Cardamom and Tea

I’ve been doing a lot more dairy-free baking lately, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that you must embrace the egg. When you don’t have the magic of buttermilk, sour cream, and cream cheese, you need something to help your baked goods hang onto moisture. If you’re vegan, that’s a different story. But if you’re just dairy-free, eggs lend a bit of custardy texture to any batter or dough. In these dairy-free blueberry muffins, I’ve added an extra egg where I would normally add a scoop of sour cream.

Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on to learn 1) whether this specific recipe is for you and 2) what changes you can make to the ingredients.

Are these the dairy-free blueberry muffins for you?

I mean, there are so many different kinds of blueberry muffins. This recipe is my favorite, but it might not be specifically what you’re looking for. So here is a breakdown of its specs:

Texture: These muffins are fluffy and tender with a moist and slightly custardy texture, similar to what you’d expect of a cake baked with sour cream or buttermilk. We use the muffin mixing method here, so they are not technically cupcakes (cupcakes are made with the creaming method). But at the same time, their texture is a bit more cake-like than what I’d refer to as a “bakery-style muffin” or “coffee shop muffin.” Coffee shop muffins tend to have a very crunchy top with a breadier-textured, almost scone-like interior. If that breadier, crunchier muffin is what you’re looking for, I recommend finding another recipe.

Flavor: Because of that extra egg, these have a wonderfully custardy flavor. If you’re a fan of French toast, egg tarts, and soufflé pancakes, you’ll love them.

Simplicity: The recipe is the simplest possible way to make a dairy-free blueberry blueberry muffin in one bowl. You don’t need a stand mixer or any equipment more specialized than a muffin tin.

Ingredient breakdown

This recipe is somewhat adaptable—here’s how to work with what you have:

Soy milk

Of all dairy-free milks, soy has always yielded the best baking results in my kitchen. It has a composition similar to cow’s milk (a decent amount of protein, a little sugar, and a little fat). Almond milk will work in this recipe in a pinch, but it’s lower in protein and higher in fat than cow’s milk, which means it bakes up a bit differently. I do not recommend using oat milk here.

Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. If you’re using frozen, do not thaw them ahead of time or they will mush and streak as you fold them into the dough; this causes aesthetic issues, but more importantly can affect the integrity of the batter’s structure.

Have a few extra berries on hand so that after distributing the batter, you can top any sad looking proto-muffins with a few extra berries before baking. This is the secret to ensuring that all your blueberry muffins actually look like blueberry muffins.

A quick note about how to prevent blueberries from turning the batter green: This happens when your batter is too basic/not acidic enough. You can solve this by finding a recipe that does not include baking soda, which is a very basic ingredient. While baking powder contains both an acid and a base, and is theoretically neutral, it’s actually often slightly basic, so it’s important not to add too much baking powder either. This recipe has you covered on both counts.

Oil

While butter tastes wonderful, oil yields a much better texture in most quick breads and muffins. And yay, it’s dairy-free! I developed this recipe with canola oil, but you can use any oil that is a liquid at room temperature. I don’t recommend using coconut oil (for both flavor and texture reasons). Olive oil works really well here, as long as you like its flavor. If you’re unsure, you can always try it with an olive oil whose flavor is labeled “light”.

Eggs

Juuuust kidding—the eggs are not optional in any way, and are a foundational part of this recipe. If you can’t eat eggs, this is not the one for you. I do not recommend using flax eggs or any other substitutes, and instead recommend finding a really good vegan blueberry muffin recipe, like these, which I haven’t yet tried but which look excellent.

