Rhubarb Pecan Muffins are incredibly tender muffins, packed with rhubarb and pecans, and topped with a crunchy streusel. They’re perfect for a spring brunch!
Spring is rhubarb season! I love seeing this pink and red vegetable show up in the grocery store each year.
Rhubarb’s peak season is mid-April through June, which is long enough to make a few fun rhubarb treats (like this Rhubarb Cake, Rhubarb Bars, and Rhubarb Sauce), and short enough to make me miss it the rest of the year.
These Rhubarb Muffins with Pecan Streusel are modeled after a recipe that my grandma clipped from a newspaper many years ago. I tweaked a few things, like adding a crispy pecan streusel to the top. You definitely do not want to skip the streusel!
Orange is classic pairing for rhubarb, and this recipe uses both orange juice and orange zest to amp up the flavor.
Love rhubarb? Don’t miss this round-up of 18 Rhubarb Desserts!
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How to prepare rhubarb for muffins
First, remove any leaves from the rhubarb and discard them. The leaves are poisonous and rhubarb is typically sold without them, but sometimes you’ll find some leaves on the rhubarb sold at farmer’s markets, for example.
Trim the ends of the rhubarb stalks, and slice any very thick stalks lengthwise down the middle to create a uniform size. Then, chop the rhubarb into one-quarter inch pieces.
Here’s what rhubarb looks like when it’s all chopped up:
When whole, rhubarb closely resembles celery, though it’s a vibrant shade of pink/red instead of green.
Why You’ll Love These rhubarb Pecan muffins
- Despite having only ¼ cup of oil, the muffins are really tender and soft, which is the perfect contrast for the crispy streusel on top.
- The combination of orange zest and orange juice complements the rhubarb nicely.
- The streusel! It’s buttery, crispy, crumbly, and the perfect topping.
Tips for Making the streusel
The key to a crispy, crunchy streusel is to start with cold butter, straight from the refrigerator.
Place the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (this makes it easier to incorporate it). Add the butter to the flour and sugar mixture.
Use your thumb, index, and middle fingers to squeeze the butter cubes into the flour mixture. Keep going until the flour mixture is hanging onto most of the butter. Lumps are a good thing here—that’s what creates the “crunch”!
Frequently Asked Questions
Freeze baked rhubarb muffins in a plastic freezer bag or freezer-safe container. They will keep in the freezer for approximately 2 months. To defrost, let the muffins sit at room temperature for at least 4 hours.
Rhubarb muffins can be kept in an air-tight container on the countertop for 2–3 days, or in the refrigerator for 6–7 days.
To enjoy warm muffins, place them back into a muffin tin, and place in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. Alternatively, microwave individual muffins for 10–15 seconds, or until warm throughout.
Serving suggestions
I’m usually all for slathering butter on a muffin, but truthfully these Rhubarb Muffins with Pecan Streusel don’t need a single thing. They’re best served slightly warm.
If you make them ahead of time, just pop them back in a preheated oven for 5 minutes or until warm.
The muffins would be amazing with Praline Candied Bacon and Italian Breakfast Sausage for brunch. Asparagus, Ham & Gruyere Quiche would be a nice addition to the menu, too.
📖 Recipe
Rhubarb Pecan Muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons orange zest (from 1 large orange)
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1¼ cup chopped rhubarb
- ½ cup chopped pecans
For the streusel:
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
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Instructions
For the muffins:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon baking soda.
- In another large bowl, whisk together 1 egg, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons orange zest, ¾ cup orange juice, and ¾ cup sugar. Gently stir in the flour mixture. Fold in 1¼ cup chopped rhubarb and ½ cup chopped pecans.
For the streusel:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Slice 3 tablespoons cold butter into small cubes and work it into the sugar/flour mixture with your fingertips until the butter is the size of peas. Fold in ¼ cup chopped pecans.
- Spray a nonstick 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin wells, until they are ¾ full. Sprinkle the batter with the streusel topping.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes (I baked them for 23 minutes), or until lightly brown on top. Let sit in the pan for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan.
These look and sound amazing – have pinned! Next weekend is family birthdays get together (three birthdays over five days), and I think these will be perfect to take. Thank you for such a lovely recipe!
Thanks so much, Nico! We are a family of March birthdays so I know how those celebrations go. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!