Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

 
In mid-June, I dropped my mom off at the airport one Monday for her evening flight back home. After our jam-packed weekend, I completely lacked the energy to cook, so I stopped by Panera on my way back to grab a healthy salad.  

Upon ordering, I sat down on a cushioned bench in their lobby to wait for my takeout meal. While the restaurant staff tossed together my fresh vegetables and lettuce, I scribbled down a quick shopping list, planning to stop by the grocery store across the street before driving home.

With just a few minutes before my stomach started growling as loudly as an airplane engine during takeoff, I quickly strode into the store, intending to power walk to the baking aisle and leave less than 5 minutes later, but…

The fresh produce display caught my eye as soon as I entered the store. “$0.99 per pint of blueberries!” shouted the bright yellow sale sign. With their plump and juicy appearance, it seemed a shame to pass them by… So I grabbed three packages and brainstormed what to make as I finished my grocery shopping.
 

 
After how deliciously these cupcakes turned out last week, I immediately decided to bake another flavor — and these healthy blueberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting were the result! The incredibly sweet and juicy berries pair perfectly with the buttery vanilla batter and ever-so-slightly tangy frosting… And although I might be biased, they truly taste like a dream come true!

The best part? They’re supremely easy to make! (You can see how in my video below!)
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES

Before you get started, let’s go over a few key ingredients that you’ll need to make this blueberry cupcakes recipe, starting with…

Flour. You’ll use white whole wheat flour to make these cupcakes. Yes, such a thing actually exists! It’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. White whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture, similar to all purpose flour’s, but it still has the same health benefits (like extra fiber and nutrients!) as regular whole wheat flour.

Tip: I included my favorite gluten-free alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d prefer to make these blueberry cupcakes gluten-free instead!

Greek yogurt.With only 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil, the rest of these cupcakes’ tender texture comes from Greek yogurt. It’s a true magician in baking recipes! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. (It gives your blueberry cupcakes a protein boost too!)
 

 
Vanilla extract. This is a common ingredient in many cupcake recipes — but the amount is what makes it a key ingredient in these blueberry cupcakes! You’ll use a touch more vanilla extract than you’d typically find in traditional cupcakes. I’ve found that extra vanilla helps accentuate butter’s rich flavor, so adding a bit more makes these healthy cupcakes taste just as indulgent and rich as “regular” ones. (I use that trick in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe too!)

Sweetener. You’ll use one of my favorite ingredients to sweeten these blueberry cupcakes: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener, and it contains nothing refined or artificial (which makes it clean-eating friendly!). This is the kind I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t detect any strange aftertaste. Although many health-oriented grocery stores stock it, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)

Fresh blueberries. It’s impossible to make blueberry cupcakes without the fruit! For the best results, I highly recommend using fresh blueberries. They’re beautifully juicy and add bright, lovely pops of natural sweetness!

Hint: You can substitute frozen ones, but they tend to increase the baking time and also stain the batter a gray color. It doesn’t affect the batter’s flavor though — only its appearance!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES

I have a few quick tips for you about how to make the best blueberry cupcakes! First on my list…

Make the batter by hand. Skip the stand mixers and hand-held mixers! Those tend to overmix low fat batters, like this one. Overmixing leads to a dense, tough, or gummy texture. Yet if you make the batter by hand, you’ll end up with perfectly moist and soft blueberry cupcakes!

And I promise the batter comes together quickly! You only need a few minutes, a whisk, and a fork to make it.

Yup, a fork! Spatulas and spoons have wide flat surfaces, whereas forks have empty spaces between their tines. This allows for ingredients to pass through and mix more efficiently — and that also helps guard against overmixing. It’s one of my favorite batter tricks!

Prep the cupcake liners. Next, coat your cupcake liners with cooking spray before dolloping your batter into them! Low-fat batter sticks to liners like superglue, so this nifty trick ensures each liner peels away from your cupcake just like with “regular” ones — without half of your blueberry cupcake stuck to it!
 

 
Cool completely. Just like with traditional recipes, you must let these blueberry cupcakes cool completely to room temperature before trying to frost them. Otherwise, the warm cupcakes will make the frosting melt and slide right off of their tops. They don’t take very long to cool though! (And if you’re impatient, you can easily pop them in the fridge to speed up the process!)

