These soft and fluffy Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins with Streusel Topping are filled with juicy strawberries and rhubarb and topped with buttery cinnamon streusel.
These muffins are delightfully fluffy and soft with plenty of juicy fruit inside (like my Blueberry Pecan Muffins) and a brown sugar cinnamon crumb topping that is kind of like a coffee cake. Let's say they are strawberry rhubarb coffee cake muffins! Try my Banana Coffee Cake Muffins if you love streusel topping!
Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic spring flavor combination and for good reason - it is such a flavorful and yummy combination! The sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb balance out perfectly. Try my Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts or Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie next if you love this combo!
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Texture - The buttermilk and butter in the batter makes for a tender, fluffy crumb texture.
- Flavor - The juicy, sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb come through wonderfully together with the buttery brown sugar streusel with a touch of cinnamon.
- Method - This muffin batter can be made very quickly and it does not require an electric mixer, you only need a handheld whisk!
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these strawberry rhubarb muffins with streusel topping.
Ingredient Notes
- Salted Butter - Butter helps achieve a rich and flavorful muffin. You could also use unsalted butter with an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt added to the recipe.
- Strawberries + Rhubarb - Fresh or frozen works. Be sure to chop them into small pieces.
- Buttermilk - This helps give the muffins a soft and tender texture. If you don't have buttermilk on hand, follow this helpful tutorial on how to make homemade buttermilk.
- Streusel Topping - A simple combination of melted butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon makes a crunchy and flavorful topping.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Combine the melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
Step 2: Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Step 3: Add the flour, baking powder, salt, chopped strawberries, and chopped rhubarb.
Step 4: Mix until just fully combined. Be careful not to overmix!
Step 5: Mix together the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until crumbly.
Step 6: Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins (15 total) and top with the streusel topping.
Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The muffins should be lightly golden.
💡 Top Tip
It is extremely important to not overmix muffin batter. For a light and fluffy muffin with a tender texture, mix just until no streaks of flour remain. An overmixed muffin will be dense and tough.
❓ Recipe FAQs
It depends on the recipe! Oil achieves a lighter, fluffier texture but imparts less flavor than butter which gives a more dense texture and more flavor.
Muffins are moist and more dense compared to cupcakes which are light and fluffy in texture. Cupcakes also have more sugar and are typically topped with frosting which adds even more sweetness.
A combination of butter, sugar, and flour makes a simple streusel. Brown sugar or white sugar can be used and sometimes spices or nuts are added.
Store for up to 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container with a layer of paper towel on the bottom to absorb excess moisture. Or freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months for best freshness.
🍓 More Strawberry Recipes
Looking for other recipes featuring strawberries? Try these:
If you tried these Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Muffins or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins with Streusel Topping
Equipment
- 12-count muffin tin(s)
- parchment paper muffin liners
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups & spoons
- whisk
Ingredients
Batter Ingredients:
- ½ cup salted butter * melted
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk *
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
- ¾ cup chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)
Streusel Topping Ingredients:
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line muffin tins with 15 parchment muffin liners or grease.
- Whisk together the melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Add the vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, rhubarb, and strawberries and mix just until combined. Do not overmix!
- Fill each liner to the top with batter. Stir together the melted butter, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon and crumble on top of the batter in each liner. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- If using unsalted butter, add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter and ⅛ teaspoon to the streusel.
- If you don't have buttermilk on hand, follow this helpful tutorial on how to make homemade buttermilk.
Casey W.
We love these muffins!! I have made them a couple times now, but I can’t get my crumb topping to look pretty like yours. The topping mixture is all soft and mushy, so I just drop it in spots over the unbaked muffins. It tastes great but isn’t actually “crumb-y.” Is my butter too soft, do you think? Maybe I should try chilled butter in the topping next time. In any case, I highly recommend this recipe and can’t wait to make it again with our own strawberries and rhubarb later in the season!
Naomi Andres
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I am glad to hear that you enjoy these muffins! I think you could simply add a little more flour to the streusel to achieve a more crumbly texture. Please let me know if that works!
Naomi
Cathy
I made these yesterday, and they are delicious.
Did you mean 1 tablespoon of baking powder? They overflowed for me. So next time I won’t fill the muffin cups as fill and will likely get at least 2 dozen muffins. 👍🏻
They were a bit too sweet for me, so I’ll use a bit less sugar next time.
Finally, I had to bake them twice as long as suggested. I used frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb which might account for the longer baking time.
Naomi Andres
Hi Cathy,
Thank you for your feedback. Yes, 1 tablespoon of baking powder is correct. I think using the frozen fruit could have made a difference and every oven is different, of course, thus baking times can vary.
Thank you,
Naomi
Taryn
I made these with some of the last of our rhubarb, and they were so tasty! The friends I shared them with loved them too. Thanks for a quick, easy, and delicious recipe. (And it’s a bonus when all the ingredients are already handy in my kitchen!) Definitely will be making these again.
Naomi
Thank you so much for making and sharing these muffins, Taryn!! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Love,
Naomi