When I say loaded, I mean loaded. These breakfast muffins are jam packed with all the good things.
What do you so when you are stressed? I do two things: yoga and baking. Both are relaxing. And both make me happy.
Anyone else upset about the state of affairs in the world today? Most days I am pretty good at keeping a positive outlook on life, but some days are just hard. I oscillate between wanting to know what’s going on in the world and wanting to just cuddle up in my warm bed with a good book until it’s all over. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not apathetic in any way. I just get overwhelmed by all of the violence, pain, and hatred in the world. How do we stay open and loving in the face of it all?
I find myself having to give myself little positivity pep talks to keep me on the right track. I find myself clinging to what is good and right in the world, like my family and friends. I focus on doing my good work in the world of raising decent human beings and inspiring healthy, clean living. And I find myself in the kitchen baking away because that’s just what makes sense to me sometimes.
So here we are. Another muffin recipe created out of my need to relax and unwind. This one is a super loaded breakfast muffin full of nutrient-dense goodness to keep you fueled and full so you can go out in the world and do your good work.
Here’s the stars of this muffin show:
- carrots
- apples
- raisins
- pumpkin seeds
- sunflower seeds
- hemp seeds
- chia seeds
- coconut
I actually wasn’t sure that I could pack all of those superfoods into one muffin. But I did it. When I took the muffin tin out of the oven, it was noticeably heavier than my usual muffin recipes. And according to my official taste-testers (my family), they are the bomb! They are moist, delicious, and full of flavor.
These are definitely muffins you can feel good about eating. All real food ingredients. No gluten or refined sugars. Loaded with protein, fiber, and a ridiculous amount of essential vitamins and minerals. And they freeze very well for easy an breakfast or snack later on.
So go ahead. Make yourself a batch. You may get what I mean about baking being a pretty zen experience.
xo,
Katja
Print
Loaded Breakfast Muffins (gluten free and paleo)
- Yield: 12 large muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups almond flour (I use THIS blanched brand)
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder (like this)
- 2 tbsp coconut flour (I use THIS brand)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shreds (like this)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds (I use THIS brand)
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds (I use THIS brand)
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 1 cup apple, diced into 1/4 inch cubes (peeled and cored)
- 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in water for 5 minutes and drained
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup butter, ghee, or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (I use THIS raw brand)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350’F. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin papers.
- Whisk together almond flour, arrowroot, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Fold in grated carrots, chopped apples, and raisins.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, apple sauce, maple syrup, melted fat of choice, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Pour wet into dry and mix until well incorporated.
- Using a 1/4 cup scoop, divide batter among 12 muffin cups. They will be almost full. Bake for 25-27 minutes, until golden and done in center.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute cranberries, goji berries, chopped dried apricots, or any dried fruit you like for the raisins.
- You can easily sub out any nuts or seeds that you like in equal proportions for what I have listed. Some suggestions: walnuts, pecans, and sesame seeds.
- For better digestion, I always recommend using soaked/sprouted nuts and seeds. You can either buy them already soaked OR make your own. Simply soak in water with a bit of sea salt overnight. Drain and rinse. And dehydrate at 110’F until crispy.
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These look AMAZING!
Thanks, Marie!
This breakfast muffin looks delish!
Thanks, Tina!
Ah yes! Yum! My kids have been asking for a different muffin on muffin morning Thursdays, so I will try this one this week!
Hope you guys love them! 🙂
These are loaded with nutrition and look SO healthy and tasty 🙂
Thanks, Melissa!
These looks so healthy and filling. A perfect way to start the day!
★★★★★
Thanks, Jean!
Baking is my stress therapy as well. Although baking for the blog doesn’t count for me because that means pictures and words 🙂 These muffins look so good! Love all the add-ins. I’d gladly have one for breakfast.
HA! Yes, I get it about the photos and words. But baking is my happy place. 🙂
Would using regular gf flour work instead of almond flour?
Hi, Nicole! I haven’t tried this recipe with regular GF flour. The texture would be different, but it may work. You may need to adjust the quantity of the flour a bit if batter is too runny or add liquid if it’s too dry. I’d love to hear if you try it. 🙂
WOW these really do pack a nutritional punch! Great recipe Katja xxD
Thanks, Donna!
They look amazing! Can you tell me how many calories per muffin?
