Sweet with a hint of tart, these Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins are a perfect way to start the day. Light, tender muffins studded with fresh strawberry and rhubarb pieces, finished with a crunchy cinnamon streusel.
Rhubarb has a short season in most places, so when it appears in the market I like to make the most of it. These muffins are an easy, lower-effort way to enjoy rhubarb’s bright, tangy flavor paired with sweet strawberries. The fruit stays pleasantly chunky inside the batter, and a simple cinnamon-and-sugar streusel gives each muffin a little crunch on top.
You might also enjoy these muffin recipes:
- Cranberry Crumb Muffins
- Blueberry Bran Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
- Peaches and Cream Muffins
- Carrot Banana Muffins
Rhubarb is technically a vegetable with a tart, almost lemony bite when eaten raw. When cooked and sweetened, however, it mellows and becomes beautifully balanced with sweet fruits like strawberries. The combination of strawberry’s natural sweetness and rhubarb’s tang makes these muffins lively and satisfying without being overly sweet.
Finding substitutes for rhubarb
If fresh rhubarb is unavailable, substitute a similarly tart fruit in equal volume. Good alternatives include tart cherries, cranberries, tart apples, or gooseberries. Choose a fruit that requires roughly the same amount of sugar to achieve a balanced sweetness; otherwise the muffins can taste too sweet or too tart.
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
Light and fluffy muffins studded with bits of fresh strawberry and rhubarb and topped with a cinnamon streusel. Makes about 22 muffins.
How to make Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners or grease them well.
- Chop the strawberries and rhubarb into small, even pieces. You’ll need about 3/4 cup of each.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until smooth and well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients. Stir gently until the dry ingredients are just incorporated—do not overmix.
- Fold the diced strawberries and rhubarb into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- For the streusel, mix melted butter with white sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of the mixture over each muffin.
- Bake at 350°F for 23–25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup diced rhubarb
- 3/4 cup diced strawberries
- 1 tablespoon melted butter (for streusel)
- 1/3 cup white sugar (for streusel)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and ready your muffin pans.
- Whisk together sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk until smooth.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined; do not overwork the batter.
- Fold in the rhubarb and strawberries. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.
- Combine melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon; sprinkle about a teaspoon over each muffin.
- Bake 23–25 minutes, until domed and golden. Cool briefly in the pan, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Let muffins cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They will keep several days at room temperature. For freezing, cool the baked muffins completely, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and place in a freezer-safe bag. They will keep about a month; thaw completely before serving.
Author: Amy D