Vegan Strawberry Muffins
Wake up to something special. These vegan strawberry muffins are perfectly tender and moist for a fresh and seasonal breakfast pastry or daytime snack. Made with a hint of lemon to take these muffins to the next level.
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This post was originally published June 21, 2016.
Oregonians want you to know a few things about Oregon.
For starters, we want to make sure you know that Oregon is the best place to live in the country. Mountains and oceans, right?! We also find it important to tell you we have wineries that compete with California’s, this is just one of two places in the world that hazelnuts grow, and we are the largest city in the country without a professional baseball team. We brew our own beer and have a Kombucha and sourdough starter for you if you would like to start making your own. While we’re on the topic of DIY, did you know that the greens from this salad I’m eating grew from my very own garden?
And of course, every year we head over to the local berry farms and pick our very own strawberries which, of course, are the best in the world.
Every June, when the strawberry season hits, I start sharing my favorite strawberry recipes with you all. There’s Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream, Strawberry Shortcakes, and, one of my go-to breakfasts, Strawberry and Cream Overnight Oats. This year, I’m kicking off strawberry season with a fan favorite: Vegan Strawberry Muffins.
Let’s take a closer look.
Why I love these muffins
I love this recipe and I think you will too! They are:
- Nearly fail-proof. Like my blueberry muffins, even the most novice baker can master this recipe in no time!
- Incredibly delicious. These vegan muffins are moist, rich, and bursting with strawberries and lemon zest in every bite.
- The perfect morning pastry or midday snack to pair with your Chai Tea or Matcha Latte.
How to Make Strawberry Muffins
Like most of the vegan muffin recipes on this blog, this recipe is super simple to make! It just require a little bit of whisking, folding, and baking. If you think you can do that, then let’s make some vegan muffins!
Step One – Combine the Ingredients
To start, we must first make our “buttermilk”. To do this, mix together soymilk with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and set it aside for 5 minutes to curdle. Once it’s curdled, whisk in the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
In a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. That’s the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until it’s well combined and set aside. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until all the flour is evenly hydrated.
Step Two – Fold in the Berries
Once the batter is made, we want to gently fold in the strawberries. The goal with folding is to get the strawberries fully incorporated into the batter without overmixing the batter or breaking apart the berries. To do this, use a wooden spoon or plastic spatula and fold the batter from bottom to top in a “C” shape.
Step Three – Bake the Muffins
Scoop your batter into a greased muffin tin. I find that using an ice cream scoop is the cleanest and easiest way to get the batter into the muffin molds. With an ice cream scoop, you can ensure the muffins are equally sized as well. Fill each muffin mold about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the strawberry muffins from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before flipping out to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Serving and Storing
These vegan muffins come out of the oven warm, buttery, and hard to resist!
However, if you have leftover muffins, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these muffins for up to 2 months. To thaw, pull the muffins from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for several hours.
Tips and Tricks
I’ve been making vegan muffins for a long time. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
- If you are using frozen berries, thaw the berries in a colander by running them under room temperature water. Let the berries sit for 30 minutes for any excess water and juice to run off them. Pat them dry with a paper towel before adding them to your batter.
- Fill muffin tins about 3/4″ of the way full. Any fuller than that and they will overflow.
- Make sure to let the muffins sit in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before flipping them out to a wire cooling rack. Otherwise, the muffins may fall apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use something other than soy milk?
Yes. While I choose soy milk because it curdles so well, many people have had success with almond milk, oat milk, and cashew milk as well.
Can I use frozen berries?
Yes! However, frozen berries contain extra water and will bleed into your batter. If you don’t have access to fresh berries, follow these steps when using frozen berries:
- Place the strawberries in a colander and run them under room temperature water, breaking the berries up with your fingers. This will allow the excess juices to run out of the berries so they don’t bleed into your batter.
- Let the strawberries sit in the colander for at least 30 minutes so all the water has drained from them. If they are still wet, they will add liquid to your batter, altering the texture of these muffins.
- Gently pat the berries dry with a paper towel before adding them to your batter.
Following these steps, you’ll get a result as similar to fresh berries as possible.
Can this muffin batter be made in advance?
Yes! If you want to make this muffin batter in advance, store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. To bake the muffins, preheat the oven and bake according to the instructions. However, these muffins may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled. The muffins will also be slightly denser as the baking soda begins to activate once it’s mixed into the batter, causing it to be slightly less potent.
But don’t worry; the difference will be hardly noticeable.
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
For sure! For gluten-free muffins, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend like this one.
