Dutch Bros Muffin Tops Recipe: Copycat You Can Bake at Home
A Dutch Bros muffin tops recipe at home is worth having in your back pocket if you’re a regular who always ends up grabbing a Chocolate Chip Muffin Top with your coffee order.
The stand version is soft, slightly crisp at the edges, and just sweet enough to pair with a bold drink, but you don’t need a drive-thru to get that same result.
This copycat recipe walks through a homemade version you can make in about 30 minutes, along with the flavor variations, storage tips, and answers to the most common questions about how the originals are made.
Quick Facts
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12–15 minutes
- Total Time: about 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 muffin tops
How Are Dutch Bros Muffin Tops Made?
Dutch Bros hasn’t published its exact bakery process, and the recipe itself isn’t publicly available, so any homemade version, including this one, is an inspired copycat rather than the original formula.
That said, the texture regulars know, a soft, domed top with a slightly crisp edge, comes from a classic muffin-top method: creaming butter and sugar first, adding moisture-rich ingredients like sour cream, and baking at a high temperature for a short time so the outside sets before the center overbakes. That’s the approach this recipe follows.
Dutch Bros Muffin Tops Recipe: Copycat You Can Bake at Home
These homemade Dutch Bros-inspired muffin tops feature a soft, domed center with a slightly crisp edge, perfect for a quick breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 425°F and prepare a muffin top pan by greasing or lining with paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, and maple syrup to the bowl and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until no dry flour remains, then gently fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, mounding slightly in the center for a domed shape, and sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top.
- Cook in the air fryer for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers spring back when lightly pressed.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Nutrition (per 1 muffin top)
| Calories | 180 |
| Fat | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Carbohydrates | 25g |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sugar | 10g |
| Protein | 2g |
| Sodium | 150mg |
Equipment Needed
- Muffin top pan (or a standard muffin tin, underfilled)
- Hand or stand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Cookie scoop or large spoon
- Cooling rack
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature butter and egg so the batter creams evenly and rises properly.
- Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears, overmixed batter bakes up dense instead of soft.
- Mounding the batter higher in the center, rather than spreading it flat, is what gives you that classic domed top.
- Pull the muffin tops as soon as the centers spring back. A few extra minutes in the oven will dry them out.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overfilling the pan. Too much batter spreads outward instead of rising into a dome.
- Skipping the sour cream. It’s what keeps the crumb soft instead of cakey and dry.
- Opening the oven early. Checking before the 10-minute mark can cause the centers to sink.
- Using cold butter. It won’t cream properly with the sugar, which affects both texture and rise.
Storage Instructions
Store cooled muffin tops in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.
Reheating Instructions
Warm a muffin top in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes, to bring back that fresh-baked texture before serving.
Variations and Substitutions
Dutch Bros’ menu includes three muffin top flavors, and you can recreate the other two with simple swaps to this same base recipe:
- Lemon Poppyseed: Replace the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds.
- Orange Cranberry: Replace the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.
For pricing and details on all three flavors as sold in-store, see the Dutch Bros muffin top price guide. If you’d rather try a slightly different take on the chocolate chip version, there’s also the Dutch Bros–style chocolate chip muffin top recipe.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition values will vary based on exact ingredients and portion size. This recipe is intended as a general guide, not a substitute for professional nutrition advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are Dutch Bros muffin tops made?
Dutch Bros doesn’t publish its bakery process or recipe, so there’s no official method available to the public. Their texture, a soft, domed top with a slightly crisp edge, matches a classic high-temperature muffin-top bake, which is the approach this copycat recipe follows.
How do I make a Dutch Bros chocolate chip muffin top?
Cream butter and sugar, mix in egg, sour cream, and vanilla, then fold in dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Mound the batter into a muffin top pan and bake at 425°F for 12–15 minutes. The full ingredient list and steps are above.
Who makes the muffin tops for Dutch Bros?
Dutch Bros hasn’t publicly disclosed whether its muffin tops are baked in-house or supplied by an outside bakery. Because that information isn’t confirmed anywhere official, it’s best treated as unknown rather than assumed.
What kind of muffin tops does Dutch Bros have?
Dutch Bros’ current menu lists three muffin top flavors: Chocolate Chip, Lemon Poppyseed, and Orange Cranberry. Availability can vary slightly by location.
Final Thoughts
This Dutch Bros muffin tops recipe at home gets you close to the stand version with pantry staples and about 30 minutes, no drive-thru required. Start with the chocolate chip base, then try the lemon poppyseed or orange cranberry swap once you’ve got the technique down. However you bake them, let them cool for a few minutes before digging in, the texture sets as they rest.
