Should You Use Milk, Buttermilk, or Yogurt in Muffins?

Should you use milk, buttermilk or yogurt in muffins? I did the experimenting so that you can enjoy perfect muffins every time you bake.

Want to make the most delicious and healthy muffins ever? Muffins with perfect texture, color and flavor?

Yeah, me too! Let’s be friends and share all of our favorite muffin baking secrets! I’ll go first.

Tip 1: Bake your muffins with freshly milled flour. Keep reading to see why this makes such a big difference!

Tip 2: Use the right kind of dairy in your muffin recipes to achieve your desired results.

Milk, buttermilk and yogurt are all great dairy options to use as part of your wet ingredients, but each one will give you slightly different results. If you know what those differences are, you’ll be on your way to the best muffins ever!

I’ve done hours of research and experimentation in the kitchen to test out each dairy option. (Special thanks to my kids and hubby for being taste testers!) Now, I’m ready to give you a quick explanation about the pros and cons of using either milk, buttermilk or yogurt in homemade muffin recipes. I’ll also share my favorite dairy choice for muffin baking – it’s not what I was expecting!

I Wrote a Cookbook!

Special Announcement: My 100% Whole Wheat Yeast Breads with Freshly Milled Flour Cookbook is now available! It contains my best-of-the-best yeast bread recipes and lots of great information about milling flour and baking with whole grains. Get your copy today or check out all of my Keeper of the Home Cookbooks.

Fresh Milled Flour is Best

I can’t stop/won’t stop proclaiming to everyone that freshly milled flour is the best kept secret in baking. Milling flour from wheat berries is a quick and easy process that you can read about in how to mill your own flour and the health benefits.

In a nutshell, you get the best flavor and the most vitamins, minerals and nutrients from your flours within the first hours and days after they are milled. Quality declines quickly after that.

You have no way of knowing how long a bag of flour has been sitting on your grocery store shelf. That’s why I love milling my own flour for muffins and everything else. You get top quality and flavor every time you bake!

Milk in Muffins

Ok, back to the dairy products. Let’s start with milk.

Pros of Using Milk

• Inexpensive ingredient
• Most people have milk on hand
• Very mild taste, allowing the different flavors of muffin mix-ins, toppings and spreads to really shine

Cons of Using Milk

• Tends to dry out faster and be not as moist as muffins made with other types of dairy
• Browns faster when baking
• Lacks the acidity of yogurt or buttermilk which leads to a more dense texture and less rise when baked in the oven

Buttermilk in Muffins

Pros of Using Buttermilk in Muffins

• Produces a lovely golden brown muffin color with a nice gloss
• Nice muffin rise due to the acidity interacting with the baking soda
• Great moisture, tenderness and crumb texture

Cons of Using Buttermilk in Muffins

• Less common ingredient, many people don’t have buttermilk on hand
• Buttermilk tends to not get used up before it spoils (at least in my house)

Yogurt in Muffins

Finally, let’s talk about using plain yogurt in muffins.

Pros of Using Yogurt in Muffins

• Great rise thanks to the high acidity level of the yogurt
• Produces a nice light color and a lovely muffin shape
• Adds a tang to the muffins that tastes amazing
• Creates wonderfully moist muffins that freeze well and resist drying out
• Fairly common to have on hand

Cons of Using Yogurt in Muffins

• Muffin batter will be more thick than usual and may need to be thinned with some milk or water
• Slightly more dense than muffins made with milk or buttermilk

The Best Dairy to Use in Muffins

My Verdict: Plain yogurt is my favorite dairy to use when baking muffins!

I was a bit surprised by this conclusion. I had expected to prefer using buttermilk, but using yogurt in muffins turned out to be extra delicious. The flavor, texture, moistness and appearance was top notch. I’ll definitely be making my muffins with yogurt from now on!

Non-Dairy Alternatives

My family has no problem with dairy products, and as such, that’s all I’ve tested. Dairy-free alternative like oat milk or unsweetened almond milk are widely available at most grocery stores. If you have experience baking muffins with dairy alternatives, I’d love to hear what you thought of the results!

How to Store Muffins

I love to make a big batch of muffins when I bake. I’ve found that leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days or in the fridge for a few days.

For longer storage, you can wrap your muffins and place them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and keep frozen for up to a few weeks. They thaw wonderfully and make for a great snack or meal.

Bread Making Supplies and Ingredients

If you need baking supplies, checkout the Break Making page. It’s where I share information and links to all my baking favorites. Only the best products make in onto this page!

More Whole Grain Recipes with Freshly Milled Flour

Personally, I now prefer using plain yogurt in my muffins. The flavor, moistness and texture are perfect. And although we’ve been up to our eyeballs in muffins around here, I have thoroughly enjoyed each bite!

Now, do grab your muffin pan and stir up a batch of muffins. While you’re at it, feel free to try some of my other recipes made with freshly milled whole wheat flour.