These rhubarb muffins are the perfect way to celebrate spring! Made with fresh rhubarb, buttermilk, and brown sugar, these healthy muffins work well as a simple breakfast, delicious snack, or delightful addition to a spring brunch.
Whether it’s the start of spring or the middle of winter, these rhubarb muffins are an absolutely delicious way to use rhubarb. They are the perfect balance of tart and sweet, incredibly moist and fluffy, and, most importantly, full of rhubarb flavor.
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If you’ve never cooked with rhubarb, I highly suggest you make these rhubarb muffins your starting point. They are seasonal, delicious, and makes them the perfect spring treat!
Ingredients for Rhubarb Muffins
You’ll need the following ingredients to make these healthy rhubarb muffins.
- Rhubarb: The star of the show! You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb.
- All-Purpose Flour: The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, however, you can use whole wheat flour if you’d like.
- Brown Sugar: To add some sweetness and balance the sour taste of the rhubarb.
- Butter: To add moisture to the muffins.
- Egg: To bind the muffins and add some fluffiness.
- Buttermilk: To make the muffins extra moist and fluffy. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole milk instead.
- Cinnamon: To add a touch of sweetness, extra flavor, and fragrance.
- Vanilla Extract: To enhance the flavors.
- Baking Soda, Powder, and Salt: Some baking essentials to help the muffins rise.
In addition to the above, although optional, you can also use a bit of white sugar to make a cinnamon-sugar topping for the muffins.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make them Gluten-Free: Swap the all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
To Make them Dairy-Free: Swap the butter for coconut oil and use a dairy-free milk alternative.
How to Make Rhubarb Muffins
These muffins are super easy to make, here’s what you’ll do:
- Prep the rhubarb. Remove any leaves and slice the rhubarb into bite-size pieces.
- Mix the ingredients. Combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls and whisk until well combined.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently to combine.
- Add the rhubarb. Add the chopped rhubarb to the muffin batter and fold again.
- Fill muffin cups. Add batter to the muffin tin, filling the cups 2/3 of the way.
- Bake. Transfer the muffins to the oven and bake until moist and fluffy!
I added a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top of my muffins for an extra touch of sweetness; however, you could certainly omit this step if you prefer.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
Not only is rhubarb the perfect addition to muffins but it’s a good source of fiber and antioxidants, which helps to make this muffin recipe equally nutritious as it is delicious.
FAQs
Due to its sour taste, rhubarb is rarely eaten raw. While it’s dried roots have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, it’s most commonly cooked with sugar and used in cakes, pies, pastries, crumbles, and jams.
To prepare rhubarb for baking, wash the stalks to remove any excess dirt and trim the stalks at the top and bottom. Be sure to discard the leaves, as they are inedible and toxic to both animals and humans.
Absolutely! Rhubarb freezes very well and freezing is a wonderful way to preserve this spring vegetable. Frozen rhubarb can be added directly to the muffin batter, there is no need to thaw the rhubarb before using it.
Storage
If you want to make this smoked salmon sandwich for lunch meal prep, be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. While it will keep longer, it’s best to eat it within a day to ensure the bread doesn’t get soggy.
More Healthy Rhubarb Recipes:
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Rhubarb Muffins
These rhubarb muffins are light, fluffy, and absolutely delicious. They work well as a breakfast and for a snack and store well in the freezer for months to come.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 20 minutes
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Total Time: 30 minutes
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Yield: 12 muffins 1x
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Category: Muffins
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Method: Baked
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, diced
Sugar Topping (optional):
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a muffin tin with baking cups or lightly grease it with butter.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, add brown sugar and melted butter and whisk until well combined. Add egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
- Transfer the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently to combine until well incorporated. Add chopped rhubarb to the batter and fold again, be careful not to over-mix the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly across the muffin liners and then transfer to the oven to bake for 20-22 minutes until lightly golden and/or a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature in the muffin pan or for at least 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tins. Once removed, transfer the muffins to racks to cool completely.
- Optional: Once cooled, add the sugar topping. In a small bowl, add white sugar and brown sugar and stir to combine. Brush the top of each muffin with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
- The muffins can be served immediately or stored in an airtight container for 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 208 calories
- Sugar: 18 grams
- Fat: 6 grams
- Carbohydrates: 34 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 4 grams
What could I sub the buttermilk with if I’m dairy free?
You can make a dairy-free alternative by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of almond milk (or other plant-based milk)!
Delicious and easy. Solid recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked them, thank you for sharing!
Love this recipe. Froze rhubarb to have muffins all year long.
★★★★★
I’m so happy you like them, thank you for sharing!
Hi Stephanie, was wondering if I could sub 1/2 cup honey for the 1 cup of brown sugar?? We have a massive rhubarb patch that is around 100 years old so I am always looking for rhubarb recipes! Thank you!!
Oh, wow, that rhubarb sounds lovely! I have not tested the honey swap, but it could work. Not the brown sugar adds flavor and a bit of texture, so they would be a little different but it could work.
I made these rhubarb muffins today, and they were delicious! Love having a sweet recipe for rhubarb that doesn’t involve pre-cooking it. The muffins are light, moist and fruity – perfect!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked them, thank you for sharing!
One of my favourite recipes for muffins. So sweet and tasty.
★★★★★