Blueberry Rhubarb Muffins

These budget-friendly Blueberry Rhubarb Muffins are simple, flavorful, and perfect any time of day (especially breakfast!). Juicy blueberries help mellow the rhubarb’s tang, while cinnamon and sugar bring cozy, sweet notes. I in addition topped them with a buttery streusel for a crunchy finish that’s completely divine.

I couldn’t stop eating them…and I bet you won’t either! All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.

Easy Recipe for Blueberry and Rhubarb Muffins

There’s more to rhubarb than just strawberry rhubarb pie.

I had some leftovers from my pie method, so I decided to give this unique veggie (yep, rhubarb is a vegetable, but it acts like a fruit in way of taste!) a new moment to shine. These muffins are soft and tender inside, with just the right amount of streusel on top.

However, if you’re not into a crumble topping, you can easily skip it. They’re dotted with juicy blueberries and pockets of tart rhubarb that combine with the soft crumb and keep things interesting bite after bite.

Enjoy these homemade muffins with a warm cup of coffee, or pack one for an easy grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings!

Budget-Saving Tip

Blueberries are usually available year-round (even when it’s out of season), but using frozen ones is a great way to keep things budget-friendly. Even if, if you have fresh blueberries that need to be used up, feel free to use them in this recipe instead!

Rhubarb, on the other hand, has a short season and isn’t always easy to find frozen. So when you spot it fresh, grab a bunch and freeze what you don’t use…you’ll be glad you did later.

Blueberry Rhubarb Muffins

- 1 cup granulated sugar ($0.38)

- ½ cup vegetable oil ($0.30) - ½ lemon (juice and zest, $0.29)

- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.38) - 2 tsp baking powder ($0.08)

- ½ tsp baking soda ($0.01) - ½ tsp ground cinnamon ($0.03) - 1 cup frozen blueberries (130g, $0.82)

- 1 cup rhubarb (leaves removed, trimmed, washed, and cut in ½-inch pieces (130g) $2.00*) - Nonstick cookery spray ($0.01)

Streusel Topping

- 3 Tbsp butter (cold, $0.45**)

- ¼ cup brown sugar ($0.13) - ¼ cup all-purpose flour ($0.05) - Gather and prepare all components.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. - In a medium bowl, add the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, lemon juice, and zest.

- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. - Add the sugar mixture into the large bowl, folding to combine.

Lastly, fold in the blueberries and rhubarb. - To make the streusel topping, in a medium bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and flour.

Using a fork, combine all elements until crumbly. - Spray the muffin pan generously with nonstick cookery spray.

Evenly divide the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly on top of each muffin. - Bake for 15-20 minutes until the muffins have puffed up and are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. See how we calculate method costs here.

Nutrition Information

how to make Blueberry Rhubarb Muffins step-by-step photos

Gather all of your components and preheat your oven to 400°F. Combine the wet ingredients: Add 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup milk, lemon juice and zest (from ½ a lemon) to a medium-sized bowl.

Combine the dry components: Pour 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and mix together. Make the batter: Now pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.

Fold together to combine. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make your homemade blueberry rhubarb muffins tough and dense.

Add the fruit: Now fold in 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1 cup rhubarb (cut into ½-inch pieces). I like to fold the fruit into the batter to avoid the blueberries from bursting and turning the batter purple. Make the streusel topping: Add 3 Tbsp cold butter, ¼ cup brown sugar, and ¼ cup flour to a medium mixing bowl.

Use a fork to combine the elements until crumbly. You don’t want a buttery paste, so make sure your butter is cold so it forms nice crumbles. Divide batter into muffin tins: Spray your muffin pans well with nonstick preparation spray.

Divide the muffin batter evenly between 12 muffin holes and top with the crumble topping. Bake muffins: Bake your blueberry and rhubarb muffins in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until they’ve puffed up and are golden brown.

Remove the muffin tray from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Recipe Success Tips and Suggestions! - Be careful not to overmix the batter!

Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, which can lead to dense and chewy muffins. For a soft crumb, I fold the dry components until they are just incorporated with the wet components. - Use fresh or frozen blueberries.

Just like our classic blueberry muffins method, you can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. Choose whichever is the cheapest for you! Just note that if your frozen blueberries have kicked off to thaw, it might make your batter purple (which won’t affect the taste, just purely aesthetics!) You can as well use frozen rhubarb if needed, but I’d let it thaw first.

I’d dice it small and pour away any excess liquid before using. - Dice the rhubarb small for an equal distribution of blueberries and rhubarb throughout each muffin.

See my step-by-step photos above for reference. You should in addition remove the leaves (they’re toxic) and wash and trim the rhubarb before dicing.

- Grease your muffin pan WELL. I like to use a decent amount of nonstick preparation spray to grease my pan before adding the batter.

This makes it much easier to get the muffins out after baking. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. You can as well use muffin liners if preferred.

- Add a little cinnamon to the streusel topping for even more cinnamony taste, as we do in our apple cinnamon muffins method!

Storage Instructions

Once you try these homemade rhubarb blueberry muffins, I’m sure you’ll want to make a double batch to enjoy all week long!

Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days to maintain freshness. You can as well freeze them for up to 3 months.

Let them thaw at room temperature or ping them in the microwave for about 30 seconds if you want one warm and ready in a hurry.