If you’re looking for a hearty breakfast muffin these Paleo + Vegan morning glory muffins are going to be a new favorite. We used pecans in them, but the nuts are entirely optional, so they can easily be made nut-free. And what’s great is that you can meal prep them on Sunday and have them readily available for the work week, and you can even freeze them to take just one or two out at a time as well.
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These muffins look loaded – What’s in them?
Morning glory muffins are typically loaded full of dried and fresh fruits, carrots, nuts, seeds, spices and really anything else that sounds good. Sometimes they have oats in them (not Paleo, but you can add gluten-free oats if you tolerate them). We used raisins, apples, carrots, pecans and some basic spices. I think the cardamom makes them extra special!
What nut-free, gluten-free baking flour do you use
For gluten-free and Paleo-friendly baking flours, we typically turn to Bob’s Red Mill and have for years. You’ll see us using their flours in many of our recipes – from sweet to savory! For these morning glory breakfast muffins, we used their Cassava Flour. This was actually our first time playing around with their Cassava Flour, and it went really well! Cassava Flour is naturally gluten-free and nut-free. It is made from the whole root of the cassava plant and has a mild flavor and fine texture that is great for gluten-free cooking and baking. Bob’s Red Mill Cassava Flour is also Non-GMO verified! We love the quality of their products from mill to table and the fact that they’re a local Oregon company!
Why do you use dried fruit over fresh fruit in your muffins?
Sometimes I will actually use the fresh fruit, but I often find that in Paleo baking fresh fruit just ends up getting mushy and then the baked goods either have to be refrigerated or just don’t last long on the counter. So, I often lean on dried fruit instead to make my baked goods more shelf-stable and keep the consistency how I want it. It’s an easy swap, and you can try either way. Just pick the option that best suits your needs for these breakfast muffins.
Any tips for where to find coconut butter or making it at home
You can find coconut butter for sale at health food stores, like Whole Foods, Natural Grocers and the like. You’ll notice the price tag is a bit steep though. I prefer to just make it at home because it is WAY more affordable and actually really easy to do. I pick up some shredded coconut at the store. About 3-4 cups of shredded coconut will make about a half cup of coconut butter. You just put it in a food processor, and let it run. You’ll hear an audible change in the way it runs. At that point, stop your food processor, and scrape down the sides. Then, restart again. Keep doing this until the consistency is velvety and buttery. It’s that easy!
Your turn to try our Paleo morning glory breakfast muffins
Make a batch this coming weekend! Enjoy these breakfast muffins during your busy work week or toss them in the freezer and pull one or two out as needed for breakfasts or snacks. Leave a comment and rating below and let us know how it goes! Also, take a pic to share on Instagram, and tag us @realsimplegood so we can check it out! And if you don’t already, make sure to give us a follow – let’s stay connected!
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Morning Glory Breakfast Muffins (Paleo, Vegan + Nut-Free option)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups cassava flour, (whisked before measuring)
- 2 tsp paleo baking powder
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, softened, (plus more for topping if desired)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
- 1 cup coconut milk, (or sub nut milk of choice)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 apple, cored and diced, (or sub about 1 cup chopped dried apples)
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped, (omit or sub sunflower or pumpkin seeds for nut-free)
- 1/2 cup raisins
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with parchment liners. Please use parchment liners. They don't cook well with paper liners or other options.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cassava flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and sea salt with a fork.
- Using the fork, "cut" coconut butter and oil into dry ingredients until small bits form.
- Add coconut milk, maple syrup, apple sauce, apple cider vinegar and vanilla and mix with fork until combined.
- Fold in shredded carrots, raisins, apples and pecans (if using).
- Scoop batter into muffin liners, filling liners to the top.
- Transfer to oven and bake for 20 mintues, or until a toothpick comes out clean, and remove from oven to cool.
- Serve and enjoy!
I like weighing my flours when baking, so I used 192g (1/4 cup = 32g) of the cassava flour. I used boxed coconut milk, parchment liners, and baked for 20 minutes. They are a pudding like consistency when eaten hot, but I couldn’t wait to try one!
I haven’t made the recipe yet, but I wonder whether some of the difficulty with gooey muffins after long cook times has to do with using canned coconut milk vs. boxed coconut milk drink. Which one is intended for this recipe?
I typically use full fat coconut milk, the brand aroy-d. It has no fillers and is just 100% coconut milk, no guar gum. I’ve also used forager brand cashew milk. Hope that helps!
I just finished baking these and they came out really gooey. I baked them for a total of 40 mins. Not sure what I did wrong. The taste is great but I feel like I’m eating raw muffins.
