Elderberry Muffins
This Elderberry Muffins recipe makes delicious muffins with a crumble topping. These muffins make a tasty, colorful addition to your day.
This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure Policy
You'll also get even more vegan recipes delivered to your inbox every week!
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.
In this Post
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!
Subscribe and Get a Free 15-Minute Dinners eBook
Plus our latest vegan recipes, delivered right to your inbox!
We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
Elderberry Muffins
You’ll also get even more vegan recipes delivered to your inbox every week!
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
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Notes
Nutrition
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 ›
42 Responses to Elderberry Muffins
Rate / Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These muffins are delicious! I substituted 1/2 the sugar for honey and used dairy products instead of their vegan alternatives and the muffins turned out perfect! I will be using this recipe again as a base for different berry muffins
I’m so glad you liked this recipe, Samantha! Love the idea of using it for other berry recipes, too!
Can you use frozen elderberries in this muffin recipe?
I have used frozen elderberries with these muffins and it worked just fine!
The batter seemed to have a good consistency.
My oven temperature for sure is not perfect but I had to cook these for WAY over the 20 minute time, as per the recipe.
Overall the muffins are good but next time I would consider adding more elderberry and not including chopped nuts in the crumble.
Rutgers have a seed with cyanide in it.. Does this cooking prices for the muffins destroy that seed it so you need to cook the berries first
Hi Michelle. Cooked elderberries are safe to eat. These muffins are baked at 350°F/177°C.
Can I sun olive oil for butter?
Hi Liz. Yes, You can substitute vegetable oil for this recipe.
I have only ever used elderberries to make the syrup, not baking. My bushes went crazy this year so wanted to try baking with them too. Just to be clear with this recipe, you do not precook the berries? You bu them in fresh and the oven cooking renders them non toxic?
I can’t wait to try this and your pie recipe (that one you DO cook the pie filling first, right?)
Thanks for your help!
Hi DJ. Every so often a plant will have what’s called a mast year where they produce much more fruit than normal. Sounds like that’s what you’re experiencing with your elderberry bush. How fun! I do not precook elderberries before adding them to muffins or pies, however, sometimes I use dried elderberries. Make sure you’re using ripe elderberries with the stems removed.
We did make these with leftover elderberry pulp after making syrup, and they turned out great. Thanks for sharing!
used canola oil for the vegan butter and Banana for the apple sauce. Elderberries were left over from the tincture I made with Vodka. Muffins can out great! Tasted the tincture, but felt the overwhelming healing of the immune system.. Love it. Not for all!!!
Thanks, Theresa. Your tincture sounds interesting. Glad the muffins turned out great!
How would one go about subbing in dried elder berries?
Hi Fawn, Yes. You can use dried elderberries. They simply need to be rehydrated first. I do this by adding hot water and letting them sit for a while until they’re tender. I find dried elderberries are very firm so they might need up to an hour to soak. I’ll add more about this in the post. Thanks!
Could you use elderberry mash lefter over from making syrup for this muffin recipe? Thank you
This is an interesting question, Judy. I’m sure you could use this (I’m always looking for ways to use ingredients that could be considered “discarded). However, because the berries have been processed to create syrup, they may not result in distinct berries in the muffins, and therefore the muffins might end up being more purple. But it’s definitely worth a try! I’d love to hear how it goes!
Can you freeze these baked muffins?
Hi Merry. Yes, I have frozen these muffins before and it works just fine!
These were delicious! I did a few substitutes to make it healthier…. no crumble topping, oats for half of the flour, banana for half of the butter, and 1/3 cup honey instead of all the sugar. Still, they were so moist and delicious! I love the huge ratio of berries.
This was great, thank you! I was surprised at the huge percentage of berries, but it turned out good. I did several substitutes, like using banana for some of the butter and honey instead of sugar.
I just planted 3 elderberry bushes this spring. The yield was minimal, less than a cup. Can I use dried elderberries soaked in water overnight and drained?
Hi Lynda. I’ve often heard of the “sleep, creep, and leap” rule with things like bushes. The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap! So, you have a lot to look forward to in the coming years with those bushes! I have used dried fruits in my baking and it was fine. Just don’t expect the same thing as it would taste like with fresh. Because dried fruits have a different flavor and texture. But I think soaking them and then draining them should help. Let me know how it goes! Also, where do you find dried elderberries?
Is 2 cups of elderberry accurate? My muffins turned out very blue and not like yours. It seems like there are too many berries but may I did something wrong?
Hi NS. Thanks for your comment! The elderberries I picked from the neighborhood bush were really tiny, which is why I used 2 cups. I will add a note to the recipe that if your berries are larger, you could get by with one cup. Also, it sounds like some of the berries burst while stirring, so maybe they were more ripe as well. If you have more of the berries, try doing the recipe again and this time using 1 cup. And I would recommend minimal stirring once the berries are added. Hope this helps!
sounds very tasty, my friend has several bushes but my question is when and how do I remove the pits ?
The good news is that there aren’t any pits in Eldeberries. They’re sort of like blueberries. You just wash them off and cook them whole. Yum!
Here in Ireland there are so many elderberry trees by the roadside and yet i’m the only person i know of who actually uses them. I recently made an Elderberry & Lemon drizzle cake – wow just gorgeous and so moist. Looking forward to trying these muffins now (just need to convert your measures to ours)
I agree with the previous comments…these look so very good! I love how small the berries are and the way they fleck the muffin. I have sipped on some wonderful elderberry tea before, but I am intrigued by the elderberry wine and martini. Thank you for sharing!
I love the delicate nature of these berries. You have to handle these berries with great care. I think adding some elderberries to my tea sounds like a great idea. I can’t wait to try that!
Oh, man. But those look somethin’ good. I’ve never had elderberry muffins but have been the recipient of a delectable elderberry martini. Somehow I’m thinking the muffins would be a teensy bit healthier? 🙂
Mindy
http://www.thesuburbanlife.com
Oh Mindy. An elderberry martini sounds much better than muffins. I guess I’m going to have to look up that recipe next!
I have indeed heard of elderberries, and had some delicious elderberry wine. I’ve never tried them fresh though, are they sweet or a bit tart or astringent?
There is a certain tartness to them, but I like that. I’m looking forward to trying some in my tea as Monet suggests!
OMG these look amazing! I didn’t realize they had a anti-inflammatory component, this would be great for me, especially with my back issue. I’m not sure if they are available in my neck of the woods, will have to hunt them down.
Yes – you should definitely try these muffins. Of course, you might have to eat them in significant quantities to reap the benefit of the anti-inflammatory goodies.