Celebrate peach season with Peach Muffins! These muffins are extra juicy and bursting with flavor, and take only 40 minutes to make. Moist, tart, and naturally sweet, I can guarantee this scrumptious seasonal treat will leave you feeling absolutely peachy!
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In this household, peach season is sacred. Throughout the summer, you can find me grabbing this delicious, juicy fruit at every turn, intent on incorporating it into every dish possible — from peach pie to peach avocado salsa. When in doubt, peach it out, right? That’s why today, I’m excited to share a recipe that will make you a-peach-ciate this fuzzy fruit even more: peach muffins!
Extra moist and naturally sweet, these fresh peach muffins capture the true essence of Colorado summers — and trust me, they will be in rotation on your kitchen counter all peach season long. Easy enough to make for a grab-and-go breakfast in the morning and impressive enough to serve to friends and family as a dessert, this peach muffin recipe will have everyone peaching for more.
Plus, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! From adding Greek yogurt and applesauce for moisture to offering alternative options in case you don’t have fresh peaches on hand, I give you all the tips and tricks for this peach-perfect summer treat below.
For more muffin recipes, check out my Rhubarb Muffins, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Zucchini Carrot Muffins, Raspberry Muffins, and Blackberry Muffins.
Why You'll Love Peach Muffins
If you're a fan of summer desserts, like apple pie, peach pie, or even peach cobbler muffins, you won't be able to get enough of these!
- A fresh take on a favorite seasonal fruit: Peach muffins are an unimpeachable tribute to one of the best times of year. Add them to your lineup of peach desserts to squeeze the most out of peach season this year.
- Sweet, but not too sweet: Ripe with a natural sweetness and a subtle acidity, peaches boast a flavorful delicacy that pairs seamlessly with the granulated and brown sugars this recipe calls for.
- Beginner-friendly: No need to be a baking novice to make the most perfect peach muffins! This recipe is approachable, easily modifiable for gluten-free restrictions, and only takes 40 minutes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour: Use all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour for a fluffy, structured muffin. A food scale is preferred for accurate measurements, but if you don’t have one, be sure to level off the top of your measuring cups when scooping into the mixing bowl.
- Peaches: You can’t have a fresh peach muffins recipe without, well… Peaches! For best results, use fresh peaches, finely chopped. You can also make peach muffins with canned peaches (drained) or frozen peaches (defrosted).
- Oils: I love swapping butter for a neutral-flavored oil for a lighter baked good (and to save some calories). Avocado oil is great for its lightness, but you can also opt for canola or grapeseed oil.
- Greek yogurt and applesauce: My tried and true ingredients for moisture and natural flavor, tanginess, and sweetness. Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt, if needed.
- Sugars: You’ll need light brown sugar and granulated sugar for the muffins, and sanding or demerara sugar to add on top. You can also finish them off with a streusel topping — keep scrolling for a recipe!
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs make the muffin batter smoother and give it structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract offers a comforting flavor. Almond extract is a great option here, too.
- Warming Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg bring a cozy warmth and spice.
- Cornstarch: Added to help the muffins cohere and to soak up the excess moisture from the juicy peaches.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt: Baking powder and soda are leavening agents (meaning they help make the muffins rise to an ideal height), and a pinch of salt strengthens and balances the flavors.
How to Make Peach Muffins
For the complete recipe and measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F and move the baking rack to the center of the oven. Line 2 muffin pans with 12 muffin liners, adding the liners to every other cup. Brush the top of the muffin tin around each liner with oil or unsalted butter to help the muffins release more easily from the pan.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, applesauce, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined.
Step 3: In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir in until just combined.
Step 5: Add the chopped peaches to the muffin batter. Gently fold in until just combined.
Step 6: Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, dividing it evenly between them (about ⅓ cup per muffin cup). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
Step 7: Bake the muffins at 425°F for 10 minutes. Rotate the muffins 180 degrees in the oven and decrease the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 10-12 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Step 8: Cool the muffin trays on wire cooling racks for 5-10 minutes or until cool enough to touch. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool directly on the wire rack until at room temperature. Enjoy!
Recipe Pro-Tips for Bakery-Style Peach Muffins
Follow these suggestions to get the best peach muffins.
- Weigh the flour accurately. It’s best to measure the flour by weight on a food scale, but you can also scoop the flour into the cups and level off the top. Avoid scoping the flour directly into the measuring cup – this can increase the flour in the recipe by up to 15%, which will make the muffin mixture too heavy and tough. Not what we want for our peach muffins!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, gently fold in the ingredients to avoid dense muffins.
