Soft, bakery-style red velvet muffins with a light cocoa flavor and a rich cream cheese swirl in every bite. These muffins are moist, lightly chocolatey, and easy to make with simple ingredients, making them perfect for Valentine’s Day breakfast, brunch, or a sweet treat.
These Red Velvet Muffins have all the flavors of a classic red velvet cake but in a convenient muffin form.
They are the perfect little treat for Valentine's Day breakfast, brunch, or basically any holiday. They come together in one bowl without a mixer and are soft, moist, and bakery-style, with a light cocoa flavor and a creamy cream cheese swirl in every bite.
If you ‘re a red velvet lover like me you will love my red velvet brownies and red velvet loaf cake with cream cheese frosting.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Bakery-Style Tops: We use a high-temperature “burst” method to get those tall, domed muffin tops.
- The Perfect Swirl: No messy frosting required, the cream cheese is baked inside for a beautiful, portable treat.
- That Authentic Flavor: These aren’t just vanilla muffins with red dye; we use the traditional combination of buttermilk, vinegar, and cocoa for that true red velvet tang.
- One-Bowl Base: The muffin batter comes together in one bowl with just a whisk.
Ingredient Notes
For the Red Velvet Muffins
- All-purpose flour: Spoon and level for best results.
- Cocoa powder: Use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder for classic red velvet flavor.
- Granulated sugar: Keeps the muffins light and tender.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Gives the muffins a tall, fluffy rise.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and helps activate the baking soda.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the muffins extra moist.
- Melted Butter: A combination of both butter and oil gives these muffins the most tender texture. You can use either one on its own, but using both adds rich flavor from the butter and extra moisture from the oil.
- Melted Butter: A combination of both butter and oil gives these most tender texrute. You can use eothe or
- Egg: Use room temperature for even mixing.
- Red food coloring: I highly recommend Red Gel Coloring over liquid. You'll get a much more vibrant color with just a few drops, whereas liquid coloring can throw off the moisture balance of the batter.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances overall flavor.
- White vinegar: A teaspoon of white distilled vinegar is the “secret” to brightening the red color and ensuring a soft rise.
For the Cream Cheese Swirl
- Cream cheese:For the swirl, use the block-style cream cheese. Whipped or tub versions are too airy and will disappear into the muffin while baking.
- Powdered sugar: Lightly sweetens and thickens the cream cheese. You can substitute with granulated white sugar as well.
- Vanilla extract: Balances the tanginess.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make it Naturally Red: If you prefer to avoid food coloring, you can substitute the buttermilk with beet juice or use beetroot powder, though the color will be a more earthy “maroon” than bright red.
- Buttermilk Substitute: An equal amount of plain kefir, Greek yogurt, plain yogurt or sour cream can be used instead of buttermilk. You can also make a homemade buttermilk substitute by combining ½ cup of milk with 1 tablespoons of white vinegar and letting it curdle.
- Chocolate Chip Red Velvet: Fold in ½ cup of mini chocolate chips for an extra chocolate kick.
- Crumb topping: Instead of using cream cheese swirl you can make a crumb topping and sprinkle it on top of the muffins before baking.
- Gluten-Free: This recipe works excellently with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Small Batch: You can easily half this recipe to make exactly 6 red velvet muffins.
Step By Step Instructions
Here is how to make the red velvet muffins. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners or for taller muffins, use two muffin pans and only fill every other muffin cup.
Prepare the Cream Cheese Swirl: In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until completely smooth. Set aside.
In another bowl whisk sugar, oil, melted butter, eggs and vanilla.
Mix in the buttermilk, red food dye and vinegar.
Add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Mix dry ingredients into the wet. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Optionally, let the batter rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
Fill and Swirl: Divide the batter among 12 lined muffin cups. Drop 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto each muffin. Use a toothpick to swirl.
Bake at 425F (218C) for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and bake for another 13-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool: Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Optionally, Sprinkle additional granulated sugar or coarse/sanding sugar on top of your muffins to give them a perfectly crunchy muffin top.
Tips & Tricks
- Room Temperature Cream Cheese: If your cream cheese is cold, the swirl will be lumpy. Microwave it for 15 seconds if you’re in a rush!
- The “Toothpick” Swirl: To get that marble look, drop a dollop of cream cheese on top of the batter, then use a toothpick or skewer to draw a “figure-8.” Don’t over-swirl, or it will just blend in.
- The High-Heat Trick: Start your oven at 425F for the first 5 minutes, then drop it to 350F for the remainder. This initial blast of heat creates that professional muffin dome.
- Don’t Overmix: As soon as the flour is incorporated, stop! Overmixing makes “tough” instead of light and fluffy muffins.
- Rest the muffin batter for about 30 -60 minutes: This is a little trick to get those beautiful bakery style muffins. Allowing some time for resting allows the batter to hydrate, thicken and rise, making these the best red velvet muffins.
- Only bake 6 muffins at a time. The hot air that is able to circulate between the muffins when the pan is not full allows them to bake more evenly. This is not required, just another tip if you want super tall muffins.
FAQ's
Yes. You can use semi sweet or white chocolate chips and turn these into red velvet chocolate chip muffins.
Yes! Bake them at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Just use a small teaspoon for the cream cheese dollops.
Red velvet has a mild cocoa flavor, not as rich as chocolate muffins, making it perfectly balanced and not overly sweet.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: Because of the cream cheese, these red velvet muffins should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: These freeze beautifully! Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter for an hour before eating.
More Muffin Recipes You Will Love
Recipe
Easy Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Swirl
Equipment
- 12-cup Muffin Tin
Ingredients
For the Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 4 oz (113g) cream cheese softened (block style)
- ¼ cup (50g) powdered sugar or granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Red Velvet Muffins:
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (175ml) buttermilk room temperature
- ¼ cup (60ml) neutral oil
- ¼ cup (60ml) melted butter
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon red gel food coloring
Instructions
- Make the Swirl: In a small mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, oil, melted butter, egg, vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring until well combined.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold them together until just combined. Do not overmix!
- Optionally, cover and let the muffin batter rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners or for taller muffins, use two muffin pans and only fill every other muffin cup.
- Fill and Swirl: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups (they should be full almost all the way to the top). Drop about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto the center of each muffin. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the cream cheese into the red batter in a "figure-8" motion.
- Bake: Bake at 425°F for exactly 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350°F (177°C) and bake for another 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Room Temp Matters: Ensure your buttermilk and egg are at room temperature to prevent the batter from curdling and to ensure a fluffy rise.
- Gel vs. Liquid: Use gel food coloring for the most vibrant red. Liquid coloring can water down the batter.
- Storage: Because of the cream cheese, store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- For extra height, rest the filled muffin pan for 30 minutes before baking.
Leave a Reply