Thanks,
Ana
Hi, Ana! I don’t calculate. But if you are curious, you can use this —-> https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Hope that helps. 🙂
Here you go:
Amount per serving
Calories 227
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15.4g 20%
Saturated Fat 3.7g 19%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 175mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 4.5g 16%
Total Sugars 1.1g
Protein 7.8g
Beware the percentages. I eat about 1200 calories per day, so keep my fat at about 20%, I should only eat about 26 grams of fat, whereas this nutrition counter thinks I’ll eat 60 grams.
I completely agree, sometimes you need to just disconnect to have a nice long breakfast and recharge!
YES! It’s so hard in this line of work. I feel like I am always connected.
I love how much you packed into these! All of those carrots and raisins with the spices, that’s my kind of muffin.
★★★★★
So much stuff! I wasn’t sure if it would work. But it did. And they are amazing!
I SO admire your ability to add ALL the things to a recipe and make it work. I must make these!
HA! They really are super loaded. 🙂
Simple and delicious. Exactly my type of breakfast ! Love it!
★★★★★
Thanks, ChihYu!
I haven’t had muffins for a while but these aren’t packed full of tasty goodies! Have to try these.
★★★★★
Hope you get to try them, Darryl!
I feel the same way about the news! Everyone needs more love and some of these muffins! <3
YES! Love and muffins!
Can you substitute anything for the eggs?
Hi, Stacie! I do not have much experience with flax eggs, chia eggs or egg replacements, but I know folks do use those in baking. You would have to experiment with different binders to get the texture that you like. Please let e know if you try it. 🙂
Just saw this recipe and wonder if you ever tried it with an egg substitute? They look great but I can’t do eggs either.
Hi, Kate! I have not tried these with an egg substitute. I’d love to hear if you try it. 🙂
I just made these and they turned out wonderfully! I love to bake but have taken a break since I have been eating Paleo-this. I had everything but the coconut flour and sunflower seeds, so added in some ground flax seed and quinoa flour and substituted pecans, also added goji berries-so good! I wasn’t sure the quinoa flour and flax would absorb liquid the way that coconut flour does, but they turned out really good-especially with a little ghee while warm-yum! Thanks for the great recipe:)
★★★★★
Your version sounds delish. I love how versatile this recipe is. And warm ghee on top….YUM!!
I’ve made these a couple of times now and they taste amazing! One slight problem – you don’t say when to add the apple sauce, so I’ve been adding it with the wet ingredients, but the muffins are taking over an hour to cook through! I’m wondering if the 1/2 cup of apple sauce shouldn’t be on the list of ingredients after all! I’m going to leave it out next time and see how they cook. I took some to a “bring a plate to share” brunch last weekend and everybody raved about how wonderful they were.
Hi, Eileen! Yes, the apple sauce does go into the recipe. It goes in with the wet. I’m not sure why your muffins are taking so long to bake through. With the 3 different flours (especially the coconut flour), the mixture seems to absorb pretty well. Be sure to measure carefully. But I am glad that you are enjoying them. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Hello, I substituted tapioca four for Arrowroot powder. I don’t like carrots so instead of carrots I used grated apples. Instead of applesauce, I used pumpkin (can) because I already had lots of apple. I omitted the syrup (no sugar diet). They took an hour to cook through. Also, they really stuck to the paper cups and were still a bit wet on the inside. Suggestions?
I haven’t tried this recipe with canned pumpkin. I’m guessing that it made them a bit too dense and maybe a bit too wet for the recipe. 🙂
Excellent recipe! I substituted dried cherries for raisins which impart a nice tartness. What a power house of nutrients. Thanks for all your recipes. They work, they’re healthy and delicious.
Oh, dried cherries sound so good. I’m going to have to try that next time.
Turned out great! I’ve been wanting a nutrient-dense muffin for busy mornings before work, these will hit the spot! Thanks!
★★★★★
Yay! So happy you are enjoying them. 🙂
Wonder, if you wanted to keto-ize it, is there substitute for the carrots or can they be omitted? Also for the apple sauce or sub? Thanks! Looks grreat!
