Strawberry Streusel Muffins

When strawberries are in season I love finding all sorts of ways to bake with them.  Like these strawberry buttermilk muffins! They are moist and bursting with flavor! This strawberry muffin recipe is quick to throw together too and have a brown sugar streusel topping making them the perfect summer breakfast treat.
 
 
I’m pretty sure when it came to muffins growing up I ate only blueberry muffins or chocolate chip muffins. Which are great don’t get me wrong. Who doesn’t love a classic? But I’m not a kid anymore, so it’s time to venture past the good old standbys.
 
I love my berry recipes in the summer. And now it’s time for a strawberry muffin. Why have I not had these my whole life? Sweet strawberries folded into an easy to make buttermilk muffin batter. And of course don’t forget the streusel! Brown sugar streusel. Oh yes. This strawberry muffin recipe is what your summer mornings need.
 
Let’s make some strawberry muffins…

What do you need to make these strawberry muffins?

  • All purpose flour โ€“ When making muffins, I like to keep it simple and use all purpose flour. It has that mid range protein content perfect for muffins. You can read all about the different types of flour here if you really want to nerd out. Nothing wrong with that. 
  • Light brown sugar โ€“ Brown sugar in the streusel topping gives the topping such great flavor. You can always make your own if you need to in a pinch. 
  • Cinnamon โ€“ I kept the spice simple here in the streusel. All I think these muffins needed was a bit of cinnamon to complement the beauty of the strawberries. 
  • Unsalted butter โ€“ Iโ€™ve said this before but I really suggest you use unsalted butter when baking. Not all brands use the same amount of salt in their butter, so brands can vary. I like to use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt. We are going to use butter in the streusel topping. You want to use softened butter in the streusel. Here are 3 ways to soften your butter quickly
  • White granulated sugar โ€“ I use this in the muffin batter. This will get treated as a dry ingredient and add to the flour mixture. 
  • Baking powder and baking sodaโ€“ these are the leavening agents which help to make sure your muffins rise properly. They are NOT interchangeable. You want to make sure they are fresh- to test baking powder test a teaspoon in a little bit of hot water, to test baking soda test a teaspoon of it some acid (vinegar or lemon juice). If they bubble, they are good to go! 
  • Eggs โ€“ I always use large eggs when baking. And I also make sure they are at room temperature so they blend well and do not seize up my melted butter. To get your eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using. 
  • Buttermilk – I love using buttermilk in this recipe to make the muffins moist and keep great flavor! If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own buttermilk
  • Canola Oil – Oil is what makes this recipe come together quickly and keeps them super moist.
  • Vanilla extract โ€“ Nothing is better than some vanilla extract for flavor. I recommend always using pure vanilla extract!
  • Strawberriesโ€“ Aww yes the strawberries. Wouldnโ€™t be a strawberry muffin without! This recipe takes about 2 cups strawberries (although I’ve been known to throw a few extra from time to time. I can’t help myself. I love me some fresh strawberries. 

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Tips and Tricks for making this strawberry muffin recipe

  • Measure your flour correctly โ€“ Measuring your flour wrong is one reason why homemade muffins donโ€™t come out fluffy and moist like they do as a bakery. The best way is to use a scale and measure by weight. I still love to measure by volume, as I am sure most American home bakers do. So if you do use your measuring cups, then be sure to first fluff up the flour. Then scoop with a spoon into the cup and then level off with a flat edge. For more on how and why to measure your flour you can read this post
  • Prepare your pans first. You want to make sure to get those ready before you start measuring. I like to use liners for my muffins and then also spray the top of the pans with non-stick cooking spray. You donโ€™t have to use liners, but then make sure the wells and the top of the tin are sprayed well. But you donโ€™t want your batter sitting around while you get your pans ready, so do this first. 
  • Do not overmix. Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, you want to make sure to mix just until the flour is mixed in. If you keep mixing, then you activate the gluten protein in the flour which can make your muffins tough and chewy. And cause โ€œtunnelingโ€ which are these long holes throughout your muffins. So. Do. Not. Overmix. Ok? Ok. 
  • Test for doneness. It can be tough to tell if your muffins are done. I like to use a toothpick inserted into a muffin in the middle of the tin and look for moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick. If you see batter still then pop them into the oven for a few minutes. 
  • Cool on a cooling rack. Once you have taken your muffins out of the oven you want to move them from a tin to a cooling rack. If you leave the muffins in the tin, then the heat from the tin will cause them to continue to bake possibly causing them to overbake. 

For more muffin making tips check out this post! And be sure to give my Ultimate Guide To Baking Quick Bread Recipes

strawberry muffin

How to make these strawberry muffins – step by step

To make these strawberry muffins, you want to start by making the brown sugar streusel topping. Combine in the bowl the brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon and softened butter. Then combine it all by using a pastry cutter, or simply rubbing the butter into the mixture with your fingertips. 

