Tender and flavorful, nectarine muffins are loaded with sweet, juicy bits of fresh fruit, a buttery, cinnamon-spiced streusel topping, and an easy vanilla glaze. They are an especially delicious way to start the day!

The best nectarine muffins
Each summer, I carry home crates of juicy, plump nectarines. A few are reserved for snacking, but most are destined for gooey nectarine cobbler, classic nectarine pie, or this rustic nectarine galette.
Today, a few made their way into these simple, but flavorful nectarine muffins. Decked with a chunky streusel topping and bursting with nectarine flavor, these indulgent little muffins range somewhere between breakfast and dessert. So good!
If you like homemade muffins as much as I do, you’ll love our recipes for pistachio muffins, vanilla muffins, and dried cranberry muffins too. Try them after you’ve cobbled up your batch of nectarine peach muffins!

Ingredients
The ingredient list for these nectarine muffins may seem long, but they’re mostly pantry staples. If you bake regularly, you probably have most of them available. Please scroll down to the recipe card to find the exact measurements.
- Nectarines: These wouldn’t be nectarine muffins without some fresh chopped nectarines mixed in. You don’t have to peel your nectarines, but it’s worth taking the extra step to dice them into small chunks so they incorporate evenly throughout the batter.
- All-purpose flour forms the base of the muffins. For the best tender and soft texture, be sure to measure your flour correctly (use a kitchen scale if possible) and take care not to overmix.
- Baking powder gives just the right amount of lift and creates perfectly domed muffin tops.
- Sugar: A mix of granulated sugar and brown sugar adds sweetness. The brown sugar also brings in some lovely caramel notes. For the glaze, you’ll also need 1/2 cup powdered sugar.
- Salted butter provides lots of flavors. Creaming the butter and sugar also the moist muffin crumb. Let your butter soften on the counter 15 to 30 minutes before you start. You also need a little melted butter for the streusel topping.
- Eggs give the muffins structure and make the texture soft and bouncy.
- Vanilla extract enhances the other flavors.
- Ground cinnamon is a heavenly match with the nectarines and buttery streusel. Feel free to add more warming spices (such as cloves, nutmeg, and ginger) or swap in apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.

How to make nectarine muffins
Making nectarine muffins is as simple as chopping up a bunch of nectarines, mixing the batter and streusel topping, and baking until the muffins are domed and golden. Let’s have a look at each step:
Mix the streusel topping
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl until combined.
- Add butter. Using a fork, stir in the melted butter until thick crumbs form. Set aside.
Make the nectarine muffins
- Cream butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition. Scraped down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Add dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon into the mixing bowl. Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and mix until everything is just combined and you no longer see streaks of flour.
- Fold in nectarines. Gently fold in the nectarines until evenly distributed throughout the batter. Be careful not to overmix, the batter will be quite thick.
- Fill pan. Use a medium cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Top with the streusel mixture, pressing the streusel gently into the batter.
- Bake muffins. Bake the muffins at 425°F / 220 °C / gas mark 7 for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4 and continue baking for another 13 to 17 minutes. The muffins are ready when the tops are golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Remove the oven from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make vanilla glaze
- Mix glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract until smooth in a small mixing bowl.
- Garnish. Drizzle over the muffins and enjoy!

Baker’s tips
If you’re anything like me, you love a good streusel muffin, especially if it’s stuffed with juicy, sweet fruits. I have a couple of tips to ensure yours turn out picture-perfect and delicious:
- Line muffin tin: Don’t skip lining or greasing your muffin pan. This will prevent the nectarine muffins from sticking.
- Thick batter: The batter for these muffins is pretty thick and may feel like it needs more liquid, but the nectarines will release moisture as the muffins bake.
- Fill muffin cups: A medium ice cream scoop is helpful to fill the muffin cups with batter. Fill each muffin cup all the way. It may seem like you’re adding too much batter, but it’ll work out.
- Bake at a high temperature: The trick to perfect high muffin tops is to bake the muffins at a high temperature for the first 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature for the remainder of the baking cycle. The initial high temperature creates steam inside the muffins, lifting the batter and creating a nice dome.

