Coffee Cake Muffins

Name: Coffee Cake Muffins
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 72 min
Ingredients: 2/3 cup milk; 2 teaspoons white vinegar; 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons multipurpose gluten free flour; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 rounded tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water; 2/3 cup sour cream (, full fat); 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons multipurpose gluten free flour; 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (, packed); 3/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 cup unsalted butter (or vegan baking stick, melted); 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar ((for dusting))

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These Coffee Cake Muffins are soft and fluffy gluten free muffins with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar and a buttery streusel crumb topping! Thanks to the sour cream and homemade buttermilk, the muffins are light and moist! They're so simple to make (no mixer is needed); you'll have 6 jumbo muffins in under an hour and a half! If that wasn't enough, they're gluten free, nut free, eggless and can easily be vegan with a few tweaks!

fresh-baked, gluten-free, coffee cake muffin broken open revealing a sweet cinnamon swirl center.

This Coffee Cake Muffins recipe is the perfect recipe for those of you that love coffee cake! Just like my Sour Cream Coffee Cake, these muffins have a super soft and light crumb thanks to both the sour cream and homemade buttermilk! They then have a cinnamon sugar layer that is made with only 2 ingredients and then the classic crumb top! My daughter loves this recipe so much, she can't wait to have them after school! We love these jumbo muffins for breakfast, lunch, snack or of course as the name states, with coffee!

For more muffin recipes, try my Vanilla Muffins, my Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins, my Lemon Muffins and my Gluten Free Banana Muffins.

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Reasons to Love These Coffee Cake Muffins
Ingredient Notes
Substitutions and Variations
How to Make Crumb Cake Muffins
Expert Baking Tips
Recipe FAQs
More Muffin Recipes You'll Love
📖 Recipe
Coffee Cake Muffins

Reasons to Love These Coffee Cake Muffins

Allergy Friendly- This jumbo muffins recipe is gluten free, nut free, egg free and can easily be dairy free (vegan)!
Light & Fluffy- Don't let the thick batter fool you, the crumb of the muffins is super soft and airy thanks to the sour cream and homemade buttermilk.
Crumb Topping- The crumb topping is made with dark brown sugar and cinnamon and is oh so delicious!
Perfect for Brunch- I love serving these gluten free muffins when my extended family comes over for brunch!

Ingredient Notes

coffee cake muffin ingredients in separate containers: gluten free flour, granulated sugar, butter, water, milk, dark brown sugar, baking powder, white vinegar, cornstarch, sour cream, cinnamon, kosher salt, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar.

Gluten Free Flour- If you also have nut allergies, make sure to use a brand that’s made in a nut free facility. I really love to use this gluten free flour because it’s free of the top 9 allergens. It also contains xanthan gum which really helps give baked goods their bounce and prevents them from falling apart.
Granulated Sugar- I prefer granulated over brown in the batter to keep the muffins very light.
Dark Brown Sugar- It makes the crumbs nice and soft due to the added moisture. Feel free to use light brown sugar as well, I just like the contrast that the dark brown creates.
Sour Cream- This ingredient is key! It really helps to make the crumb of the muffins super light! For vegan, use a dairy-free sour cream.
Vanilla- Like in my Vanilla Muffins, make sure to only use pure vanilla extract otherwise the muffins can have a chemical flavor.
Vegetable Oil- This is a vanilla muffin recipe with oil instead of butter/vegan baking stick to help it stay moist.
Cornstarch and Water- These are eggless muffins so this mixture helps bind everything together.
Milk- If there are no dairy allergies or if you’re not vegan, you can use regular whole milk. For non-dairy, use a dairy-free milk of your choosing.
White Vinegar- Mixed with the milk to create a buttermilk! In addition to the sour cream, the buttermilk helps to keep the cake soft and light.
Pure Vanilla Extract- Make sure you only use pure extract. A vanilla extract that isn't pure will give each vanilla muffin a chemical taste.
Cinnamon- Helps give this cake its classic coffee cake flavor.

See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Substitutions and Variations

How to Make these into Vegan Muffins

Use a gluten free flour that’s free from dairy.
Make sure the brand of sugar you use is vegan.
Use vegan baking sticks instead of butter.
Only use a non-dairy milk of choice.

Make this Recipe with All Purpose Flour

Use 1 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons packed cups of AP flour (294 grams plus 2 tablespoons).
Only use ⅓ cup of milk with 1 teaspoon white vinegar.
Use ⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons (not tablespoons) vegetable oil.

For Regular Size Muffins

Bake at the same temperature for 24 minutes or until the tops are golden, risen and springy when carefully touched.
Makes 12 regular size muffins.

This recipe has not been tested with some of these substitutions and/or variations due to celiac disease and food allergies. If you change any of the ingredients, please let us know how the recipe turned out in the comments below!

a soft, coffee cake muffin with confectioners' sugar dusting on top of the buttery crumb.

