Scrumptious Strawberry Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling (Includes Dairy-Free and Vegan Options)

With chunks of juicy strawberries, a cream cheese filling, and a crunchy streusel topping, these bakery-style strawberry muffins are divine. And there are also dairy-free and vegan versions to ensure that alpha gals of all sensitivity levels can use this strawberry muffin recipe. Looking for a dairy free option? I’ve got you covered!

Strawberries are one of the most beloved fruits in America, and for good reason. They are sweet, juicy, and packed with antioxidants. Whether you slice them into a bowl of oatmeal or stir them into a fruit salad they sprinkle a tart sweetness wherever they go. And when you bake sweet strawberries into these delicious muffins with a cream cheese filling and a crunchy streusel topping, you’ll delight your taste buds, whether it’s at breakfast time, snack time, or dessert.

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When is Strawberry Season?

While you can make this strawberry muffin recipe any time of year using frozen strawberries (more on how to do that in a minute), I think they taste best with fresh, juicy berries.

So when is strawberry season? The good news is that, as one of the most cultivated fruits in the United States with a wide range of growing locations, the national strawberry season runs from January through November. So chances are that you can find fresh strawberries nearly year round at a grocery store near you. But, if you’re craving these moist strawberry muffins and can’t find fresh berries, you can use frozen strawberries as well.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Flour

Because I like to use a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour when baking fruit muffins, this recipe uses both. However, you can easily use 100% all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour. I have not tested this recipe with almond flour.

Sugar

I use organic cane sugar that is both unrefined and vegan friendly. Using this ingredient helps ensure that the sugar hasn’t been processed with bone char, which can be an alpha-gal trigger. I have not tested this recipe with other sugars, like coconut sugar, but if you have regular success substituting granulated sugar for another sweetener, it will probably work here.

Olive Oil

I like to bake with olive oil, rather than butter, because it reduces the amount of dairy I consume as an alpha gal. You can substitute the olive oil for another type of vegetable oil, like canola oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil. You can also substitute either regular or plant-based butter for the olive oil. Heck, you can even use butter-flavored Crisco!

Egg

While eggs are an alpha-gal friendly ingredient, vegans and others who don’t eat eggs can easily use a plant-based egg substitute in this recipe.

Greek Yogurt

While some strawberry muffin recipes call for buttermilk, I prefer plain Greek yogurt – mostly because I tend to always have it on hand, unlike buttermilk. For a dairy-free version of this recipe, substitute vegan Greek yogurt. I have not tested this recipe with regular yogurt, but if you make this substitution, the consistency might be different than when using thick, Greek-style yogurt.

Related Article: Dairy Free Baking: Proven Tips for Beginners

Strawberries

As mentioned previously, I think these strawberry muffins taste best with in-season fresh strawberries. However, you can also make them with frozen strawberries. For this substitution, allow the frozen berries to defrost slightly so that you can dice them into blueberry-like pieces.

Sage Advice: Looking for more delicious ways to cook with strawberries? You’ll love these strawberry crepes and this vegan strawberry almond milk! Or, whip up some strawberry chutney to spread on sandwiches or add to an alpha-gal friendly charcuterie board. And if you’re craving an easy berry dessert, try this delicious blackberry cobbler or this easy strawberry trifle.

Cream Cheese

The cream cheese filling is an important part of this strawberry muffin recipe. Fortunately, this soft cheese is typically made without animal enzymes and is usually safe for alpha gals who tolerate dairy. If you avoid dairy, you can easily substitute vegan cream cheese for a regular brick of cream cheese.

To Make This Strawberry Muffin Recipe Dairy-Free

For a dairy-free version of these strawberry muffins, use these ingredients and then follow the same instructional steps in the regular recipe below:

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz. vegan cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Streusel Crumb Topping:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup vegan butter, cut into thin slices

Strawberry Muffins:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup vegan Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cup fresh strawberries, diced

Glaze:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons almond milk

To Make This Strawberry Muffin Recipe Vegan

For a vegan version of these strawberry muffins, use these ingredients and then follow the same instructional steps in the regular recipe below:

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz. vegan cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegan powdered sugar

Streusel Crumb Topping:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup vegan butter, cut into thin slices

Strawberry Muffins:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 vegan egg substitute 
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup vegan Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cup fresh strawberries, diced

Glaze:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 teaspoons almond milk

How to Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Make the cream cheese filling by blending the filling ingredients together.

Make the streusel topping by blending the streusel ingredients together with a pastry fork, a regular fork, or your fingers.

Make the muffin batter by combining the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. 

Assemble the muffins by placing a small amount of muffin batter at the bottom of each muffin liner. Then add a dollop of cream cheese. Stir the diced strawberries into the remaining batter and distribute it evenly across the muffin tins. Top each muffin with the streusel.

Bake and cool the muffins. Mix up the glaze and drizzle it over the cooled muffins.

How to Store Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Because this strawberry muffin recipe uses cream cheese in the filling and milk in the glaze, I recommend storing leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, even if you opt for a dairy-free or vegan version. If you don’t devour all of these strawberry muffins in four days, you can move them to the freezer for up to three months.

Additional Tips for Making This Strawberry Muffin Recipe

• To have enough space for the cream cheese filling, these muffins work best in a jumbo muffin pan or standard-sized muffin tin. For mini muffins, omit the cream cheese filling using just the strawberry muffin batter. You can still use the streusel to create crumb muffin tops.
• If you don’t have (or don’t want to use) paper muffin liners, you can coat the muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray and bake the muffins directly in the pan. However, it’s easier to serve them when they are baked in paper muffin cups. (And a whole lot easier to clean up the muffin pan.)
• Unlike some recipes you may have made, there is no need to toss the berries in flour. This step is used in some recipes, like blueberry muffins, to keep the fruit from falling to the bottom of the pan. This batter is thick enough (thanks for lending a hand, Greek yogurt), that this step is unnecessary.
• You can easily swap the diced strawberries for 1 ½ cups of another fruit. Blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and peaches all work well. Just be sure the fruit pieces are about the size of blueberries, dicing larger fruits as needed.
• While the glaze adds a nice finish to these strawberry muffins, they are still delicious without it. So feel free to omit if you want to shave off a little sugar (and calories) from this recipe.

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