I love rhubarb and rhubarb season! And if you do too, you're going to love these Healthy Rhubarb Muffins. With orange and cinnamon flavors in the mix, they are a unique and delicious muffin.
And since it's not easy to find healthy rhubarb recipes, I worked very hard to bring down the calories, fat and points without sacrificing any taste and was it ever a success. No one would ever suspect these are Weight Watchers Rhubarb Muffins!~ And they inspired me to create this Healthy Rhubarb Bread.
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When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was grab some rhubarb from the garden, wash it off with the hose, dip it in sugar and munch! This rhubarb muffin recipe is perfect for sprinkling a little sugar on top, giving it that little crunch that reminds me of munching on my rhubarb treat as a kid.
And the sparkling sugar looks so pretty and sparkly too, of course. However, if you can't find white sparkling sugar (I find it in the cake decorating aisle at Michaels Arts & Crafts) you can just use a little course white sugar.
🥘 Ingredients
I really adore this orange cinnamon combo with rhubarb; it’s a flavor duo that really brings out the best in rhubarb. If you've never tried it, you really have to give these unique and delicious Rhubarb Orange muffins a go. I also use the same flavors in my Rhubarb Compote and it's just as yummy! And this recipe doesn't require a lot of rhubarb (only 1.5 cups of rhubarb). I only started growing it last year and I didn't have a big harvest, so muffins were the perfect way to use a smaller batch of rhubarb.
For these healthy rhubarb muffins, you'll need:
- vegetable oil
- 0% fat free plain Greek yogurt
- freshly squeezed orange juice
- agave (you can substitute honey but you'll need a little more)
- unsweetened applesauce
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- orange zest
- baking soda
- whole wheat flour
- all-purpose flour
- brown sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- rhubarb
- white sparkling sugar
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Rhubarb - you can use fresh or frozen (just be sure to fully defrost and drain) * if you are using early spring rhubarb be aware that it has a higher water content - be sure to compensate by adding a little more flour (2 tbsps)
- Agave - you can substitute honey, but you'll need to double the amount and increase the flour by 2 tbsps
🔢WW Points
Believe me, I speak from experience when I say it's not easy to find Weight Watchers muffins that don't have artificial sweeteners. I don't use artificial sweeteners in my baking, desserts or in anything. Like I said, I worked hard to bring these down to 3 WW points, without sacrificing any taste. And if you're looking for more desserts, sweets and baked goods that are low sugar, without artificial sweeteners, then check out these WW Desserts without artificial sweeteners. And if you want another fantastic WW muffin try my Healthy Carrot Muffins and my Weight Watchers Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
🍽Equipment
You'll need a muffin tin/muffin pan (affiliate link), muffin cups, and some mixing bowls for these rhubarb muffins.
💭 Storing
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Can be frozen for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This healthy rhubarb recipe makes 18 muffins. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like to make more than 1 cake. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll need additional muffin tins if you increase the recipe.
Everything is late and grows slower where I live (in Calgary). And in Canada, depending on where you live, the type of rhubarb you grow, how mature the plants are and where it's planted, you can be harvesting your rhubarb anytime between April and July! You can read more about how to grow rhubarb in Canada HERE.
But whether you have fresh rhubarb on hand in July or a stock of frozen rhubarb in your freezer (yes, you can freeze rhubarb!) you'll want to make these Healthy Rhubarb Muffins! Personally, I love them best with fresh rhubarb because, as one of my recipe testers said, "the little pieces of rhubarb literally melt in your mouth,” but I'll make them with frozen rhubarb if I have to because this is one muffin I just have to have!
So, if you're looking for easy breakfasts or healthy rhubarb recipes, you'll love this!
And be sure to give my Rhubarb Pancakes (shown) and my Easy Rhubarb Overnight Oats a try!
And be sure to check out this 15 Rhubarb Breakfast Recipes!
📋 Healthy Rhubarb Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup non- fat plain Greek yogurt (0%)
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice * the juice from about 1 large orange
- 5 teaspoon agave syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups rhubarb, chopped cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon white sparkling sugar for sprinkling tops
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin trays with 18 paper or silicone liners.
- With a mixing spoon, in large bowl, combine oil, greek yogurt, agave, orange juice, orange zest, applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract, then add baking soda and stir. (it will foam up a little - it's meant to)
- Stir two types of flours, baking powder, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a separate bowl.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the chopped rhubarb.
- Spoon muffin batter into muffin liners, dividing evenly by 18.
- Sprinkle with sparkling sugar or course sugar on top of the muffins, dividing evenly by 18. (* or you can do this after they are baked)
- Bake on middle rack for about 18 minutes (or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.) *Rotate the muffins in the middle of the baking time for best results.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack and cool for another 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Joan
I didn't have very good luck with these at all. I substituted honey for the agave but everything else followed the recipe. Baked for 18 minutes and they were still quite soft when I pressed on the tops, so I put them in for a few more minutes. Still kind of soft when I took them out. Stuck to the muffin cups. Not at all cooked inside, kind of like eating dough. The taste was good. I'm not sure what went wrong.
Terri Gilson
Hi Joan: sorry to hear you had issues! Yes, if replacing honey for agave you'd need to compensate for the difference in that liquid ingredient. I'll add that to the recipe. Sometimes I assume things I shouldn't. Also, if you don't drain your defrosted rhubarb enough, the dough will be too gooey. And early spring rhubarb has a higher water content so you need to compensate for that.
Terri
Mjae
I’ve never had rhubarb muffins before but last fall my neighbor gifted me with a rhubarb plant and it’s grown so much. So I’m trying my way through as many rhubarb recipes as I can find. These were absolutely delicious. So soft and so much flavour. Printed your recipe and will definitely be making again. Thank you.
Mia
Great recipe. Bakes nicely in a square pan too. Next time, I'll use 2 full cups of rhubarb. My first taster says, "Yummy!" and, "Oh, there's some rhubarb." This is why I'm thinking to add some more of it. Thank you for putting this together!
Terri Gilson
Thanks-glad to hear it’s taster approved! Sure, why not add more fhubarb! 😊
Lindsay GOODMAN
A tasty muffin, they don’t rise up out of the cup very much, but still came out fluffy. I did substitute the whole grain flour for almond flour (just because it’s what I had on hand), other than that I followed the recipe to a “t”. I cut the rhubarb pieces quite small (1/4” cubes), but there was plenty of rhubarb! For a healthier alternative these muffin are definitely a high ranking treat!
Pam
I missed the baking soda tip and even missed putting it in the muffins! I used 75% whole wheat flour and 25% white flour. They still turned out delicious and fluffy! I can see this as a great base recipe for so many muffin flavors, thanks for the recipe!
Terri Gilson
That's great they still turned out great, Pam! 🙂
Sheila McRae
I have made these several times using rhubarb, or raspberries and I love them!!! So neat with the baking soda trick!! Very fluffy!
Terri Gilson
So glad to hear you love them! Can't wait for rhubarb season again 🙂
Roxanne
Hi!
I am going to give these a try. Are these mini muffins or regular size muffins?
Terri Gilson
Hi Roxanne,
They are regular sized muffins! 🙂 enjoy!
Melanie Cagle
These muffins look delicious! I will definitely give them a try as Rhubarb is one of my favorite indulges - the fact it's healthy.... perfect!! Your picture BTW is great, I love the sugary sprinkles on top, makes me lick my lips!
Terri Gilson
Thanks, Melanie! I hope you enjoy them 🙂