More Vegan Muffins Recipes
The muffin recipes on my blog are among my most popular recipes. Here are a few fan-favorite vegan muffins from My Darling Vegan:
- Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
I think you have everything you need to know about these vegan strawberry muffins. Let’s take a look at the recipe card below!
Wake up to something special. These vegan strawberry muffins are perfectly tender and moist for a fresh and seasonal breakfast pastry or daytime snack. Made with a hint of lemon to take these muffins to the next level.
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Vegan Strawberry Muffins
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 160 kcal
Author: Sarah McMinn
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 heaping cup fresh strawberries sliced thin
Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to allow milk to curdle.
In a larger bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, canola oil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Add soy milk/vinegar mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix - a few lumps are okay. Gently fold in the strawberries.
Spoon into muffin tins, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow muffins to cool before removing from pan.
- If you are using frozen berries, thaw the berries in a colander by running them under room temperature water. Let the berries sit for 30 minutes for any excess water and juice to run off them. Pat them dry with a paper towel before adding them to your batter.
- Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these muffins for up to 2 months. To thaw, pull the muffins from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for several hours.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the 
Leah Moskovits says
These came out looking beautiful and were easy to make! The only criticism was that we thought they could be sweeter, but we seem to be the only ones to think that! I see someone added nutmeg -I will try that next time -they need some more flavor, but on the whole, I’m excited to have a new recipe! Thank you!!
Jackie says
Amazing! I didn’t have soy milk and used almond milk instead. My 5 year loves them! Simple ingredients that we mostly have on hand so it’s simple to throw them together. These will be one of our go-to breakfasts from now on.
Robert Hersey says
Exactly what I did too.
Mat says
These turned out great! I am not much of a baker but had a craving for muffins and had just gone berry picking so I wanted to give this a shot and they are excellent. Moist, delicious, everything you could want in a muffin.
L says
I’ve made this muffin recipe about 25 times over the last year (about twice a month sound about right). It is my go-to muffin recipe. I primarily make it with blueberries, as I find the strawberries make the muffins a little wet. I made them for the first time last week with frozen blackberries and OMG… out of this world delish! Thanks for such an easy, ingredients always on hand, moist and delicious muffin recipe!
Katie says
Can I substitute the oil with applesauce?
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, I believe that should be fine.
Jessica says
Do you thaw the blueberries or blackberries?
Sarah McMinn says
No, you can use them frozen.
Cheryl says
Let me preface this by saying I do not dole out praise lightly, but these muffins are FANTASTIC! I like to think of myself as an accomplished baker and definitely a baked goods snob. Since my daughter became vegan a couple of years ago, I have tried quite a few vegan dessert recipes, most of which I find not as good as baked goods made with butter and eggs. However…these are incredible, and not just for being vegan, but simply awesome as muffins go (and trust me, I have baked my share of muffin recipes and then some). Kudos!
Angie says
Delicious muffins. I made an extra half batch because I wanted the muffin tins to be full, but I i didn’t need to. The recipe fills up a 12 muffin tin right up to the top. I didn’t have the zest or vanilla on hand, and used melted butter instead of oil, but they still turned out soft and full of flavour. Definitely A keeper.
Trisha says
The strawberry muffins tasted delicious! Great recipe! The only change I made was substituting unsweetened applesauce for the oil in the recipe.
Nicole says
Do you think I could use frozen sliced strawberries?
Sarah says
Sure. The color will bleed into the muffins a little but it will still taste great!
Kate Black says
I made these muffins yesterday and love them! Thanks for sharing .
Brandy says
These muffins are so moist and delicious. Perfect amount of everything!!!
Lindsey says
Thanks for a great recipe! I’m new to vegan baking and love a recipe that uses ingredients I typically have on hand. I substituted the soy milk for coconut-almond milk (what was in the fridge), added about 1/8 tsp of nutmeg, and sprinkled raw sugar on top. They came out so sunny and delightful. Looking forward to trying other recipes from your blog. Thanks!
Brytanny Howard says
Did anyone try this gluten free ? Maybe using Bob red mills one to One flour ? This recipe looks fantastic but I’m gluten free!!
Sarah says
I think Bob’s Red Mill one-to-one would work. That is typically what I use when I do gluten-free baking.
Becky C. says
Great recipe! I had an over abundance of strawberries so wanted to try this recipe. I used olive oil and substituted a combination of almond milk and cashew milk (it’s what I had on hand). I couldn’t help myself, added sliced bananas and chopped walnuts too! My husband ate two before they cooled off! Will definitely make these again.
Sarah says
Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Pam says
Hi, do you know the cook time for mini muffins.
Sarah says
I would start with 12 minutes and check them after that.
