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Rhubarb season is fleeting but bountiful, and these rhubarb muffins are how I like to use the tart ruby stalks. The muffins are tall, tender, and moist thanks to oil and buttermilk in the batter. Lemon zest, nutmeg, and cardamom are also added to enhance—not overpower—the rhubarb. And finally, to really drive home the bakery-style, each muffin is topped with a generous amount of sweet buttery streusel.
Why This is The Rhubarb Muffin Recipe To Make
To land on the perfect recipe, I tested a number of different elements.
First, I found a combination of oil and buttermilk in the batter creates rhubarb muffins that are more moist than those made with butter and milk. The streusel is made with softened butter, which adds that buttery flavor back in. Best of both worlds! Moist, tender muffins with a rich buttery flavor.
Second, I found even a little bit of vanilla overpowered the flavor of the rhubarb. So you won’t find vanilla in the batter. Instead, a little bit of lemon zest enhances the flavor of the rhubarb.
And finally, the two-temp baking method (starting high and finishing low) encourages the muffins to rise really tall at the start, but cook at a moderate rate to ensure even baking and no burning. I borrowed this baking method from my Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins.
How To Make Buttermilk Rhubarb Muffins
- Make the streusel first so it has time to firm up in the fridge. Combine the flour, sugars, butter, nutmeg, and salt, and press into a solid dough. Meanwhile, mix up the batter.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients for the batter. Then add the diced rhubarb.
- Toss to combine.
Tip: tossing the rhubarb with the dry ingredients coats each rhubarb piece with flour. During baking, this step will help absorb excess moisture from the rhubarb and it will keep the rhubarb pieces from falling to the bottom of each muffin well.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth. Add the wet to the dry and mix just until combined.
- Divide batter between the muffin wells and top each with a few more pieces of rhubarb.
- Break the streusel into pieces then top each well of batter with the streusel.
- Bake until the muffins are golden around the edges, tops are set, and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
Tips for Making Really Great Rhubarb Muffins
Dice the rhubarb. The pieces don’t need to be teeny tiny, but they should be diced. So, if you’ve got some smaller stalks, start with those.
Use a food scale. We all measure ingredients a bit differently. Too much flour and the muffins will come out dry. Too little flour, and they won’t rise correctly. By using a food scale you can replicate these perfectly time and time again.
Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run a little hotter or a little cooler than they say. By placing an affordable thermometer in your oven, you can adjust the temperature as needed and ensure the muffins are baking at the correct temp.
Before you begin, if you make this, please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked the recipe. This helps other readers, and helps Zestful Kitchen continue to grow and offer recipes for free. Thank you!
Bakery-Style Rhubarb Muffins with Streusel
Description
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Ingredients
Streusel
- ½ cup (63g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
- Pinch kosher salt
Muffin Batter
- 2½ cups (312g) all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) kosher salt
- 2 cups (230g) diced fresh rhubarb + 3 tablespoons for topping
- ¾ cup (180g) buttermilk
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (110g) olive oil
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425ºF (218ºC) with rack set in middle position.
- Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners then coat liners with nonstick spray.
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup (63g) flour, ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, and pinch salt. Using your fingers, work butter into dry ingredients by pinching and smearing until a stiff mixture comes together. Press into a single mass then transfer bowl to refrigerator.
Muffin Batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2½ cups (312g) flour, 1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add 2 cups (230g) rhubarb and toss to combine; set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together ¾ cup (180g) buttermilk, ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100g) brown sugar, ½ cup (110g) oil, 2 eggs, and 2 teaspoons lemon zest until smooth.
- Add wet mixture to dry and flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined (a few pockets of dry flour is OK).
- Using a measuring cup or large scoop, divide batter evenly between muffin liners (cups will be full). Top each with a few pieces of rhubarb.
- Break streusel into pieces (¼-inch to ½-inch in size) and divide between each well of batter, lightly pressing into batter to secure.
- Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping muffins in oven, reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake until muffins are golden around the edges, tops are set, and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, 21–23 minutes more. Total bake time is about 26-28 minutes.
- Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
