Peach Streusel Muffins are soft and fluffy muffins that make the most perfect breakfast or snack. Filled with sweet summer peaches and a cinnamon streusel topping, these muffins easily come together mixing by hand! Truly the best homemade muffin recipe!
They are truly a versatile and easy-to-make muffin recipe. It's a twist on my all-time favorite muffin-Blueberry Banana Streusel Muffins.
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Every summer I like to share something made with juicy and sweet peaches. Another favorite summer peach recipe is my Peach Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake and also this gorgeous Vegan Peach Polenta Cake.
These muffins are soft, tender, and bursting with sweet summer peaches and a gorgeous cinnamon streusel topping! If you're a peach lover, these muffins are just for you! Every single bite is bursting with juicy peaches! This is a totally dairy-free recipe (if you're OK with dairy, you can use your favorite dairy ingredients).
Quick Look at This Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Servings: 12 muffins
- Dietary Info: Dairy-free option available; gluten-free option available
- Method: Baked muffins, mixed by hand
- Technique: Batter is made by folding wet ingredients into dry ingredients without over mixing, then baked at a high temperature to create a tall, fluffy muffin top.
- Flavor and Texture: Soft, moist, and fruity inside with a warm cinnamon-brown sugar crunch on top.
These peach streusel muffins are one of my favorite things to bake when summer peaches are at their best. The batter comes together by hand with no mixer, the streusel takes about two minutes to put together, and the whole thing is in the oven in under 20 minutes. They are a twist on my all-time favorite Blueberry Banana Streusel Muffins, but the peach version has become a summer staple in our house.
The muffins are soft and tender with bursts of juicy peach in every bite. The cinnamon streusel topping bakes up golden and slightly crunchy, which is exactly the contrast you want. I always make a double batch at the end of peach season and freeze half so we can enjoy a taste of summer well into fall.
To make the crumb topping in a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon, add melted butter and stir with a fork until crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Ingredient Notes
Here is what you need and a few notes on each ingredient.
Streusel Topping:
- Light brown sugar - Gives the crumble its warm caramel sweetness. Coconut sugar works too and adds a slightly richer flavor.
- All-purpose flour - Gives the streusel structure and helps it clump into crumbles rather than melting flat.
- Salted butter - Melted butter binds the crumble together. For dairy-free, use vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Cinnamon - Just half a teaspoon in the streusel makes a noticeable difference.
Muffins:
- Peaches - Ripe but still firm is the sweet spot. Overripe peaches turn mushy in the batter and can make the muffins gummy. A quick squeeze test helps: the peach should yield slightly but not feel soft. Fresh is best when in season. Frozen (no need to thaw) and well-drained canned peaches both work year-round.
- Lemon juice - A small amount tossed with the peaches brightens their flavor and keeps them from browning while you prep the batter.
- Cinnamon - Goes into the peach mixture as it cooks. It makes the peach filling taste noticeably more complex.
- All-purpose flour - Standard works perfectly. For gluten-free, I use a combination of almond flour, coconut flour, and a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Granulated sugar - Standard white sugar for the batter.
- Salt - Balances the sweetness. Do not skip it even though the amount is small.
- Baking powder - A full tablespoon is needed here for proper lift. Make sure yours is fresh: expired baking powder is the most common reason muffins come out dense and flat. Test it by dropping a teaspoon into hot water; it should bubble immediately.
- Milk - I use unsweetened almond milk to keep these dairy-free. Any milk works: whole, oat, soy, or regular.
- Coconut oil - Keeps the muffins moist without any dairy. Melted butter or margarine are direct swaps.
- Eggs - Two large eggs for structure. Room temperature is not required here since the batter is mixed by hand.
How to make these perfect peach streusel muffins?
First thing is to gather all your ingredients.
Before starting the recipe, I like to cook up the peaches a little bit in a small skillet. It just helps them soften and also the lemon and cinnamon incorporate and make the peaches even more delicious.
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Just be sure to not over stir the batter. A little bit of lumps is ok. If you stir too much you'll get tough muffins.
The last step is folding the lovely peaches into the batter.
When the muffin batter is ready, add the batter to the muffin tin. Be sure to not fill all the way to the top (⅔ full should be fine, I did ¾ full).
The crumb topping is so easy to put together and makes these muffins extra special!
And since they come together easily mixing by hand, it's a great starter recipe for the kids to try out (with your help to get them in and out of oven, safely).
How to get the most tall and fluffy muffins?
Here are a some tips to get that gorgeous fluffy and tall muffin top.
