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    Home » Breads » Muffins

    Rhubarb Muffins

    By Elizabeth Waterson // Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 10, 2024) // 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·5 from 2 reviews
    This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    249 shares
    rhubarb muffins cooling on a wire rack

    This easy recipe for rhubarb muffins shows step-by-step photos so you can make these moist and buttery muffins for your family and friends! Made with orange zest, these tart rhubarb muffins are a nice change from your typical berry muffins!

    six rhubarb muffins cooling on a wire rack

    One of my guilty pleasures is a muffin for breakfast.

    When I do though it has to be a muffin. While I love my strawberry-blueberry muffins, I adore the tartness of rhubarb.

    Let's get to the recipe.

    Jump to:
    • What is Rhubarb
    • What are the ingredients
    • How do you make rhubarb muffins
    • Can you make rhubarb muffins ahead of time?
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Ratings & Comments
    rhubarb muffin broken in half with butter on top of it

    What is Rhubarb

    Rhubarb is technically a vegetable but most often used as a fruit. The flavor of rhubarb is super tart!

    cup of rhubarb chopped up

    Let's get to the recipe.

    What are the ingredients

    • Unsalted Butter, melted and Vegetable Oil ( I like to use butter for taste and vegetable oil to seal in the moisture)
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Large Egg, at room temp.
    • Orange Zest
    • Pure Vanilla Extract
    • All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
    • Baking Powder
    • Salt
    • Buttermilk
    • Rhubarb, cut into ½ inch size pieces (fresh or frozen- if frozen not thawed) Try my upside down rhubarb cake recipe next.
    • Demerara Sugar

    Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

    How do you make rhubarb muffins

    First things first preheat oven to 425F/218C and grease a 12 cup muffin tin. You could totally line the muffin tin with liners, I just prefer unlined muffins.

    Next, we'll start on the wet ingredients. In a large bowl mix together the melted butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar.

    melted butter, vegetable oil and granulated sugar in a glass bowl

    Add the egg and orange zest whisking to combine.

    egg and orange zest added to wet ingredients for a rhubarb muffin recipe

    In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

    small glass bowl of dry ingredients for a rhubarb muffin recipe

    Add half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients gently folding, then add half of the buttermilk whisking to combine. Add remaining flour mixture and finish with buttermilk, Do not over mix.

    dry ingredients added to wet ingredients in a large bowl for a rhubarb muffin recipe
    buttermilk added to wet ingredients for a rhubarb muffin recipe

    Gently fold the rhubarb into the batter.

    rhubarb muffin recipe batter in a large glass bowl

    Using a large scoop divide the batter between 8 cups. I like to separate the muffins creating more room for the hot air to help them rise in the oven.

    I will sprinkle a little demerara or turbinado sugar on top for a nice sweet crunch.

    Bake for eight minutes then reduce the temperature to 350F/180C and bake for an additional 7 to 11 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

    rhubarb muffins in a muffin tin before baking

    Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack. 

    rhubarb muffins cooling on a wire rack

    Can you make rhubarb muffins ahead of time?

    Muffins freeze very well. These muffins are great and last at room temperature up to 3 days. You can also freeze the muffins for up to three months.

    To freeze the muffins: Let them cool completely then place them in a freezer friendly Ziploc bag or wrap tightly in plastic wrap/ cling film. Let them freeze in a single layer then after a few hours feel free to shuffle the bag around so they take up less space or leave them in a single layer!

    To thaw a frozen muffin: Let it sit at room temperature for an hour or so, place them in the fridge overnight, or microwave for 30 seconds when you want one!

    rhubarb muffin pieces on a white plate next to a cup of tea

    Are you a rhubarb lover? If so you should totally check out this delicious rhubarb crumble recipe or my rhubarb custard pie recipe.

    Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

    Print

    Recipe Card

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    rhubarb muffins cooling on a wire rack

    Rhubarb Muffins

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 2 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    This easy recipe for rhubarb muffins shows step-by-step photos so you can make these moist and buttery muffins for your family and friends! Made with orange zest, these tart rhubarb muffins are a nice change from your typical berry muffins!

    • Total Time: 28 Minutes
    • Yield: 8 Muffins 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 3oz (6 Tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, melted
    • 1oz (2 Tablespoons) Vegetable Oil
    • 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
    • 1 Large Egg, at room temp.
    • 2 Teaspoons Orange Zest
    • 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
    • 4oz (½ Cup) Buttermilk
    • 156 grams (1 ¼ Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
    • 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
    • ½ Teaspoon Salt
    • 6oz (1 Cup) Rhubarb, cut into ½ inch size pieces (fresh or frozen- if frozen not thawed)
    • 3 Tablespoons Demera/ Turbinado Sugar

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 425F/218C and grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
    2. In a large bowl mix together the melted butter, vegetable oil, and granulated sugar. Add the egg and orange zest. Mix together the buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl. 
    3. In a separate bowl combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
    4. Add half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients gently folding, then add half of the buttermilk whisking to combine. Add remaining flour mixture and finish with buttermilk, Do not over mix. Gently fold the rhubarb into the batter.
    5. Using a large scoop divide the batter between 8 cups. Sprinkle demerara sugar on top. Bake for eight minutes then reduce the temperature to 350F/180C and bake for an additional 7 to 11 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.

    Equipment

    muffin pan

    Muffin Pan

    Buy Now →
    oxo food scale

    OXO Kitchen Scale

    Buy Now →
    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 18
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a comment & rate this recipe Cancel reply

      If you love this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating ⭐ when you post a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. I am incredibly grateful for your support! —xx Liz

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    1. Juanita says

      June 23, 2019 at 7:19 pm

      WOW. My sister made me these and I was shocked at just how delicious these are.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth says

        June 24, 2019 at 6:12 pm

        Rhubarb is such a great flavor!!

        Reply
    2. Aneta Dent says

      March 24, 2020 at 7:51 am

      Turned out amazing! Thanks

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        March 24, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        Thank you so much for the lovely review Aneta! I appreciate it so much. XX Liz

        Reply
    3. Nancy Muehlfelder says

      June 10, 2020 at 10:07 am

      Why is there no mention of orange zest in actual recipe?? Left it out as I went straight to the actual recipe list; will try it next time even tho they were good without it.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        June 10, 2020 at 11:12 am

        Hi, Nancy, I am so sorry that was missing from the recipe card, it has been updated. I just love pairing orange with rhubarb I feel like it just gives it a little something special. Please let me know if you do try the recipe with orange zest! Thanks again for pointing it out to me, I really appreciate it!! XX Liz

        Reply
    4. Ruth says

      May 05, 2024 at 5:16 pm

      Could I add oatmeal and use less flour?

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        May 07, 2024 at 2:06 pm

        Hi Ruth, I have never done that so I am not sure what ratios to suggest I am sorry ! XX Liz

        Reply

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    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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