Pro Tip: This streusel can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.  Just store the topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

streusel topping mixed together in bowl

Then go ahead and prep your strawberries. Go ahead and chop the strawberries so they will be ready for you when you go to fold them into your batter later. You want to do this now, so that your batter isn’t sitting around while you chop the berries. 

bowl of chopped strawberries

Now that the streusel is ready, and so are the strawberries it’s time to make the muffin batter! In one mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Just simply whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

 

dry ingredients whisked together for strawberry muffins

In a second mixing bowl you want to combine the liquid ingredients. – buttermilk, canola oil, vanilla extract, and one egg. Go ahead and whisk this all together. 

liquid ingredients whisked together in bowl for strawberry muffins

Then combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined. You want to be sure to not over mix at this point, so you don’t end up with a tough textured muffin. And then fold in your strawberries. 

strawberry muffin batter in a bowl

And then use a large scoop to scoop the batter into your pans. You want to fill them right to the top. 

strawberry muffin batter scooped into muffin liners

And then sprinkle on the streusel topping. You want to sprinkle about a tablespoon for each muffin. 

strawberry muffin batter in muffin tin with streusel on top

And then go ahead and bake the muffins about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

strawberry muffins in a muffin tin

Strawberry Muffin Recipe FAQโ€™s

Can I use frozen strawberries in these muffins?

You definitely can! If the craving hits in the middle of summer. Just make sure to not thaw the berries first.

Why did my muffins fall flat? 

This is a common problem in baking. And this is usually due to the fact that you took them out too early so the insides were set up yet causing them to collapse upon cooling. I recommend using a toothpick to test the doneness. And invest in an oven thermometer so you can accurately gauge if your oven temperature is accurate. 

How do I make my muffins fluffy?

This comes down to that not over mixing. Again too much mixing and you cause your muffins to become tough and dense from overactivating the gluten protein in the flour. Also, double check that freshness of those leavening agents!

Can I substitute whole wheat flour for these strawberry muffins?

Of course you can! I love using white whole wheat flour as a 1:1 swap. Or if I use 100% whole wheat flour, then I substitute half of the flour called for with whole wheat flour. 

Can I make these muffins gluten free?

I used to do a lot of gluten free baking awhile back. You can definitely make these gluten free. Just use a 1:1 gluten free baking mix. My favorite is Cup 4 Cup

Can I freeze muffins?

Yes. And you should! Freezing your baked good is a major time saver. 

To freeze unbaked: Scoop as the recipe directed into your liners, then freeze the muffin in the tin. Once frozen you can either take them out of the tin (therefore getting your tin back) and place in a zip-loc bag. Or just wrap the whole tin in plastic wrap a few times. Then when ready to bake, just bake frozen (no need to thaw) and add on a few minutes of bake time. 

To freeze baked: If you find you have some leftover, then allow them to cool completely and place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze. When ready to enjoy, I just let mine thaw at room temperature (this happens within a few minutes!) and enjoy.

strawberry muffins a tin

More Strawberry Recipes

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Tools Needed To Make This Strawberry Muffin Recipe

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Strawberry Buttermilk Muffins

This easy buttermilk muffins has fresh strawberries folded into the batter.
4.50 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 24 muffins
Calories: 158kcal

Ingredients

Streusel Topping:

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar (71 g)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour (30 g)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbs. butter (28 g) softened

For the muffins

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (300 g)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (149 g)
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk (168 g)
  • 2/3 cup canola oil (132 g)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups chopped strawberries (334 g)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Butter muffin tins or use muffin liners.
  • In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients.  Blend until mixture is crumbly.
  • Whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.
  • In another bowl, combine flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, and salt
  • Gently fold in berries.
  • Fold wet ingredients into dry.
  • Fill each muffin cup to the top.
  • Sprinkle the streusel over tops of muffins.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins are golden brown.

Notes

  • Measure your flour correctlyย โ€“ Measuring your flour wrong is one reason why homemade muffins donโ€™t come out fluffy and moist like they do as a bakery. The best way is to use a scale and measure by weight. I still love to measure by volume, as I am sure most American home bakers do. So if you do use your measuring cups, then be sure to first fluff up the flour. Then scoop with a spoon into the cup and then level off with a flat edge.ย For more on how and why to measure your flour you can read this post.ย 
  • Prepare your pans first.ย You want to make sure to get those ready before you start measuring. I like to use liners for my muffins and then also spray the top of the pans with non-stick cooking spray. You donโ€™t have to use liners, but then make sure the wells and the top of the tin are sprayed well. But you donโ€™t want your batter sitting around while you get your pans ready, so do this first.ย 
  • Do not overmix.ย Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, you want to make sure to mix just until the flour is mixed in. If you keep mixing, then you activate the gluten protein in the flour which can make your muffins tough and chewy. And cause โ€œtunnelingโ€ which are these long holes throughout your muffins. So. Do. Not. Overmix. Ok? Ok.ย 
  • Test for doneness. It can be tough to tell if your muffins are done. I like to use a toothpick inserted into a muffin in the middle of the tin and look for moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick. If you see batter still then pop them into the oven for a few minutes.ย 
  • Cool on a cooling rack.ย Once you have taken your muffins out of the oven you want to move them from a tin to a cooling rack. If you leave the muffins in the tin, then the heat from the tin will cause them to continue to bake possibly causing them to overbake.ย 

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 90mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 7.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.7mg
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Homemade strawberry muffins with streusel topping - You can use fresh or frozen strawberries in these easy buttermilk muffins with strawberries.

 
 


 

3 Comments

  1. Patti Waldrup says:

    I made these for the August 2020 baking challenge. I used frozen strawberries. They came out great. I will be making these again.

    1. Thanks Patti! I’m so glad you loved them!

  2. 4 stars
    This is my fourth time posting and I’m hoping the Internet will finally let me tell you all how delicious these muffins are! We made them for the August baking challenge and they disappeared the same day as everyone enjoyed their taste and texture – very moist crumb and the streusel added nice crunch. Will make these again, but first want to try some other berry recipes for this month’s challenge – it’s our favorite of the challenges so far!

4.50 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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