Frances says
Can you freeze these muffins?
Sarah says
Yeah, that would be fine.
Saher says
I just made these muffins and they are fantastic! Soft, moist and deliciously zingy thanks to the lemon zest. I used coconut oil and coconut sugar in the same quantity as stated in the recipe and I will definitely be making these again!
Thank you for this recipe, I will be checking out the others on your site 🙂
Sarah says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for your review!
Channing says
How long do you let the milk out to curdle?
Sarah says
Just about 5-10 minutes
Jackie says
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! Muffins were perfect and moist. Will indeed use this recipe from now on. Thanks for sharing!!
Sarah says
So glad you liked them. Thanks for sharing!
Frank says
Beautiful recipe! I will try this recipe over the weekend and spoil my family… Thank you.
Gemma says
I made these strawberry muffins with lemon zest they are delicious and easy to make. 25 minutes to cook and they came out perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Sarah says
Glad they were a hit. Thanks for sharing!
Stacye says
Can you smash the strawberries before adding to receipe?
Sarah says
I would recommend keeping them in pieces for texture and flavor but if you try it, let us know how that goes!
Mary Ellen says
How many muffins does this recipe make?
Sarah says
A dozen
Elizabeth says
So good! I added some coconut shreds. Thanks for posting!
Shauna says
These were delicious!! I used coconut milk and I also subbed in gluten free AP flour. The flavor was amazing!! The texture of mine were a little “off” from a normal muffin simply because of the GF flour, but I’m going to remake these and experiment with different flours until I find one I like. My daughter loves them as well (she’s 11)…this recipe is definitely a keeper in our house!! 🙂
Sarah says
So glad they were a hit!
Newvegan says
Do you have to use the zest of an entire lemon?
Sarah says
I do, but you don’t have to if you’d like less lemon flavor.
Kaley says
I used coconut milk and coconut oil and they turned out great! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Seclusive Nature says
I used coconut oil instead & these turned out perfect. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Maggie says
Can you use olive oil? I think I have all the ingredients if I could use olive oil.
Sarah says
Yeah, it might have a VERY slight taste but unless you’re sensitive to the taste of it, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Sheetal says
I used Whole wheat flour and used orange zest. They were moist and so delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.
Mommablidd says
My family and I are newly dairy free and vegetarian. So this is all new to me! I just made this recipe and they seemed to take much longer than the 20-25 min. I quit timing it, but believe it was around 40-45 min. They still turned out delicious, but I was just wanting to see if you may know of something I did wrong. I used everything exactly as stated. Could I have not ler the milk curdle long enough or over mixed?
Sarah says
That’s strange. Did you use bigger muffin tins? Does your oven tend to run at a lower temperature? Those are the only things I can think of that would have affected the baking time.
Constance says
Should it be unsweetened soy milk?
Sarah says
I used plain (which is a little sweetened) but sweetened/unsweetened won’t make much of a difference
Renee Coles says
These were delicious!
Amy says
These muffins turn out just like your picture and are very tasty!!
Amy says
I substituted soy for almond original milk too
Veg says
Do you mean you substituted ALMOND milk for the SOY? How did it come out? Thanks!
jess says
Can you use frozen strawberries?
Sarah says
Sure! The red of the frozen strawberries may bleed into the batter a bit so the batter will have a pinkish tint, but the taste will be the same.
Kortney says
Could you use something besides canola oil?
Sarah says
Sure, you could try melted coconut oil.
Shalee says
Can you use a different sugar, such as coconut sugar?
Sarah says
Sure. I’ve never tried with with coconut sugar and while it will affect the taste and flavor a bit, I think it would be fine. If you do it, let us know how it turns out!
Rosie says
Hi how many calories are they per muffin ? Could I use fairy cake cases (they’re slightly smaller) xx
Genny says
These look yummy!! Do you think it would work with almond milk instead of soy?
Sarah says
Soy milk is preferable because it curdles and thickens (like buttermilk) with the vinegar but almond milk would work fine.
sara says
I used almond milk and it curdled and the muffins taste amazing. Thank you!!
Sarah says
That’s great! Thanks for sharing.
Amanda says
What does it mean to fold in strawberries….? I made it and it got burnt !
Sarah says
The strawberries got burnt or the entire muffin? Folding in strawberries just means gently mixing them in with a wooden spoon in a circular method. Here is a short video that helps explain it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP4vbktd-PM
D. Sherman says
These look wonderful. Can’t wait to try them this weekend. Thank you for the recipe!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
These are lovely, my friend! Nice and simple ad letting the glorious strawberries shine!
Little Vegan Bear says
These look lovely!