Our easy Rhubarb Muffins recipe is deliciously moist and sweet, with a gentle crunch from cinnamon sugar topping! Perfect for breakfast, brunch, a snack or even dessert, this easy muffins recipe is sweet and a little bit tart.
With a batch of 8 ready to eat in under 30 minutes, rhubarb muffins are the best grab-and-go way to start your day!
Rhubarb muffins have it all! They’re sweet, tart, and so easy to make. You do not need to be an expert baker to make these easy muffins! They are so simple, you can get your kids to help you make them.
Have them help mix up the batter or top them off with cinnamon sugar. Muffins are so much fun to make as a family! They make a great breakfast or snack. You can even pack one into a lunch as a treat.
❓ What is rhubarb?
Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but has a fruity flavor and is used as a fruit in rhubarb recipes! It grows in a stalk, similar to celery, and is bright pink in color, giving it a very pretty appearance for spring recipes. The leaves and root are always removed, as they are not edible.
Naturally very tart, rhubarb is rarely eaten raw. It’s best to cook it down with sugar for a rhubarb strawberry jam, rhubarb dump cake, or these stewed rhubarb muffins!
You can cook it into savory dishes, too, like rhubarb chutney (this chutney is delicious!). But most often, you will see rhubarb dessert recipes because it pairs so well with sweet fruit.
🍽 Equipment
You really do not need much to make this simple muffin recipe! Rhubarb muffins are straightforward and so yummy. You will need:
- Muffin tin
- A whisk and 2 bowls
- Your oven
- Optional: Muffin molds to line the tin with
Muffin molds are optional. You can simply line the baking tin with butter if you don’t have them. I like using muffin molds because they are so easy to lift out of the tin.
🥘 Ingredients
- stewed rhubarb – use our stewed rhubarb recipe, it’s ready in 10 minutes!
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
- vegetable oil
- brown sugar
Rhubarb is generally available from early spring to mid-summer. You can buy frozen rhubarb year-round, or freeze your own rhubarb (it’s as easy as freezing strawberries or peaches!) to use for this recipe.
If you’re using fresh rhubarb for your stewed rhubarb muffins, make sure to discard the leaves and root. Rhubarb leaves are not edible.
You can find a quick guide on how to cut rhubarb in our Frequently Asked Questions below or by visiting our Rhubarb Dump Cake recipe (which is so delicious!).
If you want to use frozen rhubarb, look in the freezer section next to the fruit used for smoothies. Dole sells frozen rhubarb that is readily available year-round and already cut into chunks for you!
These muffins are one of the best recipes with stewed rhubarb. They are really so delicious. You can even add in other fruits like strawberries to make rhubarb strawberry muffins!
🔪 Instructions
- Line 8 muffin molds in a muffin tin or grease with butter. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Lightly beat egg in a bowl. Add in and combine stewed rhubarb, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, vegetable oil, and brown sugar. Mix well, but not so thoroughly that the rhubarb breaks up completely.
- Divide the rhubarb muffins mixture into the muffin tin.
- Mix together cinnamon with brown sugar to make the cinnamon sugar topping. Sprinkle it over your rhubarb muffins in the tin.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. A skewer stuck through the middle of a rhubarb muffin should come out clean when they are done baking. Enjoy!
For exact measurements and more tips, keep scrolling and see the recipe card below!
⭐ Family Foodie Tips
- If you’re worried about over-mixing the batter or breaking the rhubarb up too much, mix together the dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients last.
- Use our stewed rhubarb recipe linked in the ingredients! It has the perfect balance of sweet and tart for these stewed rhubarb muffins. If you’re using a separate recipe, you may need to use less sugar if the stewed rhubarb is already very sweet.
👪 Serving Size
This rhubarb muffins recipe makes enough for 8 muffins. It’s perfect for a family of 4 for a couple of days.
You can easily scale the recipe up by simply doubling (or even tripling!) the ingredients. Rhubarb muffins are a perfect office party snack, potluck recipe, and even make a great holiday treat for Easter.
🥫 Storing Rhubarb Muffins
Store this easy muffin recipe covered at room temperature or in your refrigerator in a container for 2-3 days.
