Rhubarb Muffins with Crumb Topping are a cinnamon flavored muffin that is grain and sugar free. This tender and delicious keto recipe is filled with rhubarb harvested fresh from the rhubarb patch! Breakfast doesn’t have to be boring on the homestead no matter what time of year it is.
In the spring, rhubarb can be abundant! So, when I’m not making a Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce, you may see me making a Strawberry Rhubarb Salad or these super delicious Rhubarb Dream Bars! (All Keto friendly!)
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Why I made a keto version of Rhubarb Muffins
I have always loved rhubarb. My favorite rhubarb recipe ever has been Classic Rhubarb Custard Pie. As a matter of fact, the very first pie I ever made was Rhubarb! So, when we had to change our diet, I was very happy to find out that Rhubarb was keto friendly.
I also loved to make Rhubarb Crumb Muffins. I loved the crumb topping especially. It reminded me of the crisp topping you would find on apple crisp, and it was so buttery, sweet, and delicious! So, I decided I had to find a way to make a low carb version.
What you need to know about this keto recipe
This is a very tender and soft muffin recipe. Whenever you are baking with almond flour, you are going to have a very different texture and outcome. Because of this, it is best to let your muffins cool completely before eating one. And, if you have patience to store them in the refrigerator overnight, you will have a firmer muffin when you unwrap it from the paper cup.
I used Hemp Seed in my crumb topping. The reason I did so, was to try and add some fiber and a little texture. It also added a little bit of nutty flavor to the topping.
If you are looking for a rhubarb muffin recipe that is going to be exactly like a regular gluten filled muffin (made with white flour and sugar), then this recipe is not going to be it. As a matter of fact, there is no keto recipe you will find that is the same as a regular gluten filled recipe. However, if you want something delicious, and something that can take the place of your non keto version, then this is a good recipe to go to and I highly recommend you try it!
Items you may need to make this recipe
Whenever making muffins, I always use paper cupcake liners and a non-stick muffin pan made of steel. Especially when I am making a keto friendly muffin. The reason for this is the muffins can be fragile due to the nature of their ingredients. And, they can seem oily for the same reason.
The brand specific ingredients I used in making this recipe you see in the photos are Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour and Anthony’s Coconut Flour. For the sweetener I used Swerve Granular, and for flavor I went with Badia Vanilla Extract and Badia Ground Cinnamon.
About the ingredients I used in this recipe and substitutions
The only brand I don’t recommending a substitute for is the flours. Grain free baking can be touchy and I did not test this recipe with any other brand of flour. I used Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour and Anthony’s Coconut Flour. You might be able to get away with a different brand coconut flour. I find it harder to get Bob’s Red Mill Coconut flour on Amazon (as a Prime member) and it is a bit more expensive in the store.
For the sweetener, feel free to substitute Truvia Sweetener (not the baking blend – that one is not keto friendly). I have made this recipe with both Swerve Granular and Truvia sweeteners and it worked great. While I haven’t tried with Monkfruit, I just bought some and will be testing it out soon.
For the crumb topping, the Hemp Seed came from Trader Joes. You can buy it there, or on Amazon. However, if you use a different brand of hemp seed, I don’t believe that will make a difference in the recipe at all, so go ahead and use what you have.
How to make Rhubarb Muffins with Crumb Topping
One of the things I do love about Keto Baking is the recipe really does come together very easily. The hardest part is waiting for the cool down so you can eat it! However, that is a must do, so please don’t skip it or your muffin will likely fall apart when you open the wrapper!
I always start with making my crumb topping first. That way, when I have scooped the batter into my muffin pan, I don’t have to set it aside and wait to get the topping mixed before adding it.
Your crumb topping for the muffins should resemble the photo above. Be sure your butter is very soft or melted and cooled when mixing it into the topping ingredients.
Adding the dry to the wet ingredients
I always mix together my muffin dry and wet ingredients separately. Then, when I am adding the rhubarb, I toss that with the dry ingredients to coat before I add the wet ingredients.
When I scoop the muffin batter, I always use my 1/4 cup cookie scoop. Best invention ever! I use this for so many things. I have had my cookie scoops for almost 20 years and they work just as good as they ever did!
When I add the crumb topping to the rhubarb muffins, I always use my fingers, and break it up into smaller pieces. And, I always try to distribute the topping evenly over the muffins so they each have the same amount of extra deliciousness spread over top!
Once the rhubarb muffins are done baking, let them cool in the muffin pan until they are completely cool. If you are familiar with non keto muffin baking, this is completely different. You can enjoy a warm muffin when you make one with regular flour. Unfortunately, if you do so with a muffin baked with almond flour, you risk the chance of it falling apart. It’s best to bake and cool and if at all possible, chill overnight before serving.
What to serve with Rhubarb Muffins
Rhubarb Muffins make a great stand alone breakfast with a hot cup of coffee. For the most part, I feel you don’t need to serve these with anything else! When you are following Keto, you don’t always feel the need to eat a lot of food. The reason for this is because the recipes are higher in fat and you feel satisfied faster and longer. If you feel the need for something else, or are offering a brunch to your family or group of friends, try serving an egg based quiche with some keto friendly veggies!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to rate it in the recipe card!
Rhubarb Muffins with Crumb Topping – Keto Recipe
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill almond flour
- 1/4 cup Anthony's Coconut Flour
- 2/3 cup Swerve Granular
- 1 cup rhubarb
- 1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1 tsp Rumford Baking Powder (Aluminum Free)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp Badia Vanilla Extract
For the topping
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill almond flour
- 1 tbsp Trader Joe's Hemp Seed
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Swerve Granular Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp Badia Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter
Instructions
To make the crumb topping
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, hemp seed, swerve sweetener, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the softened (or melted) butter to the dry ingredients and using either your fingers or a fork, combine the two until you have small crumbs.
To make the Rhubarb Muffins
- In a large mixing bowl combine the almond flour, coconut flour, Swerve Granulated Sweetener, salt, and baking powder.
- Add the diced rhubarb to the dry mix ingredients and toss to coat. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, water, and vanilla.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture, then add the melted butter. Stir to combine well.
- Line a muffin pan with paper liners and scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into muffin pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Or, until muffins are lightly browned on top and no crumbs stick to a toothpick when inserted into the center of muffin.
- Cool completely. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week. May be frozen up to 3 months.
I added strawberries and used stevia, this was a major win!! Soo good!
Hi Jill! Thank you SO much for stopping back to rate the recipe and let me know. I am so happy you enjoyed them.