Vegan Morning Glory Blender Muffins

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(Note: this post was originally published on September 23, 2020. It has since been updated with a few tweaks.)

The Perfect Vegan Morning Glory Muffin

It's time to bring a big smile to your breakfast! These morning glory-inspired blender muffins are easy to make, filled with nourishing ingredients, and totally delicious. Can you believe they're vegan, made with oat flour, moistened with tahini, and sweetened with maple syrup? Best of all, they come together in just minutes right in the blender!

These loaded vegan muffins are exploding with fun mix-ins. I've called them "morning glory muffins" because I think that's the best descriptor, but the reality is that they contain numerous different muffin flavors rolled into one. They get much of their moisture from banana, so they have a subtle banana vibe. They have shredded carrot and zucchini like many "morning glory" (a.k.a. "good morning") muffins. But they also have sweet blueberries added in, because more is more when it comes to muffin mix-ins.

Healthy blender muffins made with oat flour

What Are Blender Muffins?

Like the name implies, blender muffins are made right in the blender. They're convenient, fast, and minimize dirty dishes. Additionally, because you're enlisting the help of the blender, you can use whole oats as the flour element. No need to buy pricey oat flour or dirty a separate kitchen gadget to grind your own oat flour.

How to Make Blender Muffins

The secret to successful blender muffins is to add the wet ingredients before the dry; using this sequence helps to prevent the dry ingredients from clumping below the blades. Other than that, this is basically just a dump-and-blend recipe; there's no separate bowls for wet/dry, no fussy sifting, and no melting of butter. Just remember to keep your mix-ins (in this case carrot, zucchini, and blueberries) out of the batter when you blend it, then stir them in by hand at the end.

Beautiful vegan morning glory muffins shown with flowers

Healthy + Vegan Muffins

Nutritionally speaking, these vegan morning glory muffins are hard to beat. The only flour element comes from ground oats, so they're free of refined grains and are gluten-free. The moisture comes from a combination of banana and tahini, the latter of which adds some protein and healthy fats (and eliminates the need for oil). They're sweetened with just a little bit of maple syrup, so they're free of refined sugars too (if you omit the coarse sugar on the muffin tops). Surprisingly, these vegan muffins also pack in four different fruits/veggies: banana, carrot, zucchini, and blueberries.

Baking with Tahini

You may be surprised to learn that tahini is a fabulous ingredient in baking. Because it adds fat, it can be used in place of oil or butter (although not as a 1:1 substitute; make sure you're using a recipe designed for tahini). It's actually the only fat in these vegan muffins, so it helps with moisture, texture, and richness. Tahini also has a delicate nutty flavor, hence tahini baked goods usually have a much more interesting and complex flavor profile than baked goods made with flavorless oil.

I actually have a load of tahini baked goodies here on the blog including tahini blondies, a blueberry lemon tahini bundt cake, and another tahini muffin recipe using chickpea flour. I promise that once you start baking with tahini you'll wonder why you ever used oil.

However, not all tahini is created equal. The quality of your tahini matters for all your recipes, but I think it matters especially in baked goods. Some tahini can be gloppy, grainy, or bitter, none of which you want in your muffins. I recommend Seeds of Collaboration for baking. It has a delightfully delicate, nutty flavor and is wonderfully creamy. I'm happy to be able to set you up with a discount on this liquid gold; use the code ROGUE to get 20% off.

Healthy vegan muffins made with tahini instead of oil

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here's what you'll need for these vegan morning glory muffins, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.

