This rhubarb muffins recipe is simply the best! They come out light and fluffy, with sweet tart rhubarb and a crunchy streusel topping.
Got a load of rhubarb? If you’re not in the mood for pie or crisp, here’s a recipe that might be even better: rhubarb muffins! These truly are the best (make them and see if you agree!). They’re light and fluffy, with a golden muffin top showered with crunchy streusel topping. Take a bite and they taste just like rhubarb crisp! The interior is flecked with just the right amount of sweet tart rhubarb. Here are all our secrets!
Ingredients in the best rhubarb muffins
These rhubarb muffins really are next level, and there are a few reasons why. But the big secret is buttermilk! It really is essential for a tall and fluffy muffin. Other than that, you’ll need your typical cast of baking characters and a good amount of rhubarb. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Rhubarb
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Buttermilk
- Butter
- Neutral oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
Tricks to this rhubarb muffins recipe
There are a few tricks we learned for this baking recipe from our friend Sarah’s Kieffer’s new baking book, 100 Morning Treats. Sarah is a cookbook author and trained baker, and everything that she whips up is absolutely incredible (we get the pleasure of knowing her in real life as she lives in my native Minnesota!). This recipe is not in her book, but we created it heavily influenced by Sarah’s muffin recipes. Here are a few things we learned:
- Use real buttermilk. Buttermilk is absolutely crucial to making a light and fluffy muffin with a beautiful crumb. Don’t be tempted to use even a buttermilk substitute here! It’s got to be the real thing.
- Use both butter and oil. Butter and oil work uniquely in baked goods. Typically we use oil in our muffin recipes, but we love the richness in flavor and texture that butter adds here.
- Fill every other cup in two 12-cup muffin tins. This helps the muffins to bake evenly, getting that nice domed top. Don’t have two muffin tins? You can bake in one tin: this simply achieves the nicest looking muffins.
A few other tips
Here are a few more tips to making next level muffins! These tips are ones that apply to all our muffin recipes to get a nice tall, fluffy muffin:
- Resist the urge to overmix. Overmixing muffin batter causes holes in the crumb and a denser texture. Mix just until the streaks of flour disappear.
- Fill the muffin cups up to the top. This recipe is optimized so you fill the muffin cups very full up to the top, just like in our other muffin recipes. This avoids our pet peeve: stubby muffins!
- Baking at 375 degrees makes a taller muffin. A slightly hotter oven makes a taller and fluffier muffin (versus the standard 350F). This recipe also has a good amount of leavener (baking powder and baking soda) to get the job done.
Rhubarb muffins storage info
How to store rhubarb muffins? These rhubarb muffins taste best the day they’re baked. However, they hold up pretty well over time! Here’s what to know:
- Refrigerator: These muffins store well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week! Let them stand at room temperature for a few minutes before eating.
- Freeze: Freeze in a sealable container and store up to 3 months.
More rhubarb recipes
Rhubarb season is our favorite! Here are a few more rhubarb recipes you might enjoy:
- Try Classic Rhubarb Crisp or Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Bake up a Classic Rhubarb Pie
- Simmer some Easy Rhubarb Sauce
Best Rhubarb Muffins
Description
This rhubarb muffins recipe is simply the best! They come out light and fluffy, with sweet tart rhubarb and a crunchy streusel topping.
Ingredients
For the muffins
- 1 ½ cups rhubarb, finely chopped (about 12 ounces)
- 2 cups [280 g] all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup buttermilk*
- 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the streusel topping
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Chop the rhubarb and set it aside. Place muffin wrappers in every other muffin cup of two 12-cup muffin tins.**
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, neutral oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Make the streusel: In a small bowl, mix the sugar and all-purpose flour. Cut the butter into small pieces, then use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients until well distributed and crumbles form.
- Pour the wet ingredients from the batter (Step 4) into the well in the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined and there are no longer streaks of flour.
- Add the rhubarb and fold it in with a spatula, taking care not to overwork the batter. (If desired, you can store the batter up to 24 hours before baking.)
- Scoop the batter into the muffin papers using a dough scoop: it should fill to the top of the muffin papers. Sprinkle the tops with the streusel.
- Bake until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few crumbs, about 20 to 26 minutes total (rotate the pans halfway through baking). Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to fully cool (about 30 minutes to 1 hour). The muffins are best eaten the day they are made, but they store very well in an airtight container in the refrigerator and last up to 1 week.
Notes
*Buttermilk is the magic ingredient which makes the most consistent texture and rise! Don’t be tempted to leave it out or use a buttermilk substitute. It’s worth it (we promise).
**Baking in every other tin makes for a more consistent bake. If all you have is a 12-cup muffin tin, you can use that too.
I’m going to make your rhubarb muffin recipe, I just have a question regarding the ingredients. You mention that you will need granulated sugar and brown sugar. But the ingredient amount only calls for 1cup of granulated sugar and no mention of brown sugar. Thanks Patti
That is a typo — there is no brown sugar needed, just granulated. Thank you so much!
Very good recipe… Add 2 strawberrys…
★★★★★