This recipe for Vegan Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins has been a long time coming. I first attempted to make them over a year ago, and it took me 5...maybe 6 tries to perfect the recipe.
I didn't give up, because I'm stubborn like that, but I'm glad I stuck with it, because... LOOK AT THESE:
Each time I tried to make them, the flavour was always perfect. It was the texture that was never right.
I don't remember what the specific texture problems were the first few times. I do remember that the attempt just before I hit the jackpot, involved changing up the recipe by using some almond flour and that was an epic fail. Probably the worse one of all.
When I took that batch out of the oven, they sunk in the middle and when I broke one apart, it was raw, even though they had been baking for more than enough time.
No matter what, they were never going to fully bake or have a good muffin-like texture. I snapped a pic of that attempt, click here if you want to see the sunken, gooey, gummy, mess. They tasted good, though!
So I went back to the drawing board, eliminated the almond flour, changed a few other things and went back to what I was used to doing with my other muffin recipes.
And it worked!
Have you ever failed at a recipe so badly that you vowed you would stick with it until you got it right and then you finally did it?
This wasn't the first time around that block for me 🙂
These Vegan Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins are loaded with shredded carrots, coconut, raisins, and apples. You may also add some chopped nuts if you like, but those are optional (I didn't add them to this batch).
And it's important to note that these muffins are in no way gummy inside like my past fail (see the pic I linked to above).
They're just the way a muffin should be: fluffy and loaded with good things.
I took a pic so you could see:
Have them with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, a vegan latte, or on their own. They'll be delicious, either way.
And they taste extra good to me because of how much work it took to get them right.
Ff you like this recipe, I think you'll also like these!
- Carrot Ginger Muffins
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins
If you make them, tell me about it in the comments below or snap a pic and share it with me on Instagram or Facebook!
How to Make Vegan Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins
Vegan Gluten Free Morning Glory Muffins
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoon water
- 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour blend **see important note about flour below**
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup melted coconut oil (plus extra for greasing muffin pan if not using liners)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup plain, unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (room temperature)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped into small cubes
- ½ cup shredded coconut (fresh or dried, see note below)
- ½ cup raisins
- ¾ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
- Line a muffin tin with liners or generously grease the inside of each cup with coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, mix the flax mixture, coconut oil, vanilla, applesauce, and non-dairy milk together. Stir in coconut sugar until blended.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined.
- Fold in the apples, shredded coconut, raisins, carrots, and walnuts (if using) until well incorporated.
- Divide batter into the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean.
Recipe Notes:
- It's important to know that all gluten-free flour blends use different ingredients and ratios, so results will always vary when you use different blends. I have never used any other brand of flour to make these muffins other than Bob's Red Mill in the red bag, NOT the blue bag), so please know that your results may not be the same as mine if you substitute with a different flour.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
- Fresh or dried coconut will both work fine in this recipe. Click to learn how to crack open and use a whole coconut.
- Nutrition info is for the recipe as it is written and is to be used only as a rough guide. Click here to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Marieta says
Really great recipe! I’ve been baking vegan and GF for a while and was happy to find this recipe. They are moist and I know I’ll be making them again and sharing your page. I only had 1 and a 1/2 cup of Bob’s red bag and ended up using 1/4 cup of Bob’s blue bag to make the required amount called for, they turned out great! I’m curious if you have tried the blue Bob’s bag for entire measurement and if it worked... I sometimes find the flavour of chickpea strong but in this recipe it’s not a problem because of all the ingredients and flavours. Awesome, AWESOME recipe - can’t wait to try some of your other ones. Thanks!!
Gwen Leron says
Hi Marieta! I'm so glad you came across the recipe and decided to give it a try. Let me know if you have any questions about the other recipes you're interested in making. Good to know that this one worked well with your modification. I have not tried to make this particular recipe using just the Bob's gf blend in the blue bag. That flour wasn't available when I developed this recipe. Other readers have tried making my recipes that call for the flour in the red bag with the 1 to 1 and it has been hit or miss. Some say the recipe didn't work well and some others have had great success. One day I will give it a try and update 🙂 And yes, I agree about blend with the chickpea flour having a strong taste, the trick for me has been to only use it in recipes that will have strong flavours and spices. The 1 to 1 flour works best in recipes that have lighter flavours.
Marieta says
I also made mini muffins and adjusted cook time to 12-15 minutes... made exactly 36 mini muffins - actually gonna make again now cuz they went so fast!
