Vegan Rhubarb Muffins

Take advantage of rhubarb’s limited season with these Vegan Rhubarb Muffins! These fluffy muffins are refined sugar-free and topped with crunchy sliced almonds.

Folks, we’ve had a long road of rhubarb recipe testing to get us to this point. I randomly found rhubarb way back in early February before the season really started and posted this Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp recipe, but back then no one else had found rhubarb yet so I was alone in my rhubarb excitement.

Now, rhubarb has taken OVER the entire food internet. Of course, until a few weeks ago, I couldn’t find any more rhubarb ANYWHERE. Then, finally, a few Sundays ago, I saw bunches of it piled on the tables at my local farmer’s market.

Of course, I grabbed more of it than I knew what to do with and started testing rhubarb recipes galore in my kitchen. And had a recipe fail, after fail, after fail… It seemed as if the universe did NOT want me to be enjoying delicious rhubarb-baked treats this year. That, my friends, was making me very sad because I want me and rhubarb to be besties.

On that pursuit of best-friendship, I will not give up. Especially when I know rhubarb will be disappearing again until next Spring rather shortly. Thankfully, after a couple of not-so-good batches, I got these vegan rhubarb muffins down. There are also a few other finicky rhubarb recipes that have been making me want to pull my hair out. But I am determined to perfect them and get ’em to you before rhubarb disappears again. Send me good rhubarb vibes!

But back to these muffins! They’re quick and simple to throw together (like all good muffin recipes should be). They highlight the tart and tangy flavor of the rhubarb. We so often pair rhubarb with another fruit, like strawberries, in baking recipes, but I love to highlight the flavor of it all on its own.

When developing this recipe, I consulted the rhubarb page of The Flavor Bible (which EVERY cook and baker should have…I seriously have this book open constantly on my desk and I no doubt use it every. single. day.) and saw that cardamom was a recommended spice pairing.

I rarely use cardamom, but I had some in my spice cabinet so I added just a hint to these muffins. The cardamom adds a slightly lemon-y note that I absolutely adored. It paired so beautifully with the rhubarb! Of course, if you don’t have any or aren’t a fan, you can skip it or replace it with a little cinnamon.

I kept these rhubarb muffins both refined sugar-free and vegan as well. We replace the moisture and binding properties of the egg with applesauce and use dairy-free milk in place of dairy milk. For the sweetener, I switched out the regular sugar for coconut sugar, which leaves the muffins a little more brown than other muffins.

These muffins are super moist and fluffy. The rhubarb almost melts into them, creating these little pockets of juicy tartness! I like a little texture, so I threw some sliced almonds on top for some crunch too. Make a batch of these to keep around for breakfast or a snack. They’d also be a great addition to your Mother’s Day brunch. Go get your hands on some rhubarb and enjoy!

Want more rhubarb recipes?

• Gluten-Free Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Gluten-Free Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars
• Paleo Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam

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