- When you make the batter, let it rest. That's the perfect time to make the streusel topping. The longer it rests, the more time the flour can absorb the wet ingredients, which results in a thicker batter (so a good 10-15 minutes would do the trick!).
- A really important muffin baking tip: Only fill your muffin liners up ¾ of the way full. If you overfill, they will flow over and it will be a big mess.
- Baking at a higher temperature helps the muffins to rise up. For these streusel top muffins I like to start them out in a preheated 425°F oven for 5 minutes. I then lower the heat to 350°F for the rest of the baking time. That beginning high heat is what helps it rise nice and tall. Since it has the streusel topping, it's best to lower it for the rest of the baking time.
Serving Suggestions
These are perfect on their own for breakfast or a morning snack, but they are also lovely alongside a fresh fruit salad or a bowl of yogurt. If you are serving a summer brunch spread, pair them with my Peach Cinnamon Swirl Bundt Cake for a full peach-themed table. They are also wonderful warm with a small pat of butter.
I love making these for weekend guests because they look impressive but take almost no effort. Everyone always asks for the recipe.
Here are some other delicious muffin recipes to enjoy:
- Gluten-Free Cranberry Muffins
- Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins
- Vegan Orange Marmalade Muffins
- Banana Mango Flaxseed Muffins
Peach Streusel Muffins are a delightful summer breakfast! Enjoy! Happy Baking! XX
*Muffin recipe adapted from the best King Arthur's Flour.
Peach Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
- STREUSEL TOPPING
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- MUFFINS
- 1 ¼ cups diced peaches about 3 large, ripe peaches
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup milk I used unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil or 4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the streusel topping with a spoon. Once it starts to combine, use your hands to have the mixture become crumbly and dry; set aside.
- Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray the muffin tins with nonstick baking spray or line with paper muffin cups.
- In a small bowl, mix together the streusel topping; set aside.
- Place the pitted and cubed peaches in a medium size bowl, toss with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and cinnamon. In a small skillet, add the peaches. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the peaches soften a little *(this is an optional step).
- In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; set aside.
- In another bowl, place all the wet ingredients. Whisk together until combined.
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as folding to combine the ingredients; make sure to not over mix. It's fine if there are some small lumps.
- Add the peaches to the batter and fold in until incorporated.
- Fill the prepared tins three-quarters full. Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of each muffin.
- Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes *(the muffins could be ready before 15 minutes, so check on them at around 12 minutes). The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs remaining.
- Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- The peaches should be ripe but not over ripe and mushy. They should be ripe and firm and sweet - not so ripe that they are falling apart on the inside!
- I made my muffins dairy free. I used unsweetened almond milk and margarine for the topping. I used coconut oil for the batter. You could use coconut oil in the streusel topping if you don't have any margarine on hand.
- The streusel could start to brown, if so, you could tent some foil paper very loosely over the muffins.
- Muffins are best enjoyed on the day they are made.
- Store muffins tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Any leftover muffins could be frozen in an airtight container or zipped freezer bag.
Nutrition
FAQ'S
Yes to both. For canned peaches, drain thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel before adding them to the batter. For frozen peaches, no need to thaw first. Fresh peaches give the best texture and flavor when they are in season, but this recipe works well year-round with either substitute.
YES! I make these often with a combo of almond, coconut and a gluten-free 1-1 flour.
Yes! Here are some tips to help you.
Let the muffins cool completely.
Place the muffins in a large zipped lock freezer back or a freezer safe container. Muffins will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy, remove from the freezer and let them come to room temperature (should take about 30-40 minutes).
The most common causes are over mixing the batter (which develops too much gluten), expired baking powder, or an oven that was not fully preheated. Check that your baking powder is fresh and resist the urge to stir the batter until it is smooth. Lumps are fine.
The baked muffins keep well, tightly covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days. They are best on the day they are made but still good the next morning. You can also freeze a full batch and pull them out as needed throughout the week.
These muffins are incredible, and the cinnamon streusel is the perfect addition. So good! I'm looking forward to making these again.
These muffins are perfect for peach season! The streusel really makes them special!
These are perfect for summer! And the streusel topping is amazing.
These muffins are so delicious! Such a yummy recipe.
These were so delicious! The muffins were super moist and the crumble topping was incredible!
I made 3 batches of these peach streusel muffins. We have a friend that gifts us a basket of their peaches, and I made these muffins and peach jam. The streusel topping is crumbly and goes so nicely with the muffins! Love this recipe!
Hi Liz-Thank you for taking the time to let me know you made a few batches of these peach muffins. Lucky you that you have a friend that gifts you their peaches! I'm a little envious! Happy Baking!