Mix up these healthy Strawberry Muffins in just about 30 minutes and serve up a delicious breakfast or snack packed with whole grains, fiber, vitamins. Bonus: They store well in the fridge if you want to make them ahead!
Healthy Strawberry Muffins
I love it when I find berries at affordable prices at the store, either fresh or frozen. And while my girls tend to gobble them up fresh, I love to bake with them when there are extras. These easy Strawberry Muffins pack in a lot of nutrition, but are also tender and naturally sweet enough to nourish and please the kids.
TIP: You can make them ahead and tuck them into the fridge or freezer and serve as a quick breakfast or snack throughout the week.
Ingredients in Strawberry Muffins
The ingredients in these muffins are very straight forward and include:
- whole wheat flour or gluten free cup-for-cup flour
- rolled oats
- baking powder and baking soda
- maple syrup (or honey)
- oil
- egg
- vanilla extract
- milk
- berries
- optional lemon zest
TIP: Everything except the strawberries is a normal pantry ingredient in the hopes that you can make a batch of these without a special trip to the store!
Whole-Wheat Strawberry Muffins
The base for these muffins is whole wheat flour (see below for a gluten-free option!) and oats. This ensures that there are plenty of complex carbs to fuel the kids with balanced energy. The fruit and lemon ensures that the final texture is light and fluffy.
How to Make Strawberry Muffins Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the easy process for making these muffins.
- Dice the berries and decide if you plan to add lemon zest. It adds nice flavor but they are good without too. (photo 1)
- Stir all ingredients together Don’t over mix—mix just enough to mix everything together. This will ensure that the muffins are light and moist. (photo 2)
- Divide among 12 greased muffin cups. (photo 3)
- Bake. (photo 4)
- Remove from the muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. (photo 5)
- Enjoy! (photo 6)
TIP: Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe info.
Can I make vegan strawberry muffins without eggs or dairy?
Yes! Here are the substitutes in case you have an intolerance or allergy in your house.
- Instead of the egg, use 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 1/4 cup water.
- Use an unsweetened plain nondairy milk for cow’s milk.
- Use maple syrup instead of honey.
Can I make these Gluten-Free Strawberry Muffins?
Yes and it’s simple to do too. Instead of the whole wheat flour, use this cup-for-cup gluten-free flour mix. And use certified gluten-free oats.
How long can I store these Strawberry Muffins?
Once cooled, you can store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve chilled or warmed slightly. Or, store in a zip top freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw one at a time for 15-30 seconds in the microwave or at room temp.
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Muffins
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Muffins- Dice the berries into small pieces to ensure the batter around them holds together well as they bake.
- If using frozen berries, let them thaw enough that you can separate them and cut them into 1/2-1-inch pieces with kitchen shears. Stir into the batter while still frozen.
- Stir the batter together gently to avoid overworking the gluten if using wheat flour.
- Use the fresh lemon to add bright flavor.
- Use a cake tester inserted into the center of the muffin to test for doneness. It should come out cleanly.
- Remove the muffins from the pan after they come out of the oven so they can cool on a wire rack, rather than continue to bake in the hot pan.
I’d love to hear your feedback if you make the recipe, so please comment below to share!
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I love the burst of flavor that the fresh lemon adds to this recipe so I strongly suggest you use it if you can, but they are also great without it!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or gluten-free cup-for-cup flour bend
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup diced strawberries, stems removed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl just enough to combine. Do not overmix.
- Evenly divide the batter between the muffin tin using about 1/4 cup per cup.
- Bake 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Remove from oven, let cool for a minute or two, and remove to cool fully on a wire rack. Use a paring knife around the edges if needed to help you remove them from the pan.
Notes
Store fully cooled muffins for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge or 3 months in a zip top freezer bag in the freezer.
To make these egg-free: Instead of the egg, use 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 1/4 cup water.
To make these gluten-free: Instead of the whole wheat flour, use this cup-for-cup gluten-free flour mix. And use certified gluten-free oats.
