Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Muffin
intro
Tender, sweet-tart muffins bursting with fresh spring strawberry and rhubarb, topped with crisp buttery cinnamon crumble, perfect for casual sharing.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners. Make the crumble topping: in a small bowl, combine 60g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour, 50g (1/4 cup packed) light brown sugar, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Add 57g (4 tbsp) cold cubed unsalted butter, then rub the butter into the dry mix with your fingertips until it forms coarse, pea-sized clumps. Chill the crumble in the fridge for 10 minutes while you prepare the muffin batter.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 190g (1.5 cups) all-purpose flour, 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp fine table salt for 30 seconds until fully combined, with no visible clumps of baking powder remaining.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 180ml (3/4 cup) whole milk, 1 room-temperature large egg, 57g (4 tbsp) cooled melted unsalted butter, and 1 tsp vanilla extract for 20 seconds until completely smooth, with no streaks of unincorporated egg left.
Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients, then use a silicone spatula to fold gently for only 10–12 strokes until just combined (lumps in the batter are normal and desired; do not overmix). Add 120g (1 cup) 1cm-diced rhubarb and 150g (1 cup) 1cm-diced hulled strawberries, folding for 2–3 additional strokes to evenly distribute the fruit.
Scoop the batter evenly into the lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full (approximately 3 tbsp of batter per cup). Remove the chilled crumble topping from the fridge, then sprinkle 1 generous tablespoon of crumble over each muffin, pressing very lightly to help the crumble adhere to the batter surface.
Place the muffin tin on the middle oven rack, bake for 18–20 minutes at 190°C (375°F) until the crumble is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a muffin center comes out with 1–2 moist crumbs (no wet batter). Remove from the oven, let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Keep the crumble topping cold until you are ready to sprinkle it on the batter: warm butter melts too quickly in the oven, resulting in a soggy, flat topping instead of a crisp, crumbly texture.
3.If using frozen rhubarb or strawberries, do not thaw them before folding into the batter: thawed fruit releases excess juice that will make muffins soggy, dense, and unevenly baked.
OMG these muffins are a total game changer for our busy weekday mornings! I threw them together in 15 minutes last night, baked for 40 like the recipe said, and my kids devoured half the batch before they even cooled all the way. The crumble topping is *chef's kiss*—not too sweet, perfect crunch against the soft strawberry rhubarb inside. Brought a few to my neighbor too and she texted me asking for the recipe 10 minutes later! 10/10 will be making these every other week for meal prep.
I'm so bad at baking but this recipe was actually easy enough for me to pull off! I was worried rhubarb would be too tart for my partner who hates sour things, but the balance with the sweet strawberries and crumble was perfect. Only thing I messed up was overfilling my muffin tins so a few overflowed, oops. Still tasted amazing though!
Brought these to our neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were literally coming up to me all night asking for the recipe! The sweet-tart combo hits so different than your average blueberry or banana muffin, so they stood out big time. Even the people who said they hate rhubarb went back for seconds. SO good.
These are my new go-to weekend bake! I love that the cook time is only 40 minutes so I don't have to be stuck in the kitchen all morning while my husband and dog hang out on the patio. Added a tiny drizzle of vanilla glaze on top of mine for a little extra sweetness and it was chef's kiss. Will absolutely make again.
Made these for my meal prep this week and they're perfect for a quick post-workout snack! I swapped half the all purpose flour for whole wheat to add a little fiber and you couldn't even tell. The crumble topping stays crunchy for days stored in an airtight container, which I was worried about. 10/10.
I've been making rhubarb muffins for 40 years and this recipe is hands down the best one I've ever tried. The crumble topping has the perfect amount of cinnamon, and the ratio of strawberry to rhubarb is spot on. My grandkids picked the strawberries from our garden to help make them and they were so proud. Memories made!
Made these in my tiny dorm kitchen with a $10 muffin tin I bought at Target and they turned out insane! Didn't even have a mixing bowl, used a big plastic cereal bowl and it still worked. Super easy, minimal cleanup, and my roommates are already begging me to make another batch this weekend.
Wait has anyone tried making these gluten free? My sister has celiac and I'm looking for a good treat to make for her birthday brunch next month. These look so good I don't want her to miss out!
Packed these for our day hike in the Rockies last weekend and they were the perfect trail snack! Not too messy, held up great in my backpack, gave us the perfect sugar boost for the steep sections. The tart rhubarb was so refreshing after being out in the sun for a couple hours. Will definitely be adding these to my regular hiking snack rotation.
These were SO good but I felt like the rhubarb was a tiny bit more tart than I expected? Don't get me wrong, I still ate 3 muffins in one sitting, but next time I might toss the rhubarb in a little extra sugar before mixing it in. Still a 10/10 recipe, super easy to follow.
I run a home daycare and I made these for the kids' afternoon snack this week and every single kid asked for seconds! Even the pickiest eater in my group, who turns his nose up at literally any fruit that isn't a grape, ate two whole muffins. Easy to make, budget friendly, and kid approved—can't ask for better than that!
I grew my first ever strawberry and rhubarb plants this year and had no idea what to do with my first harvest, so I found this recipe. Let me tell you—nothing tastes better than eating something you grew yourself baked into a warm, crumbly muffin! The instructions were so straightforward even a total gardening and baking newbie like me could pull it off. Thank you for this amazing recipe!