Recipe by: The All Natural Vegan
These Gluten-Free Mixed Fruit And Nut Muffins are the perfect healthy muffin recipe. They are deliciously soft and moist and made with simple ingredients. These fiber-filled muffins make the ultimate healthy breakfast.
A warm fluffy muffin has to be one of my favorite foods of all time.
DRY INGREDIENTS:
1 cup maple crystals
2 cups oat flour
1 cup gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon ground flax seed
⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup raw hazelnuts
½ cup dried blueberries
Wet Ingredients:
¼ cup vegan yogurt
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoon water
DRY INGREDIENT DESCRIPTIONS:
- Gluten-Free Flour - Any gluten-free flour blend should work, however, the ingredients vary widely. I've linked my go-to gluten-free flour blend. In my opinion, this one works the most like all-purpose flour, and it has more wholesome ingredients than other gluten-free flour.
- Oat Flour - I love using oat flour as a gluten-free flour in baking because it creates the perfect bouncy fluffy texture, and it's full of fiber and protein. You can easily make your own oat flour at home by blending rolled or quick oats in the blender on high for 30 seconds.
- Maple Crystals - These are one of my all-time favorite natural sweeteners. Maple crystals are a granulated sweetener that works just like pure cane sugar or brown sugar. However, unlike brown sugar, it is not a highly processed refined sugar. Maple Crystals are minimally processed and full of antioxidants. They have a lower glycemic score than sugar and are rich in Zinc, Manganese, Potassium, and Calcium. If you're feeling stuck with natural sweeteners and struggling to find something healthy that works as a 1:1 substitute for pure cane sugar, then you have to try maple crystals!
- Baking Soda - When you combine baking soda with apple cider vinegar it helps vegan baked goods to be light and fluffy without any eggs.
- Baking Powder - The best way to make fluffy gluten-free vegan muffins like these is to use baking powder. It's a simple leavening agent that works wonders.
- Sea Salt - A pinch of salt helps to enhance the vanilla flavor in these vanilla muffins.
- Ground Flax Seed - This will be mixed with water to create the perfect vegan egg substitute.
- Raw Hazelnuts - This adds the perfect nutty flavor and delicious crunch to these muffins. You can either add them whole or chop them up. I get all my nuts and seeds from Wilderness Poets because they are organic and the quality is superior!
- Raw Pumpkin Seeds - Pumpkin seeds are an incredibly nutritious seed that makes an amazing addition to any muffin recipe. I love the flavor and crunch they add to this recipe.
- Dried Blueberries - I absolutely love Wilderness Poet's dried fruit. It's naturally sweetened with apple juice, is plump and soft, and tastes absolutely amazing.
WET INGREDIENTS:
- Unsweetened Soy Milk - Any plant-based milk will work for these healthy vegan muffins. However, I like to use unsweetened soy milk when I am baking because it has a slightly higher fat content than other plant-based milks so it's great for oil-free baking because it adds moisture.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - I like to add a little bit of apple cider vinegar to help the muffins rise perfectly. It also helps to add flavor because when it mixes with the soy milk it creates the perfect vegan buttermilk.
- Vegan Plain Yogurt - I love adding vegan yogurt to my base recipe for muffins because it works a lot like sour cream in baking. It moistens up the muffins and gives them the perfect soft and pillowy texture.
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce - This is my go-to replacement for vegetable oil in baking. It works very similarly to vegetable oil, however, it is low-calorie and it adds a little extra sweetness to this muffin recipe.
- Water - Will be mixed with the flaxseed to create a vegan egg.
- Vanilla Bean Powder- This adds the perfect touch of warm flavor.
These fruit and nut muffins are one of my favorite muffins to meal prep for a healthy breakfast. Although I love a warm muffin fresh out of the oven, these muffins taste delicious throughout the entire week.
1. Begin by combining the ground flax seed and water together in a small bowl and setting aside for 5-10 minutes or until it resembles an egg. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Next, all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl and mix until everything is evenly combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth muffin batter has formed.
4. Finally, add the hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and dried blueberries to the muffin batter and mix.
5. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups and fill the cups up with the muffin batter until it reaches the top. This recipe can make either 12 standard-sized muffins or 6 large bakery-style muffins. Place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
6. Place the muffins on a wire rack to chill for 5-10 minutes before serving, enjoy!
Hint: If you combine the wet ingredients in the large bowl and mix until combined before adding the dry ingredients it will help the muffins to rise more and you will end up with fluffier muffins.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
There are a variety of substitutions that can be made to these fruit and nut muffins if needed. Here are some of the common ones.
- Flour - If you are not gluten-free you can use whole wheat flour instead. I recommend using 2 ½ cups total. Whole wheat muffins are a great way to add more fiber and protein to this recipe. You can also use white flour (all-purpose), however, that is less healthy.
- Sugar - If you can't get your hands on maple crystals (I strongly recommend them though), you can use coconut sugar or brown sugar as a 1:1 substitute. I recommend against this because I truly believe the maple crystals are what makes this recipe stand out.
- Dried Fruit - You can use any type of dried fruit in place of the blueberries. Wilderness Poet's dried cranberries are another great dried fruit option.
https://theallnaturalvegan.com/gluten-free-mixed-fruit-and-nut-muffins/