These old-fashioned buttermilk muffins with honey are the perfect combination of sweet, sour, & tangy. This easy muffin recipe is a Southern classic with a tender inside & the yummiest golden tops. In 30 minutes these treats will wow everyone.
What I love about this simple recipe is that they are not too sweet. These are delish for dessert or breakfast of course. But they are also a great alternate to serve at dinner instead of biscuits or cornbread. So enjoy them all day!
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Ingredients for Buttermilk Muffins
This basic recipe uses common pantry staples that most of us already have at home. The one main ingredient you may need to buy is fresh buttermilk. This is also a great recipe to use up leftover buttermilk you may already have in the fridge.
Here are the ingredients needed to make muffins with buttermilk.
- All-Purpose Flour - the pantry staple helps make a basic muffin, nothing fancy needed.
- Baking Powder & Soda - both help add fluff & help the muffins rise.
- Granulated Sugar - for a touch of sweetness & helps create that golden topping.
- Buttermilk - adds tangy flavor but is the key to a tender muffin as the acidity breaks down the gluten. DO NOT use a substitute.
- Eggs - room temperature is best for easy mixing.
- Salted Butter - melt first & add for rich taste (no oil in this recipe)
- Honey - for a Southern touch that pairs perfectly with buttermilk for balance.
See the recipe card for quantities & full instructions.
How to Make Buttermilk Muffins from Scratch
This is a quick batter to whip up. Nothing needs to rise, refrigerate, or rest so once it is ready, just spoon into your muffin tin & bake. It is ready from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.
Here are the easy steps for making buttermilk muffins.
- Mix the Batter
- Bake at 2 Different Temperatures
- Cool & Serve
1 - Mix the Batter
Before making the batter, start by preheating the oven to 425°F. Also use muffin liners/papers or spray the tin with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, & baking soda. Stir to combine.
In a medium mixing bowl add the wet ingredients; eggs, buttermilk, honey, & melted butter.
Add the wet ingredients slowly to the flour mixture. Stir by hand and scrape down the sides until fully combined.
2 - Bake at 2 Different Temperatures
This is VERY IMPORTANT. This is my top muffin recipe hack. The two-temperature method gives you those big bakery style domes with perfect muffin tops.
The initial high heat creates a big burst from the leavening agents (baking powder & soda). The pressure gives them a large muffin top. Then finish baking at a lower temperature so they finish cooking on the inside without overcooking the outside or burning.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Fill each ¾ of the way up. This should make 12 muffins.
Place in the preheat oven at 425°F and bake for 8 minutes.
Drop the oven temp down to 350°F and bake for an additional 8 minutes.
3 - Cool & Serve
Now come on - just look out those muffin tops. They are tall and have little slits in them from when the batter exploded as it was rising while baking. Those nooks and crannies gives them some little crispy edges.
Let the muffins cool and set in the muffin pan for 1-2 minutes before trying to remove them carefully from the hot pan.
Release them from the muffin pan and let them cool on a baking rack for 5 minutes.
Hint: Serve warm with jam for a sweet option. Or add a pat of butter & some honey.
The muffins are a bit more dense than the cake-like ones you get in bakeries or grocery stores. That makes them so good for sopping up gravy or some of the yummy potlikker in my recipe for CrockPot Collard Greens.
Substitutions & Variations
- Honey - if you have an allergy, replace it with maple syrup & a dash of vanilla extract.
Do not try a substitute for the buttermilk, trust me. Buy it and whatever is leftover is perfect for making my crispy crunchy Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders.
- Fruit - add a cup of fresh blueberries, diced peaches, or dried cranberries to the batter.
- Spicy - drizzle with hot honey when serving.
Serving & Storing
I suggest serving these with any main dish that has a gravy, sauce, or broth. Try any of these yummy recipes:
These muffins will last up to 3 days. Store in a cool & dry place. They can also be frozen for up to 30 days.
Top Tips
All of these great tips are shared above but these are so important they're worth highlighting so you don't miss them.
- Use only real buttermilk, no substitutions.
- Bake at two different temperatures to get a fluffy muffin top with a tall dome.
- Serve warm as a sweet or savory option at any meal.
More Muffin Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Buttermilk Muffins
Equipment
- 12 capacity muffin pan
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- ½ stick salted butter melted (4 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Also add liners or use nonstick spray on the muffin pan to prep so they don't stick.
- In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients; 2 ½ cups flour, ⅔ cup sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, & ½ teaspoon baking soda. Stir to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the wet ingredients; 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 ¼ cups buttermilk, 2 eggs, & ¼ cup honey. Whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix by hand with a spoon or spatula until combine. Scraped down the sides as needed so there are no dry streaks.
- Fill greased or paper-lined muffin pan with equal amounts of batter. They should each be ¾ of the way full.
- Bake at 425° for 8 minutes. * This high heat will expand those muffins so they get a large dome.
- Reduce the oven to 350° (do not open the oven or remove/rotate the muffins) Continue baking for another 8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 1-2 minutes so they can set. Carefully remove them and place on a baking rack to cool an additional 5 minutes.Serve warm with butter, your favorite jam, a drizzle of honey, or plain - they are amazing any way you enjoy them!
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