Welcome to your new favorite breakfast sensation: these incredibly hearty, flavorful, and nutrient-dense Paleo + Vegan Morning Glory Muffins. Perfectly crafted for those seeking a wholesome start to their day, these muffins are a delightful blend of rich textures and warm spices. While we’ve included crunchy pecans in our recipe for an added layer of flavor and texture, rest assured that nuts are entirely optional, making these muffins easily adaptable for a nut-free diet without compromising on taste or quality. Imagine having a batch of these golden-brown beauties ready to grab and go on a busy weekday morning. They are ideal for meal prepping on a relaxed Sunday, ensuring you have a convenient and healthy option throughout your work week. For even longer-lasting enjoyment, these muffins freeze beautifully, allowing you to simply take out one or two at a time whenever a craving strikes or breakfast is calling. These muffins aren’t just delicious; they are a lifestyle choice, supporting your dietary needs whether you follow a Paleo or Vegan regimen, or simply appreciate a genuinely good, nourishing muffin.

Disclaimer: We’re proud to have partnered with Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this fantastic recipe and content. Our collaborations are always with companies and brands that we genuinely believe in and regularly use in our own kitchens. Therefore, all opinions expressed and recipes shared are entirely our own. We appreciate your continued support of The Real Simple Good Life and our valued partners.

Unpacking the Goodness: What Makes These Morning Glory Muffins So Special?

Morning glory muffins are renowned for being incredibly “loaded,” and for good reason! They are traditionally packed with a vibrant array of dried and fresh fruits, finely grated carrots, a selection of nuts and seeds, and an aromatic blend of warming spices. It’s a true celebration of wholesome ingredients coming together in a single, satisfying bite. Sometimes, oats are included, which are wonderful if tolerated, but for a strict Paleo approach, we’ve omitted them. However, if you’re not strictly Paleo but still seeking gluten-free options, you could certainly add certified gluten-free oats to the mix. For our rendition of these delightful muffins, we’ve carefully selected a combination that delivers both exceptional flavor and texture: plump raisins, diced apples, nutrient-rich carrots, and the subtle crunch of pecans. What truly elevates these muffins and gives them a distinctive, aromatic profile is the addition of cardamom. Its unique, slightly sweet, and floral notes add an extra layer of sophistication, making these muffins genuinely special and memorable.

The Secret to Gluten-Free & Nut-Free Perfection: Our Chosen Baking Flour

When it comes to crafting delicious gluten-free and Paleo-friendly baked goods, our go-to choice for baking flours has consistently been Bob’s Red Mill for many years. Their commitment to quality and variety makes them a staple in our pantry, and you’ll find their exceptional flours featured in a multitude of our recipes, spanning from delightful sweets to savory culinary creations. For these particular Morning Glory Breakfast Muffins, we turned to their incredible Cassava Flour. This experience marked our inaugural journey into experimenting with their cassava flour, and we were absolutely thrilled with the results! Cassava flour is a true hero in the world of specialized baking because it is naturally gluten-free and, crucially for many, entirely nut-free. It’s meticulously crafted from the whole root of the cassava plant, offering a wonderfully mild flavor profile and an exceptionally fine, powdery texture. These characteristics make it an outstanding choice for both gluten-free cooking and baking, providing a fantastic alternative to traditional grain-based flours. Furthermore, we deeply appreciate that Bob’s Red Mill Cassava Flour is Non-GMO verified, reflecting their dedication to purity and transparency. Our admiration for Bob’s Red Mill extends beyond their product quality, from the mill to our table; we also love supporting them as a local Oregon company that consistently delivers excellence.

Dried vs. Fresh Fruit: Optimizing Texture and Shelf-Stability in Paleo Baking

The choice between using dried fruit and fresh fruit in baking, especially within the confines of Paleo recipes, is a common consideration. While there are certainly instances where fresh fruit can shine, I often find that in Paleo baking, fresh fruit tends to introduce excessive moisture, leading to a mushier texture in the final baked goods. This increased moisture content also generally means that the muffins will either require refrigeration much sooner or simply won’t maintain their freshness and desirable consistency for as long when stored at room temperature. To circumvent these issues and ensure my baked goods are both more shelf-stable and maintain the perfect texture, I frequently lean on dried fruit as a reliable alternative. Dried fruits, like the raisins and dried apples we use here, offer concentrated flavor and natural sweetness without adding a significant amount of extra liquid to the batter. This helps achieve a more consistent crumb and ensures your muffins stay delightful for longer. It’s a remarkably easy swap to make, and I encourage you to experiment with both options. Ultimately, the best choice for these breakfast muffins will depend on your personal preference for texture and your needs regarding shelf life and storage. If you do opt for fresh fruit, consider slightly reducing other liquid ingredients in the recipe or pressing out excess moisture from very juicy fruits before adding them to the batter.

