Fluffy & Moist Rhubarb Muffins
Soft, tangy, perfectly sweet, and crowned with a crumbly streusel topping — these rhubarb muffins are the product of years of vegan muffin testing. Even my husband, who isn't a huge rhubarb person, couldn't resist thems
Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons water for flax egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted and leveled
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup soy milk unsweetened and plain
- 1/2 cup vegan butter melted and cooled (can use regular unsalted butter if you prefer)
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1.5 cups fresh rhubarb chopped into small ½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour for tossing rhubarb
- 0.5 cups OPTIONAL walnuts roughly chopped
Streusel
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 0.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter melted and cooled
Instructions
- Make the Flax Egg: In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp water. Set aside for 5–10 minutes until it thickens into a gel. This is your egg replacement.FYI if you do not want to use a flax egg, you can use a regular egg if that is your dietary preference.
- Make the streusel: In a separate small bowl, combine all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Drizzle in melted butter and use a fork to work it together until crumbly clumps form. Place in the fridge while you prepare the batter.
- Prep the rhubarb: Chop fresh rhubarb stalks into ½-inch pieces. In a medium bowl, toss 1½ cups rhubarb with 1 tbsp all-purpose flour until lightly coated. This prevents the rhubarb from sinking to the bottom during baking.
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease each cup well (I personally prefer the greasing method so I don't have to risk them sticking to those paper liners - just grease thoroughly!)
- Mix the dry ingredients: Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together soy milk, melted vegan butter, vanilla extract, and your flax egg until smooth with no streaks of butter.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold gently — about 10 to 12 strokes. Stop while a few flour streaks remain.
- Fold in the rhubarb: Add the flour-coated rhubarb to the muffin batter. Add walnuts too if using. Fold in with the spatula just until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.
- Fill muffin pan: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each cup about ¾ full. Remove the streusel from the fridge and sprinkle generously over each muffin.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes without opening the oven door early. At 22 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of a middle muffin — it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Best served slightly warm with a little butter or jam. :)
Notes
Rhubarb: Fresh rhubarb from the farmer's market is ideal during rhubarb season (April–June). Frozen works too — don't thaw, just toss in flour and fold in straight from frozen.
Storage: Airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze individually for up to 3 months.
No walnuts? Simply leave them out, or swap in pecans or sunflower seeds. Egg replacer alternatives: A chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water) works equally well. Avoid aquafaba — it makes the texture too chewy.