These quick and easy gluten-free morning glory muffins are a healthy, gluten-free, and tasty breakfast or snack choice that is so easy to prepare. These healthy mixers of fruits, vegetables, and nuts give these muffins a tremendous blast of taste and nutrients with every bite. And the best part: they mix up so quickly in a blender, making preparation and cleanup simple.
Original Morning Glory muffins were invented by a cook at a natural food restaurant on Nantucket in the early 1970s. Since then, they have remained a favorite for breakfast. The classic Morning Glory muffin employs carrots, apples, raisins, coconut, and nuts that all combine to create a rich, tasty, and nutritious treasure. This gluten-free version of course still retains all of the superior characteristics of the original muffin but now has the benefit of being lighter and gluten-free-equal in taste.
We’ll show you how to easily prepare gluten-free Morning Glory muffins using a blender in this recipe. This method is fast and hassle-free and includes a smooth, uniform batter, so you’re sure to always have the best muffins on hand.
Why you’ll love these Morning Glory Muffins
Morning Glory muffins are an excellent choice for a healthy breakfast boost at any time of day or lunchtime for several reasons:
- Nutrient-dense: Due to the fruits, vegetables, and nuts that are packed into these muffins, it will provide you with a well-balanced dosage of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to keep you going throughout the day.
- Gluten-free: This recipe is also gluten-free because of the gluten-free oats and almond flour used instead of your standard wheat flour, making it safe for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.
- Naturally sweetened: We substitute refined sugar with other natural sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup in addition to the inherent sweetness of apples and carrots, making it a healthier option.
- Versatile and customizable: You can easily change the recipe according to your taste or your dietary requirement. Either you like raisins, nuts, or coconut you can customize your ingredients and prepare your muffin.
Ingredients You Will Need
Here’s the ingredients list of gluten-free Morning Glory muffins. The recipe begins with simple, healthful ingredients that can likely be seen taking up shelf space in your pantry already:
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats will get mixed into a flour-like base
- ½ cup almond flour gives protein, healthful fats, and the best moisture
- 2 medium shredded carrots: Carrots have high moisture, sweetness, and vitamin A.
- 1 grated apple: Adds natural sweetness and flavor.
- 2 large eggs: The egg covers the majority of the ingredient-binding task and helps in shaping the muffins.
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup: Even though honey and maple syrup can be relatively sweet, they have nutritional benefits as natural sweeteners. They keep the muffins moist.
- Melt ¼ cup coconut oil to add moisture and rich taste.
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon: This is used to add warmth and a certain taste.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract enhances general taste.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda: This allows the muffins to rise.
- ½ teaspoon salt: It balances the flavors.
- ⅓ cup raisins: Adds sweetness and texture.
- ⅓ cup shredded unsweetened coconut: Adds extra texture and flavor.
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans): adds crunch and healthy fats.
Preparation of Gluten-free Morning Glory Muffins
This recipe is easy and quick with the use of a blender. Toward preparing your batch of healthy, yummy gluten-free muffin, follow the steps below.
1. Preheat Your Oven
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and getting out a muffin tin. Depending on whether you are using paper liners for your muffins or if you’re greasing the tin with coconut oil or non-stick spray, it is now ready for the batter to pour in.
2. Mix the Oats
Add your gluten-free rolled oats to the blender and mix on high until the oats become fine flour. The batter for your muffins is made of this flour, and the reason these muffins are gluten-free is that this is what the structure of your muffin is.
3. Add Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs, honey (or maple syrup), coconut oil, and vanilla extract to the blender. Blend until smooth. The oats should be fully incorporated into the wet ingredients, creating a thick but pourable batter.
4. Fold in the Grated Carrots and Apples
Remove the blender from its base, then stir by hand in the grated carrots and apples. This ensures that these vegetables and fruits are well mixed into the batter without over processing.
5. Add Mix-Ins
Now you can fold in your raisins, shredded coconut, and chopped nuts. These add texture and flavor but are truly optional. Add-ins like dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, or even chocolate chips can make this recipe customizeable.
6. Portion the Batter into the Muffin Tin
Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups and fill them to about 3/4 of their height. Muffins will rise a bit during baking, so don’t fill the muffin cups completely.
7. Bake Muffins
Place the muffin tin inside the oven which has been preheated and let it bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown on the top side. When you plunge a toothpick into the center of the muffin, it will come out clean. The muffins should be a little firm but still moist at their inside.
8. Cool and Serve
Line up the muffins and let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool off completely. Serve them when warm or store for later use!
Storing and Freezing Morning Glory Muffins
These muffins are good for meal prep as well, since the muffins stay good for quite a while. Below are a few helpful tips about how to store them:
At Room Temperature: Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
In the Refrigerator: For longer keeping place the muffins in the fridge for up to a week. They stay moist and fresh for days!
In the Freezer: If you want to make a big batch, these muffins freeze beautifully. Put the cooled muffins on a single layer on a baking sheet, freeze for a few hours, and then pack them into a freezer-safe bag or an airtight container. Frozen, they’ll keep for up to 3 months. Then reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or thaw at room temperature.
Customizing Your Morning Glory Muffins
Its beauty is that you can customize the ingredients to your taste or dietary need: Some ideas for personalized gluten-free Morning Glory muffins:
- Change the Sweetener. If you are looking for low in sugar, use monk fruit syrup that’s sugar-free or lower honey and maple syrup.
- Add Protein: Use a scoop of protein powder, or replace some of the coconut oil with Greek yogurt, to increase the protein levels.
- Make Them Dairy-Free: Since you are using coconut oil in this recipe, it’s inherently dairy-free, but do not add any dairy-based extras.
- Increase Fiber: Add some chia seeds or ground flaxseeds to your batter for a fiber boost
Nutritional Benefits of Gluten-Free Morning Glory Muffins
Such a thing as gluten-free Morning Glory muffins sounds immensely mouthwatering yet, at the same time, full of nutrients. Here are some key health benefits:
- Good source of Fibre: The oat, carrot, apples, and raisins filled in the muffins help fill these with a healthy amount of dietary fibre that aids digestion and keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
- High in Vitamins: The fruits and vegetables paired together provide a good source of vitamins like vitamin A from the carrots and vitamin C from the apples.
- Gluten-Free: Since the recipe uses gluten-free oats and almond flour rather than wheat flour, this recipe would be best for people with gluten sensitivity or those diagnosed with celiac disease.
- With this, muffins can be made using honey or maple syrup as alternatives to refined sugar and still provide the taste with minimal natural additives.
Conclusion
These Gluten-Free Morning Glory Muffins are perfect for a busy morning or a healthy snack. Quick, easy to make, these fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats satisfy and energize with flavor while keeping them nutrient-dense. More important, they can be made quickly with a blender, and a batch will last all week. Please do try them and enjoy this great combination of flavor and nutrition.