These Saskatoon Berry Muffins are blissfully easy to make, and a great way to celebrate Saskatoon berry season! Brown sugar, cinnamon, and coconut milk enhance the flavor, also making them naturally dairy-free. Finished with a bright lemon zest and a crunchy sparkling sugar topping for a perfect bakery-style look and taste.
These Saskatoon muffins were inspired by the flavors in my Saskatoon Berry Oatmeal Cookies and also by my daughter's lactose intolerance. I wanted to make her a Saskatoon berry recipe she could really enjoy (with abandon) and not have to worry about taking Lactaid. These muffins are popular during Saskatoon berry season, but great any time of year. They make a great breakfast, snack, or dessert!
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I started working on this recipe last year, but it wasn't quite right, and then I ran out of Saskatoon berries. However, now I have perfected it!
🥘Ingredient Notes
You will need the following ingredients for these Saskatoon berry muffins:
- Brown sugar. Brown sugar gives these muffins a delicious hint of caramel!
- Vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is a great way to add fat without dairy.
- Coconut milk. Coconut milk also adds fat and richness, lending a unique and delicious flavor that pairs well with Saskatoon berries. I use light coconut milk, but you can use regular.
- Saskatoon berries (Juneberries). You can use fresh or frozen Saskatoon berries.
- Sparkling sugar(optional). Sparkling sugar is a coarse-grained, large-crystal sugar often used for decorating baked goods. I use it because it retains its sparkle and crunch when baked, unlike finer sugars that may dissolve or melt. It's also known as "sanding sugar".
*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Saskatoon berries -you can use fresh Saskatoon berries or frozen Saskatoons. *If you use frozen berries, make sure to defrost them and drain off excess liquid before you measure! Learn how to freeze Saskatoon berries HERE! Alternatively, you could use blueberries and turn them into blueberry muffins.
- WW friendly- If you want to make these Saskatoon berry muffins WW friendly, use apple sauce in place of the oil and reduce the sugar to ⅔ cup. You can also use a sugar substitute (monk fruit is 1:1 )
- Lemon zest - alternatively, you could bake the lemon zest right into the muffin. Just add it when you add the Saskatoon berries to the dry ingredients.
🔪 Step-by-Step: How to Make Saskatoon Berry Muffins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and coconut milk.
Add Saskatoon berries to dry ingredients.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; mix just until moistened.
Spoon muffin batter into paper-lined muffin tins
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean and muffins are lightly browned.
Move to a wire rack to cool and sprinkle with lemon zest and sparkling sugar, dividing ingredients evenly between muffins, if desired. *The lemon zest really balances the sweet muffin, and the sparkling sugar makes it look sparkly and inviting!
Expert Recipe Tips
- Don't overmix the batter - Overmixing leads to dense, tough muffins. After adding the wet to the dry ingredients, stir just until the flour disappears. It's okay if the batter looks a bit lumpy.
- Toss berries in flour - Before adding Saskatoon berries to the batter, toss them with 1-2 teaspoons of the dry flour mixture. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom during baking.
- Use room temperature ingredients - Bring your eggs and coconut milk to room temperature before mixing. This ensures a smoother batter and more even rise.
- Rest the batter - Letting the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking can improve muffin domes and hydration, especially helpful with whole berries.
Customize the crumb with texture - For a bakery-style muffin top, consider adding a streusel topping with oats, brown sugar, flour, and a dairy-free fat (like vegan butter or coconut oil). Sprinkle this on before baking for a crunchier top. - Upgrade the coconut milk - If you're open to richer flavor and moisture, you could try full-fat coconut milk instead of light. It adds more body and a subtle richness.
- Zest integration tip - Instead of sprinkling zest on top, rub it into the sugar before mixing. This releases essential oils and distributes flavor more evenly throughout the muffin.
- Check doneness with a thermometer - For perfect doneness, insert a digital thermometer into the center. Muffins are ready when they reach around 200-205°F (93-96°C) inside.
- Cool muffins upside down - To retain moisture and prevent soggy bottoms, turn muffins out of the pan and let them cool upside down on a clean tea towel or wire rack.
- Enhance with extracts - A small splash (½ tsp) of pure vanilla extract or almond extract pairs beautifully with Saskatoons and coconut milk, adding extra depth of flavor.
