Muffins on a cookie sheet.
Overhead picture of morning glory muffins on a cookie sheet.

Why I love these healthy morning glory muffins

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A while back we went totally crazy and bought a 10 pound bag of carrots at Costco. We were making macaroni salad for a party or something – I can’t even remember now. In my usual dramatic fashion, the thought of actually driving across the street to the regular grocery store for a reasonably-sized bag of carrots made me want to cry, so we bought 10 pounds worth of carrots instead.

That didn’t matter though. I saw it as a challenge to use them all before they went bad. I was prepared to put carrots in everything – just to avoid making one more stop that day. I shredded carrots constantly and put them in everything – pasta sauce, soup, chicken salad. I even started making cooked carrots like my tarragon glazed carrots, just substituting the herbs to change things up.

→ If you like this recipe, you should try these: zucchini muffins / chocolate banana muffins / chocolate zucchini muffins

A morning glory muffin being picked up by a cute little hand.
Breakfast muffins on a baking sheet.

Ingredient notes:

  • Unsweetened applesauce – This unique ingredients adds moisture to the muffins without adding additional sugars.
  • Honey – You could use agave nectar if you want, this adds sweetness since we are not using sugar for these healthy muffins.

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

Healthy Morning Glory Muffins | @simplywhisked
Healthy Morning Glory Muffins | @simplywhisked

More dairy free breakfast recipes: dairy free blueberry muffins / dairy free overnight oats / oatmeal banana bread / lemon blueberry pancakes

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Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

By: Melissa Belanger
These easy morning glory muffins are naturally sweetened with honey and packed with carrots, pecans, coconut and raisins. They bake up tender and sweet for a slightly healthier version of the classic breakfast treat.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 18 muffins
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Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions 

  • Mise en place. Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C) and line a muffin pan with paper liners. Then, measure out your ingredients before you begin.
  • Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until evenly distributed. Set aside.
  • Wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together oil, honey, vanilla extract, applesauce and egg until smooth.
  • Combine wet and dry. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well combined, making sure not to overmix.
  • Add the mix-ins. Then, stir in the carrots, pecans, coconut and raisins until evenly distributed in the batter.
  • Bake the muffins. Scoop batter into muffin liners until about half full. Bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Optional: For added moisture, cover muffins and allow them to sit overnight.

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 142mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin C: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

A woman wearing a pink sweater smiles excitedly while holding a plate of fresh salad with greens and strawberries, standing at a wooden table beside a delicious turkey salad sandwich.

Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

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1 Comment

  1. Olga says:

    Just wanted to let you know how much we love these! I have made them about 4 times now (so easy to make as well) and my boyfriend can’t get enough of them! I had one for breakfast this morning! So delicious! 😀 Thanks! Olga