These are the best vegan strawberry muffins! They’re full of juicy fresh strawberries, perfect for spring, and they’re easy to prepare.

I made these for the first time about three weeks ago when I was excited about the start of strawberry season. The recipe is simple: a vanilla muffin with chopped strawberries folded and a little sparkling sugar on top.

I expected to be pleased with the recipe—after all, I love muffins and strawberries—but I had no idea how special these simple recipes turned out to be.

It’s strawberries. Those juicy fruits become so sweet after baking. With their presence, strawberry muffins don’t need anything fancy.

This muffin recipe is all about fresh seasonal fruit, which is even better.

How to make vegan strawberry muffins

Earlier this week, when I wrote about vegan buttermilk, I mentioned that many vegan baking recipes don’t call for egg substitutes.

I’ve found this to be especially true for instant breads, such as muffins, banana bread, pumpkin bread, etc. The same goes for vegetarian cake recipes.

It is possible to use suitable flour (or flour) and a starter. Eggs usually provide structure and fermentation to baked goods, as well as some richness from fat.

Plant-based fats, such as oils, vegan butter, nut or seed butter, or vegan yogurt, easily produce the same richness.

Mimicking the effects of eggs on fermentation and structure/bonding is trickier but also very possible. It ferments when the starter is combined with something acidic, such as vegan buttermilk.

Use gluten-containing flour to maintain the structure. The same goes for the right mix of gluten-free flour and starch.

All three ingredients – starter, vegan buttermilk, and all-purpose flour – combine to make vegan strawberry muffins.

The muffins are light, but they still have structure. The muffin crumbs are sturdy enough to support the fresh strawberry cubes without gathering at the bottom of the muffin.

Vegan strawberry muffin ingredients

Simplicity is the key to this muffin recipe. Here’s what you need.

flour

I make vegan strawberry muffins with unbleached all-purpose flour, and I use it for almost all of my baking efforts. It gives me light, moist, fluffy food with a stable effect.

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to use whole wheat flour in your recipe, go for it! Just be prepared for a denser or drier texture. I recommend using whole wheat white flour for the best results, encouraging you to keep an open mind in your baking experiments.

If you’re baking gluten-free bread, mix plain flour and starch. This is by far my favorite.

Starter culture

I use my usual baking powder and soda in a 2:1 ratio to make strawberry muffins.

Vegetarian skimmed milk

To make the muffins rise, I used my vegan buttermilk.

This direct mixture of unsweetened, dairy-free milk and freshly squeezed lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) provides some acid to the muffin batter.

In doing so, it reacts neutrally with the starter (i.e., the base). This reaction creates tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide that help the strawberry muffin expand.

You can read more about how magic happens in this article!

Melted vegan butter

I use melted butter as a fat source for muffins. I love the taste of butter in this recipe.

However, you can also use neutral-flavored vegetable oil to make strawberry muffins. Refined avocado oil is my favorite when baking.

Cane sugar

Strawberry muffins are sweetened with cane sugar. If you like, you can substitute coconut sugar.

Vanilla extract

These muffins have a hint of vanilla. I use vanilla extract, but if you use vanilla powder or syrup instead, that’s fine.

Strawberries

The muffin recipe calls for 1.5 cups of chopped fresh strawberries. I usually tell readers that frozen fruit is an excellent substitute for fresh fruit in baking recipes.

I think it’s important to use fresh fruit for strawberry muffins. The texture and taste of chopped fresh strawberries are the key to this dish.

Sparkling sugar

Sparkling sugar can be used to decorate muffins, scones, and cookies. It gives them a sweet crust that’s hard to resist.

I get asked where I can get it whenever I mention bubble sugar. I like King Arthur Baking Company’s sparkling sugar, which you can order at the KAB online store.

However, you can also find a bunch of sparkling sugar on Amazon. If you have a local cake decorator or specialist bakery, you should be able to see it there as well. Sometimes, it’s even easy to find sparkling sugar in the baking section of a large grocery store.

If you don’t have sparkling sugar but have Demira sugar in your pantry, you can use the latter instead.

Can I use blueberries instead of strawberries?

If you don’t have fresh strawberries, you can use fresh blueberries instead. You should eat the same amount of fruit: 1 1/2 cups.

Meal preparation & storage

Homemade muffins are, without a doubt, one of my favorite pre-made sweet breakfast foods. I almost always make a dozen and freeze half of them.

Homemade muffins make a delicious breakfast or dessert.

For breakfast, you can serve it with strawberry muffins and a variety of other items. I like to serve it with cashew or almond yogurt and some extra fresh strawberries.

You can pair it with nuts or nut butters, a bar of vegan butter, a smoothie, a delicious, frothy oat milk latte—or anything else you want.

Store the muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Storing them at room temperature will keep the muffins moist – refrigerator storage dries out baked goods – but keeping them in the freezer will prolong their freshness.

Can I freeze vegan strawberry muffins?

Strawberry muffins can be packed or transferred to an airtight container and frozen, individually or in batches, for up to 6 weeks.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (240g)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 TSP baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 cup non-dairy milk + 1 T lemon juice, leave to stir for 5 minutes or more); 240 ml)

6 TBSP melted vegan butter (85g)

3/4 cup cane sugar (145g)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries (205g)

1/4 cup sparkling sugar (optional, for topping; Replace with demira sugar)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and oil or line a muffin tin.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, cane sugar, and vanilla extract in a separate medium mixing bowl.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet mixture. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients until the batter forms, and there are no visible streaks of flour in the bowl. It’s okay if the batter has little lumps – don’t overmix!
5. Set aside 1/4 cup of diced strawberries. Gently drop the remaining strawberries into the batter until they are evenly distributed.
6. Use a muffin spoon or a 1/2 cup measure to fill the pan (each muffin box should be 2/3 or 3/4 full). Top the muffins with the remaining strawberry slices. Sprinkle a teaspoon of sparkling sugar over each, if desired.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top of the muffin is swollen and set and the edges are golden brown. When the muffins are cool enough to handle, remove them from the pan and transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Since I first made strawberry muffins a little over a month ago, I’ve made them four times.

I’ve shared them with yoga friends, given them to a friend on Mother’s Day, and enjoyed a batch alone. I’m happy to say I still have some in my fridge.

I hope you like them as much as I do. Here’s to spring.