Muffin Day in Sweden Date in the current year: May 27, 2026

Depending on the context, the word “muffin” can refer to two different types of baked goods. An English muffin is a small, round, flat bread leavened with yeast or sourdough, while an American muffin is a small, usually sweet quickbread baked in a cup-shaped container. In Sweden, the word “muffin” usually refers to American-style muffins. The word was first recorded in Swedish in 1913.

Muffins and other baked goods are an integral part of the Swedish coffee-related custom called fika. Coffee was introduced to Sweden in the mid-17th century and, despite several short-lived bans by royal decree, became a staple within the next two centuries, gaining popularity even among the poor. The tradition of fika, a designated break for drinking coffee and eating baked goods in a social setting, emerged sometime in the late 19th century.

Originally, baked goods served during fika included seven types of cookies (sju sorters kakor), sponge cake, cinnamon buns, and seasonal items like semlor and saffron buns. “Coffee muffins” became common around the mid-20th century. They were smaller and less sweet than American muffins. Larger, American-style muffins and cupcakes began gaining popularity in Sweden in the late 1980s and 1990s, as part of a broader trend toward American popular culture.

Over time, muffins were incorporated into Swedish fika culture, alongside traditional pastries, and were adapted to local tastes. Popular varieties include cardamom muffins (kardemummamuffins), apple muffins with raisins and pecans (tomte muffins), and semla muffins. Semla muffins are essentially semlor (Lent buns) in muffin form. They are made by cutting cardamom muffins in half and filling them with almond paste and whipped cream.

The origins of Swedish Muffin Day are unclear, but it likely emerged alongside other food holidays celebrating popular baked goods and sweets, such as Carrot Cake Day, Punsch-Roll Day, Waffle Day, Chocolate Ball Day, Roll Cake Day, Whipped Cream Cake Day, Chocolate Mud Cake Day, Ostkaka (Swedish Cheesecake) Day, Danish Pastry Day, Cinnamon Roll Day, and Saffron Bun Day. It has been celebrated since at least 2012, as evidenced by the existence of a Facebook event page for “International Muffin Day” (Internationella Muffinsdagen), which was held on May 27 of that year.

Despite its murky origins and lack of official status, Muffin Day is widely recognized and celebrated by Swedish bakeries, cafés, supermarkets, food bloggers, magazines, and home bakers. Around the date, Swedish food and baking sites publish special muffin and cupcake recipes, often promoting seasonal flavors, while bakeries and cafés prepare special offers. People celebrate Muffin Day by buying muffins at bakeries, baking them at home, posting muffin recipes and photos online, experimenting with new recipes, and getting together with friends to share muffins during fika.