Healthy Rhubarb Muffins (Weight Watchers Friendly)

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 you can use frozen rhubarb to make them if you don't have any fresh rhubarb.

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.

🥘 Ingredient Notes

I really adore this orange and 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: 

• Canola oil and unsweetened applesauce. I use a combination of apple sauce and oil to bring down the fat and calories. I balance it because too much applesauce can make baked goods chewy.
• Freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. I use 1 large orange. Fresh orange juice
• Agave syrup. Agave syrup is concentrated so you use less.
• Whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Using a combination of flour keeps them light and not too dense, but adds the health benefits of whole wheat.
• Rhubarb. You can use fresh or frozen but measure frozen rhubarb after it's fully defrosted and drained. You will likely need to add more flour (up to ¼ cup all-purpose) to frozen rhubarb, but add it a tablespoon at a time. If using spring rhubarb, add 2 tablespoon flour, as it's more watery.
• White sparkling sugar. 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 coarse white sugar. This is most used for cake decorating but adds a nice sparkle to the muffins.

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Rhubarb - you can use fresh or frozen (just be sure to fully defrost and drain and you will likely have to add more flour (up to ¼ all-purpose). * 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.
• Canola Oil - you can use vegetable oil or olive oil.
• Dairy-free - Swap the Greek yogurt for a dairy-free yogurt alternative, such as coconut or almond-based yogurt.

🔪How to Make Healthy Rhubarb Muffins

PREP : Heat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. Line muffin trays with 18 paper or silicone liners.

1. Step 1: With a whisk, in a large bowl, combine oil, greek yogurt, agave, orange juice, orange zest, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract.

2. Step 2: Then add baking soda and stir. (it will foam up a little - it's meant to).

3. Step 3: Stir two types of flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a separate bowl.

4. Step 4: Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.

5. Step 5: Fold in the chopped rhubarb. NOTE: *If you are using frozen rhubarb and the batter doesn't look like this, add a little more flour (1 tablespoon at a time), up to ¼ cup. NOTE: ** If using early spring rhubarb, add an additional 2 tablespoon of flour.

6. Step 6: Spoon muffin batter into muffin liners, dividing evenly by 18. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar or coarse sugar on top of the muffins, dividing evenly by 18. (* or you can do this after they are baked or both before and after!)

7. Step 7: Bake on the 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.

8. Step 8: Cool for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack and cool for another 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

🔢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 taste. And if you're looking for more desserts, sweets, and baked goods that are low in 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.

To further bring down the ww points and calories, use a sugar substitute like monk fruit sweetener in place of brown sugar (but only use half the amount). You will likely need to add an additional couple of tbsps of all-purpose flour.

You can also reduce or omit the sparkling sugar topping. You can also replace half of the oil with additional unsweetened applesauce, but keep in mind the texture will be chewier.

🌡️Storage

Store these healthy rhubarb muffins in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature and up to 5 days in the fridge.

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 serving number and selecting the number of servings. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll need additional muffin tins if you increase the recipe.

❔Recipe FAQ's