Packed with flavor and good-for-you ingredients, these Morning Glory Muffins are a healthy and delicious way to start the day! Veggie-loaded and perfect for a snack or grab-and-go breakfast, these muffins have less sugar than other Morning Glory Muffin recipes, and instead use maple syrup or honey. They’re perfect for making ahead to make a busy day a little easier.
You all know I love my healthier homemade muffin recipes. And, frankly, you all love muffins just as much (especially my Oatmeal green smoothie muffin recipe and Healthy chocolate muffins). They are, hands down, some of my most popular recipes and I totally get why…..muffins are a fun, delicious and EASY way to veggie-loaded your life!
For reals. I could probably JUST make veggie-loaded muffins from here on out and we’d all be happy as clams.
It was recently brought to my attention that I didn’t have a Morning Glory Muffin recipe in my plethora of muffins on The Natural Nurturer. Say what? A muffin that needs zero tweaking to get veggies in wasn’t already in my line up? I needed to fix that ASAP
These muffins are quick to mix up and bake to perfection in 20 minutes! Hearty and full of healthy ingredients, they are easily made gluten free and/or egg-free and are vegetarian! They make a nice big batch of 16, so they are perfect to stock your freezer with or include in your meal prep.
There are many different Morning Glory muffin recipe out there in the big ‘ol bad internet, but they all have a similarly flavor combination of carrots + apples + raisins. A truly heavenly blend of flavors that is also packed with fiber and, you guessed it, veggies! Many recipes often throw shredded coconut into the mix, so you can chuck some of that into this batter if you like.
What makes these morning glory muffins different from the ones already on the internet? I have have swapped out regular sugar for the natural sweetness of honey or maple syrup and lightened how much added sugar is in these morning glory muffins. Since this type of muffin has apples, raisins, and carrots already in it….they are already going to be packed with Mother Natures sweet goodness, so we don’t need to hide that under too much sugar. And yet, these muffins are still a major flavor BOMB! Your taste buds will be dancing with every bite and you body is going to feel amazing from all the healthy goodness that is packed into the muffins.
I only have regular rolled oats and not quick-cooking oats. Can I use those?
You can make your own “quick” oats my pulsing the regular rolled oats in your blender or food processor to break them down. To do this, add 1 1/4 cup of rolled oats to the food processor or blender and then pulse a few times until the oats are chopped but some larger pieces remain. Stop before your oats become a fine powder.
Once the oats are chopped, measure the amount needed into the morning glory muffin batter.
Can I make these egg-free?
Yes! I has great success making these healthy morning glory muffins with flax eggs instead of chicken eggs.
To make a “flax egg”, I use the ratio of 1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water = 1 egg.
So, for this recipe, I use 3 tablespoons of ground flax meal + 7.5 tablespoons water to replace the eggs. Be sure to let the flax/water mixture sit for about 5 minutes to allow it toe “gel” before adding it to the batter.
How do you grate the carrots and apples for these muffins?
I use the large holes of a box grater and it works perfectly. No need to squeeze out any of the excess moisture before adding them to the morning glory muffin batter!
How should I store these healthy muffins?
These healthy morning glory muffins can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, I suggest storing them in the fridge or freezer to prevent molding and keep them as fresh as possible for days to come. They also freeze beautifully and make for a great breakfast or snack to stock up on!
Can I replace the flour in this muffin recipe with almond meal or coconut flour?
I haven’t tried these morning glory muffins with almond flour, almond meal, or coconut flour, I can’t speak to how success these morning glory muffins will turn out when swapping the flours.
In my experience, almond flour can often be used in place of whole wheat flour, however it creates for a much denser baked good. Coconut flour is a much thirstier flour and absorbs a lot more liquid than almond flour or wheat flour. I do not suggest using coconut flour in this recipe.
Why are these called “Morning Glory” muffins?
Great question and one I often wondered. There are a few versions how Morning Glory Muffins earned their name.
One theory that I have read is that, because these muffins are packed with so much fiber from their carrots + apples + raisins, they help move the “glory” along in the bathroom. As in poop, TNNers.
Another story I have heard is that the woman who originally created the Morning Glory Muffin, Pam McKinstry, was the owner and chef of The Morning Glory Cafe. The muffins are a signature baked good that her cafe became known for.
How can I substitute applesauce in baking, like these Morning Glory muffins?
Applesauce offers a lot to baking recipe, such as natural sweetness and moisture. When swapping out applesauce in baking, my first go-to is mashed banana. I find that I can swap them out one-for-one in a baking recipe with consistent success.
If the recipe you are baking has enough sweetness already from another sweetener, you can also replace the applesauce in a baking recipe with pumpkin puree, cooked and mashed sweet potato, or with yogurt.
Why are my muffins dry and dense?
There are a few possible reasons!
One major reason is over mixing! Mixing activates the gluten in the flour and can make for a really heavy, dense muffin. So don’t dump everything into your mixer and walk away, mix your muffin batter until JUST combined. That is the big secret to fluffy muffins!
Another reason muffins might be dry is over baking or baking at too high of a temperature. People will take a muffin recipe out of an oven and break a muffin open to find that it is still a bit moist then think they are underbaked. Often no. Baked goods continue to bake as the cool down in their baking pan and on the cooling rack. To avoid this, bake your muffins until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and then let them sit in the muffin tin to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes. They will firm up as they cool.
