“The third batch of these amazing muffins this rhubarb season is in the oven. Friends and neighbors are actually requesting more. Perfect with morning coffee.” ~Joanna
rhubarb muffins for seasonal baking
Perfect Rhubarb Muffins are tender and fluffy one bowl muffins with a featherweight streusel topping. The perfect rhubarb recipe to celebrate the arrival of spring.
We crave peach buckle in August, pumpkin bread in October and, cranberry cake in December. According to the calendar it’s rhubarb season, so we know exactly what to do. (If you haven’t baked with rhubarb yet this season, it’s time to get your act together!)
My rhubarb recipes are legendary
what you’ll need for rhubarb muffins
- rhubarb ~ find this now in the produce section of your supermarket, or pluck it from your (or your neighbor’s) backyard patch. Does it have to be bright red? No, all colors, from pale green to deep crimson will give you that classic rhubarb flavor. I prefer the slender young stalks, but if yours are large, just chop them rather than slice.
now raid your pantry:
- flour
- sugar
- neutral vegetable oil
- eggs
- milk
- vanilla
- baking powder and baking soda
- salt
one bowl method for rhubarb muffins
This recipe is a one bowl affair, which I love. I’ve converted many of my baking recipes to one bowl, here’s how I do it:
1. Whisk together the wet ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. And yes, sugar is traditionally considered a ‘wet’ ingredient for baking purposes.
2. Whisk in the leavening agents first (baking powder, soda) along with the salt, then your flour.
When you add these first you avoid the need to whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. You can then mix in your flour.
3. Fold in your add-ins
You can now fold in whatever extras you’re using, whether that’s fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips. That’s it!
the bottom line…
I’m telling you straight ~ you need to make these muffins asap. You won’t regret it! They’re fluffy, tender, and have the most ethereal flavor, thanks to that bright, tangy rhubarb.
variations to try:
I’m particularly fond of this base recipe for muffins (it’s very similar to my triple berry muffins), and there are tons of variations you can try using all sorts of different add in’s and flavorings. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
- Make strawberry rhubarb muffins by substituting 1 cup of rhubarb with chopped strawberries.
- Use buttermilk instead of milk for extra flavor.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and sliced almonds to the streusel.
- You can use melted butter instead of oil.
- I prefer fresh rhubarb for these muffins but you can use frozen in a pinch. Don’t thaw before using or it will get soggy.
Rhubarb Muffins
Equipment
- standard muffin pan
- paper muffin liners
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups rhubarb, thinly sliced
streusel topping
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper muffin liners.
- Make the streusel first: combine the ingredients and rub together with your fingers until the butter is incorporated and the mixture has a dry crumbly texture. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
- Next, whisk in the baking powder, baking soda and salt, making sure to mix well to get it evenly incorporated.
- Whisk in the flour, and then gently fold in the chopped rhubarb.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, and sprinkle streusel evenly over the top of the muffins.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Serve warm with butter!
Notes
Nutrition
These are the best rhubarb muffins I’ve ever had. My family is crazy over them ( even the ones that don’t like rhubarb). I used tulip cups and got six extra muffins and am happy about that. Could I add strawberries to the batter as well?
Thanks so much Bev, and sure, throw some strawberries in ~ you might stick to the 2 cups total fruit, more or less.
My first trays aren’t done yet, but I doubled this to make 24 standard sized muffins and this will make probably over 50. Not too happy about that, but as long as they turn out I won’t complain. Just a heads up!
I almost never review recipes, but this one is SO AMAZING! The muffins done up beautifully and look (and taste) just like bakery muffins. I brought them to a friend who loves rhubarb and she demanded I make these once a week. Mine actually ended up making about 18 muffins, which is even better. I don’t use muffin liners because it leaves the yummy caramelized edges. All of “the best ever” rhubarb muffin recipes have NOTHING on this one
I love it when I can coax a comment out of someone who rarely does ~ I feel like that’s a big win! Thanks Lacey 🙂
Absolutely fantastic recipe! Just a perfect blend of moistness, sweetness and taste. Many recipes that I have tried on the internet usually have to be tweaked, but not this one. Mine made 18 muffins in the regular sized tin.
These look delicious! Have you ever made the batter ahead and then freeze in muffin tins?
Hi Renee, no I haven’t ever done that, let us know how it works if you do.
Great Recipe! I love the one bowl idea. Can they be frozen?
Yes, for sure!
Can you use frozen rhubarb if fresh is no longer available? Would you have to make adjustment to your liquid ingredients if using frozen?
You could, especially if your rhubarb is already chopped finely. It’s best to use frozen fruit without thawing, so if your rhubarb is in large chunks and you need to thaw it, that’s not ideal.
They stick to the sides of the muffin cases, I don’t like overly sweet recipes but this one needed more sugar. All in all meh
I didn’t change a thing. These are delicious. I love the tartness of the rhubarb. I will make them again.
Happy you loved them Linda, thanks 🙂
These were really good muffins. I had a lot of rhubarb to use up, I made 4 recipes worth and gave away to neighbours as my freezer was already full of rhubarb. Changes I made: Topping 2 tbsps of butter (30 ml) Muffin: I use a scale so I used 200 grams of diced rhubarb (some stalks were large so I quartered and then diced) plus another handful or so once the batter was mixed up, 3 cups of flour (360 grams) it was too liquidy with 2 3/4 cups, I had kefir to use up so I used 1 cup with 1/2 cup 2% milk to make up the 1 1/2 cups whole milk, increased vanilla to a tbsp Baking: parchment paper liners, used blue scoop (1/4 cup measure) yielded 16 large muffins, baked at 425 for 5 minutes, 350 for 20 minutes, they were perfect!