You can just leave the carrot out. The apple sauce is part of the texture of the muffin. You could experiment with leaving it out and adding more fat. 🙂
Made these and they are great!! Very versatile and satisfying. Ive been grain-free baking for years and these are not the flat faux-muffins that some grain free recipes create. The second time I made these, I made a couple of substitutions– I used tigernut flour for the almond, only 2 eggs + an extra scant 1/4 c apple sauce and 2 tsp gelatin, 1/4 butter 1/4 cup avocado oil, and I used soaked pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and little shredded coconut. Goji berries for raisins. Extra carrot and only 1/3 c maple syrup. Excellent! Thanks Katja for the wonderful muffin template!
★★★★★
I am so happy to hear that you liked them. Thanks for sharing your version! 🙂
I just found your site and these AMAZING Breakfast Muffins…I substituted pecans for the pumpkin seeds and used 1/2 butter and 1/2 coconut oil…used dried cranberries too…THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS! My recipe made 18 muffins…they baked in 25 minutes and came out perfect. I am assuming these need to be stored in the refrigerator…So YUMMY and packed with goodness!
★★★★★
Oh, yay! I am so glad you found me and that you love these. Your version sounds really good.
I made these wonderful muffins last week and they are moist and delicious! I shared them with two other people and they both loved them, too. I’ll be making this recipe for years to come. Thanks so much!
Oh, yay! Happy to hear that.
These are OMG freakin delicious. Hopefully I don’t gain weight eating them. I just ate two and could eat two more, but I won’t. Thanks
★★★★★
HA! I could totally eat 4 of these little babes. I am so glad you love them! 🙂
WooHoo! So glad you love them. 🙂
Hi
Thanks for this great recipe – what could I swap the almond flour for as it’s for my daughters packed lunch and nuts aren’t allowed due to allergies at school? (Seeds/ coconut etc all ok.). My daughter is gluten free… thanks so much for your help! I would love to make these for her. Claire.
Ps share your huge concerns about the world and love of baking, yoga and lovely people! ❤️
Hi, Claire! I haven’t tried any other flours with this recipe. I’m guessing you could use an all purpose GF flour. The texture won’t be exactly the same as almond flour has a unique moist texture. But you can play around with it and see if you like it. I’d love to hear how it goes. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
These turned out amazing! What is their shelf life? And do they need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
★★★★★
I usually keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. They also freeze very well. 🙂
Can I substitute tigernut flour for the almond flour?
I have not tried this recipe with tigernut flour, so I cannot say for sure. Please let me know if you try it. 🙂
I just made this recipe…they are in the oven now. It was a very dry mixture tho. Is that how it should be?
Hi, Glenda! I would not say that it is too dry – but not really wet either. The recipe is extremely versatile. It works with all sorts of ingredients and additions. Hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Has anyone worked out the number of carbs per muffin? Thanks
I don’t calculate macros, but you can use this if you want to find out—-> https://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Hope that helps. 🙂
I just made these…they’re amazing!! I did tweak it a bit…I used cranberries instead of raisins, gluten free flour instead of arrowroot, and flax meal instead of hemp seeds. They are so yummy! A perfect balance, not too dry but also not too moist!
Yay! That makes me happy to hear. 🙂
I just pulled these out of the oven and they are absolutely delicious. I used your ingredients because I had them all in my kitchen. Walnuts would be a great addition. It did make 12 large muffins, I just packed it in the tins. I am always looking for a good substantial breakfast muffin with lots of nutrients and I found it! Thank you!
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you love them! 🙂
Hello,
Keen to try. Can you advise what the nutritional values are?
Thank you,
Kimmie
Hi, Kimmie! I don’t calculate. But if you want to know, you can use this —> https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Hope that helps! 🙂
Amazing! I used 2 cups Namaste (tree nut-free) baking blend instead of almond, coconut and arrowroot flour and followed the rest of the recipe. They were perfect! Thank YOU for this recipe.
★★★★★
Yay! Thanks for sharing your subs. 🙂
Hey!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I made them tonight and am so happy with the outcome! They are so good! Looking forward to packing them in our lunches. I didn’t have arrowroot in the house so I used an equal amount of cornstarch which I thought might not workout, but it did! Can’t even taste it. My oven runs hot as well so only cooked them for 20 minutes. There’s nothing like a warm muffin out of the oven with a touch of butter on it. YUM. Thanks!
My family loves this recipe! We have to keep ourselves from eating the whole batch all at once!
★★★★★
Oh, yay! I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂
Loved this recipe! Unfortunately got a lot of “batter” left over, any recommendations on how to store the remainders until my muffin forms are free to use again?