🌡️Storage
Store Saskatoon muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They freeze well and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This Saskatoon muffin recipe makes 24 muffins. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can substitute an equal amount of regular milk (2% or whole) for the coconut milk if you're not avoiding dairy. Just note that this will slightly change the flavor and texture.
This can happen if the batter is overmixed. Mix only until just combined-lumps are okay. Also, check that your baking powder is fresh and hasn't expired.
This can happen with both Saskatoon berries and blueberries when mixed into wet batter. To minimize this, toss defrosted berries in a bit of flour before adding them to the dry ingredients, and fold them in gently.
Absolutely! For mini muffins, reduce the bake time to 9-11 minutes. For jumbo muffins, increase the bake time to around 20-25 minutes. Always check for doneness with a toothpick.
It's not recommended to store the batter before baking, as the baking powder will lose its effectiveness. For best results, bake immediately after mixing.
These aren't just any Saskatoon muffins; they feature a unique and delicious combination of coconut milk and brown sugar for a rich, moist, and naturally dairy-free treat. They are a great way to incorporate these healthy and delicious berries into your baking!
And if you love Saskatoons and have lots of berries, check out my other Saskatoon berry recipes!
📋More Saskatoon Berry Recipes
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📋 Saskatoon Berry Bliss Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 14 oz -can of coconut milk (I use light) 400 ml
- 1 ⅔ cups Saskatoon berries *also know as Juneberries or Service berries
Topping
- 1.5 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon Sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C.
- Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in bowl.2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, 2 tablespoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Stir in Saskatoons.1 ⅔ cups Saskatoon berries
- In separate bowl, mix eggs, oil and milk.2 eggs, ⅔ cup vegetable oil, 14 oz -can of coconut milk (I use light)
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; mix just until moistened.
- Spoon muffin batter into paper lined muffin cups.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops of the muffins are lightly browned.
Topping (optional)
- Sprinkle lemon zest and sparkling sugar on muffins, dividing evenly between all muffins.1.5 tablespoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoon Sparkling sugar
Notes
-
- Don't overmix the batter - Overmixing leads to dense, tough muffins. After adding the wet to the dry ingredients, stir just until the flour disappears. It's okay if the batter looks a bit lumpy.
-
- Toss berries in flour - Before adding Saskatoon berries to the batter, toss them with 1-2 teaspoons of the dry flour mixture. This helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom during baking.
-
- Use room temperature ingredients - Bring your eggs and coconut milk to room temperature before mixing. This ensures a smoother batter and more even rise.
-
- Rest the batter - Letting the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking can improve muffin domes and hydration, especially helpful with whole berries.
Customize the crumb with texture - For a bakery-style muffin top, consider adding a streusel topping with oats, brown sugar, flour, and a dairy-free fat (like vegan butter or coconut oil). Sprinkle this on before baking for a crunchier top.
- Rest the batter - Letting the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking can improve muffin domes and hydration, especially helpful with whole berries.
-
- Upgrade the coconut milk - If you're open to richer flavor and moisture, you could try full-fat coconut milk instead of light. It adds more body and a subtle richness.
-
- Zest integration tip - Instead of sprinkling zest on top, rub it into the sugar before mixing. This releases essential oils and distributes flavor more evenly throughout the muffin.
-
- Check doneness with a thermometer - For perfect doneness, insert a digital thermometer into the center. Muffins are ready when they reach around 200-205°F (93-96°C) inside.
-
- Cool muffins upside down - To retain moisture and prevent soggy bottoms, turn muffins out of the pan and let them cool upside down on a clean tea towel or wire rack.
-
- Enhance with extracts - A small splash (½ tsp) of pure vanilla extract or almond extract pairs beautifully with Saskatoons and coconut milk, adding extra depth of flavor.
Terri Gilson
These Saskatoon berry muffins have become a summer staple in our house. I love how the brown sugar and cinnamon bring out the berry flavor, and it's perfect that they're dairy-free for my lactose-intolerant daughter. We've been gobbling them up for breakfast and snacks all season!
Trish
Do you really mean 2 tablespoons of baking powder?
Terri Gilson
Hi Trish,
Yes - 2 tbsp.
Terri