Elderberry Muffins
This Elderberry Muffins recipe makes delicious muffins with a crumble topping. These muffins make a tasty, colorful addition to your day.
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My neighbor has an elderberry bush that is producing tons (not literally… the berries are kind of small) of berries. He finally (I mean graciously) relented to my whiny requests to let me pick some of them.
Have you ever seen an elderberry? Have you ever wondered what elderberries taste like?
Here are some up a little closer.
Elderberries are high in Vitamin C, fiber, and flavonoids. Who knew so much could be packed into such itty-bitty berries?
If you’re like me, you know you’ve heard about them before, but just can’t recall where. Here are some interesting tidbits to refresh your memory:
- In the Harry Potter books, the elder wand (made from an elderberry bush) was the much sought-after wand in the book, Deathly Hallows.
- Elton John sings a famous song Elderberry Wine
- When my daughter asked where I was and she found out I was out picking elderberries, she quoted the line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, “Your mother smelled of elderberries.” The real quote is “Your father smelled of elderberries” but her rendition seemed more appropriate.
Elderberries were known in folklore to ward off witches. Hmm, that sounds like another good reason to keep them around.
After reading more about them, I was convinced they would make a splendid muffin, similar to a blackberry or blueberry muffin. The results were delicious.
How to Make Elderberry Muffins
We love making elderberry muffins around here. I think you will too. Here are the steps to make them:
- Mix crumble topping ingredients (flour, nuts, brown sugar, and vegan butter). This will be crumbly. Set aside.
- Make the muffins by stirring together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, sugar, melted vegan butter, and vanilla.
- Place elderberries in a small bowl and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture. Gently stir the elderberries to coat them with the flour mixture.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add the berries. It’s ok for the batter to be lumpy because you don’t want to over mix so the muffins will be fluffy.
- Pour the batter into muffin cups and sprinkle with the crumble topping (optional, but highly recommended).
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for several minutes before serving.
Note: It’s best to cook ripe elderberries before eating, and be sure to remove any unripe berries, stems, and leaves, as they contain natural toxins.
Can I Use Dried Elderberries in These Muffins?
If you don’t have elderberry bushes in your neighborhood, you can substitute dried elderberries. To do that, soak dried elderberries in hot water for at least 30 minutes to rehydrate them.
If you have an elderberry bush of your own, you’re lucky. If you spot one in your neighborhood I encourage you to befriend its owner. Offer a batch of muffins in exchange for some of their berries.
Or plant a bush so you can enjoy this tasty and healthy berry in your future recipes. I’ve been trying out lots of elderberry recipes this week and will have more to share with you soon. It’s like our own Elderberry Wine Festival!
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Elderberry Muffins
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup vegan butter, softened
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup chopped nuts
- ½ cup brown sugar
Muffins
- 2 cups all purpose flour (1 C whole wheat)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¼ cups fresh elderberries rinsed and drained (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix together crumble topping ingredients. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, soy milk, vinegar, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.
- Place elderberries in a small bowl and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture. Gently stir the elderberries to coat them with the flour mixture.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Add the berries. It’s ok for the batter to be lumpy because you don’t want to over mix so the muffins will be fluffy.
- Pour the batter into muffin cups, sprinkle with the crumble topping (optional, but highly recommended), and bake for about 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool for several minutes before serving.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
More Elderberry Recipes
Do you love elderberries? Here are more elderberry recipes to try:
Enjoy!
About the Author
Hi! I’m Marly McMillen. I’m the founding editor, author, recipe developer, vegan home chef, and food stylist behind Namely Marly. I’m so grateful to you and every member of my audience for your support and dedication. More about Namely Marly ›
41 Responses to Elderberry Muffins
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Hello, i love this recipe and can not wait to try! all i’ve done with elderberries so far is make juice and syrup. i’m not as familiar with baking them from raw form…..i am wondering if you could tell me a bit more about the minimum time/temp of baking to destroy the toxins…and/or some resources where i can read more about it? thanks so much!!!!!
Hi Carly! That’s a wonderful question. While raw elderberries do contain glycosides that can cause stomach upset, these are heat-sensitive and are neutralized during the cooking process.For these muffins, baking at 350°F for the full duration of the recipe (typically 17-20 minutes) is more than enough to ensure they are perfectly safe to eat. As the muffins rise and bake, the berries reach temperatures high enough to break down those compounds. Just make sure you’ve removed all the stems, as they contain higher concentrations of those same compounds! Happy baking!
Recipe should note that RAW elderberries are toxic and MUST BE COOKED before being eaten!!
As well, the bark and stems are even more toxic so elderberries must be cleaned very well so there is no plant debris
Hi Rhonda, thank you so much for pointing that out! You’re absolutely right that raw elderberries (and their stems or leaves) should not be eaten, as they can be toxic unless cooked. I had this noted on my other elderberry recipes so, I’ve updated this post to include that note so it’s clear for everyone. I really appreciate you catching that. Safety first, especially with elderberries.