These sourdough rhubarb muffins are tender, lightly sweet, and just wholesome enough for breakfast. They are made with sourdough discard, whole wheat flour, coconut oil, cream and Greek yogurt, with generous pieces of fresh rhubarb folded in at the end. And if you do not keep a starter, you can make rhubarb muffins just as well without one.

I actually developed this recipe without any sourdough at all, so the yogurt version is a fully tested recipe in its own right. A little starter simply adds flavor and moisture, while the baking powder does the lifting.

Sourdough rhubarb muffins dusted with icing sugar on a pink plate, with fresh rhubarb stalks and red silicone muffin cups beside them

Why You Will Love These Rhubarb Muffins

They use up sourdough discard instead of sending it to the bin.
No starter needed: an extra spoonful of Greek yogurt does the job just fine.
Whole grains, real eggs, and real fruit: a muffin you will not think twice about handing to anyone.
Ready in 40 minutes: 20 minutes of prep and about 20 minutes in the oven.

What Goes Into These Muffins

Whole wheat flour gives the muffins structure, and coconut oil replaces part of the usual dairy fat. Cream and full-fat Greek yogurt bring richness, so the crumb stays soft and moist even with whole grains. The sourdough starter adds a little tang and moisture; use the portion you remove before feeding, so it is exactly what would otherwise be thrown away.

For the rhubarb, use only the stalks. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, so discard them. Peel older, stiffer stalks, but young, fresh ones do not need peeling.

What You Need for These Rhubarb Muffins

Here is everything you need. The exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

Fine wheat flour (cake or pastry flour)
Organic whole wheat flour
Baking powder
Extra virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
Sourdough starter or discard (or extra Greek yogurt if you have no starter)
Heavy cream
Full-fat Greek yogurt
Eggs
Raw cane sugar or other unrefined sugar
Fresh rhubarb stalks, chopped
Icing sugar, for dusting

Egg note: the batter needs about 110 g of eggs without shells. That is usually 2 large eggs in Europe, the UK and New Zealand, 2 extra-large eggs in the US, Canada and Asia, and 2 jumbo eggs in Australia, South Africa and Brazil. If you are unsure or are somewhere else, weigh them.

How to Make Rhubarb Muffins

Chopping fresh rhubarb stalks into small pieces on a wooden cutting board

Whole wheat flour, white flour and baking powder in a white mixing bowl

Heat the oven: Preheat to 400°F (200°C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or silicone cups. If your oven runs hot, bake with top and bottom heat for the first 10 minutes, then switch on the fan.
Prepare the rhubarb: Chop the stalks, peeling only the older, stiffer ones.
Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk both flours with the baking powder in a medium bowl.
Mix the creamy ingredients: In a second bowl, whisk the starter (if using), Greek yogurt and cream until smooth. Add the cooled coconut oil one tablespoon at a time.
Whisk the eggs and sugar: In a third bowl, whisk them just until properly combined. They only need to be mixed, not whipped.
Combine gently: Fold the three mixtures together rather than stirring or whipping, then fold in the rhubarb last.
Fill the cups: Divide the batter among the 12 cups and fill them to the edge, with a slight heap. This batter holds its shape.
Bake: Bake for up to 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when touched lightly.
Cool and dust: Cool briefly on a wire rack. You can eat the muffins warm, but let them cool completely before sieving icing sugar generously over the top.

Rhubarb muffin batter filled into red silicone cups in a muffin tin, ready to bake

Golden baked rhubarb muffins in red silicone cups cooling on a wire rack

Tips for the Best Rhubarb Muffins

Skip the toothpick test. A perfectly clean toothpick usually means the muffins are already overbaked. Go by color, smell, and touch instead.

Fold, do not whip. This is a muffin batter, not a sponge cake, so combine everything gently and add the rhubarb last.

Wait before dusting. Icing sugar melts into warm muffins, so cool them completely first.

No Sourdough Starter? No Problem

Leave out the starter and add an extra 3 tablespoons (50 g) of full-fat Greek yogurt instead. The muffins stay moist and rise well because the baking powder provides the lift. Sourdough discard works just as well as active starter.

Storing and Freezing

Room temperature: up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Fridge: up to 5 days.
Freezer: cool completely, freeze the muffins in a single layer, then move them to a bag.

Overhead view of rhubarb muffins dusted with icing sugar on a pink pan, with one muffin in a red silicone cup, fresh rhubarb stalks and a stack of red muffin cups

Rhubarb Muffin FAQ

Can I make rhubarb muffins without sourdough?

Yes. Replace the starter with an extra 3 tablespoons (50 g) of Greek yogurt. This is how I first developed the recipe.

Do I need active starter or is discard fine?

Discard is fine. The starter adds flavor and moisture, and the baking powder does the lifting, so it does not need to be active.

How do I know when the muffins are done?

Look for lightly golden tops that spring back when you touch them gently, and a baked smell from the oven. Do not rely on a clean toothpick.

Looking for more muffins? Try my white chocolate muffins with spelt, cardamom and saffron, and find more everyday baking in my Healthy Comfort Food newsletter.

More Muffins and Bakes You Might Like

Traditional Banana Bread, a classic for ripe bananas
Eggless Oatmeal Cookies, crumbly and plump

Sourdough Rhubarb Muffins (Or Without Sourdough)

Recipe by Helena-Laura

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Breakfast, Snacks, Baking, DessertCuisine: American, NordicDifficulty: Easy

Tender sourdough rhubarb muffins made with whole wheat flour, coconut oil, cream and Greek yogurt. No starter? Use extra yogurt instead.

Servings: 12

muffins

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

158

kcal

Baking time

minutes

Total time

minutes

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Ask about this recipe Substitutions, scaling, timing — answered from this recipe.

Ingredients

US Metric

Dry ingredients
2 oz 55 g fine wheat flour (cake or pastry flour)
2 oz 55 g organic whole wheat flour
2 tsp 2 tsp baking powder
Wet ingredients
2 1/2 oz 70 g extra virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 3/4 oz 50 g sourdough starter or discard (or an extra 50 g Greek yogurt)
1 3/4 oz 50 g heavy cream
3 1/2 oz 100 g full-fat Greek yogurt (scant 1/2 cup)
2 2 large eggs (about 110 g total without shells; weigh them if unsure)
3 1/2 oz 100 g raw cane sugar or other unrefined sugar
Rhubarb and finishing
10 1/2 oz 300 g fresh rhubarb stalks (2 to 3 long stalks), chopped; peel only if older and stiff
icing sugar, for dusting

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Instructions

Get ready
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line 12 muffin cups with liners. If your oven runs hot, bake with top and bottom heat for the first 10 minutes, then switch on the fan.
Chop the rhubarb, peeling only older, stiffer stalks.
Make the batter
Whisk both flours with the baking powder in a medium bowl.
In a second bowl, whisk the starter (if using), Greek yogurt and cream until smooth. Add the cooled coconut oil one tablespoon at a time.
In a third bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar just until properly combined. They only need to be mixed, not whipped.
Fold the three mixtures together gently, then fold in the rhubarb last.
Bake
Divide the batter among the 12 cups, filling them to the edge with a slight heap.
Bake for up to 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when touched lightly. Skip the toothpick test, as a clean toothpick usually means overbaked.
Cool briefly on a wire rack. Let the muffins cool completely, then sieve icing sugar generously over the top.