These healthy rhubarb muffins are moist and delicious, packed with fresh seasonal rhubarb and a creamy vanilla custard filling. Made with oats and low in refined sugar, they are a healthy twist on the classic flavours of rhubarb and custard.
The first batch of these healthy rhubarb and custard muffins was a bit of a happy accident. I had some leftover homemade custard and decided to try baking it into the centre of an oatmeal muffin with chunks of rhubarb. Yummy! The result is a delicious combination.
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Recipe Summary: Healthy Rhubarb Muffins
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Key ingredients: Rhubarb, apple, oats, eggs, honey, cornflour, milk
Nutritional highlights: Low in added sugar and saturated fat, made with high fibre wholegrain oats and fresh rhubarb
Allergy info: Can be made gluten-free and dairy-free, nut-free
Convenience: Easy recipe, can be stored for 2-3 days
Why you'll love these healthy rhubarb muffins
- Healthy rhubarb muffins are totally delicious, with bursts of tangy rhubarb and creamy vanilla custard.
- They are low in refined sugar, sweetened just with apple and a little honey and sugar. They are also high in fibre from wholegrain oats, which makes them a filling, healthy treat or dessert.
- Oatmeal rhubarb muffins are gluten-free if you use certified oats. There is no flour in the recipe. And you can make dairy-free rhubarb muffins using dairy-free milk. (I prefer oat milk, which I use in this dairy-free custard recipe.)
- Easy to make. There's no need to precook the rhubarb as small chunks will cook through in the oven in the time that the muffins take to bake. Both the muffin batter and custard are very simple and easy to make.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
Rhubarb. I used fresh rhubarb, which is available in the spring and early summer, but you could also use frozen rhubarb if it's out of season. That way you can enjoy healthy rhubarb muffins all year round 😉
Apples. Apple provides extra sweetness in these healthy rhubarb muffins but doesn't dominate the flavour. I used medium-sized apples, so if your apples are large, maybe eat half of one whilst you are prepping the recipe! You can use any variety of dessert apple.
Oats. Use either porridge oats or instant oats for this recipe, as they'll be processed into flour. Oats are a healthy wholegrain and are high in fibre. They are nutritious, and a good source of a number of vitamins and minerals.
Using oats rather than processed refined flour makes these healthy muffins more nutritious. There's more fibre and protein in wholegrain oats.
If you want gluten-free rhubarb muffins, use certified oats that have been processed separately from other gluten-containing grains.
I also use oats in this healthy apple muffin recipe.
There's also some baking powder in the recipe to add a bit of rise.
Olive oil. These healthy rhubarb and custard muffins are low in saturated fat, but some olive oil provides extra moistness. Any kind of unflavoured olive oil is fine.
Honey. A little extra sweetness is needed as rhubarb is naturally very tart. You could also use maple syrup if you prefer.
Vanilla extract. As vanilla is a key flavour in custard, I've added vanilla to the muffin mixture as well as the custard.
Custard ingredients
Cornflour thickens the custard and keeps it stable. Cornflour is gluten-free, and also known as cornstarch in some countries.
You'll also need milk, which can be fat-free or full-fat. Oatmilk is a good replacement if you want dairy-free muffins.
Just a couple of teaspoons of sugar will provide enough sweetness. You could use another sweetener such as honey or stevia if you prefer.
The small amount of custard for this recipe needs only one egg yolk. If you are making double, you could use a whole egg instead of a yolk. You could also make double the custard and serve the muffins as dessert with an extra spoonful of leftover custard. Yum:)
How to make healthy rhubarb muffins
Make the custard first so that it can cool whilst you make the muffin mixture. Put the milk, cornflour, sugar, egg yolk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in a cold pan and mix well.
Place the pan on a medium heat and bring the mix to a simmer, whisking constantly. The custard will thicken. Simmer for a minute, then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan).
To prepare the rhubarb for muffins, rinse and cut it into 1cm pieces. If the stalks are large, slice them lengthwise down the middle before slicing them. Set aside.
Tip the oats into a food processor or large blender and blitz well. The oats will become fine and powdery. Core and roughly chop the apple (there's no need to peel it.) Add to the processor and blitz until finely chopped.
Add the baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, honey, oil, and eggs and blitz until the muffins are well mixed. Stir the chopped rhubarb into the mixture.