Your Guide to Coconut Butter: Sourcing and Simple Homemade Instructions

Coconut butter is a fantastic ingredient in Paleo and Vegan baking, adding a rich, creamy texture and a subtle tropical flavor. While you can certainly find coconut butter available for purchase at well-stocked health food stores like Whole Foods and Natural Grocers, you’ll quickly notice that the price tag can be a bit steep. For this reason, I much prefer to make it right at home. Not only is it significantly more affordable, but it’s also surprisingly simple to prepare, requiring minimal effort and just one key ingredient. To make your own, simply pick up some good quality shredded coconut from the store. As a general guideline, about 3 to 4 cups of shredded coconut will yield approximately half a cup of smooth, delicious coconut butter. The process is straightforward: place the shredded coconut into a food processor and let it run. Initially, it will look like finely shredded coconut, then it will clump, and eventually, the natural oils will release, transforming it into a creamy butter. You’ll actually hear an audible change in the way your food processor operates as the coconut begins to liquefy and smooth out. At this crucial point, pause your food processor and use a spatula to scrape down any coconut that has clung to the sides of the bowl. Then, restart the processor and continue blending. Repeat this scraping and blending process as many times as necessary until the consistency of the coconut butter becomes wonderfully velvety and utterly buttery smooth. That’s truly how easy it is to create your own fresh, cost-effective coconut butter right in your kitchen, ready to elevate your baking endeavors!

Your Turn to Experience Our Paleo Morning Glory Breakfast Muffins!

Now that you’re equipped with all the insights and inspiration, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and bake a batch of these incredible Paleo and Vegan Morning Glory Muffins this coming weekend! They are more than just a recipe; they are a convenient and delicious solution for busy individuals and families. Imagine enjoying these wholesome muffins as a satisfying breakfast during your hectic work week, or tucking them into the freezer to pull out one or two as needed for quick, nutritious breakfasts or energizing snacks. We absolutely love hearing from you, so once you’ve given this recipe a try, please take a moment to leave a comment and a star rating below. Let us know how your muffins turned out and what you thought! Furthermore, if you snap a picture of your beautiful creations, we encourage you to share it on Instagram and tag us @realsimplegood. We genuinely enjoy seeing what you make and celebrating your culinary successes! And if you haven’t already, make sure to give us a follow across our social media platforms – let’s stay connected and continue sharing healthy, delicious recipes!

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Morning Glory Breakfast Muffins (Paleo, Vegan + Nut-Free option)

Prep:
15 minutes mins

Cook:
20 minutes mins

Total:
35 minutes mins

Servings:
14 muffins

These Paleo + Vegan morning glory muffins are a hearty breakfast muffin loaded with raisins, apples, carrots, pecans (optional) and some basic spices!

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Ingredients

• 1.5 cups cassava flour, (whisked before measuring)
• 2 tsp paleo baking powder
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup coconut butter, softened, (plus more for topping if desired)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 1 cup coconut milk, (or sub nut milk of choice)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 apple, cored and diced, (or sub about 1 cup chopped dried apples)
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped, (omit or sub sunflower or pumpkin seeds for nut-free option)
• 1/2 cup raisins

Equipment

• Muffin Tin

Instructions

 

• 1. Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit (about 200° Celsius). Prepare your muffin tin by lining each cup with parchment paper liners. It’s crucial to use parchment liners for these muffins, as paper liners or other alternatives may cause sticking and affect the baking process.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all the dry ingredients: cassava flour, paleo baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, and sea salt. Use a fork or whisk to ensure they are well mixed and evenly distributed.
• 3. Using the same fork, “cut” the softened coconut butter and room-temperature coconut oil into the dry ingredient mixture. Continue mixing until small, pea-sized bits begin to form, indicating that the fats are well incorporated into the flour mixture.
• 4. Now, add the wet ingredients to the bowl: coconut milk (or your preferred nut milk), maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix everything with a fork until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
• 5. Gently fold in the shredded carrots, raisins, diced apples, and chopped pecans (if you are using them). Distribute these additions evenly throughout the batter.
• 6. Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared parchment liners, filling each liner generously to the top to ensure beautifully domed muffins.
• 7. Transfer the muffin tin to your preheated oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Once baked, remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 8. Serve warm or at room temperature, and enjoy these wholesome, delicious Morning Glory Muffins!

Last Step:

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Course:
Breakfast, Snack

Author:
Justin Winn

Cuisine:
American

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