Cherry Muffins: Fluffy, tender Cherry Muffins bursting with juicy cherries in an easy recipe that works with any fresh/frozen cherries. If you love sour cherries, these make excellent Sour Cherry Muffins!
Here’s What You Need for Cherry Muffins
You’ll need a couple of baking staples for this recipe:
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level your flour to avoid packing too much into the cup, which can lead to dense muffins.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- Melted butter: Adds rich flavor. Let it cool slightly before mixing with eggs to avoid curdling.
- Sour cream: Gives the muffins a tender crumb and a subtle tang that pairs beautifully with the cherries and lemon.
- Milk: Whole milk is ideal for richness, but low-fat works too.
- Eggs
- Lemon zest: Be sure to zest only the yellow part of the peel to avoid bitterness.
- Lemon juice: Adds fresh tartness and reacts with the baking soda for extra lift. Freshly squeezed juice gives the best flavor.
- Fresh Cherries: Use fresh sweet cherries or sour cherries. You can use regular cherries or sour cherries (I love these as sour cherry muffins, but sour cherry season is short!).
Ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the article
Substitutions and Variations
You can switch out a few of the ingredients if you need to.
Sour cream: You can substitute plain yogurt for sour cream for a similar tang and texture. I make my rhubarb muffins healthy with yogurt.
Milk: Any dairy or non-dairy milk will do—just make sure it’s unsweetened. Almond, oat, or soy milk is a great alternative.
Butter: A neutral oil like canola can replace butter, though the flavor will be slightly different.
Add-ins: Fold in white chocolate chips, chopped nuts (like almonds or pistachios), or a sprinkle of shredded coconut for added texture and flavor. A cinnamon-sugar topping or crumble can turn these into bakery-style muffins.
Make it gluten free: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend—check your mix to ensure it works 1:1 for regular flour.
You’ll also love my blueberry muffins with sour cream, apricot muffins, blueberry bran muffins and raspberry rhubarb muffins recipes.
Tools to Grab
To make these Cherry Muffins, you’ll need a couple of mixing bowls (one for dry and one for wet ingredients), a whisk, a spatula for folding, and a standard 12-cup muffin tin (you’ll need two or bake in batches).
Paper liners are helpful for easy cleanup, or you can grease the tins with butter or non-stick spray. A scoop or spoon makes portioning the batter quick and even.
How to Make Cherry Muffins: An Easy Guide
Here’s how to whip up this easy, no-machine muffin recipe:
Prepare the Oven and Muffin Tins
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners or lightly grease each cup with butter or non-stick spray.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
Combine the Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sour cream, milk, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth.
Bring the Batter Together
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently stir until just combined—be careful not to overmix. Fold in the cherries.
Fill and Bake
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when gently pressed.
3 Common Mistakes When Making Cherry Muffins
As a food scientist and lover of homemade baked muffins, here are my what-not-to-dos:
- Overmixing the batter: Stirring too much once the wet and dry ingredients are combined can lead to dense, tough muffins. Mix just until everything is incorporated and no dry streaks remain.
- Filling muffin cups too high or low: Overfilling can cause the batter to overflow, while underfilling can result in flat, squat muffins. Aim to fill each cup about ¾ full for a nice domed top.
- Baking at the wrong temperature: An oven that’s too hot can brown the tops before the centers are cooked, while too cool an oven can dry out the muffins. Always preheat your oven and use an oven thermometer if needed for accuracy.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing
- Once cooled, store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- DO NOT refrigerate them. Muffins (and other baking) get hard and dry at fridge temperatures.
Freezing
- Cherry Muffins freeze beautifully! Let them cool completely, then wrap each muffin in plastic wrap or foil and place in a freezer-safe bag or container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm slightly before serving.
Reheating
- To reheat, warm individual muffins in the microwave for about 15–20 seconds or in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 8–10 minutes until just heated through.
This brings back that just-baked texture and fresh flavor.
FAQs About Cherry Muffins
Just whizzing through? Here are my top queries about these Cherry Muffins:
Do I need to thaw frozen cherries first, if using them?
Nope! Add them straight from the freezer. Thawing can release extra moisture, which may affect the texture of the muffins.
Why are my muffins dense or rubbery?
Overmixing the batter is the most common culprit. Stir just until the ingredients in the mixture have just combined—lumps are totally fine!
How do I get my muffins to rise tall with domed tops?
Make sure your oven is fully preheated and don’t open the door during the first 10 minutes of baking. Resting the batter before baking can also help with rise.
Can I make mini muffins instead?
Absolutely! Just reduce the baking time to around 10–13 minutes and keep an eye on them—they bake quickly.
Other Cherry Recipe Favorites
Fluffy Cherry Muffins (Delicious as Sour Cherry Muffins, too!)
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1¼ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 4 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 cup pitted cherries sweet or sour cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners, or grease them with butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, sour cream, milk, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in cherries.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and tops spring back when lightly pressed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good muffins. Soft and fluffy.
Great flavour but too much batter for 24 muffins. Probably closer to 30 muffins. Baking would then be more like the 18-22 minutes mentioned.