★★★★
You can just pour the batter into any small glass baking dish and make a little “cake” while you bake the muffins. Or you can just pop it in the frisge for a few minutes while the other muffins cook. 🙂
These look so good! What a great breakfast meal prep for the whole family!
Yes! We love these on busy mornings. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
I freeze mine so they last a long time. You could keep them in the fridge for several days. I prefer to freeze leftovers. 🙂
Nice hearty muffins! I used King Arthur Paleo Baking Flour in place of the 3 flours given in the recipe (I used 2 cups + 2 tablespoons to equal the amount in the recipe, but next time I will omit the additional 2 TBSP, as the batter was quite stiff). I subbed chopped dates for the raisins (soaking them for 5 minutes). Everything else I did exactly as written. Filling the muffin cups 3/4-7/8 full (1/4 cup each), I had enough dough (it was WAY thicker than a batter) for 18 muffins. They didn’t really rise much at all, though, so next time I will try piling 12 muffin cups high. I have been keeping them in the freezer and pulling them out as needed so that I don’t overeat them.
★★★★
Thanks for sharing your subs. 🙂
These are the best muffins! Thank you so much for the recipe! Do you know if this could be made in a bread machine, maybe on a cake setting, or a gluten free bread setting?
Hi, Tina! I have never used a bread machine so I can’t comment on that. But please tell me if you try it. 🙂
Made these yesterday and my family raved how great they were. Oddly I just found the butter I was melting in the microwave today. Now I’m curious to make them again. If they’re that good without the fat I would think the butter will make them even better. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
Ha! That’s funny! I’m glad they were good anyway. I’m sure they are even tastier with the fat. 🙂
Excellent! Flavorful, moist, just sweet enough and completely healthy! Thank you for this jewel…I have been searching!
★★★★★
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear. Glad you loved them. 🙂
These look yummy! I don’t keep applesauce on hand ever, what can I sub for it?
Looking forward to trying these!
You could sub banana or pumpkin or even some sort of squash (cooked) or even sweet potato mash. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Our new favorite muffin recipe! Delicious! Have made probably 4 batches in the past month. Love your website and all your recipes. Thanks!
★★★★★
That’s awesome. I love having these stocked up in the freezer for easy snacking.
These are excellent & very filling! Makes a huge sized muffin. They are A LOT of work, but worth it! 😉
Yay! So glad you liked them. 🙂
Oh my goodness!!!! This recipe is AMAZING! It is moist, flavorful, healthy, gluten free, and did I mention delicious! I was thinking it was going to be too sweet but it is perfect! The only sub I made was I used home made chunky apple sauce smooshed for the apple. This is going to be my new go-to muffin recipe! Wow, can not rave enough about it, well done! It is worth emptying out the pantry for!
★★★★★
Yay! That makes me happy to hear. So glad you loved them. 🙂
I love these muffins! Finally something that actually tastes good that is good for me!!! I made just a few tweaks based on ingredients that I had vs having to buy special stuff. I used 2 T coconut flour in place of the arrowroot powder, flax seeds in place of the hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds instead of the sunflower seeds. Baked up nicely and always come out of the silicon wrapper easily. I got 16 muffins out of my recipe. I’ve made these twice now. Freeze well. Pull one out when I want it! Thanks for such a yummy recipe!
★★★★★
Yes! So happy to hear this. 🙂
Just made these and did everything as the recipe called for, except for the hemp seeds. I SUV’s the sunflower seeds for chopped walnuts and replaced the raisins for craisans, dried blueberries and cherries. All three mixed but still 1/2 cup total. Delicious and moist! Will make them again.
Yay! So glad you liked them. I love how versatile this recipe is. 🙂
Excellent, flexible recipe. Loved it!
★★★★★
These are my all time favorite muffin. Absolutely love them.😋
★★★★★
I absolutely love this recipe as it is. I have cooked these muffins multiple times and always have a stash in the freezer. Have to keep them there otherwise I would eat them all. I am going to try changing the apple for beetroot and see if that works. Has anyone tried that??
These muffins were excellent. It did make more than 12 but thats fine with me!
★★★★★
Yay! 🙂
These are super delicious. Will share it with my daughter who has been trying a gluten free diet because of stomach discomfort. So packed with nutrition and delicious.
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