Dairy-Free Blueberry Muffins

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Yield: 12 muffins

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425°F [220°C]. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.***
Combine the oil, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir together until the sugar begins to dissolve and you no longer see flecks of egg white or yolk. It should be very homogenous.
Place a fine mesh sieve over the wet ingredients (careful that it does not touch them). Measure your flour and baking powder right into the sieve. Sift directly into the wet ingredients.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stopping when there are still visible streaks of flour. Add the blueberries and switch to a spatula. Fold together until the blueberries are evenly distributed and there are no longer visible pockets of flour. Do not overmix.
Spoon the batter evenly into the 12 lined muffin tin wells. If using, sprinkle with a few additional blueberries and a little coarse sugar.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F [220°C], then lower the temperature to 350°F [180°C] and bake for another 10 minutes (20 minutes total). They are done once you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.

Notes

* For this recipe, use any oil that is a liquid while at room temperature. I used canola to develop it, but it also works great with olive oil (either light or extra virgin if you enjoy the flavor in baked goods—I love baking with extra virgin olive oil, but it’s a personal preference). Remember that whatever oil you use, its flavor will come through, so use a neutral one or one whose flavor you want.

** I highly recommend using soy milk for this recipe, but if you’re allergic to soy, almond milk will also work in a pinch. Of all dairy-free milks, soy milk has a composition most similar to cow’s milk, so it yields good results in baking.

*** If you don’t have cupcake liners, you can easily make them out of parchment paper. I don’t recommend simply greasing the muffin tins here—this batter tends to stick. Liners are advised!

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This coconut rice pudding is dairy-free and easily made vegan, since the egg is totally optional. You don’t actually need an egg for a rich and creamy rice pudding, but it sure does bring it to the next level.

Jump to the recipe to hit the ground running, or read on for a breakdown of its ingredients. I’ll explain what’s essential, what’s optional, and what each ingredient is contributing to the overall recipe.

coconut rice pudding simmering on the stove

Essential coconut rice pudding ingredients:

Coconut milk

For this recipe, I recommend using the kind of coconut milk that you find in a carton, not a can. The kind in a can is too heavy for such a long simmer. You can get away with using canned coconut milk + a decent amount of water, but that tends to be much less flavorful than using a carton of coconut milk instead.

Stick to the kind of coconut milk you might pour over your breakfast cereal, and you should be all set.

Sugar

Since I usually add mango on top, I don’t love adding a lot of sugar to the rice pudding itself. I usually add a bit less than what this recipe calls for, but I find that the amount of sugar in this recipe tends to be a crowd-pleaser.

Whether you’re like me or you’ve got a sweet tooth, it’s always a good idea to add the sugar to taste, adding some, stirring to dissolve, tasting, and adjusting as needed.

Coconut flakes

I mean, they’re just a topping. These have very little to do with the structure of the pudding. If you don’t include them, it’s not like your coconut rice pudding will turn out wonky or anything. But whatever you do, do not skip the toasted coconut flakes. You just can’t get that toasted flavor anywhere else, and they really make the dish.

You can toast your coconut flakes however you like, in either the oven or microwave. Either way, the key is to keep a very close eye on them. They will go from white to burnt at the drop of a hat. Either finely shredded desiccated coconut or big, chunky coconut flakes will work here. Use whatever you love the texture of, and make sure you toast them.

My favorite way to toast coconut flakes is in the microwave using this method. That’s how I toasted the desiccated coconut in the photos and video in this post.

coconut rice pudding with mango and coconut flakes

Optional ingredients:

The (optional) egg

It’s not necessary to add an egg to this recipe to ensure that it thickens. As long as you let your rice simmer for long enough, it will thicken even without the egg.

The egg does have a bit of thickening power, but much more than that, it gives the pudding a super rich and creamy texture. Feel free to simply leave it out if you prefer a lighter consistency or want to keep it vegan.

The (optional) mango

If you’ve ever had Thai sticky rice with mango, I don’t have to tell you: There is no better combination than rice, mango, and coconut. But the mango in this recipe is as optional as the egg (that is, entirely!).

However, if you are reducing the amount of granulated sugar in this recipe, I do recommend adding the mango, because it contributes a ton of sweetness.

Coconut Rice Pudding (dairy-free/vegan)

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Yield: 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 small servings