- Alternate the muffin tins in the baking pan. This allows for good air flow around the muffins.
- Grease the pan around the liners for an easy release.
- Start on high heat. Bake the muffins at 425°F for 10 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 350°F for the remainder. Two-temperature baking helps the muffins rise perfectly, bake all the way through, and avoid over-browning or burning.
Making Peach Streusel Muffins
Swap the sanding sugar topping for a streusel topping that adds a crunchy texture and sweetness.
- Combine dry ingredients. Combine ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and a large pinch of salt in a small bowl.
- Add butter. Add 2 tablespoons of softened butter and work it in with a fork or your fingers until the flour mixture looks like small pebbles.
- Top and bake. Sprinkle the streusel on the peach muffin cups and bake according to the recipe directions.
Recipe Variations
- Peach Berry: Feature two summer fruits instead of just one! Add half the amount of peaches the recipe calls for, and add your berry of choice for the other half. Blueberries are my personal favorite!
- Mini Muffins: Make more muffins, but smaller! This recipe will make 24 mini muffins. Follow the same directions, but bake for half the time.
- Gluten-Gree: Use an all-purpose 1-to-1 gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill is great!) instead of the traditional all-purpose or whole wheat flour the recipe calls for. Let the gluten-free batter rest for 30 minutes before baking.
High Altitude Baking
Don’t let high altitude turn you away from this peach muffin recipe! With a few adjustments, these muffins can be enjoyed no matter your elevation.
- Increase the heat. Boost the temperature and bake at 435°F.
- Add more flour. Use 2 ¼ cups of flour.
- Half the amount of sugar. Decrease the sugar to ¼ cup.
- Decrease leavening agents. Use only ½ teaspoon of baking powder and baking soda.
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating/Storage: The muffins keep covered in an airtight container or tin foil at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool the muffins to room temperature before transferring to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until thawed through.
Save this Recipe for Later on Pinterest
Tools Needed to Make This Recipe
- Food Scale
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Whisk
- Silicone Spatula
- Stainless Steel Mixing Box
- Muffin Pan
- Wire Cooking Rack
More Peach Sweet Treat Recipes
- Peach Bread Pudding
- Peach Coffee Cake
- Peach Dump Cake
- Peach Cast Iron Cobbler
- Peaches and Cream Pie
- Blueberry & Peach Crisp
For my complete collection of recipes, check out my Best Peach Recipe Round-Up!
Recipe Card
Peach Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup avocado oil canola or grapeseed oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt brought to room temperature
- 2 large eggs brought to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ cups chopped peaches fresh, canned (drained), or frozen (defrosted)
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons sanding sugar or demerara sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and move the baking rack to the center of the oven. Line 2 cupcake pans with 12 cupcake liners, adding the liners to every other cup. Brush the top of the cupcake pan around each liner with oil or butter to help the muffins release more easily from the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, applesauce, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir in until just combined.
- Add the chopped peaches to the batter. Gently fold in until just combined.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, dividing it evenly between them (about ⅓ cup per muffin cup). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
- Bake the muffins at 425°F for 10 minutes. Rotate the muffins 180 degrees in the oven and decrease the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 10-12 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
- Cool the muffin trays on wire cooling racks for 5-10 minutes or until cool enough to touch. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool directly on the wire rack until at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerating/Storage: The muffins keep covered in an airtight container or tin foil at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
- Freezing: Cool the muffins to room temperature before transferring to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until thawed through.
- Weigh the flour accurately. It’s best to measure the flour by weight on a food scale, but you can also scoop the flour into the cuts and level off the tops. Avoid scoping the flour directly into the measuring cup – this can increase the flour in the recipe by up 15%, which will make the muffin mixture too heavy and tough. Not what we want for our peach muffins!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, gently fold in the ingredients to avoid heavy, dense muffins.
- Alternate the muffin tins. This allows for good air flow around the muffins.
- Grease the pan around the liners for an easy release.
- Start on high heat. Bake the muffins at 425°F for 10 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 350°F for the remainder. This helps the muffins rise perfectly, bake all the way through, and avoid over-browning or burning.
I had so much fun developing these peach muffins! They're sweet, moist, and full of bright peach flavor. Every time I make a batch, my toddler goes nuts! He'll eat half a batch within a few days!
No mention of cornstarch in recipe card method. It is listed with pictures, etc., above but not in card.
Hi Bev,
The recipe card at the bottom of the post says 2-3 tablespoons cornstarch, but I've updated it to just 2 for more clarity. Hope this works, please let me know how it goes!
All the best,
Chelsea