Healthy Rhubarb Muffins with Greek Yogurt
Jul 07, 2021, Updated Apr 30, 2024
These Healthy Rhubarb Muffins are soft and fluffy. Such a yummy breakfast treat for rhubarb lovers.
What Makes These Muffins Healthy
These soft, fluffy healthy rhubarb muffins are loaded with 1 1/2 cups of Greek yogurt, meaning tons of satisfying protein to give them actual staying power as a breakfast.
To further boost the healthiness*, I used avocado oil, which is similar to olive oil in it’s nutrition profile; both are high in anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Avocado oil has a very neutral flavour, perfect for baking.
A dose of healthy fats also help these plump l’il muffins keep you satisfied.
*I’m a registered dietitian and so I must include the caveat that it’s still a muffin, which is typically one rung up from a cupcake on the healthiness ladder. This one is maybe 2 rungs up.
Here’s What You Need for This Rhubarb Muffin Recipe
Before diving in, let’s gather what we’ll need!
Rhubarb Muffin Ingredients
- Flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda & baking powder: The combination helps promote browning, a fluffy rise, and preserves the rhubarb’s tang.
- Greek yogurt
- Avocado oil: Using oil in muffins keeps them softer than if you use butter.
- Milk
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract (optional): Gives a subtle, distinctive flavor boost.
- Fresh Rhubarb: Finely chopped so that it cooks through.
- Raw demarara sugar (optional): Offers a crunchy topping.
Variations and Substitutions
Here are some tweaks you can make to suit your taste or pantry stock:
- Flour: Swap all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour if needed.
- Oil: Any neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil works.
- Dairy: Substitute plant-based milk and yogurt if you prefer dairy-free. You can use buttermilk in place of the yogurt if that’s what you have on hand.
- Extracts: Omit almond extract or use lemon extract for a citrusy note.
- Other Add-Ins: Feel free to stir in 1/2 cup of toasted chopped walnuts or 1-2 tsp of cinnamon if you like.
Grab These Tools
To make these muffins, you’ll need only basic tools. \\:
- Muffin pan
- Muffin liners: Prevent sticking to muffin cups and makes cleanup easier, but you could just spray with nonstick spray.
- Whisk: For mixing your wet ingredients smoothly.
- Large bowl + Medium Bowl: For combining the wet and dry ingredients separately.
- Spatula: Helps fold the batter gently without overmixing.
Don’t use an electric mixer or you’ll make the muffins tough. Stir by hand and use a light touch
How to Make Rhubarb Muffins: An Easy Guide
It’s as easy as mixing dry ingredients, mixing wet ingredients, then combining the two. Here’s a step-by-step guide to make sure every batch turns out just right.
Prep Your Ingredients and Pan
First things first, get everything ready. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners to ensure the muffins don’t stick and are easy to remove.
Mix Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together your dry components: flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. This ensures that the leavening agents and salt are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which helps the muffins rise evenly and enhances the flavor.
Combine Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the Greek yogurt, avocado oil, milk, egg, and extracts until the mixture is smooth.
Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold them together gently.
It’s crucial to mix until just combined; overmixing can make the muffins tough.
Fold in the Rhubarb
Gently fold the chopped rhubarb into the batter. Reserve a few pieces for topping the muffins if you like.
Fill the Muffin Pan and Bake
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Fill each cup and, if you set some aside, top with the reserved rhubarb pieces. Sprinkle with raw sugar for a sweet crunch. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched lightly.
Following these steps will help you whip up delicious rhubarb muffins that are perfect for any occasion.
Tips for Making Healthy Rhubarb Muffins
- Make sure to cut the rhubarb into very small pieces. I cut the stalks into strips lengthwise, then turn the strips on their sides and slice in half again crosswise before dicing into pea-sized bits. Because rhubarb is super tart and also quite firm, you don’t want big chunks of raw, sour rhubarb interrupting your soft, fluffy muffin. Small pieces ensure they soften and don’t overwhelm an otherwise perfect bite.
- Don’t overmix. If you work a muffin batter too much, you’ll develop too much gluten and wind up with tough, hard rhubarb muffins instead of these amazing soft, fluffy and tender ones. You’ll note at two different points in the instructions you only mix the batter until 80% incorporated. The flour will finish blending in when you fold in the rhubarb, and the rhubarb can be evenly distributed by taking a bit from here and a bit from there within the bowl of batter as you scoop out individual muffins.
- Crunchy sugar on top is pretty and optional, but adds a lovely crunch and sweetness to counter the tart rhubarb without adding too much sugar in the recipe itself.
Make Ahead and Storage
Planning ahead or storing extras is easy with these muffins. Here’s how to keep them fresh:
- Make ahead: Prepare the batter the night before and store it covered in the fridge. Just give it a gentle stir before scooping into the muffin pan.
- Room temperature: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They’ll stay moist and delicious.
- Freeze: Freeze muffins for up to 2 months. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top bag. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in a microwave.
Note: Don’t store muffins in the fridge. They’ll go stale faster. See my article “How Long Does Cake Last in the Fridge” for more info!
(P.S. If you love rhubarb recipes, you must also try my Rhubarb Cookies, Easy Rhubarb Crisp, Rhubarb Hand Pies, and Strawberry Rhubarb Cake.)
Healthy Rhubarb Muffins with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups full-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup avocado oil (swap in favourite neutral oil)
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- â…› tsp almond extract (OPTIONAL)
- 2 cups finely chopped rhubarb (pieces the size of small peas)
- 2 tbsp raw demarara sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, milk, egg and extract(s).
- Add yogurt mixture to dry ingredients and use your biggest spatula to gently fold together, scraping the bottom, until 80% incorporated with floury streaks remaining.
- Gently fold in the rhubarb (reserve a few for topping if you like!). Stop mixing again when the rhubarb is only 80% incorporated. You can divide the rhubarb equally with your spoon as you scoop the batter into cups, don't risk over-mixing the batter.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Top with reserved rhubarb if desired, and sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, until golden brown and tops spring back when lightly pressed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
delicious and fluffy with lovely topping!
Would be so helpful to have a nutrition list, I am a diabetic and need to count my carbohydrates!
Perfect. Fluffy, tasty and easy to prépare.
I just found this recipe. Great for us. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Shweta 🙂