  • Banana. I expect applesauce might work too, although I haven't tried it; please let me know in the comments if you do.
  • Plant milk. Whatever you have on-hand is fine. I like to bake with unsweetened soy milk because of its richness.
  • Tahini. I can't recommend Seeds of Collaboration highly enough. It's absolutely the best tahini out there for baking because of its sweet, nutty flavor. Remember to use the code ROGUE when you order to save 20%.
  • Maple syrup
  • Apple cider vinegar. I promise this isn't as weird as it sounds! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to give these vegan muffins the same loft that you'd usually get from eggs.
  • Vanilla
  • Old-fashioned rolled oats. Unfortunately, substituting quick-cook oats or steel cut oats will not work.
  • Cinnamon
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Cardamon
  • Zucchini. Grate it, then press it in a clean kitchen towel to remove the excess water. Squeezing out the water is key to making sure you don't have too much moisture in your muffins, which will give them a gummy texture.
  • Carrot
  • Blueberries. Either fresh or frozen is fine. Or, feel free to omit the blueberries if you want these vegan morning glory muffins to be a little bit more authentic.
  • Coarse sugar. Optional, for sprinkling the muffin tops. Omit this if you want to avoid refined sugar entirely.

Cooling rack with vegan morning glory muffins shown from above

Closing Thoughts

Thanks to the diverse flavors in this recipe, these muffins can really transcend seasons. The blueberry and zucchini make them feel summery, while the warming spices make them feel cozy and fall-appropriate. Clearly that means you should be making them again and again, all year long!

I'm excited for you to try this recipe. Although many muffins are basically cake in disguise, these vegan morning glory muffins are different. They're loaded with good-for-the-body ingredients like oats, tahini, fruit, and veggies, and omit all the classic coffee shop muffin ingredients like refined flour, sugar, and oil. This is a muffin you can actually feel good about enjoying, whether it's for breakfast, a post-workout treat, or a nourishing dessert.

Healthy vegan morning glory muffins with blueberries

Share It!

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

Suggested Pairings

Golden Granola

Healthy Vegan Banana Bread (High Protein and Gluten-Free)

Tropical Fruity Brunch Salad

Tropical Kale Salad

Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Disclosure: Seeds of Collaboration is a long-term partner. I receive free product from Seeds of Collaboration and take a small commission on sales using the discount code. However, all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Rogue Brussel Sprout running.

Vegan Morning Glory Blender Muffins

Loaded with sweet banana, earthy carrots, hearty zucchini, and juicy blueberries, these vegan blender muffins are all my breakfast dreams come true.

Author:
Lee

Ingredients

  • Large, very ripe banana
  • 0.75 c plant milk of choice
  • 0.5 c creamy tahini
  • 0.25 c maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2.25 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp cardamon
  • 0.5 c grated zucchini
  • 0.5 c grated carrot
  • 0.5 c blueberries
  • Coarse sugar for sprinkling the tops, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
  2. Grate the zucchini, then press it in a clean kitchen towel to remove the excess water. Don't skip this step! It's key to making sure you don't have too much moisture in your muffins, which could give them a gummy texture.
  3. Measure the wet ingredients into a blender; putting the wet ingredients in first prevents the dry ingredients from clumping below the blades.
  4. Measure in the dry ingredients into the blender except for the zucchini, carrot, and blueberries.
  5. Blend everything until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you have a high-power blender, this should only take a minute.
  6. Add the zucchini and carrot to the batter and stir it them in by hand. Then add the blueberries and fold them in gently.
  7. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared 12-muffin pan.
  8. Sprinkle each muffin top with a generous amount of coarse-grained sugar if desired.
  9. Bake 25-30 minutes until a cake tester just barely comes out clean. Let the muffins cool completely on a rack.
  10. Store the muffins in a tightly-sealed container in the fridge for up to several days or freeze for up to several months.

Leave a Comment

Please Share Your Thoughts!

Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.

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Lee
September 28, 2021
Rach- Good question. Oat flour is just ground up oats. I haven't tried this myself, but I think it will work fine. Instead of using the blender, just mix the wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients together (including your oat flour). Then just add the wet to the dry! I'd scale back the amount a bit, since oat flour packs down more tightly than whole oats. Maybe a scant 2 c? Please let me know if you try it!
Rach
September 26, 2021
What if I have oat flour instead of whole oats?
Lee
November 21, 2020
To Anonymous Muffin Lover: Yes, I think more carrot would work great! It would probably be easier too, since you won't need to bother squeezing the water out of it. Enjoy!!
Anonymous
November 20, 2020
Hi! Would you have any recommendations for zucchini substitutions?? Perhaps some more shredded carrot?