Ages ago, a blogger friend shared a lovely recipe for strawberry smash muffins that she found on a recipe site called Genius Kitchen. I had a bunch of seasonal, fresh strawberries on hand, and was looking for a delicious way to reward myself for the 2nd Edition of Go Dairy Free. It has been a ton of work – I think I deserve a sweet break. Well, I think ALL OF US deserve a sweet break. So I decided to use that recipe as my inspiration.
Both for taste and nutrition, I prefer baking with whole grain flours. So I swapped in white-wheat flour, which is in fact whole grain (“white” refers to the type of grain and color, not the nutrition!). It worked beautifully!
I also substituted honey, to keep these strawberry smash muffins unrefined. You can use agave nectar with equivalent results, or even your favorite honey substitute, for strictly vegan.
And I increased the strawberries. It infused more strawberry flavor and also upped the moisture a touch, which I think was needed. I also added vanilla, because vanilla and strawberries. Enough said!
The resultant crumb is perfectly tender and bakery-style, but with a wholesome breakfast-worthy vibe.
I also like to top muffins with peanut, nut or seed butter “glaze” for fun and a little extra protein, fiber, and healthy fats. I highly recommend it! It’s No Cow Fluffbutter pictured here.
Special Diet Notes: Strawberry Smash Muffins
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.
For egg-free strawberry smash muffins, you can substitute egg replacer for the eggs.
For vegan strawberry smash muffins, use the egg replacer option and swap agave nectar for the honey.
For gluten-free strawberry smash muffins, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free all-purpose baking flour for the flour, but I recommend using eggs, rather than egg replacer, if possible.
- 2 cups stemmed and quartered strawberries*
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1½ cups white-wheat flour (which is whole grain; can sub all-purpose flour)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (see post above for vegan option)
- ⅓ cup baking oil (such as non-GMO canola, rice bran, or grapeseed oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat your oven to 425ºF and line or grease 14 muffin cups (I used silicone cups, which you don't need to grease or line).
- Place the strawberries in a large bowl and drizzle on the honey. Stir and let sit while you prepare the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Smash the strawberries with a fork until some juice release. You want it to still be quite chunky. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until blended. Add the dry mixture and stir until just combined; do not overmix.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing them to a plate to cool.
- Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or individually wrap and freeze them to enjoy later.
Key Pantry Supplies: Strawberry Smash Muffins
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18 Comments
Came out just like the picture! Moist, very strawberry, yum!!
That’s great! Glad you enjoyed the recipe Jade.
These came out perfect! Moist and fluffy even with whole wheat flour! Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the feedback Eleanor.
I made these today, and the insides were very gooey, like they weren’t done. Put them back in the oven for a few more minutes, and still very gooey. Never did get the inside done. Tossed ’em.
Hi Shelly, a few factors can cause gooey muffins. The number one reason is that the oven wasn’t reaching temperature. You might want to test your oven temperature. Another reason is leavener that has lost it’s potency. If the muffins don’t rise enough, they can remain dense and moist in the middle. Finally, if the strawberries released too much juice, this could make the muffins more moist. But we’ve never had an issue with the muffins not cooking through. They are moist, thanks to the strawberries, but should cook through as shown in the picture. If you made less muffins and filled the muffin cups more full, they will also need more baking time. If not baked through, simply bake for longer – this should work as long as your leavener hasn’t fizzled out. Leavener does need to be replaced periodically.
Is it possible to use frozen strawberries? I have some I need to use up. I’m thinking they need to be defrosted, drained, and maybe mashed less?
You should be able to use frozen, and you do want some juices from the strawberries – so mash away, and you might not need to drain.
Made these into 6 large muffins and they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Marvelous! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and that it worked well for big muffins to.
May I use almond flour instead of wheat-flour combination?
Almond flour doesn’t sub well in a 1:1 ratio for wheat flour. It’s much heavier and higher in fat content. Other modifications would need to be made to the recipe.
I am allergic to chocolate. Do you have a recipe for vanilla ones?
There isn’t any chocolate in this recipe. It’s actually vanilla muffins with strawberries.
These would make a great breakfast or snack for on the go! They sound and look delicious!
They are SO perfect for that!
I have been looking for some healthy snacks! This is so timely because strawberries are so good right now!
Right?! They are just amazing right now.