Vegan Strawberry Muffins

Our vegan and gluten free strawberry muffins are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack. They're super fluffy, delicious, and packed with fresh fruit and flavor.

Jump to:

• 🍓 Why We Love This Recipe
• 🧁 Ingredients
• 📋 Ingredient Notes
• 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
• 🍽 Related Recipes
• Reviews

🍓 Why We Love This Recipe

• Super flavorful: fresh strawberries add natural sweetness, while orange juice adds acidity and a punch of citrusy flavor. A buttery streusel topping adds a bit of crunch for a perfect bakery-style vegan strawberry muffin!
• Allergy friendly: these muffins are fully vegan, gluten free and can be made nut free with a few simple swaps. They can also be made soy free depending on the vegan butter you use.
• Perfect for a quick snack or on-the-go breakfast: I love making a double batch of these vegan strawberry muffins and storing leftovers in the freezer. They heat up perfectly in the microwave for an easy snack!

🧁 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make these vegan strawberry muffins:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Gluten free flour: we use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour in almost all of our baking recipes. It creates a perfectly light, fluffy texture!
  • Pro tip: check to make sure your gluten free flour blend contains xanthan gum, an ingredient that helps stabilize gluten free baked goods. If your blend doesn't contain any, consider adding ½-1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to this recipe (it makes a huge difference in the texture!).
• Oat flour: In addition to gluten free all purpose flour, we also use a small amount of oat flour in most vegan and gluten free baking recipes. Oat flour contains more protein, which is often lacking in vegan baked goods without eggs. You can also sub with almond flour.
• Applesauce is our egg substitute of choice in these vegan strawberry muffins. It acts as a binder and also adds a bit of natural sweetness. We opt for plain unsweetened applesauce (although cinnamon applesauce would also be great in this recipe!).
• Oat milk: you can use any nondairy milk of choice in these vegan strawberry muffins (cashew, almond, oat), but we prefer full fat oat milk for its neutral flavor and creaminess.
• Orange juice & zest: you could use store-bought orange juice, but since this recipe also calls for zest, freshly squeezed makes more sense! Don't skip the zest – it adds a huge flavor boost!
• Almond extract: we use a small amount of almond extract in the muffins and we LOVE how it adds so much flavor. It also makes your whole house smell amazing! If you don't have any, you can sub with more vanilla extract.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Wash strawberries and lay out on paper towels to dry while prepping other ingredients. 

(1) Make the streusel: Stir together ½ cup almond flour and ⅓ cup sugar.

(2) Cut cold butter into small pieces and use your hands to combine the mixture until it is crumbly. Set aside while you make the muffins.

(3) Make the muffins: In a large mixing bowl, sift together 2 cups gluten free flour, 1 cup oat flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon fine kosher salt. 

(4) In a separate bowl or stand mixer, cream ½ cup vegan butter. Add 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1 cup sugar and mix until well blended.

(5) Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Once mixed, pour in the ½ cup unsweetened applesauce. The mixture may appear separated, but it will come together once you begin to add in the dry ingredients.  

(6) Alternate adding the dry ingredients with 1 cup dairy-free milk and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Mix well between each addition, using a spatula to scrape mixture from the sides of the bowl, until all ingredients are incorporated. The batter will be thick.  

(7) Dice 2 cups strawberries and coat with 1 tablespoon of GF flour before adding to the batter. Gently fold in strawberries.

(8) Add liners to muffin tin and fill each one with 4 tablespoon of batter and top each muffin with streusel.

Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before eating. 

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Don't want to make these gluten free? Substitute the gluten free all purpose flour and oat flour with regular all purpose flour.
• Make these vegan strawberry muffins nut free: swap almond extract with more vanilla. Swap almond flour in the streusel topping with oat flour. Make sure to use a nut free nondairy milk, like oat or soy.
• Get your muffins in the oven as quickly as possible for the perfect rise. Without eggs and gluten, these vegan strawberry muffins rely on the chemical reaction between baking soda and lemon juice to get a nice rise in the oven. The reaction starts happening as soon as the ingredients are mixed, so it's important to get the batter in the oven ASAP in order to make the most of the chemical reaction.
• Don't over-mix the batter. Don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy! If you over-mix it, these muffins won't rise quite as much and they may have a dense texture.
• The wet mixture might look a bit separated once you add in the applesauce, but don't worry! This is completely normal when you mix applesauce and vegan butter, but the batter comes together perfectly when you start adding in the dry ingredients.
• Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
• Freezer: store muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to a few months. Reheat muffins individually in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until warmed through. They reheat perfectly and taste like they've just come out of the oven!

🍽 Related Recipes

Tried this recipe? Leave a comment with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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