The Best Healthy Morning Glory Muffin Recipe with Applesauce

Loaded with wholesome ingredients, like grated carrots, apples, oranges, walnuts, and raisins, these healthy muffins are both filling and delicious.  Packed full of flavor and nutrients, they make a nutritious breakfast on a busy morning or quick snack when your on the go. This healthy morning glory muffin recipe tastes like a magical cross between carrot cake and apple spice cake.  If you’re looking for hearty, perfectly moist muffins, these morning glory muffins are for you. 

I fell in love with morning glory muffins while I was working at an incredible local bakery back while I was in college. I had grown up thinking that muffins were always overly sweet and cakey, but this bakery had the absolutely best morning glory muffins and they completely changed my opinion.  These delicious muffins were full of carrots, apples and a hint of orange and had perfect texture.

I have been playing around with my own version of this recipe for years and have found that this version has great flavor and texture, and consistently delivers the best muffins.  I have tried versions that are closer to the original recipe created by Chef Pam McKinstry, but I find that I prefer the muffins without unsweetened coconut flakes and pineapple juice.  However, these can easily be substituted if that is what you are craving or have on hand.

Looking for other breakfast recipes, you can also try Maple Dutch Baby or Chia Pudding recipes.  

My favorite way to eat morning glory muffins is hot from the oven, with a layer of melted butter. On busy mornings they are absolutely one of my favorite things. 

Are these morning glory muffins healthy?

When it comes to baked goods, these muffins are definitely on the healthier side. This recipe uses whole wheat flour as well as lot of healthy ingredients like fresh fruit and vegetables. It also replaces some of the vegetable oil with unsweetened applesauce, which reduces the fat and delivers on flavor while keeping the muffins moist.  This recipe also calls for wheat germ which adds vitamins and dietary fiber.

Ingredients (and substitutes)

One challenge of this healthy morning glory muffin recipe is the long list of ingredients required. However, most of the ingredients are kitchen staples like flour, baking soda, vanilla and eggs. The few ingredients that you do need to pick up are mostly produce and resulting muffins are absolutely worth the trip to the grocery store.

• Flour – we suggest using a mix of 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour to get the best rise and texture. 
• Baking Soda – also known as sodium bicarbonate, this is the rising agent in these muffins.
• Cinnamon – cinnamon brings a beautiful spiciness to these muffins.  For best results please ensure that the cinnamon is fresh.
• Wheat Germ (optional) – this can be found in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, we normally use Bob’s Red Mill.
• Eggs –  3 large eggs, at room temperature.
• Sweetener – instead of using refined sugar, this recipe calls 1/2 cup of light brown sugar and 1/4 cup of honey. 
• Oil – we recommend using vegetable oil for this recipe.  However, you could substitute this for melted coconut oil or avocado oil 
• Unsweetened Applesauce – this replaces some of the oil in the recipe adding flavor and moisture. Vegetable oil  It can be substituted vegetable oil. 
• Orange – its easiest to buy whole orange as you will need both the orange zest and juice, and real orange juice has better flavor.  If you prefer an element of pineapple in your morning glory muffins, substitute pineapple juice.
• Vanilla – for best results always use pure vanilla extract.
• Carrots – this recipe calls for 2 cups of shredded carrots which is about 4 large carrots, this can be substituted for more grated apple.
• Apple – we prefer Granny Smith Apples as we find the slight tartness really makes these muffins pop. 
• Ginger – freshly grated is best, this adds a slight zing to the muffins
• Raisins –  we recommend using golden raisins. An easy substitution is cranberries or other dried fruit.
• Walnuts – roughly chopped is best, these can be substituted for pecans, pistachios,  or sunflower seeds.

Equipment needed to make this healthy morning glory muffin recipe

There are a few specific items that you will need to make this healthy morning glory muffin recipe

• 2 bowls and a whisk or wooden spoon
• Box grater to grate the carrots and apples. Grating things is one of my least favorite prep activities, so we use the Kitchen Aid Grater Attachment to speed it up
• Muffin pan
• muffin liners (either paper liners or reusable silicon work great)
• wire rack

How to make this healthy morning glory muffin recipe (with pictures)

In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and wheat germ.

Add in carrots, apple, and grated ginger to the flour mixture and gently stir to coat all ingredients. 

In a separate bowl whisk together wet ingredients: eggs, sugar, honey, vegetable oil, applesauce, zest, orange juice, and vanilla.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the raisins and walnuts to the mixture. 

Line the muffin pan with paper liners and generously fill each cup.

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes. When finished a wooden toothpick should come out clean.

How to store morning glory muffins? 

Once the muffins are fully cooled they can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days on the kitchen counter.  These healthy muffins will last even longer if the container is kept in the fridge or if they are frozen.

Why are my muffins dry or dense? 

• Overmixing:  mixing the muffin batter activates the gluten in the flour. If the batter is mixed for too long, it can build up too many gluten chains causing the muffins to be dense and chewy.  Best practice is to mix the wet and dry ingredients until they just come together. 
• Temperature: muffins baked at too a high a temperature or cooked for too long can end up dry 
• Rising ingredients: too much rising ingredients can also cause the muffins to rise too quickly in the oven before collapsing and becoming dense.  For every cup of flour you only need 1 tsp of baking soda. 
• Too much liquid: if the proportion of liquid ingredients is too high the muffins will turn out dense. Ensure you are using the correct types of measuring cups for wet ingredients as there is a volume difference between wet and dry measuring cups. 

Healthy Morning Glory Muffin Recipe with Applesauce

Loaded with wholesome ingredients, like grated carrots, apples, oranges, walnuts, and raisins, these healthy muffins are both filling and delicious. This healthy morning glory muffin recipe taste like a magical cross between carrot cake and apple spice cake.  If you’re looking for hearty, perfectly moist muffins for a quick snack or healthy breakfast this is the perfect recipe.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 194 kcal

Equipment

• Muffin Tin
• Box Grater
• 2 Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup wheat germ optional
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• ½ cup light brown sugar packed
• ¼ cup honey
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp orange zest
• ⅓ cup orange juice juice of 1 orange
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots about 4 large
• 1 cup grated granny smith apple about 2 medium apples
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

 

• Preheat: oven to 375°F, line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a small bowl, add hot water to raisins and set aside while you prepare other ingredients
• Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and wheat germ. Once combined gently stir in carrots, apple, and grated ginger with a wooden spoon or spatula
• Mix Wet Ingredients: In a second bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, honey, vegetable oil, applesauce, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Drain the raisins and squeeze out excess moisture. Add the raisins and walnuts to the mixture and give a gentle stir to combine
• Prepare Muffin Tin: Divide the batter into muffin tin, the cups should be pretty full as the muffins don't have a huge rise. The total yield should be between 12-14 muffins.
• Bake: Bake for 25-30 minutes. When a wooden toothpick is inserted it should come out clean and the muffins should be nicely domed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes before placing on wire racks.

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