muffin batter rest gives the flour time to fully absorb the liquid, which leads to a smoother batter and a softer, more tender crumb. It also allows the gluten to relax, helping prevent dense or tough muffins, while slightly thickening the batter so it bakes up taller with better domed tops. A short 20-minute rest helps flavors meld and improves moisture retention, resulting in muffins that taste better and stay moist longer. I like to clean up the kitchen and dishes while the batter is resting.
Yes, absolutely! I personally like to individually wrap these muffins in plastic wrap then pop them into a large ziptop freezer bag. This way, you can take them one by one whenever you want. Allow them to thaw at room temperature. Optionally microwave for 10-15 seconds, or enjoy as is.
You want to keep these bad boys airtight, so they don’t dry out. Once they’ve fully cooled, transfer them to an airtight container or sealed ziptop bag with excess air removed. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
These cinnamon streusel muffins are soft and tender, with the muffin itself being vanilla-based. All the extra flavor comes from the cinnamon streusel topping! If you’ve ever had a cinnamon coffee cake, you’ll probably love these muffins. They are not overly sweet like a cupcake or store-bought muffin, but rather subtle and perfect for breakfast or alongside a cup of coffee or tea.
Serving Suggestions
Cinnamon streusel muffins are excellent for prepping ahead. Individually wrap them and pop them in the freezer to grab and go whenever!
Enjoy your muffins warm from the oven, at room temperature, or rewarmed in the microwave later on. They are great at any and all times. Especially with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning!
More Muffin Recipes
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Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
For the topping:
- 2.13 ounces all-purpose flour 1/2 cup, 60g
- 2 ounces packed brown sugar 1/4 cup, 57g
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 5g
- pinch salt
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, cut into small pieces
For the muffins:
- 8.5 ounces all-purpose flour 241g, about 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 10g
- ½ teaspoon salt 4g
- 4 Tablespoons melted, cooled unsalted butter 114g, 1/4 cup
- 2 ounces vegetable oil 1/4 cup
- 8 ounces granulated sugar 230g, 1 cup
- 2 large eggs
- 4 ounces whole milk 120ml, 1/2 cup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Things You’ll Need
- Muffin pan 12 cavity
Before You Begin
- When making the streusel topping, you can cut the butter in using two butter knives scissor style, or use a pastry cutter. I actually just use my fingers. Once the butter disappears you will be able to pinch the topping and it should hold together.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. Excess flour will absorb the surrounding liquids, leaving you with dry, crumbly, and even dense muffins. It’s very easy to over measure flour. If you do not own a scale, use the scoop and sweep method. Scoop your flour into the measuring cup with a spoon until it is overflowing. Then, level it off with the flat end of a butter knife. Do not pack down your flour in the cup.
- Letting muffin batter rest gives the flour time to fully absorb the liquid, which leads to a smoother batter and a softer, more tender crumb. It also allows the gluten to relax, helping prevent dense or tough muffins, while slightly thickening the batter so it bakes up taller with better domed tops.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray, or line cavities with paper liners.
Make the topping
- In a medium bowl, use your fingers to combine topping ingredients until completely incorporated. Mixture should be moist but crumbly and hold together when squeezed between your fingers. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.2.13 ounces all-purpose flour, 2 ounces packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, pinch salt, 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Make the muffins
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.8.5 ounces all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a large mixing bowl, whisking by hand, combine melted butter, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla.4 Tablespoons melted, cooled unsalted butter, 8 ounces granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 4 ounces whole milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 ounces vegetable oil
- Add dry ingredients and using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir just until combined. If you still see small streaks of flour that's okay.
- Let batter rest in the bowl for 20 minutes.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle generously with streusel topping, pressing down gently on the tops to ensure that it sticks. Each cup should be full once the streusel is added.
- Bake muffins at 425 F for 5 minutes. Then without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 F and bake another for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- You want to keep these bad boys airtight, so they don’t dry out. Once they’ve fully cooled, transfer them to an airtight container or sealed ziptop bag with excess air removed. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To freeze, I personally like to individually wrap these muffins in plastic wrap then pop them into a large ziptop freezer bag. This way, you can take them one by one whenever you want. Allow them to thaw at room temperature. Optionally microwave for 10-15 seconds, or enjoy as is.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
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Elena says
How long does the Cinnamon Streusel Muffin stay fresh?
