This vegan blueberry muffin recipe is a family favorite. You won’t believe they’re made without eggs or dairy. They turn out light, fluffy, and packed with berries.

While we’re not a strictly vegan household, we do appreciate a great plant-based baked good. My son is always requesting our vegan pancakes, so trust me when I say this vegan blueberry muffin recipe is a hit with everyone, regardless of diet.

Adapted from our easy blueberry muffins, this recipe relies on two simple, yet smart swaps. A ground flax egg adds a subtle, nutty flavor to the batter, while a 5-minute vegan buttermilk made from plant-based milk and lemon juice reacts with the baking soda, helping the muffins rise.

Key Ingredients

• Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries work here. If you do use frozen berries, keep them in the freezer until you are ready to add them to your batter. Otherwise, they will begin to thaw on the counter, adding a purple tint to your muffin batter.
• Flax Egg: This acts as our egg replacer. You’ll mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water, then let it thicken for 10 to 15 minutes before adding it to the muffin batter. Aquafaba works as a substitute. Tips for using aquafaba are below the recipe.
• Plant-Based Milk: I prefer unsweetened oat milk or soy milk, but feel free to use your favorite. You will make a “vegan buttermilk” in our recipe below by mixing the milk with vinegar or lemon juice.
• Sugar: I love brown sugar or coconut sugar in these muffins, as they add a toasted caramel flavor.
• Oil: We use oil in this vegan batter, which makes the muffins tender, light, and moist. Melted plant-based butter works, too, but the muffins will be a little heavier.
• Vanilla, Salt, and Cinnamon: These add extra flavor and richness to the batter. I love vanilla with the blueberries, and the cinnamon adds a bit of warmth.
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour, but this recipe works with whole wheat flour, spelt flour, and an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend (like Bob’s Red Mill).
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: We call for both leavening agents. The baking soda reacts with the vegan buttermilk, and the baking powder really helps the batter rise tall in the muffin cups. I prefer aluminum-free double-acting baking powder.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Vegan Blueberry Muffins

Tip 1: Use a flax egg or aquafaba. To get the right texture, we like adding an egg replacer to the muffin batter. The easiest is to add a flax egg, which is simply flaxseed meal mixed with water and left to thicken. This is what we have made standard in our recipe below. The other option is to use aquafaba, which actually helps the muffins brown and dome nicely. We’ve offered tips for substituting aquafaba for the flax egg in our recipe below.

Tip 2: Make vegan buttermilk. When you remove dairy and eggs from baking recipes, you will sometimes lose flavor. We make up for that with a vegan buttermilk made with non-dairy milk mixed with vinegar or lemon juice. It takes 5 minutes and makes a big difference. The baking soda in the recipe also reacts well with the acid, helping the muffins rise.

Tip 3: Whisk the dry and wet ingredients separately. You’ll need two bowls to make this batter. In the first bowl, whisk the dry ingredients well to ensure the baking powder and baking soda are evenly distributed throughout the flour. Then, in the second bowl, you’ll whisk the wet ingredients (oil, sugar, vegan buttermilk, and a flax egg or aquafaba).

Tip 4: Stir (or fold) the dry and wet ingredients. To make the batter, grab a flexible spatula and gently stir (or fold) the wet ingredients into the dry. You aren’t beating the two mixtures together. Instead, gently combine them until you no longer see any flour clumps or streaks. Then fold in most of the blueberries, saving some for the tops just before baking.

Tip 5: How to tell the muffins are done. Vegan blueberry muffins take about the same amount of time to bake as other muffin recipes. Expect somewhere from 15 to 20 minutes in the oven. To tell the muffins are ready to come out of the oven, look for these cues:

1. The tops are golden brown and risen.
2. When you lightly press a muffin, it bounces back instead of jiggling or leaving an indent.
3. A toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

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Get ready to fall in love with these easy blueberry hand pies, featuring a jammy blueberry filling wrapped in a perfectly crisp buttery crust. All made simple thanks to store-bought puff pastry!

These hand pies filled with blueberries make me smile whenever we make them! My family loves blueberry pie, and the fact that this recipe turns it into a handheld experience is seriously the best! I keep these super easy with store-bought puff pastry, making them a little lighter and airier than if you swap it for traditional pie crust (which is an option, by the way).