And that leads us to…

Decorate. This cream cheese frosting is incredibly quick and easy. You just need two minutes to whip it up! It’s a mix of more Greek yogurt, light cream cheese, a little more liquid stevia, and instant pudding mix. I know it sounds strange, but this instant pudding mix is a key ingredient! It makes the frosting stiff enough to pipe on top of your cupcakes in beautiful chic swirls.

Hint: If you can’t find this instant pudding mix, then use this cream cheese frosting recipe (Option #1) of mine instead!
 

Excited to make your own dreamy cupcakes? And when you do, would you mind leaving a comment and rating the recipe? (You can also snap a picture and share it with me on Facebook!) I’d love to hear what you think of these healthy blueberry cupcakes!

Blueberry Cupcakes

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 12 cupcakes

These cupcakes taste like the epitome of summer! Sweet, plump, juicy blueberries… Tender vanilla cake… Dreamy swirls of cream cheese frosting… What’s not to love?? The frosted cupcakes will keep for at least three days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (The frosting can be made up to a week in advance if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients 

FOR THE CUPCAKES

• 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
• 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¾ tsp liquid stevia
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
• 1 cup (140g) fresh blueberries

FOR THE FROSTING

• 1 cup (240g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (see Notes!)
• 8 oz (1 block) light or fat-free cream cheese, well softened (see Notes!)
• 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free cheesecake instant pudding mix (see Notes!)
• ⅝ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)

Instructions

• To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla, and liquid stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 18-21 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. Add the Greek yogurt, cream cheese, instant pudding, and liquid stevia to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the cream cheese frosting on top just before serving.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's really important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will make your cupcakes dry, instead of soft and moist.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This results in gummy, dense, rubbery, or tough cupcakes. Use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

EGG WHITES VS WHOLE EGGS: You must use both egg whites. The protein in the egg whites, along with the protein in the Greek yogurt, also helps prevent your cupcakes from collapsing while cooling. If you didn’t use both of the egg whites, your cupcakes would sink some, especially in the center, and turn out pretty dense and somewhat soggy in texture.

 

If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 whole eggs, and decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll also use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found.

 

If you prefer not to use stevia in the cupcakes, substitute ¾ cup (180mL) of agave, honey, or pure maple syrup for the liquid stevia AND omit the milk. (The batter should be fairly thick, similar to muffin batter.)

 

If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia in the frosting, then substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of this powdered stevia -OR- ¼ cup of Truvia or powdered sugar.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

 

FRESH BLUEBERRIES ALTERNATIVE: Frozen blueberries may be substituted for the fresh, although they will stain the batter a light gray color. The baking time will increase slightly.

 

GREEK YOGURT NOTE: I’ve found that FAGE plain nonfat Greek yogurt works the best when making frosting because it’s thicker than many other brands, which really helps with the frosting’s consistency. (It also has less of a yogurt “tang” to its flavor!)

 

CREAM CHEESE NOTES: Neufchâtel cream cheese (also called reduced fat cream cheese or ⅓-less fat cream cheese), Greek yogurt cream cheese, and fat free cream cheese will all work. Regular cream cheese works well too. Whichever option you use, make sure it’s block-style (not tub-style) and well softened for the best creamy frosting consistency.

 

I do not recommend substituting tub-style cream cheese or whipped cream cheese. They will change the consistency of your frosting.

 

INSTANT PUDDING MIX NOTES: Many boxes of sugar-free, fat-free instant pudding mix have 4 servings per box. Since you only need 2 servings, you’ll use half of the box (not two boxes!).

 

If you can’t find sugar-free, fat-free cheesecake instant pudding mix, then substitute sugar-free, fat-free vanilla instant pudding mix instead.

 

Instant pudding mix is special because its thickening properties are activated when it’s cold or at room temperature — not when heated (like with cornstarch and regular “cook-and-serve” pudding mix).

 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a great substitute for the instant pudding mix. I’ve tried using xanthan gum, and while it does thicken the frosting, it also adds a weird texture. Regular “cook-and-serve” pudding mix and cornstarch won’t work because those require heat to activate their thickening properties, and heating the Greek yogurt is not a good idea. Therefore, for a more classic spreadable (not pipe-able) cream cheese frosting that does NOT use instant pudding (and is clean-eating friendly), use this "Frosting #1" recipe of mine.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) should work as well, if measured like this.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least three days (if not longer!).

 

{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat, low sugar}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡  Healthy Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
♡  Healthy Blueberry Pound Cake
♡  Healthy Blueberry Bundt Cake
♡  Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cupcake recipes!