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Vanilla Coconut Muffins

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Vanilla Coconut Muffins

Coconut fans will want to bookmark these Vanilla Coconut Muffins because, although they look plain, they are delicious muffins that deliver a lot of flavor. I happen to be a big fan of coconut myself, and one of my pet peeves about some coconut recipes is that they don’t have very much coconut in them. These muffins don’t fit that mold at all. They are packed with lots of shredded coconut to give you a lot of coconut in every single bite.

Aside from coconut, vanilla is the other dominant flavor in these muffins. I was generous with it, to make sure that it stood out against the coconut and had a real presence in the finished muffin. The muffins are dense and tender, with a very tight crumb (thanks, in part, to all that coconut). The muffins are excellent plain, but are also very good when spread with a little bit of salted butter. These are big muffins with large, domed tops. As a result, they take a little longer to bake than some other muffin recipes might. Be sure to check them with a toothpick to make sure that it comes out clean and the muffins are fully cooked before taking them out of the oven to cool.

I like these muffins as-is, but if you want to put a little spin on them one easy way to do it is by adding some citrus zest into the muffin batter. Lemon, lime and orange all go very well with coconut and a tablespoon of zest will give these a whole new flavor.

Vanilla Coconut Muffin, interior

Vanilla Coconut Muffins
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (regular or coconut)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Stir in shredded coconut.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir until the wet ingredients are almost fully combined and only a few streaks of flour remain.
Pour in the melted butter and stir until butter is completely incorporated and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Divide evenly into prepared muffin pan (cups will be quite full).
Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins.

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37 Comments
  • Penny G
    January 9, 2013

    They sounds yummy! I love vanilla & coconut…can’t wait to try them out.

  • Lisa
    January 9, 2013

    Wow, those look good! I’m getting ready to print out the recipe. I may be making these within the hour. : )

  • Jess @ Bakericious
    January 9, 2013

    I am big fan of coconut too, the muffins look good!

  • Linda
    January 9, 2013

    Two of my favorite flavors! Sounds like a perfect marriage!!

  • Linda
    January 10, 2013

    Nicole, have you done much with coconut flour? I’m wondering if you could make these GF with that or at least cut some of the standard flour with coconut flour to add another level of coconut to the muffin. Thanks.

  • Dee
    January 12, 2013

    Got them in the oven now smell lovely 🙂

  • Lexi
    January 12, 2013

    My kitchen smells heavenly as I wait rather impatiently for the muffins to cool so I can try them. Thank you so much!

  • Kathy
    January 13, 2013

    I made these this weekend – delicious! We will definitely enjoy these again. Thank you for a great recipe.

  • Vanilla Powder
    January 14, 2013

    Hi Nicole

    This is a fantastic recipe, and great fun to make with the kids. Thanks so much for posting it.

    All the best, Alex

  • Janie
    January 20, 2013

    In the oven as I type… They smell SOOOO good 🙂
    Janie x

  • Janie
    January 21, 2013

    Hello again! They were good, so good in fact that I gave you a bit of a plug. Thanks for rescuing my dinner mojo 🙂
    Janie x

    http://hedgecombers.com/2013/01/21/vanilla-coconut-muffins/

  • Coco Nutt
    February 6, 2013

    Made these this morning…fantastic! I used Becel instead of butter and chose the coconut milk option. Sprinkled the muffins with mini white chocolate chips and coconut. The topping toasted very nicely!

  • Marcy
    February 18, 2013

    I just made these too. I made two batches, one with stevia and one with free flowing raw brown sugar. I also cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup instead of a cup. I substituted the flour with 2 cups coconut flour and 1/4 cup hazelnut flour. They were delicious.

  • JoeQrysty
    March 6, 2013

    Heavenly smell…as they bake in the oven. Used wheatflour, sooji, pollard and finebran in the flour mixture..added lemon zest too Cant wait to have them with a glass of milk.

  • Erin
    March 12, 2013

    I just finished the batter but it seems to dry? What should the consistency be? I could just scoop out with my hands into the muffin cups? Should I be able to pour like a cake batter? Anxiously awaiting an answer to put these in oven!!

  • Nicole
    March 12, 2013

    Erin – The batter should be quite thick and you should be able to scoop it much like you could scoop ice cream. It does not have a pour-able consistency. The thickness of the batter is what gives these muffins a really nice rise in the oven and a great texture.

  • Polly
    March 25, 2013

    Made these exactly like the receipe is written! Fantastic!!

    I have to laugh when people change the entire receipe in comments.

  • NS
    April 23, 2013

    Hi. Is the shredded coconut dry or moist (I found frozen grated coconut that’s moist)

  • Katrina
    April 29, 2013

    These muffins are awesome! I used earth balance butter and coconut milk to make them vegan and they were such a hit at my house!

  • Susie
    June 17, 2013

    I have these in the oven as we speak. If the taste of the batter is anything to go by they are going to be sublime! 🙂

  • Lucia
    July 22, 2013

    I’m excited to try these! I was wondering if you had ever added pineapple to them?

  • Nicole
    July 22, 2013

    Lucia – I haven’t tried adding pineapple to this recipe, but I think that finely chopped fresh or dried pineapple would be a great, tropical addition. 1/2 – 2/3 cup should be good.

  • jen
    September 22, 2013

    These are fab! I substituted the regular flour with rice flour since I have celiac disease and they came out perfectly. Best coconut muffin recipe I have found so far. thanks

  • ammabua
    October 2, 2013

    Mine are in the oven now. Smelling great. I love coconut and what better way to enjoy it. Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe.

  • Nadene
    October 23, 2013

    These are amazing! I’ve made them for a muffin fundraising sale at my child’s school. I’m going to add a little dollop of cream cheese icing on them.

  • Corin
    March 18, 2014

    I made these for St Paddy’s Day and made them green with food coloring. I used unsweetened coconut and almond milk. I love how these turned out! Lots of coconut flavor and dense. Perfect for a quick breakfast on the go. I think crushed pineapple would be a good add in, or chocolate chips and chopped almonds.

  • khia
    May 12, 2014

    i made these today at school and i put whipped cream atop of it this was the best muffin i ever tasted

  • Ann Stephens
    July 19, 2014

    I tried these muffins, they were awesome

  • Kim
    August 29, 2014

    These are amazing!! I’m not a huge coconut fan but had some in the pantry that I wanted to use up. Made them more for my husband. I devoured the first one I tried. Buttery, great vanilla flavor, moist, and just enough coconut flavor to make them great but not overpowering.

  • maggie
    January 31, 2015

    These are delicious i added one cup of chopped pecans for a bit of crunch

  • Toby
    April 28, 2015

    I just made them with vanilla soymilk and earth balance. My husband and I both LOVED them. What terrific and easy recipe!

  • Ginger
    May 22, 2015

    OMG.. These were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I made them gluten free by using cup for cup GF flour and I added a crumb topping cuz frankly what’s a muffin without the crumb topping but everything else I followed exactly as written. These were incredible and everyone who tried them loved them, my son demanded I make more when they were all gone so I’ve now made this recipe twice in one week. Thank you!

  • katie
    August 2, 2015

    These were a hit!! I used coconut oil instead of butter and they were delicious! Will def make these again! So easy to make my 2 yr old helped!

  • Catherine
    September 2, 2017

    Love these!

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