I also suggest getting an internal oven thermometer (under $10!) so you can be sure your oven is cooking true to temp. As ovens age, their thermostat might become faulty or need to be calibrated again, leaving you with over baked or under baked recipes! If you find that you are running into constantly over or underbaked recipes, double check that your oven is cooking at the proper temperature before dissing or ditching a recipe.
Suggested Adaptations
Make them gluten-free. Use a cup-for-cup style gluten-free flour blend in place of the whole wheat flour and be sure to use gluten-free oats.
Sub the carrots with zucchini. Replace half the grated carrot in the recipe with grated zucchini.
Bake them as a loaf! Combine the ingredients as directed and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before enjoying.
Make them egg free. I found that flax eggs worked great in these healthy morning glory muffins. To make a “flax egg”, I use the ratio of 1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water = 1 egg. So, for this recipe, I use 3 tablespoons of ground flax meal + 7.5 tablespoons water to replace the eggs. Be sure to let the flax/water mixture sit for about 5 minutes to allow it toe “gel” before adding it to the batter.
Other veggie-loaded muffin recipes you are going to adore
- Healthy Chocolate Muffins (with veggies!)
- Healthy Zucchini Lemon Muffins
- Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins
- Cinnamon Zucchini Banana Muffins
- Savory Vegetable Muffins
- Butternut Squash Banana Blender Muffins
- Mini Butternut Squash Blueberry Muffins
Did you try these morning glory muffins and now you’re hungry for more?
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Healthy Morning Glory Breakfast Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour can sub with whole wheat or all-purpose
- 1 cup quick-cooking “instant” oats see notes below for how to make your own
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup avocado or olive oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 cup grated apple (I used 1 medium Honeycrisp apple)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans optional
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seed (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners (This recipe makes 14 to 16 muffins so use a second muffin tin or make more after the first batch has cooked).
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, applesauce, oil, maple syrup, orange zest, and orange juice until well combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet and stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Using a large spoon or spatula, fold in the grated carrot, apple, raisins, pecans, and ground flax, is using.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups filling them to the top. Sprinkle each muffin with extra pecans, if desired.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 22 to 24 minutes. Cool muffins for 10 to 15 minutes then enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
These are heavenly! The flavors mesh into such a dreamy, buttery taste…. I think they’re my new favorite.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them as much as we do!
I backed in loaf for 40min and burned. I wonder if I changed oven setting to 370?
Hmmmm. Noted it worked for me, but maybe your oven has a hot spot (or mine had a cool spot). But lowering the temp is always a good place to start
I’m excited to make these!! Any idea how much time to add if you use a jumbo muffin pan?
Hmmmm. I’m just guessing but I’d cook them closer to 26-30 minutes, but that is totally untested. Id watch then closely after 22 minutes and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. If you give it a go, let us know how they turn out!
These look delicious!! Could I sub the wheat flour for a gluten free mix?
I find that the Bob’s Red Mill cup-for-cup gf flour blend works well!
We really like these. I made a few changes to use what I have used mashed banana instead of applesauce. Did not have ginger or flax seed . They were delish. I want to try with ginger. I think it will add a nice spice.
Those are great swaps! The ginger adds an extra level of warmth to them, so certainly try the next batch with…but I am SO glad you enjoyed them!
What can be a good substitute for applesauce? Would mashed bananas work?
Yes, I find mashed bananas to work great in place of applesauce in many baked goods
So yummy and perfect for busy mornings with coffee!
Oh yum! Excellent pairing! So glad you enjoyed, Courtney!
Have you added coconut?
I have not tried these with added coconut yet. If you give it a try, I’m sure others would love to hear how it turns out!
I made these tonight and they hit exactly the mark I was looking for – keeping the recipe as healthy as possible while still being tasty enough to serve to breakfast guests. I subbed chopped dates for raisins. Also, the muffins stuck to my paper muffin liners, but released well from the foil liners. It’s a keeper!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Linda! I feel like the liners used with healthier muffins is so key! Less oil can lead to this. I use parchmentpaper liners and they work like a dream, but it is good to know that foil ones work too!
A question: I want to make these muffins but I was wondering, can they be made with sourdough starter? If so…how would you do it?
I am new to sourdough but I just made a new starter that is very active, would love to make these with my new starter
What an interesting idea! I have never tried adding sour dough starter to these muffins (but now I want to), so unfortunately, I won’t be very helpful. Perhaps some of our readers who are a bit more versed in sour dough will chime in with ideas!
Do these freeze well?
They do!
My kitchen smells DIVINE!!! Cannot wait to try these in the morning with my coffee!!!!
I baked them on 400°F and only needed 18 min! Might try a lower temp next time as they seemed to rise up and bake really quickly in my oven!
I am so glad! Enjoy!
Hi there. I’m wondering if anyone has made these without eggs and if so, what substitute in place of them?
Thx
I found that flax eggs worked great in these morning glory muffins. I use the ratio of 1 tablespoon ground flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water = 1 egg. So, for this recipe, I use 3 tablespoons of ground flax meal + 7.5 tablespoons water to replace the eggs. Just be sure to let the flax/water mixture sit for about 5 minutes to allow it toe “gel” before adding it to the batter.
Why did my muffins turn out so dense and wet?
I followed the recipe perfectly..
I have tried to make morning glory muffins a couple times now and they always turn out this way 🙁 what amni doing wrong ??
Are you possibly over mixing them? I find this is the issue many times when people people mention that their muffins are dense. As for wet, is it possible that they need to bake longer? Sometimes ovens don’t cook true to temp and that can really mess with baked goods turning out properly.