How to Make Crumb Cake Muffins

Here are the step by step instructions to make this crumb cake muffins recipe!

White, clumpy, homemade buttermilk in a measuring cup.

Step 1: Make The Homemade Buttermilk

Measure out the milk and stir in the white vinegar. Let sit for 5-10 min then stir again. The milk will appear chunky; that’s normal.

Step 2: Whisk Together the Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

milky white cornstarch water with a spoon.

Step 3: Make the Cornstarch Water

In a medium bowl, using a spoon, mix together the cornstarch and water until thin and watery. It will be thick and tacky at first.

Step 4: Add the Other Liquid Ingredients

Into the cornstarch water and the buttermilk, sour cream, vegetable oil and vanilla; whisk to combine.

It takes a few minutes until fully emulsified and combined. It will be white and frothy once combined.

mixing the wet and dry ingredients into a muffin batter.

Step 5: Combine the Ingredients

Using a spatula, slowly mix the liquid ingredients into the dry until just combined.

The batter will be super thick and almost dough-like.

brown cinnamon and sugar mixed in a bowl.

Step 6: Make the Cinnamon Sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and the cinnamon until combined.

muffin batter with a smoothed top in a tin.

Step 7: Scoop the Batter

Using an ice cream scoop or a large cookie scoop, fill the muffin tins ½ way. Smooth the batter.

Sprinkle on some of cinnamon sugar to just cover the center batter and the add more batter to fill the cups ¾ of the way to top.

Smooth the batter with the back of the spoon, small knife or clean hands.

buttery crumble topping mixed in a bowl.

Step 8: Make the Crumbs

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, the light brown sugar and cinnamon.

Microwave the butter in 11 second increments until halfway melted. Whisk until fully melted; the residual heat will melt the rest.

Pour the dry ingredients into melted butter and stir with a spatula until crumbs form.

adding the crumbs to the tops of the muffins.

Step 9: Sprinkle On the Crumbs

Sprinkle the crumbs all over the top of the batter. Gently use clean hands to press the crumbs into the batter so they stick.

dusting the coffee cake muffins with confectioners' sugar.

Step 10: Bake and Cool

Bake in the center rack of the 375 degree oven for 32 minutes until the muffins are risen and springy when carefully touched.

When the muffins are out of the oven, let them cool in the pan for about 20 minutes. Lastly, carefully remove them from the pan using a small spatula and let cool on a wire cooling rack.

Dust with confectioners' sugar once cool.

Expert Baking Tips

Use Packed Cups of Flour- Normally in baking we do not use packed cups however, when working with gluten free, I've found using packed cups works best to help the baked goods keep their shape. Or read the gram measurement.
Use Room Temperature Butter in the Batter- Do not use softened or melted butter/vegan baking sticks in the batter. We want to cream the butter with the sugar and it will not work if it is melted or softened.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients- Make sure to use ingredients that are all room temperature or the batter might split if the sour cream and milk are too cold.
Sprinkle the Cinnamon Sugar- When sprinkling the sugar, try to stay away from the edges of the batter. If you get the sugar too close to the edges, it will ooze out the sides of the muffins while baking, causing the sugar to caramelize and turn rock hard on the edges of the muffins.
Smooth the Batter- Once the cinnamon sugar layer is added, it is difficult to add the second layer of batter but just go slowly and do the best you can to smooth it over the top. Sometimes using the back of a spoon or clean hands is easier than a butter knife or icing spatula. If the batter keeps getting super stuck to your hands, rinse them under water, shake the water off and then continue spreading out the batter.
Use Paper Muffin Liners or Grease the Pan- If you don't have any paper liners, grease each muffin tin with vegetable oil prior to adding the batter. Grease the entire pan, yes even the top; these muffins rise up nice and high and spill out of the cups.
Cool the Muffins- Make sure the muffins have cooled at least 20 min prior to removing them from the muffin pan. If you do not wait, the muffins will break apart into a giant mess and the crumbs will all fall off when trying to remove them.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make these muffins the day before?

Most gluten free baked goods are best made the same day, but you can make the muffins the night before if needed. Please note they are best the first day.

Why are the outsides of my muffins crunchy?

When you just bake the muffins they will have a crisp exterior and soft interior.

After you store them in an airtight container or in the foil at room temperature overnight, they will be soft on the outside as well.

Do I need to use sour cream in this recipe?

No. If omitting it, use 1 ⅓ cups of milk with 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar total in the recipe.

How do I store these Coffee Cake Muffins?

Once the muffins have cooled, store in an airtight container or individually wrap each muffin in aluminum foil. Try to create a teepee with the top of the foil so it isn't touching the top of the muffin as much.

If wrapped in foil, store them in a zip top bag on the counter at room temperature for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 30 days.

To defrost, take out of the freezer and leave at room temperature until soft; about 1-2 hours.

If desired, warm each unwrapped muffin in the microwave for 5-10 seconds at a time until you reach the desired temperature, prior to eating. Be careful not to burn your mouth.