How do you properly store muffins for freshness?

Muffins are incredible, but they are difficult to keep fresh. You have to bake them in batches, typically more than you will consume immediately, and they will get soggy if you store them improperly. These baking aficionados share their tips for keeping muffins fresh, whether stored on the counter or in the freezer for later.

Lindsey Farr

Lindsey Farr is a professional pastry chef in New York City. She is a Pastry Chef and owner of Pastry Creations.

Table of Contents

Store Them in a Zip-Top Plastic Bag in the Freezer

The best way to store muffins for peak freshness is in the freezer! Bake muffins in muffin liners, cool them completely on a wire rack, and then store them in a zip-top plastic bag or on a well-wrapped baking tray in the freezer. The fresher they are when stored, the fresher they will taste after thawing! Take out as many or as few muffins as desired. Thaw them unwrapped, so they don’t get soggy in the refrigerator or at room temperature. You can pop them in the microwave or oven preheated to 350 degrees to serve them warm! They will keep beautifully in the freezer for up to three months.

Airtight at Room Temperature Under a Week

The best way to store muffins to stay fresh longer is by placing them in a single layer in an airtight container or ziplock bag with two layers of paper towels on top and below the muffins. Muffins will last four to five days with this method at room temperature.

When the layers of paper towels are not used, the muffins will become soggy. Storing muffins in the refrigerator will change their texture and flavor profiles.

Jessica Randhawa

Jessica Randhawa, Head Chef, and Owner of The Forked Spoon.

Jules Grasekamp

Jules Grasekamp, Baking Blogger at Bonni Baker.

A Basket Draped With a Dish Towel

If muffins are to be consumed within 24 hours, it’s actually best to store them in a basket with a dish towel draped over them (think Little Red Riding Hood) This is the best way to keep them from going soggy and will help to maintain that lovely crunchy top.

However, after 24 hours, the muffins will start to dry out when stored like this. For longer storage, you should put them in an airtight container with paper towels lining the bottom of the container. The paper towels will soak up any condensation in the box and stop it from making the muffins soggy.

Completely Cool Before Storing in an Airtight Container

One of the best ways I’ve found to store muffins is to first make sure they’re completely cool before you transfer them to an airtight container. One really easy way to help absorb moisture and prevent soggy muffins is to place a paper towel or dish towel over the tops. This will help absorb the moisture and keep them fresher for much longer!

If you are working with some muffins that have already become soggy, use this trick! You can normally preheat your oven to 350 degrees, place the muffins back in their muffin tin, and bake for two to three minutes until the tops have become fresh again!

Chelsea Plummer

Chelsea Plummer, Founder, and Content Creator at MaesMenu.com.

Jenna Moran

Jenna Moran, Founder, CEO, and Creative Director, Whimsy and Spice.

Layer Paper Towels Between Muffins

To place them in the container, I would recommend putting down the first layer of muffins and then placing a paper towel on top of these muffins before putting down the second layer. This is because the paper will absorb any excess moisture from the other layers, whereas clingfilm and greaseproof hold excess moisture in – making them soggy!

This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors' statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.