Makayla says
I think there was too much flour involved in this recipe both for the topping and the muffin. The muffin itself is pretty bland and the topping was really boring and too floury. I don’t even get how these can be so bland with 1-Cup of sugar and a whole stick of butter.
Wendy Bice says
I tried this recipe and it is wonderful thank you for sharing
Allaranje says
Unless you are an experienced baker don’t even try this it was a horrible experience. The directions, while appearing very thorough, have huge holes and instructions that don’t make sense. Case in point, muffin pan cups “should be full”. Well, there was about enough dough to make 9. Then you look at the picture above on the website, (not in the recipe) and they’re 3/4 full. The topping was too hard to make, came out dry and tasted like dirt. There were so many problems I won’t even cover them here. I only gave a three because perhaps if I had more experience it would have just sucked instead of being truly horrible.
Elena says
Can you 2%milk??
Amanda Formaro says
That will be fine
Michele says
So dry!! The flavor was fine though. Unfortunately won’t be using this recipe again.
Rachel says
Soooooo dry and not sweet at all.
Caitlin says
Very very dry! My kids wouldn’t even eat them. I am an avid baker and make muffins every week for my kids. Decided to try a new recipe and they burnt in 7 min and were so dry. I have a wolf range and even lowered the temp to 415 because I never bake above 400 so the temp seemed high to me. Needs way more liquid maybe apple sauce to moisten it or something. Bummer
Joy says
It sounds like you didn’t lower the temperature after 5 minutes. The only reason that you start at 425 is to get large domes. After the 5 minutes, you’re supposed to lower the temperature down to 350 and finish baking them.
DeNilla says
Delicious. I’ll be honest, for the better I just mixed all the dry then all the wet then mixed together. Turned out good. I did whip up some cream cheese frosting and pipe over as well. Delicious either way
Jenn says
These are delicious! I made a couple swaps to lower the sugar/carb content and they still turned out amazing. I swapped 2/3 cup flour for vanilla Orgain protein powder and then 1/2 the sugar content from the muffins and the streusel with Swerve (granulated and brown). They taste like regular muffins with half the sugar.
Maggie says
Thought it was going to be the best ever with the 5 star rating but was just meh. Followed exactly, tastes fine, was moist. But just lacking something.
K says
These were pretty overdone at 15 minutes. I think closer to 10 would have been better, or even skipping the 425 step instead. The non-burnt centers were pretty good!
I’d also add a little more sugar to the streusel I think, or cut back on the flour/butter instead since I ended up with a LOT. That one’s more personal preference though.
Caitlin says
Agree I think just baking them at 350 the whole time would be best! With baking powder and soda you get the rise for the muffin
Kailey says
My family and I love this recipe! I tried others and this is the best one yet❤️
Emery says
Very dense. Don’t make the topping with as much flour as called for it’s not great. I’d do maybe have the amount stated. And layer it in the muffin in the middle and on top.
Caren says
I’ve made homemade muffins a few times and these are one of the best.
Elizabeth says
These came out perfect! Not sure why others are saying they came out dry. Mine were just right, fluffy buttery with a nice combination of cinnamon/vanilla to butter ratio. My family insisted I keep this as a go to recipe from here on out. Thank you for sharing!
Shauna says
Muffin is just ok. I was hoping for a sweet streusel. Too much flour, not sweet at all!
Sherry Jarvis says
They had a strong baking soda taste to them. Should I have used buttermilk?
Christine Basten says
I thought these muffins were slightly dry and I only did the 15 min at 350.
Amy says
Hey! Did you make any changes to this recipe? I made these several time and absolutely loved them. From what I can recall the recipe did not have any cinnamon powder in the muffin mixture earlier. I tried this recently and it just doesn’t taste the same as before. Could you please share the previous recipe if you’ve made any changes to it.
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Amy! Yes, the only change made was to add cinnamon to the muffin mix, so you can omit it if you preferred them that way. We tested these multiple times after people complained that they were too bland, so we added the cinnamon.
Amy says
Thank you for the response. These muffins have been my family’s favourite for very long time. I just missed the creamy butter taste and texture with the yummy streusel topping this time I followed the recipe. I’ll try these again without the cinnamon, do I need to increase the flour quantity?
Amanda Formaro says
No need to increase, just remove the cinnamon :)
Dawn says
Please change your directions. I followed and they came out dry. Too bad after all the preparations.