Craving a simple, perfectly sweet treat? This easy one-bowl fluffy vanilla bean muffin recipe will deliver! A combination of pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste give a rich vanilla flavor and beautiful vanilla specs. I like to top my muffin with a sprinkle of sanding sugar or demerara sugar before baking for some texture and a nice finish. I highly recommend making a batch of these muffins and enjoying them warm directly out of the oven with a slather of soft butter. Yum!
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If you’re a fan of these vanilla bean muffins, you have to try these Chocolate Espresso Muffins or my Chocolate Chip Muffins! Find all of my muffin recipes here as well as some other recipe inspiration!
Have extra vanilla beans? Make this Vanilla Bean Marshmallows or this Vanilla Coffee Syrup.
What Makes These Muffins So Good
- Soft & Fluffy Muffins: these muffins are light and moist with a tender crumb. This is due to a mix of milk and oil and hand mixing the batter.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The muffins freeze well, so you can make an extra batch and store in the freezer for whenever a craving hits!
- Easy to Make: This recipe is simple, using pantry staples like flour, granulated sugar, and baking powder. made with oil (not butter) these can easily be whipped up by hand.
- Perfect Brunch Addition: add these to your next weekend breakfast or brunch spread, everyone is sure to love them.
Key Ingredients
These muffins use simple ingredients, see below for ingredient substitutes if there are any:
- Vegetable oil: substitute canola oil, soybean oil, or avocado oil. Melted butter could be used in a pinch but may slightly change the texture of the muffins (I have not tested this).
- Granulated white sugar: I do not recommend swapping any other type of sugar for this recipe. Other sugars can impact the batter differently and change how the muffin bakes and rises.
- Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this muffin. Let your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe, this helps the eggs incorporate better.
- Pure vanilla extract: use homemade or store-bought vanilla extract.
- Vanilla bean paste: since these are vanilla muffins, we are using two forms or pure vanilla. The vanilla bean paste gives beautiful flavor and specs of vanilla throughout the muffin.
- Baking powder: make sure your baking powder is fresh and not expired, after a couple months it will start to lose it’s potency.
- Baking soda: make sure your baking soda is fresh and not expired, after a couple months it will start to lose it’s potency.
- All-purpose flour: no substitution here, other types of flour will change the texture and affect baking differently.
- Milk: whole milk, 2% milk, half & half, or a non-dairy milk like almond or oat milk can all work.
- Sanding sugar: I like to top the muffins with sanding sugar or demerara sugar for a fun look and some texture. This is optional.
How to Make The Vanilla Muffins
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Easy One-Bowl Fluffy Vanilla Bean Muffin Recipe (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Combine oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste.
- Add in milk, gently stir.
- Mix in dry ingredients.
- Transfer to a prepared muffin tin. Bake and enjoy.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease or line a standard muffin tin, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk well until combined. Gently mix in the milk.
3. To the wet ingredients, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine until the batter is smooth and lump free.
4. Using a portion scoop or a measuring spoon, fill each muffin cup about 2/3rds of the way full with the muffin batter. If desired, sprinkle sanding sugar over the top of the muffins before baking.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before enjoying!
Tools I Recommend
- Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set – I love this set of nesting bowls. I use them for everything, Pyrex glass does not break easily so you can trust on these bowls for years, plus they come in 3 useful sizes and can be stacked!
- Muffin Tin: I love my USA Pan products and this muffin tin is no exception. It’s easy to clean and the non-stick surface means no more burnt on batter. I have a few of these on hand for cupcakes and muffins.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if using a mini muffin pan, fill each about halfway full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. You will get about double the amount if making them mini.
Yes, you can freeze these muffins in a large airtight container or freezer bag. Simply set out at room temperature or pop one in the microwave when you want one.
I prefer to use oil as it distributes easier than butter. It also yields a lighter, more airy texture. Oil is also better absorbed creating a non-greasy final product.
Yes, ingredients like chocolate chips, a swirl of your favorite jam or jelly, or blueberries can be added. A vanilla glaze can be drizzled over top for extra flavor.
If you made a batch and want to keep them fresh, place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. If storing in the freezer, transfer to a large freezer bag – store for 3-4 months in the freezer. To reheat, pop them in the microwave for 20-30 second or heat a batch in the oven at 200 degrees F until warmed through.
Notes On The Vanilla Flavor
There’s a few different ways to add vanilla flavor to this Easy One-Bowl Fluffy Vanilla Bean Muffin Recipe. My recipe calls for pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste, but see below for the different forms of vanilla and how they impact the muffins:
- Pure vanilla extract: this adds the classic vanilla flavor we are used to. it isn’t as potent as vanilla paste. Highly recommend using pure vanilla or homemade extract.
- Vanilla bean paste: this adds the beautiful vanilla bean specs, it also has a rich, thick consistency that elevates the vanilla flavor.
- Fresh Vanilla bean: you can slice open a vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the batter. This won’t impact the texture but adds a strong flavor of vanilla as well as the specs from the seeds.
- Vanilla powder: this can be found online or in specialty stores. It is stronger than vanilla extract, use half as much. Can be mixed in with the dry ingredients.
- Vanilla sugar: store-bought or homemade vanilla sugar adds an extra touch of flavor but is less potent than extract or paste.
Easy One-Bowl Fluffy Vanilla Bean Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 whole Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 3/4 cup Milk, a non-dairy substitute will work
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsps Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Sanding sugar, for topping if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease or line a standard muffin tin, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste. Whisk well until combined. Gently mix in the milk.1/2 cup Vegetable Oil, 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar, 2 whole Eggs, 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract, 3/4 cup Milk, a non-dairy substitute will work, 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- To the wet ingredients, add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix to combine until the batter is smooth and lump free.2 cups All-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp Baking soda, 1 1/2 tsps Baking powder, 1/2 tsp Salt
- Using a portion scoop or a measuring spoon, fill each muffin cup about 2/3rds of the way full with the muffin batter. If desired, sprinkle sanding sugar over the top of the muffins before baking.Sanding sugar
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before enjoying!
Notes
-
- Pure vanilla extract: this adds the classic vanilla flavor we are used to. it isn’t as potent as vanilla paste. Highly recommend using pure vanilla or homemade extract.
-
- Vanilla bean paste: this adds the beautiful vanilla bean specs, it also has a rich, thick consistency that elevates the vanilla flavor.
-
- Fresh Vanilla bean: you can slice open a vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the batter. This won’t impact the texture but adds a strong flavor of vanilla as well as the specs from the seeds.
-
- Vanilla powder: this can be found online or in specialty stores. It is stronger than vanilla extract, use half as much. Can be mixed in with the dry ingredients.
-
- Vanilla sugar: store-bought or homemade vanilla sugar adds an extra touch of flavor but is less potent than extract or paste.
- Line or heavily grease your pan so the muffins don’t stick and release easily.
- Don’t overmix muffin batter stop once the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
- Fill muffin cups 2/3rds full, any more they can bake over and any less they look a bit empty.
- Cool completely on a wire rack so the bottoms of the muffins don’t get soggy.
Nutrition
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