There's not much better than a warm muffin in the morning, and these vegan strawberry muffins are top-notch. Tender, fluffy, and loaded with fresh fruit, they're the perfect way to start the day.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease the pan.
In a small bowl, stir together the soy milk and lemon juice. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until it looks slightly curdled. This works as your vegan buttermilk.
Place the chopped strawberries in a bowl. Reserve about 1/2 cup (75g) for topping the muffins later. Toss the remaining strawberries with 1 tablespoon flour (8g). This helps keep them from sinking too much into the batter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted vegan butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour in the vegan buttermilk and whisk again until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour (250g), baking powder, sea salt, and lemon zest.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold with a spatula just until you no longer see dry streaks of flour. Do not overmix.
Gently fold in the flour-coated strawberries.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Scatter the reserved strawberries over the tops. Sprinkle each muffin with demerara sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. A little moisture from the strawberries is normal, but there should not be wet batter.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Stick to soy milk. Other plant milks don't work as well with the lemon for that buttermilk effect.
Don't over-mix. When making the batter, mix just until you can't see any dry flour. Overmixing will overdevelop the glutens, resulting in tough, over-dense muffins.
Flour the strawberries. This will help ensure they don't sink in the batter!
Storing leftovers. Once fully cooled and stored in an airtight container, these will keep well on the counter for 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, pop them in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes or microwave for 30 seconds.