Morning Glory Muffins

Morning Glory Muffins are moist, lightly sweet, and easy to make in under 35 minutes. They’re packed with whole grains, fruit, and vegetables for a nourishing breakfast or snack.

I have made it my mission to never run out of healthy grab-and-go breakfast options or afternoon snacks. As a busy mom of two, I need to be ready for any snack emergency! These tender, moist, and flavorful muffins are my family’s current favorite. Packed with protein, vitamins, and nutrients, these muffins not only satisfy, but they are a treat I feel good giving my toddler.

Other great on-the-go snacks I like to keep in my freezer are these apple crisp energy bites and these gluten free pumpkin bars. In the summer, these strawberry muffins are definitely in rotation along with this homemade KIND bars copycat recipe.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Whole Wheat Flour: I prefer King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. Both these companies control the temperature of the flour during grinding, which helps preserve the natural flavors, antioxidants, and vitamins that are destroyed at higher temperatures. And with the leftover flour, you should make these healthy carrot muffins!
• Wheat Bran: The bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel surrounding the grain. It is mostly fiber, but also contains vitamins and antioxidants. I use it to increase the fiber and bind the wet ingredients together. It can be omitted if you don’t have it in your pantry.
• Flaxseed: Ground flaxseed meal is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, and an excellent binder for healthy treats. The meal absorbs moisture while adding nutrients and a laundry list of health benefits!
• Quick Oats: Quick oats help create a uniform the batter, but you can also use rolled oats, processed or unprocessed. It depends on the finished texture that you want. You can also omit the oats; just know the muffins will be slightly greasy.
• Pure Maple Syrup: I use “Grade A: dark amber color and robust flavor.” It has the best flavor and is thicker than the lower grades. You can also use “Grade A: Very Dark and Strong Flavor”, but it is generally very expensive and difficult to find. You can reduce the maple syrup to 1/3 cup for slightly less sweet muffins.
• Almond Milk: Depending on what I have on hand, I will use vanilla flavor or original interchangeably. Any alternative milk will do. Just make sure you like the taste! You can also use cow’s milk, but the calories will change.
• Carrots: I use freshly peeled & grated carrots for these muffins. You absolutely can substitute pre-shredded, store-bought. The muffins will still be delightful.
• Apple: Use a sweeter variety, like Honeycrisp, Gala, or Fuji, to add extra sweetness to the muffins.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations for Morning Glory Muffins

• Switch the sweetener. You can make these muffins with honey or agave. You can also use refined sugars, such as dark brown sugar or you can top them with turbinado sugar.
• Experiment with the mix-ins. You can switch out your favorite nut — like walnuts, macadamias, or hazelnuts! Also, add your favorite dried fruit, such as cranberries, chopped dried apples, or pears. And if you’re feeling like you want more of a treat, you can add some chocolate chips or raisins like my best oatmeal raisin cookies!
• Add more spice or additional flavors. You can add whatever spices you would like. These muffins would be divine with my apple pie spice or speculoos spice mix. Some do love adding some citrus to these muffins. You can swap a bit of the milk for orange juice and add some zest.
• Add more nutrients. You can add your favorite protein powder or chia seeds for an extra boost of protein and fiber, like I do in these banana protein muffins.

Professional Tips

• Grate your own carrots and apples. For the best muffins, grate your carrots by hand or with a food processor with a grating attachment. Pre-shredded carrot can vary in taste and moisture, leaving too many variables for the muffins to be consistent. I also suggest grating the apples right before mixing them into the batter to keep them from turning brown.
• Use warm coconut oil. If the coconut oil has cooled too much, it will solidify and clump when mixed in, preventing the batter from properly emulsifying. The resulting muffins will be greasy.
• Don’t overbake the muffins. The one sure-fire way to have dry muffins is to over-bake them. They don’t have much excess fat or sugar to hold moisture, so they will dry out quickly if overbaked.

How to Make Morning Glory Muffins

Use these instructions to make the best morning glory muffins every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Prepare the pan. Preheat the oven to 375°F conventional (no fan), and line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

The liners not only help release the muffins from the pan but also keep them moist after baking.

Step 2: Peel and grate your carrots and apple. Set aside.

Step 3: Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, wheat bran, flaxseed, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside (photo 1).

Step 4: Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the egg well. Then whisk in maple syrup, Greek yogurt, vanilla, and almond milk (photo 2).

Step 5: Emulsify the batter. Whisk in the melted and warm coconut oil; you should see the batter visibly thicken.

Warm coconut oil helps keep the batter from prematurely solidifying, especially if your wet ingredients were cold from the fridge.

Step 6: Fold everything together. Whisk in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in raisins, pecans, carrots, apple (and its juices), and coconut (photos 3-5).

Step 7: Bake. Scoop into 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 15–18 minutes or until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean (photos 6 & 7).

Step 8: Cool. Remove from the muffin pan and cool on a wire rack (photo 8).

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this healthier breakfast recipe. Check out our other delicious muffin recipes like these healthy pumpkin muffins or these healthy peanut butter chocolate chip muffins!