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close up of a morning glory muffin, showing a dried cranberry and some shredded carrots. The muffin has a light blue paper liner sitting just outside the pan it was baked in.
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4.70 from 10 votes

Morning Glory Muffins

Healthy muffins can be easy to make with applesauce and no sugar. This vegan morning glory muffin is nutritious, delicious and a satisfying vegan breakfast or snack.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 1 dozen muffins
Calories: 211kcal
Author: Debra Klein

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 medium zucchini*
  • 2 medium sized carrots*
  • 1 green apple*
  • 2 cups whole grain flour*
  • ⅓ cup ground flax seeds
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
  • ½ cup apple sauce
  • ½ cup maple syrup*
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger*
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts*
  • ½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
  • ½ cup small dice frozen pineapple*

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
  • Shred zucchini, apple and carrots. You can use a box grater to do this by hand, or use a food processor with the shredding disc. There is no need to wash out the bowl in between. You should have about 3 cups in total.
  • In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • In a medium sized bowl, mix together shredded vegetables, plus applesauce, syrup, vanilla and ginger.
  • Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined.
  • Gently fold in the nuts, cranberries and pineapple.
  • Using a medium sized scoop or a large spoon, scoop batter into prepared muffin tin. There will be enough for 12 muffins.
  • Place muffin tin in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door, but turn down the temperature to 350 and then reset the timer for 15 additional minutes. Starting at a higher heat allows the muffins to rise more quickly and acquire a crusty top.
  • Muffins are done when golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Allow muffins to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack.
  • Store muffins at room temp for 3 days, in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Video

Notes

SHREDDED VEGGIES: You should have about 3 cups total shredded zucchini, carrots and apple. I used a green granny smith apple in the photographed muffins, but any kind, any color will work well.
FLOUR: Use a.whole grain flour. I used 1 cup sprouted spelt and 1 cup whole wheat in these photos. I also tested the recipe with gluten-free 1-to-1 flour, all whole wheat and all spelt. I like the nutty flavor of spelt flour, but the all spelt didn't rise as well as the others tested, so I went with the combo. The gluten-free flour and the all whole wheat rose well and had similar texture to the combo.
SWEETENER: I tested these with both maple syrup and date syrup. Both had perfect texture, and I thought the date syrup muffins were a bit sweeter.
NUTS: You could also use chopped pecans, pistachios or almonds. If you can't use nuts, seeds like sunflower or pumpkin would be good substitutions.
CRANBERRIES: If you can't find unsweetened cranberries, substitute raisins, unsweetened dried cherries, or chopped dried apricots or figs.
PINEAPPLE: It is easy to cut the pineapple into small pieces when it is frozen. You can mix the pineapple into the batter still frozen or thawed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 347mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g