Name: Apple Rhubarb Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 200 g rhubarb (diced); 200 g grated apple (about 3 medium apples, peeled); 175 g sugar; 1 egg; 2 tablespoons oil; 120 g sour cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 g salt (or a generous pinch); 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 225 g plain flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top)

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I didn’t even know what rhubarb was until I moved to England over 20 years ago—and now I can’t imagine spring baking without it. These apple rhubarb muffins have become a seasonal staple in my kitchen: tender, tangy, and just sweet enough with a crunchy sugar top. They’re the kind of treat you’ll want to make on repeat, especially with fresh rhubarb in season.

opening up a rhubarb and apple muffin by hand and other muffins on a black cooling grid

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What you’ll love about this recipe

If you, like me, are fascinated by rhubarb, you must have been looking for a recipe to combine tart sweet and fragrant to celebrate the wonder of this vegetable. Yes, you heard this right, rhubarb is a vegetable!

crunchy top muffins on a black cooling grid

🍏 Not too sweet – Even with sweet apples, there isn’t a lot of sweetness in this muffin, more like a hint!
🧁 Soft and Moist Texture – The fruit, veg, dairy and oil keep these muffins ultra-tender.
🌿 Simple, Everyday Ingredients – Nothing fancy here—just wholesome basics you probably already have.
🔁 Customizable – Easy to tweak based on what’s in your fridge or pantry.
No butter: I don’t know about you, but I find that butter adds complication to desserts, so if I can skip it, yay!
⏱️ Quick & Easy – You don’t even need a handheld mixer! Just a few bowls and a few spoons, and so quick, you can have these in the oven in under 15 minutes!
No sinking to the bottom: This batter is slightly stiffer than a muffin batter and this helps the fruit stay in place.

Watch how to make APPLE rhubarb muffins

Ingredient Notes

Rhubarb – Dice into half-inch chunks. If your stalks are thick, slice them lengthwise first.
Apples: Firm apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work best, but I have tried them with all sorts, even Braeburn. Grate and lightly squeeze—don’t remove all the juice.
Sour Cream – in fact, I made them with creme fraiche, yogurt or buttermilk and all work well too, they keep the texture wonderfully moist.
Egg – I use a large egg, making sure to beat it up lightly.
Oil – an odorless oil such as sunflower or vegetable is great here.
Baking powder and baking soda – you need both to make your muffins fluffy and soft.
Demerara Sugar (or Turbinado) – optional, but so wonderful at getting that crunchy top!

Ingredients for apple rhubarb muffins laid out

How to make Apple rhubarb banana muffins (step-by-step)

Time needed: 40 minutes

Bursting with fruity goodness, these rhubarb banana muffins are the perfect treat and not too sweet!

Prep the fruit (and veg 😜)
Remove the ends of the rhubarb stems and cut them into a manageable size then slice them on the length to make thinner sticks. Then dice them into approximately half an inch pieces. Grate the apples and gently squeeze out some of the juice—just enough to prevent the batter from becoming too wet. Add the diced rhubarb and grated apple to a bowl.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, salt, a little lemon zest and sour cream until smooth and well combined. Add the wet mixture to the grated apple and diced rhubarb. Stir gently to combine everything evenly.
Make the batter
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined – be careful not to overmix, you will end up with a chunky batter.
Fill the cases and bake
Spoon a heaped tablespoon of batter into the prepared muffin tin, you should get 12 full cases. Fill all of them, then distribute any leftover batter between them until they are roughly even. Sprinkle the tops with a little demerara sugar, then bake for 20 minutes at 190°C or 375°F, depending on your oven type. Check with a toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out clean.
Cool and enjoy!
Let the muffins to cool in the tin for a minute before moving them to a wire rack to cool at least a little. The most difficult bit is the wait 🤣! Enjoy!

Pro Tips

Cut the rhubarb stems along the length if they are thick then in smaller cubes to avoid them sinking to the bottom.
Work fast! Once you start adding the flour, baking powder and baking soda, you want to quickly fill the cases and pop the tin in the oven!
Mix just until combined with a spatula or spoon, but don’t overmix. This is the secret to fluffy airy muffins!

Opened rhubarb and apple muffin and other muffins on a black cooling grid

Nutritional benefits

A sweet treat is just that, I’m not going to pretend these are healthy, but certainly a better sweet treat choice to boost plant intake in your diet.

Rhubarb and apple were simply meant to be—especially when folded into a warm, spiced muffin. Both rhubarb and apples have a good amount of fiber, not mentioning antioxidants and vitamins. Feed those friendly gut bacteria happy!

Servings

This recipe yields 12 medium size muffins.

What to serve with apple rhubarb muffins

I like to let these muffins cool down before tucking in! You can always serve them with a dollop of Greek yogurt or next to a glass of kefir.
I usually take these babies to work to stop us from eating the whole batch in one sitting and they disappear pretty fast! But you can pack them loosely in airtight containers and freeze them, then treat yourself every now and then at breakfast ☕or tea-time 🍵!
STORAGE: If you keep the muffins stored in an airtight container or even in a plastic bag, they will become sticky on top and lose their crunch. So just cover them with a tea towel or store them in a paper bag for up to 2 days. But I promise you they won’t last that long 😄!

variations and substitutions

VEGETARIAN: This recipe is vegetarian. I haven’t tried it, but if you do want to make this VEGAN, you can use an egg alternative and replace the sour cream with vegan yogurt (such as coconut yogurt). Let me know how you get on 😊!
For more texture, you can add a crumble or streusel topping, check out my crunchy and topping in my Strawberry rhubarb oatmeal muffins recipe or my apple crumble tarts. Or add a small handful of chopped nuts.
No Sour Cream/Yogurt? Use buttermilk instead! You may need to hold a little back and add the rest if too thick.
Go whole grain: Replace half the flour with whole wheat or spelt flour.

These apple rhubarb muffins have become one of my favorite things to bake when rhubarb is in season 🌱—they’re soft, just the right amount of tart, and always disappear quickly. Whether I’m making them for weekend guests or just to have something comforting with my morning coffee, they never disappoint. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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