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image of red velvet muffins that have been swirled with cream cheese filling and topped with white chocolate chips and crunch sanding sugar
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5 from 3 ratings

Red Velvet Muffins

These red velvet muffins are rippled with a delicious cream cheese filling and are the perfect excuse to eat something sweet for breakfast.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time28 minutes
Additional Time10 minutes
Total Time48 minutes
Course: Muffins
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 muffins
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Red Velvet Muffins

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder 12g
  • 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 8g
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature 80g
  • 1/3 cup plain, full-fat yogurt, room temperature 80g
  • 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil 170g
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature 112g
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
  • 1 tsp red gel food coloring

Cream Cheese Ripple

  • 1 cup (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature 226g
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g

Additional Toppings

Instructions

Red Velvet Muffins

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C and line muffin pans with 14 paper liners. Set aside.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup yogurt, 3/4 cup oil, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a squirt of red gel food coloring until combined.
  • Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula and mix until just until combined. Mix just until you can no longer see streaks of flour.
  • Next, make the cream cheese ripple! In a medium-sized bowl, cream together 1 cup cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar on a medium-high speed for a minute. Mix until the ingredients are combined and mixture looks fluffy.
  • Divide the muffin batter evenly between the 14 muffin cups.
  • Scoop the cream cheese mixture on top of the red velvet muffin batter and swirl it on top of each muffin with a small knife or small offset spatula. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sanding sugar on top of each muffin. While you may be tempted to tops these with white chocolate chips before you bake them, don't do it! They will brown/burn as the muffins bake (trust me, I learned the hard way).
  • Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F / 220°C to give the muffins a nice rise and a perfectly domed top, then (keeping the muffins in the oven and the oven door closed) reduce the oven temperature to 350°F / 175°C. Continue to bake for an additional 23-26 minutes.
  • If desired, press white chocolate chips into the muffins when they've just come out of the oven and are still warm. Let the muffins sit in the pan for 10 minutes to cool, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Once cooled, remove the muffins from the muffin tin. Serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Video

Notes

Tips for Making the Best Red Velvet Muffins:

  • Do not over-mix your batter! Mix until the flour has just been incorporated. There should still be some small chunks in the batter, and it shouldn't be all the way smooth.
  • Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
  • Use red gel food coloring to give you muffins a gorgeous red color.
  • Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your muffin liners.
  • Sprinkle additional granulated sugar or coarse sanding sugar on top of your muffins to give them a perfectly crunchy muffin top.
  • Follow the baking instructions to a T!! Baking the muffins at a higher temperature at the start of the process gives them that perfect domed muffin top.
  • To make gluten free red velvet muffins, swap in your favorite gluten free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for. Be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.

Making These Red Velvet Muffins in Advance:

These muffins can last at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze these muffins for up to a month. Let them to thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature or warm them up in the microwave.

Doubling This Recipe:

To make 2 dozen red velvet muffins, double the ingredients and fill 28 muffin liners. Bake as instructed above.

Making Mini Red Velvet Muffins:

One batch of batter can be used to make about 24 mini red velvet muffins.
Fill a lined mini muffin pan with batter and bake at 375°F / 190°C for 9-12 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g