Gwen Leron says
I have yet to make them as mini muffins, I will try that! So happy that you are enjoying the recipe so much, Marieta 🙂
Sarah says
What type of milk substitute do you use? I'm on the hunt for the perfect GF, vegan morning glory muffin and I'm excited to try these but I want to make them exactly like you did! I have oat milk and a hemp/coconut blend at home. I'm thinking of going with the oat.....
Gwen says
Hi Sarah! I use unsweetened almond milk in this recipe, but any type of milk will work just fine as long as it's not sweetened (or you will end up with muffins that are too sweet). Your oat milk or hemp/coconut blend will both work as long as they're not sweetened. Let me me know how it goes! 🙂
Jo says
Do these muffins freeze well? My daughter is vegan and coming for Thanksgiving. I will be making traditional and vegan options. It would be nice to have these made ahead and frozen.
Gwen says
Hi Jo! I haven't put them in the freezer myself, but I think they should be fine 🙂
Teri says
Would it be possible to make these substituting applesauce for the fat? I am eating whole food plant based which is basically vegan but no oils.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Teri! I have not made these muffins using applesauce as a replacement for the oil. There is already a 1/2 cup of applesauce in the recipe, so I don't know how things well end up. I have used applesauce as an oil replacement in other recipes and they turned out fine, I just haven't' tried with this one. One thing to keep in mind, and you may already know this since you are WFPB, but if you do try making them without the oil, don't use paper liners, either use a good non-stick muffin pan or silicone liners. When there is no oil in a muffin recipe, your muffins will stick like crazy to the paper liners. If you try them with no oil, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Kelly says
This recipe is amazing!! Fluffy and light! I subbedcraisinscfor dried cranberries, added pumpkin seeds, but there’s so much versatility to it. I don’t typically eat gluten free but I’m definitely going to make this a staple recipe!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Kelly! I'm happy that you like them so much! dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds are great additions! And yes, lots of versatility with the add-ins for this recipe. You can make them different every time 🙂
Ingrid says
Hi, those muffins sound great and I would like to make them. Since I do not follow a glutenfree diet, just plant based, and don' t want to buy any special mixes, could I bake them with spelt, kamut or wheat instead?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Ingrid, I think the best choice to use as a substitute for the gluten free flour would be all purpose white flour. The gf flour I use in this recipe is a 1:1 replacement for wheat flour, so it should be fine. However, I have not tried the recipe with wheat flour, I am going by how some of my other gluten free recipes have ended up when testing with wheat flours. If you do end up trying it out, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Francis says
I follow a vegan and gluten free diet. I've always lusted for a great vegan and gluten free morning glory muffin recipe. I have now made this recipe more than ten times and I receive raves from everyone who has tried them. Thanks for the hard work and many hours of recipe testing. We appreciate it.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Oh, Francis, this note made me smile. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave it and for letting me know how much you love the recipe. It's a favourite of mine as well. This is definitely one of my recipes that I'm glad I persisted with! Enjoy your Sunday 🙂
Caroline says
I'm new to gluten free and vegan baking, and I have made many things that are "ok" or "just edible". These are my new favorite muffins. Tender, moist, perfect for breakfast and quite healthy. Perfect with a bowl of hot oatmeal.
Gwen says
Your comment made my day, Caroline! I'm so happy that you like them this much! Gluten free and vegan baking are tricky at first, but once you get it, it's amazing 🙂 Enjoy the muffins!
Darlene says
These muffins are awesome. Tender, tasty and a new staple in my kitchen.
Gwen says
This is amazing to hear, Darlene! So happy that you love them. I need to make them again soon!
Jody says
These were outstanding! I am fairly new to gluten free baking and continue to be frustrated with most of the recipes I find online that only "resemble" the foods I'm used to.
Thanks for persisting-you got a great product!
Gwen says
I'm glad I persisted with this one too, Jody! I'm so happy you like the muffins! This is actually one of my favourite recipes to make. Keep trying with the gluten-free baking. It's a bit tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad 🙂
Diane says
Made these tonight. They are excellent! Thanks for your hard work and for sharing!
Gwen says
Glad you love them, Diane! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know 🙂
Erin says
Morning glory muffins make me so happy 🙂 I am glad you were able to perfect your recipe! These look super yummy!
Gwen says
Thanks, Erin! They make me happy too 🙂 Especially happy since I was able to finally get the recipe!
Mary @ Fit and Fed says
Baking can be that way, especially when you are creating a gluten-free recipe. These look great though, I'm glad you persisted!
Gwen says
Thanks, Mary! Me too 🙂