Hi there, did you use parchment liners for your muffin tin? I’ve only heard of them coming out gummy/raw/taking a looonngg time to cook when people use traditional paper liners. I’m wondering if that might be the case for you? Let me know because it’s always good to get feedback.
My go-to when I just need that goodie in the morning with my cup of coffee.
Delish!
Can’t wait to make these.
Hope you like them!
Hi, what are your thoughts on almond flour or coconut flour instead of cassava? I don’t have Cassava on hand and just wondering if I don’t need them to be but free if you thought either would work. Can’t wait to make these!
Hey there – I haven’t tried making them with another flour, so I can’t say what the amounts would be for sure. All three flours absorb liquids differently, so that makes it a little tricky. I think a combo of almond and coconut flours could be used in place of casssava, just not sure on the ratio or amounts. If I were going to test and play around, I’d probably try starting with 1.25 cups almond flour and 2-3 tablespoons of coconut flour. The baking time might be a little different, so I’d start checking them to see if they’re done around 16-18 minutes…might still take about 20 minutes though. Hope that helps, and let us know if you happen to try alternate flours. We’d be curious to hear how it goes.
Delicious! Even my boyfriend enjoyed them and he usually avoids healthy food!
Ha! Perfect for everyone :).
These are seriously THE BEST!!!!! My go to breakfast!
I made these muffins again last night, using parchment liners, and had much better results. They still baked longer, with repeated testing, but did not turn out gummy or stuck in the liners.
Hubby enjoyed, having two for dessert last night!
This recipe is now a keeper, and parchment liners will remain on my grocery checklist!
Hooray! So glad to hear the parchment liners helped! I wonder if the cooking time difference is potentially from being at different altitudes or just different appliances. We are at a little higher elevation and sometimes I know that affects baking times. Anyway, so glad they’re a hit for you guys now! Thanks so much for giving them a try again and for reporting back. It’s helpful to get the feedback.
The batter was pretty thick, I did have to use a spoon to spoon it into the muffin cups. I typically bake and cook with parchment paper, but have not used parchment in muffin cups.
The muffins do taste great but it was a pain to get them cooked enough.
Thanks!
The only thing I can think of is the liners having some weird impact on how they cooked. If you have it in you to try again, do it with parchment liners and see if you get a different result. We’d be curious to hear. We get our parchment muffin liners from Whole Foods or Thrive Market. Thanks for trying our recipes! We really appreciate the feedback and you taking the time to share.
I received my parchment liners from Amazon and am going to give this recipe a re-try this weekend! Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thank you for all you do – I enjoy your recipes and glad my husband is a good guinea pig 🙂
Oh yay! I hope you have a better result this time. Keep us posted – I’ve been wondering about it ever since you first commented. 🙂
I made these muffins this weekend and they are good but had issues. I do not have silicone liners and used paper liners. They baked longer than the recipe called for but when I sampled one, it was difficult to get out of the liner and it was still gummy (not completely baked). I put all the muffins on a baking sheet and returned them to the oven, at 325, for another 20 minutes. They did dry out and are easier to peel but there are still some muffins that are slightly gummy, or waaaay too moist. I did not use the nuts in my batch but that shouldn’t have made a difference. Thoughts?
I typically enjoy your recipes and make several a week but was disappointed in how this one turned out.
Hey there – that’s a bummer indeed. So sad to hear you had some issues. I haven’t had any similar issues in the batches I’ve made with these muffins being gummy or too moist and I’ve played with them a lot – adding different mix-ins etc. Hmmm…the only thing I can think of is the paper liners potentially and the nuts probably do help to soak up some liquid in the recipe, but in general, it’s not a super wet batter. Was your batter really thick? Also, I always use parchment liners for muffins since they peel right off the muffin, whereas the paper ones end up sticking to just about any gluten-free/grain-free baking I do. I’d be curious to hear more about the consistency of your batter before you popped them in the oven to try to help trouble shoot more.
I had the same problem. I used paper liners too. They turned out gummy and didn’t want to cook all the way.
Batter was runny. I didn’t use nuts because I’m not supposed to eat them. So sad. I was looking forward to some good healthy muffins for breakfast
That’s a bummer. From what I’ve heard from the other person who tried them with paper liners, they worked out great once they tried again with parchment liners. Hope you give them another shot with parchment liners. They’re a great nut-free option.
Could I use ghee in place of coconut butter? I have that on hand
I haven’t tried it with just ghee or grassfed butter, but I don’t think the texture will come out the same. The coconut butter helps to bind the muffins and give them a little lift in the absence of eggs, which I’m not certain ghee will do. If you happen to try, report back and let us know how it goes.