To make these dairy-free: Use an unsweetened plain nondairy milk for cow’s milk.
Dice the berries into small pieces to ensure the batter around them holds together well as they bake.
Stir the batter together gently to avoid overworking the gluten if using wheat flour.
Use a cake tester inserted into the center of the muffin to test for doneness. It should come out cleanly.
Remove the muffins from the pan after they come out of the oven so they can cool on a wire rack, rather than continue to bake in the hot pan.
Hi Amy,
Can I use steel cut oats in place of rolled oats?
Can I use almond flour in this recipe? Would the flour measurement be the same?
You usually can’t substitute almond flour for regular flour since it absorbs moisture totally differently. You might be able to do a portion, but not all. I haven’t tested it with almond flour so I can’t say for sure, sorry!
Made these today and we really enjoyed them. Looking forward to using this as a base to use other fruits, like blueberries and peaches. Thanks very much!
★★★★★
These were yummy, healthy, and easy to make! Best of all the twins love them!
★★★★★
I’m so glad!
These muffins turned out so tasty! Even my muffin-skeptic child asked for seconds. The sweetness level seems just right. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Just made these today, I added a couple chocolate chips to some of them and used unsalted butter since I didn’t have any oil on hand and they turned out so yummy! My 1 year old loves them!! (Next time I want to try to use coconut oil instead!) They are huge for her though so I was wondering for next time, how long would I cook them for in a mini muffin tin?
I’m so glad to hear that! I think around 12-14 minutes in a mini muffin tin is probably what you’d want to do.
Hi! I haven’t made these yet, but was wondering if I could just use all purpose flour? It’s all I have right now and need to use up some fresh strawberries!
TIA!
Kate
Yes, that should work fine!
The muffins were a hit in my house!!! my 2 year old loved them!!! I WILL be making them again for sure!!! the only issue was that they actually came out perfect when there was no muffin liner, the ones with a muffin liner got stuck to the bottom of the liner.
★★★★
I don’t recommend muffin liners in any of my recipes since muffins usually don’t have enough fat to come off of them without sticking. Glad that they were a hit otherwise!
My daughter and I made these today and they are delicious! Thank you for the easy to follow recipe. I love your blog and Instagram!
★★★★★
I’m so glad and thank you!
Hi!
Would frozen strawberries work? What’s the best way to incorporate them?
Yes. Dice them up a bit with kitchen shears (while still frozen) and stir into the batter as directed. They should work the same.
First time making them with locally milled wheat flour. They were so delicious that I had to stop myself from eating them so that my son could have his share! These yielded about 24 mini muffins for me so quite a bit to help with quick breakfasts for a while. Thanks so much for these great recipes!
★★★★★
My 3 and 1 year old love these! This is my second time making them. I even put them in my husbands lunch as a snack. The only change I made was mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combined the dry into the wet. I found the first time I made them there were chunks of flour in the muffins. It’s a simple , easy, and delicious treat! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the feedback!
Haven’t made the muffins yet, but they look delicious! Just wondering if there could be any way to make these sugar free, can I leave out the maple syrup or substitute it with a granulated sweetener equivalent to sugar?
I usually don’t recommend sugar substitutes for kids and haven’t tried this recipe with anything other than what’s I mention so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you try it!
Hello! Flavor was great and my 1 year old is devouring this but as a crumble! Clearly I messed something up! Any suggestions? I used gluten free coconut flour, coconut oil, and almond milk as substitutions? Maybe something there was wrong? Always looking to learn… thanks!
Hi! I think it was likely the coconut flour. It doesn’t absorb liquids (it actually absorbs them way more and so likely sucked up too much moisture and made the muffins crumble) the same way as a gf cup for cup flour or flours made from wheat so it’s not listed as a recommended substitution here. If you want to use up some coconut flour in the future, the best thing is to look for a recipe specifically made to use it since it works really differently than other flours!