Cherry Muffins (One-Bowl)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on May 27, 2026 
These cherry muffins with optional chocolate chips are made in one-bowl with no mixer! Greek yogurt keeps them tender, frozen cherries work year-round, or fresh cherries work beautifully when they’re in season.
Moist Cherry Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Allow me to introduce you to the most perfect (if I do say so myself) cherry muffins. They’re made in one-bowl, with no-mixer, and with Greek yogurt for moisture and the perfect crumb. Truly, Greek yogurt does everything buttermilk or sour cream would do, with the same tender crumb and moisture, but (at least for me) is easier to have in the fridge at all times. Plus they use frozen cherries so you can make them any time of year, not just when cherries are in season, though they are absolutely lovely when fresh cherries are in season.
Here’s how simple the process is: whisk the sugar and eggs until foamy, add the yogurt, oil, vanilla, and almond extract, stir in the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in the cherries and chocolate chips. And that’s it! See, told ya it was easy. The one little trick worth noting here is tossing the cherries in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in, as this small step keeps them suspended in the batter instead of sinking to the bottom.
These little cherry muffin beauties are firmly in our make-ahead breakfast rotation because a batch on Sunday means the whole week is taken care of. Well, except when my teen eats them all in two days, which happens pretty much every time I make them. If you do happen to have any left, you can grab one on the way out the door, pack one in a lunchbox, or eat one warm on Saturday morning with coffee. And if you love baking with fruit like I do, my lemon blueberry loaf uses the same one-bowl method and comes together just as quickly. I also love serving these with my cottage cheese breakfast egg bake for the perfect way to start the day.
Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Bake Cherry Muffins!
Testing Tips for Moist Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins
- I tested fresh vs. frozen cherries and frozen wins on convenience. Just chop them straight from the freezer and fold in immediately so they don’t bleed into the batter. However if you have fresh cherries these muffins are the perfect use for them! Just be sure the pits are all removed before chopping.
- Don’t skip the flour toss on the cherries! I made a batch without it and half the cherries sank straight to the bottom, so I think it’s worth the small extra step.
- I’ve tried both neutral oil and melted butter here and oil produces a slightly more moist muffin that holds up better over several days.
- Don’t overmix once the flour goes in! A few lumps in the batter are completely fine and actually good, overmixed muffins turn dense and tough.
Cherry Muffins (One-Bowl)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (210 g)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup neutral oil (or melted butter) (120 ml)
- ¾ cup plain, 2%, or whole-milk Greek yogurt (180 g)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (240 g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cups fresh or frozen cherries (pitted if fresh), roughly chopped (140 g)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, see notes) (90 g)
- 1 tablespoon flour for tossing cherries (optional; prevents sinking)
- coarse sugar for topping (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until foamy and lighter in color, about 1 minute. Add the oil or melted butter, yogurt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the Dry Ingredients: Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, and baking soda over the wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix. It’s okay if there are a few lumps.
- Add in the Cherries + Chocolate: Roughly chop the cherries (you’re looking for about quarter pieces here, not a tiny dice, but not whole either). If using frozen cherries, do this while they are frozen, do not defrost first.
- Toss the cherries with 1 tablespoon flour to prevent sinking, then gently fold them into the batter along with the chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly distributed, but being careful not to overmix.
- Scoop: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups (try to get even distribution of the cherries and chocolate in each muffin if possible), filling each about ¾ full. You may need to leave a little batter in the bowl to avoid overfilling the muffin cups.
- Bake: Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until puffed and golden, and a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool & Store: Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Fresh or Frozen Cherries: Both fresh or frozen cherries work in this recipe. If using fresh, make sure they are pitted prior to the rough chop. If frozen, keep frozen until the last minute, since the more they defrost, the more cherry juice will bleed into the batter. Either way, a tiny bit of bleed will occur, which just lends a nice marbling to the batter.
- Sweet Cherries: I tested this recipe with sweet cherries, so I can’t speak to how they’ll work with sour cherries.
- Almond Extract: I tested these muffins with both almond and vanilla extract and the combination is what makes these taste bakery-level. The almond extract is subtle but it’s the thing that really brings out the cherry flavor.
