These Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins combine sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb for the best early summer dessert or breakfast! They're gluten-free, easy to make, and so soft and fluffy! The ingredients are super simple, and the muffins are freezer-friendly, so they're great for meal prep as well!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Rhubarb Muffins
Summer in a muffin - Rhubarb with strawberries is one of my favorite spring/summer flavor combos because rhubarb is only available for a short time in the summer, and whenever it shows up at the farmer's market, we know that summer is just around the corner!
Easy and gluten-free - The batter has simple ingredients, and it's similar to all of my other muffin recipes, so it's thoroughly tested. I add both milk and yogurt to make them extra soft and moist. I also use the same gluten-free flour for all my baked goods so you can be sure it's going to work(Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour).
Delicious reheated and freezer-friendly - The muffins are almost as delicious defrosted and reheated as when they were fresh out of the oven! I tend to always freeze most of them for later. They come in very handy for busy mornings or whenever I'm craving a sweet snack. Plus, this way you can enjoy rhubarb season for much longer!
Ingredients
- Flour - I develop all my recipes using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour, so that's what I recommend for the best results. You can also use regular all-purpose flour if you prefer.
- Milk and yogurt - I use unsweetened cashew milk and Greek yogurt, but whole milk, other non-dairy milk, and vegan yogurt all work too. Pick a good, thick vegan yogurt like Yoggu unsweetened coconut yogurt.
- Eggs - Make sure to use large eggs for the right consistency. I haven't tested any vegan substitutes.
- Avocado oil - I recommend avocado oil for fluffy, cake-like muffins. You can use a different neutral vegetable oil if you don't have avocado oil. Butter could make the muffins more dense.
- Cane sugar - I like cane sugar in these muffins because it has a very neutral taste and color. The batter has just ½ cup, which comes out to a little over ½ tablespoon per muffin. I haven't tested any sugar substitutes, but coconut sugar may work.
- Turbinado sugar - This one is optional, but I like sprinkling coarse sugar on top of the muffins before baking. It creates delicious crunchy muffin tops, and the additional sweetness works great here because rhubarb can be very tart and the batter itself isn't very sweet.
- Rhubarb - Pick a rhubarb stalk that's mostly red and firm. I usually have thin stalks so I just slice them, but if you have a thicker one, I recommend dicing it so you have smaller pieces.
- Strawberries - I recommend fresh strawberries. Frozen ones would make the muffins way too wet and dense. You can toss them in a little bit of tapioca starch (or cornstarch) if they're really juicy to avoid them sinking to the bottom.
- Vanilla and cinnamon - A splash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste is all you need to tie it all together. I also added a little bit of cinnamon as I usually do with baked goods, but that's optional.
Variations and Substitutions
- Tapioca starch - Optionally, you can toss your strawberries in a little bit of tapioca starch, arrowroot starch, or cornstarch. I don't think it's necessary for the rhubarb because it's fairly dry, but strawberries can be very juicy, and tossing them in starch prevents them from sinking to the bottom or making the muffins too wet.
- Dairy-free - I always use either cashew milk or almond milk by Elmhurst because it's thicker and creamier than other ones. You can also swap the Greek yogurt for a vegan yogurt. My favorite is unsweetened Yoggu because it's thick and creamy.
- Raspberries - If you don't have strawberries, Fresh raspberries would be a great substitute. I recommend slicing them in half (if they're big, so they spread in the batter better) and tossing with tapioca starch as well.
- Streusel topping - You can add a streusel topping to the muffins if you want to make them extra special. I skipped it to keep them lower in sugar and easier.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a 12-muffin pan with paper muffin liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cane sugar, avocado oil, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt until well mixed and creamed.
- Whisk in Greek yogurt. Add milk and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. A few lumps are ok. This batter should be fairly thick.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
- Finally, add diced strawberries and rhubarb, and fold them in.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin cups, filling them to the top.
- Sprinkle each with about ½ teaspoon of turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 400F for 5 minutes.
- Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350F and bake for another 22-25 minutes. The muffins should be slightly golden on top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of one should come out clean.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before carefully taking them out. Finish cooling them on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks!
- Don't overmix your batter - Overmixing it creates denser muffins that won't rise as much and might appear "gummy" on the bottom.
- Use fresh baking powder - Baking powder can lose its potency when it's expired or when it's been sitting open for longer than 6 months. This could cause your muffins to rise less.
- Don't skip the sugar on top - I really recommend sprinkling coarse turbinado sugar on top before baking. It helps to get the muffin tops more golden, a little crunchy, and it adds much-needed sweetness to balance the tart rhubarb. I also sprinkle a little more on top right after I take the muffins out of the oven.
Serving Suggestions
I recommend serving the muffins warm. Because they have sugar on top, they can appear a little "wet" straight from the fridge. This is why I like to reheat them in the oven. It crisps up the muffin tops so they taste just like they did when you first baked them!
You can also warm them up in the microwave, but I always prefer the oven for the best texture.
Storing
Fridge: I recommend storing the muffins in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Since they have a lot of fruit in them, they shouldn't be kept at room temperature.
Freezer: You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer-safe container for 3-5 months. The lower and more consistent the temperature of your freezer, the longer the muffins will last.
Reheating
I like reheating the muffins in the oven, but a microwave works too.
If they're frozen, defrost them first. Either in the fridge overnight, at room temperature for about an hour, or in the oven if you have a defrost setting. You can also reheat them from frozen, but you'll have to slice them in half when they're soft enough because they remain frozen in the middle for a while.
Preheat your oven to 300F and reheat the muffins on a small baking sheet for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
FAQs
No, I really recommend only using fresh strawberries and rhubarb because frozen fruit has much more water content, and it could make the batter too wet.
You can use dairy-free milk and yogurt, but I haven't tested any vegan egg substitutes, so I can't guarantee good results. If you give it a try, please let me know in the comments how it went!
Similar Muffin Recipes
Below are a few of my favorite fruity muffin recipes similar to this one! They're all gluten-free too and made with similar ingredients. To see all the latest ones, head over to Breads and Muffins!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Have you tried these Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my Newsletter for a free recipe e-book and new weekly recipes straight to your inbox. Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram to always stay in the loop!
Print📖 Recipe
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
These Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins combine sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb for the best summer dessert or breakfast! They're gluten-free, easy to make, and so soft and fluffy! The muffins are also freezer-friendly and great for meal prep as well!
- Total Time45 minutes
- Yield12 muffins 1x
- DietGluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup milk (I use unsweetened cashew or almond milk)
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup diced fresh rhubarb
- 1-2 tablespoon turbinado sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a 12-muffin pan with paper muffin liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cane sugar, avocado oil, vanilla extract, and fine sea salt until well mixed and creamed.
- Whisk in Greek yogurt. Add milk and whisk again.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. A few lumps are ok. This batter should be fairly thick.
- Finally, add diced strawberries and rhubarb, and fold them in.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin cups, filling them to the top.
- Sprinkle each with about ½ teaspoon of turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 400F for 5 minutes.
- Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350F and bake for another 22-25 minutes. The muffins should be slightly golden on top, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of one should come out clean.
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before carefully taking them out. Finish cooling them on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
The turbinado sugar on top is optional but recommended because rhubarb is a very tart fruit and the muffins don’t have much sugar inside, so the extra sugar on top really complements it.
Storing: Wait for the muffins to cool completely before storing. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag or a freezer-safe container for 3-5 months.
Reheating: Reheat the refrigerated muffins in a preheated oven at 300F on a small baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
Defrosting: Defrost your muffins in the fridge overnight, at room temperature for about an hour, or in the oven if you have a defrost setting. You can also reheat them from frozen, but it will take longer, and you may need to cut them in half towards the end to warm up the middle.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Leave a Reply