Rhubarb muffin recipes are most delicious on the day you bake them, but can easily be made ahead of time to bring for a party or to enjoy for the next couple of mornings.
I find that reheating the leftover muffins up a little in the microwave before you eat them makes them even more delicious!
💭 Questions about Rhubarb Muffins
When is rhubarb in season?
There are actually two types of grown rhubarb – hothouse rhubarb and field-grown rhubarb! Hothouse rhubarb refers to rhubarb grown in a heated greenhouse, while field-grown rhubarb is grown in a field.
Hothouse rhubarb is in season from the beginning of the year through early summer, while field-grown rhubarb is seasonally available from early spring to mid-summer.
Thankfully, you can buy frozen rhubarb year-round or freeze your own like you would for strawberries, so you can enjoy these stewed rhubarb muffins whenever you like!
Can you freeze rhubarb muffins?
Yes! You can freeze this recipe for rhubarb muffins. Bake them according to directions, then add them in a single layer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Seal it up and freeze.
Make sure to label with the date of freezing, and for best results, enjoy them within 2-3 months.
How to Defrost Frozen Muffins
Defrost rhubarb muffins overnight in the refrigerator or more quickly by using your microwave.
How to Cut Rhubarb
If you are using fresh rhubarb to make the stewed rhubarb for this recipe, it’s important to wash and cut it correctly. Follow these simple directions on how to cut rhubarb:
- Wash rhubarb under cool running water and dry with paper towels.
- Cut off the leaves, then trim the end of the root. Discard both the root and leaves, they are not edible.
- At the end of the stalk, cut into the rhubarb through the center. Take hold of where you cut and pull down. This peels off a layer of stringy fibers. Discard this as well.
- Slice the rhubarb into chunks and use in your favorite rhubarb recipes, like these muffins or Rhubarb Cake!
Have a question you don’t see answered here? Ask us in the comments below or reach out to us via email through our contact page! We are always happy to hear from you.
🍓 Muffin Add-ins
This rhubarb muffins recipe works with other add-ins or fruits, as well! Try mixing it up by using strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or even mixed berry compote instead of stewed rhubarb.
We love to add strawberries to our stewed rhubarb to make strawberry rhubarb muffins. It’s a delicious combination! So is stewed apples and rhubarb, just like in our Rhubarb Apple Crumble.
📖 Best Rhubarb Recipes
Try our other rhubarb recipes! We love to cook with rhubarb. It’s a unique, sweet and tart ingredient that is perfect for breakfast recipes, dessert, and more.
Here are some of our favorite rhubarb recipes:
Also try our Rhubarb Chutney! It pairs perfectly with pork, like in our Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Chutney.
And, our Strawberry Rhubarb Jam makes a great breakfast spread.
Love muffins? Our Easy Pumpkin Muffins recipe is delicious and perfect for fall!
Save the Video Pin
Did you try our easy rhubarb muffins? Let us know what you think in the comments below and with a rating! We love to hear from you.
📋 Recipe
Stewed Rhubarb Muffins
🥘 Ingredients
- 1 cup stewed rhubarb (approximately)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
For the topping
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
🔪 Instructions
- Line 8 muffin molds in a tin, or grease with butter. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lightly beat the egg.
- Put the stewed rhubarb, egg, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, oil and sugar in a bowl and gently combine. You want it well-mixed, but ideally don’t want to break up all the rhubarb. Divide the mixture between the muffin molds.
- Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over the muffins.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden on top and a skewer put in the middle comes out clean.
Video
Notes
- If you’re concerned about over-mixing the batter or breaking up the rhubarb too much, you can mix together the dry ingredients first then add the rest.
- This recipe assumes a slightly tart stewed rhubarb, as in our recipe – if yours is very sweet, you may need a little less sugar.
- You can easily scale up this recipe by multiplying up all the ingredients.
Nutrition
Photography by Caroline Williams.
Jacqueline Debono says
I’ve never had rhubarb muffins but I love rhubarb. rhubarb crumble is my favourite crumble!! However, It’s not easy to find rhubarb where I live but will definitely save this recipe for when I do! Those muffins look so good!
Em Beitel says
Thanks so much, Jacqueline! We’re big fans of rhubarb, too. We’ll be sharing a rhubarb crumble recipe soon. Keep an eye out!