Line a muffin tin with muffin cases and spoon a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into each hole. Roughly level out the mixture. Add a generous teaspoon of custard to the centre of each muffin.
Top with the remaining mixture. Try to be gentle so that the custard stays in the centre, and is encased by the muffin mixture.
Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Expert tips for perfect rhubarb muffins
- Cut the rhubarb into equal-sized pieces so that it cooks through evenly in the time that the muffins take to bake
- If you don't have a food processor or blender to make the muffins, use an equal weight of oat flour instead of whole oats. Prepare the custard and rhubarb as above. Finely grate the apple, then add it to a bowl with all the other muffin ingredients. Stir well to mix, and follow the rest of the recipe.
- If you're in a hurry, you could use a ready-made custard rather than making the custard from scratch. It may sink into the muffins more however as it'll be a little runnier. Ready-made custard will also have more sugar than this homemade custard.
- If you prefer, you can make these healthy rhubarb muffins without the custard filling.
Serving and storage
Tempting as they may be, make sure that your healthy rhubarb muffins have cooled before you tuck in so that you don't burn your mouth on the custard filling. They are particularly nice fresh from the oven, but you can store them for 2 or 3 days in an airtight container.
Healthy rhubarb muffins are ideal for a springtime brunch, tea or healthy rhubarb and custard dessert (you might also enjoy this healthy rhubarb and custard tart!). They can even be packed into lunchboxes or eaten on the go.
FAQs
No, it doesn't. The custard is quite thick, which helps. And if you think about it, you can make a baked custard which holds its shape. Rhubarb and custard muffins are surprisingly mess-free to eat:)
Yes, healthy rhubarb and custard muffins with oats freeze well. In my experience, it is harder to remove them from the paper cases after they have been frozen, so you might want to do this first. Alternatively, you could use waxed paper cases if you are planning to freeze them.
Just use the rhubarb as it is; there's no need to defrost it. I've found that frozen rhubarb still cooks through perfectly. But if the pieces are quite large, you will need to cut them up, so you could leave them to soften slightly while you get on and make the custard.
Muffin recipes can vary hugely, with some being very high in sugar and saturated fat. This healthy rhubarb muffin recipe has been adapted to be low in saturated fat and sugar. It is made with wholegrain oats in place of refined white flour, adding more nutrients and fibre.
Other healthy rhubarb recipes you might enjoy
Make the most of the short rhubarb season with these other healthy recipes. They are all low in sugar and gluten-free. If you love rhubarb and custard, then this delicious rhubarb fool and rhubarb custard tart are both definitely worth baking!
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Recipe
Healthy Rhubarb Muffins (Low Sugar with Custard Filling)
Equipment
- Food processor Can also make by hand in a bowl
- Muffin tin
- Muffin cases
- saucepan
- whisk
Ingredients
- 150 g rhubarb fresh or frozen
- 2 dessert apples
- 200 g porridge or instant oats use GF certified if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Custard
- 1 egg yolk if making double can use 1 whole egg
- 200 ml milk whole milk or skimmed, dairy or non dairy
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Custard
- Add the cold milk, cornflour, sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla and egg yolk to a cold pan. Whisk well to mix.200 ml milk, 2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon cornflour, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg yolk
- Place over a medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a minute, and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 fan)
Rhubarb muffins
- If the rhubarb stems are large, cut them in half lengthwise. Then cut into 1cm pieces.150 g rhubarb
- Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until powdery.200 g porridge or instant oats
- Cut the apples from the core, and chop roughly. Add to the oats and blitz again until very finely chopped.2 dessert apples
- Add the baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, oil, honey and 2 eggs and blitz until thoroughly mixed.1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 2½ tablespoon honey
- Stir in the rhubarb by hand.
- Line the muffin tin with 6 paper cases. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of muffin mixture into each case and level out.
- Add a heaped teaspoon of custard to the centre of each muffin.
- Top with the remaining muffin mixture and gently smooth the mixture over the custard. The custard should be fully covered.
- Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes until golden and set. Cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- If making the muffins by hand, use ready ground oat flour rather than whole oats. Finely grate the apple, and mix the ingredients in a bowl
- Cut the rhubarb into equal-sized pieces so that it cooks through evenly in the time that the muffins take to bake
- You can also use a thick ready made custard if preferred
- If you prefer, you can make these healthy rhubarb muffins without the custard filling.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
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