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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Orange Rhubarb Muffins with Buttermilk

    Published: May 30, 2022 · Modified: Apr 27, 2025 by Jenna · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Springtime is the best season because Rhubarb is fresh and in season. Rhubarb muffins are a great way to use up some extra rhubarb that you have lying around in your garden this time of year. - When life gives you rhubarb just make rhubarb muffins!

    Springtime is the best season because Rhubarb is fresh and in season. Rhubarb muffins are a great way to use up some extra rhubarb that you have lying around in your garden this time of year

    Do you like baking with rhubarb? Try out Try Rhubarb fruit leather, Rhubarb Dump Cake, or Frosted Rhubarb Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting for another easy recipes!

    At my old house, there was a rhubarb bush in the garden. It grew, and grew, and grew, and produced so much rhubarb, I had it coming out of my ears. I honestly didn’t know what to do with it all and I’d be searching for so many rhubarb recipes online. I think the only rhubarb recipe I ever liked was having them in muffins and strawberry rhubarb crisp. I kind of miss that rhubarb plant since I’ve moved but I don’t miss all the rhubarb that I used to have.

    Rhubarb is very tart and the only way to make it edible is by adding a lot of sugar to it in my opinion. I think  I see rhubarb more in sweet dishes rather than savory.

    Jump to:
    • Tips for Rhubarb Muffins
    • Ingredients Needed
    • How to make Orange Rhubarb Muffins
    • Variations to Try
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Other Recipes To Try 
    • Healthy Orange Rhubarb Muffins

    Tips for Rhubarb Muffins

    If you don’t have any buttermilk simply mix together 1 cup of milk (any kind) plus 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice and let that sit for a while. That mixture will become buttermilk.

    Save some extra chopped rhubarb to put on top of the muffins. Place them on top of the batter before you bake them. These rhubarb muffins are 5 smart points each. If you desire to sub out the oil for unsweetened applesauce they are only 4 smart points.

    If you don't like your muffin batter very wet only use ½ cup milk.

    Ingredients Needed

    • Brown Sugar  - regular granulated sugar, I do not use sugar substitutes in any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so
    • Buttermilk - Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own by combining regular milk with lemon juice and let it sit for a while. 
    • Vegetable Oil- can swap out greek yogurt, sour cream, or applesauce
    • Eggs - large eggs at room temperature - using room temperature eggs will help mix stuff together better 
    • Vanilla Extract - as Ina Garten always says use a good pure vanilla extract. No imitation vanilla please! Vanilla extract is made by combing vodka and fresh vanilla beans to a glass jar. This has to sit for a couple of days for the vodka to smart smelling like vanilla beans.
    • Orange Zest - use grater
    • All Purpose Flour - Most baking recipes will require some type of flour. In order to get the right amount level off the flour with a spoon.
    • Baking Soda and baking powder  to help the muffins rise and spread out more 
    • Chopped Rhubarb - 3 cups or however much you like! If you don't have rhubarb you can find it now in the produce section of your grocery store! The one I usually shop at had them in bags.
    • See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements. 

    How to make Orange Rhubarb Muffins

    Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper cups. If you have no muffin tin liners just grease it with cooking spray.

    Greased muffin cup liner.

    Step 2: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

    Step 3: In a separate bowl, beat the brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients until blended. Fold in the rhubarb and orange zest.

    Wet Ingredients mixed with dry ingredients.

    Step 4: Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling almost to the top.

    Muffin batter in cupcake pan.

    Step 5: Cook muffins 20-25 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

    1. 5 smart points for 1 muffin

    Variations to Try

    Instead of 3 cups of chopped rhubarb use 1 ½ cups of chopped strawberry for Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

    Make a crumble streusel topping to add on the top of the muffins or sprinkle the top with sugar.

    Replace half of the amount of rhubarb with some chopped Zucchini or apples

    Want to try using different types of flours? Try wheat flour, oats, or even different types of flour such as coconut or almond flour for special diet needs.

    3 Rhubarb muffins sitting on an white plate.

    Recipe FAQs

    What do I do with rhubarb?

    You can cook it down in a saucepan with some sugar and turn it into freezer jam, rhubarb sauce, or make fruit leather with it.

    What does rhubarb pair well with?

    Rhubarb is a tart vegetable and usually many recipes online will add extra sugar to it or some strawberries for more sweetness.

    Other Recipes To Try 

    • Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes Blackstone
    • Air Fryer Frozen Burgers
    • Air Fryer Canned Biscuits
    • Blackstone French Toast

    If you tried this Rhubarb Muffins or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries

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    Healthy Orange Rhubarb Muffins

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Jenna
    • Prep Time: 10min
    • Cook Time: 25
    • Total Time: 25
    • Yield: 12 1x
    • Category: Breakfast
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Healthy Orange Rhubarb Muffins with Buttermilk


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • ⅔ cup brown sugar
    • ½ cup low-fat buttermilk (see tips above for making homemade buttermilk)
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil, 
    • 1 Egg
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
    • 1 ½ tsp orange zest 
    • 1 ½ cups flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 3 cups rhubarb, chopped


    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper cups.
    2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. 
    3. In a separate bowl, beat the brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients until blended. Fold in the rhubarb and orange zest. 
    4. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling almost to the top. 
    5. Cook muffins 20-25 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.
    6. 5 smart points for 1 muffin. 

    Notes

    myWW points: Blue 4; Green 4; Purple  4

    If you don't like your muffin batter very wet only use ½ cup milk. 


    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 muffin
    • Calories: 166
    • Sugar: 13.4g
    • Sodium: 130.4
    • Fat: 5.4g
    • Saturated Fat: 1
    • Carbohydrates: 26.8g
    • Fiber: 1.1g
    • Protein: 3.1g

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    rhubarb muffins 011

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenna says

      July 31, 2017 at 8:18 am

      You don't need to keep them red in this recipe.

    2. Tina VanDeWeghe says

      July 30, 2017 at 10:05 am

      How can I keep the rhubarb red? I know jelloe keep it red but, this was not mentioned here. Thaks!

    3. Jenna says

      May 22, 2016 at 7:23 pm

      Hi Amanda, I updated the cooking time in the recipe!

    4. Amanda says

      May 22, 2016 at 4:37 pm

      Doesn't day how long to bake them for or did I miss it somewhere?

    5. Jenna says

      May 30, 2015 at 9:29 pm

      Thanks for sharing Kim!

    6. Kim says

      May 30, 2015 at 12:19 pm

      I made these last weekend with half whole wheat flour and they came out great!

    7. jgisvold says

      June 06, 2014 at 10:51 am

      Thanks Dina, They were very yummy!

    8. jgisvold says

      June 06, 2014 at 10:51 am

      Thanks!They are really good, only lasted about a day in our house. 🙂

    9. daniellethecell says

      June 06, 2014 at 8:58 am

      These look amazing!! I have been looking for a simple cupcake/muffin rhubarb recipe for *ages*. My dad adores rhubarb so I will be attempting to make these as a treat for Father's Day! Thank you for this recipe!

    10. dina says

      June 03, 2014 at 10:59 am

      they look yummy!

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    Hey, I'm Jenna! I'm a graphic designer, photographer, and home cook from From Fargo ND. I love my Ninja Creami, Air Fryer, and Blackstone. I created this blog to share recipe tips and tricks with everyone, enjoy!

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