Variations
Homemade nectarine muffins are very adaptable! Feel free to add extra ingredients and customize the flavor. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Peaches: Nectarines and peaches can be sued interchangeably in this easy muffin recipe.
- Berries: Try adding summer berries like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or cherries. You can use fresh, frozen, dried, or canned ones.
- Chocolate chips: Stir n1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter. Any chocolate flavor will taste delicious, I love white chocolate chips in particular.
- Oats: For extra nourishment, stir 1/2 cup rolled oats in the batter when adding the flour.
- Nuts and seeds: Add up to 1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or almonds. Or try 1/4 cup sunflower seeds.
- Dried apricots: Add 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots to make the muffins sweeter.

Storage instructions
How to store nectarine muffins
The muffins will be good out on the counter for up to a day. Because they contain fresh fruit, you want to store them in an airtight container in the fridge after that. They will last for 2 to 3 days.
Freeze nectarine muffins
If you don’t think you’ll be able to eat them within 2 to 3 days, you can freeze them for longer storage. Place the muffins into a large freezer bag or freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat nectarine muffins
To reheat muffins from the fridge or freezer, pop them in the microwave and blast them in 30-second increments until heated through. Refrigerated nectarine muffins take 30 seconds, but frozen muffins need 60 to 90 seconds.

Nectarine Muffin Recipe
Tender and flavorful, nectarine muffins are loaded with sweet, juicy bits of fresh fruit, a buttery, cinnamon-spiced streusel topping, and an easy vanilla glaze. They are an especially delicious way to start the day!
Ingredients
Nectarine Muffins
- 2 cups / 240 g / 8.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup / 1 stick / 115 g / 4 oz salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup / 100 g / 3.5 oz granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup / 100 g / 3.5 oz brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups / 300 g / 10.5 oz nectarines, diced
Streusel Topping
- 2/3 cup / 80 g / 2.8 oz all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup / 50 g / 1.8 oz brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 5 tbsp / 75 g / 2.6 oz melted butter
Vanilla Glaze
- 1/2 cup / 60 g / 2 oz powdered (confectioners’/icing) sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Mix the streusel topping
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl until combined.
- Add butter. Using a fork, stir in the melted butter until thick crumbs form. Set aside.
Make the nectarine muffins
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220 °C/ gas mark 7. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper liners or grease lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2minutes.
- Add eggs and vanilla. With the mixer running on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition. Scraped down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Add dry ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon into the mixing bowl. Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and mix until everything is just combined and you no longer see streaks of flour.
- Fold in nectarines. Gently fold in the nectarines until evenly distributed throughout the batter. Be careful not to overmix, the batter will be quite thick.
- Fill pan. Use a medium cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Top with the streusel mixture, pressing the streusel gently into the batter.
- Bake muffins. Bake the muffins at 425°F / 220 °C / gas mark 7 for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4 and continue baking for another 13 to17 minutes. The muffins are ready when the tops are golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Remove the oven from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make vanilla glaze
- Mix glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract until smooth in a small mixing bowl.
- Garnish. Drizzle over the muffins and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 315Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 177mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g
FAQ
What are nectarines?
Nectarines are a juicy, smooth-fleshed stone fruit. They come in 2 colors, white and yellow nectarines.
Are nectarines the same as peaches?
No, but nectarines are closely related to peaches and come from the same plant family. Unlike fussy-skinned peaches, nectarines have bald skin and slightly firmer flesh.
Peaches and nectarines have either clingstones or freestones, depending on how closely the flesh and pit are connected.
Can I substitute peaches in this nectarine muffin recipe?
Of course! My recipe works beautifully with both peaches and nectarines. One thing to take note of is that white peaches/nectarines are sweeter than their yellow counterparts. If you don’t like your muffins overly sweet, reduce the sugar slightly.

More nectarine bakes
Nectarines can be used in such a wide variety of dishes and desserts. I’ve rounded up a few nectarine recipes that you must check out. They are so good that you’ll want to try them all!
- Homemade Nectarine Pie
- Nectarine Cobbler
- Nectarine Crisp
- Soft Nectarine Cake
- Easy Nectarine Galette
- Almond Nectarine Tart
- Nectarine Compote
- Refreshing Nectarine Smoothie

More muffin recipes
Muffins are so much fun to bake and perfect for stashing in the freezer. They are perfect for breakfast on the go or a quick snack. Here are some of our other favorite recipes I think you’ll enjoy!