I love fresh blueberries in these pies, but I’ve shared tips for swapping them for frozen blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and strawberries below! For more pie inspired recipes, try our apple pie cupcakes, made with a base of cinnamon roll dough (I know!). Or, for another blueberry recipe, see this easy blueberry crumble!

Key Ingredients

• Store-Bought Puff Pastry: Puff pastry is the secret to these easy individual hand pies. It is made with multiple layers of dough separated by butter. When you bake it, the butter puffs and lifts the layers of dough above it. That’s why puff pastry becomes so flaky. I used Pepperidge Farm in the photos, but use what you have available! You can also substitute it with homemade pie crust (no changes necessary).
• Blueberries: I love fresh blueberries (especially during the summer when they are in season). You can also use frozen berries in our recipe (tips for this are in the recipe). Or substitute for other berries or cherries.
• Sugar: I don’t like the filling to be too sweet, but I add a little sugar to help make that jammy texture. Granulated sugar or coconut sugar is perfect. If you have some, sprinkle coarse sugar over the dough before baking (or use more granulated sugar).
• Cornstarch: This thickens the filling nicely. For fresh fruit, use 2 tablespoons to 2 cups of fruit. If you have frozen, increase by 1/2 tablespoon.
• Lemon Juice, Salt, and Almond Extract: These make our filling taste incredible. I love the almond extract (and also call for it in my homemade blueberry pie), but you can leave it out if you don’t have any on hand.
• Egg Wash: I love these hand pies with a shiny, golden exterior, so I brush a little egg wash with an egg yolk and cream over them before baking.

Easy Blueberry Hand Pies

• PREP
  30 mins
  
• COOK
  20 mins
  
• TOTAL
  50 mins
  

These blueberry hand pies are perfect when you want pie but don’t have the time to make a whole pie! We use store-bought puff pastry dough for these, which makes them extra easy. Before making these, make sure that your puff pastry is thawed according to the package directions. I usually take them out of the freezer and place them into the fridge overnight.

Makes 8

You Will Need

1 (17.3oz) package puff pastry sheets, thawed, 2 sheets puff pastry

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon almond extract, optional

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon cream

Coarse sugar or extra granulated sugar for topping pies

Directions

1Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2Prepare blueberry filling: Combine blueberries, 1/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and the optional 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract in a saucepan over medium heat.

3Cook, stirring often, until the liquid at the bottom comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until it thickens. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature (to speed this up, stir it occasionally and place into the refrigerator).

4Make egg wash: Whisk an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cream in a small bowl. Set aside.

5Prepare pie crusts: When the filling is mostly cooled down. Unfold one of the thawed puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut into four 6-inch squares. Repeat with the remaining pastry sheet. Transfer pastry squares to the baking sheets.

6Assemble hand pies: Divide the filling between the pastry squares, placing it onto one-half of each pastry square. Spoon any liquid accumulated on the bottom of the bowl over blueberries.

7Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, fold the half of pastry without filling over blueberries then use a fork to press edges and seal. Brush the tops with more egg wash and top them with a sprinkle of sugar. Cut two 1-inch slits into the top of each pie.

8Bake pies: Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and the filling is bubbling out of the slits on top. (Don’t worry. Plenty of filling is left inside.) Cool the hand pies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Adam and Joanne’s Tips

• Storing: Once cool, store the hand pies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• Using frozen blueberries: You can use frozen blueberries in this recipe. Add them frozen, but increase the cornstarch by 1/2 tablespoon (so use 2 ½ tablespoons total).
• Using cherries, strawberries, or blackberries: Use 2 cups of fresh blackberries, pitted and halved cherries, or chopped fresh strawberries. You may need to increase the sugar by 1 tablespoon for blackberries unless they are very ripe and sweet.
• The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.

Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 Hand Pie
/
Calories
396
/
Total Fat
24g
/
Saturated Fat
6.2g
/
Cholesterol
24.1mg
/
Sodium
188.5mg
/
Carbohydrate
40.9g
/
Dietary Fiber
1.8g
/
Total Sugars
10.5g
/
Protein
5.1g

AUTHOR:

Joanne Gallagher

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