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Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

32 Comments

morning glory muffins in paper liners on a cooking rack

If your kids love muffins as much as ours do, you might be looking for something beyond the usual blueberry or bran. We have just the thing! It’s a muffin you may not have tried before, called a Morning Glory Muffin. And it tastes just as sweet and sunny as the name implies.

So, what IS a Morning Glory Muffin? It’s a whole grain muffin full of seeds, veggies, and fruit. The story of its origins is kind of fun: it was created in the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket in the 1970s, and became known as a kind of hippie muffin, because it’s full of so many earthy-crunchy bits and pieces.

The flavor is fantastic: sweet and surprising in every bite, and spiced with cinnamon and ginger, almost like a carrot cake (for breakfast! YES.)

morning glory muffins stacked on a cooling rack

Nutritionally, we love these muffins because they’re packed with fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Look at all SEVEN of these plant-powered add-ins:

Carrots

Raisins

Orange juice

Sunflower seeds

Coconut

Walnuts

Apples

What Makes These Muffins Healthier

When we started playing with the recipe for these classic muffins, we knew we wanted to make some healthy changes.

First, we cut the amount of sweetener down by more than half. The muffins were still delightfully sweet! (Pro tip: this works in SO many muffin recipes. They don’t need to be as sweet as cake.)

We also used honey in place of the sugar, and whole wheat flour instead of white flour, for extra fiber and vitamins. Finally, we cut back on the oil, and used virgin coconut oil, to complement the flavor of the dried coconut.

The end result is a sweet, moist, gently spiced muffin chock full of chewy-crunchy textures. Such a comforting, healthy breakfast for kids and grownups alike!

morning glory muffins on a cooling rack with apples in the background

How to Make Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Ready to bake? Let’s do this!

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients in the recipe. These muffins are easy to make, and you’ll get a good 17 muffins per batch. so you can throw a few in the freezer for school lunches or snacks.

First, stir together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then mix in the carrots, apples, nuts, and seeds, until they’re all coated with the dry ingredients. You’ll get a funny-looking mixture like this:

Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl, then pour them into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients:

Then fold in the raisins, and spoon the batter into your muffin pan. Here’s a hack for fitting all the muffins into the oven in one round: squeeze a few extra muffin liners in beside the main muffin pan.

Finally, bake for 20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Enjoy!

How to Store Morning Glory Muffins

Some muffins stay fresh best in the refrigerator, but these muffins actually taste even better after a day out on the kitchen counter. Let them cool completely, then transfer them to a bowl or platter and cover it with plastic wrap.

Keep them at room temperature for a day or two, then transfer any leftover muffins to the fridge or freezer for longer term storage.

healthy morning glory muffins stacked on top of each other
healthy morning glory muffin close up
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3.7 from 158 votes

Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Our healthy remake of these classic cafe Morning Glory Muffins is bursting with flavor! Not to mention 100% whole grains and a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 17 muffins
Calories: 234kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
  • Stir in carrots, apple, coconut, walnuts, and seeds, until they are coated with the flour mixture.
  • Beat together eggs, vanilla, OJ, honey, and coconut oil (make sure coconut oil is a liquid. If not, warm just to melt.)
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl full of the dry ingredients and add-ins.
  • Fold in the raisins.
  • Portion the batter into a muffin pan (we like silicone). Fill each cup right to the top with batter. (You’ll have enough batter for 17 muffins)
  • Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch.
  • Store leftovers at room temperature for one day, then refrigerate for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months.

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Sodium: 207mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g
Keyword : dairy free, healthy, muffins, vegetarian, whole wheat

www.superhealthykids.com

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

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32 Comments

I just made your delicious morning glory muffins – more ingredients than I prefer since it takes more time to prepare – but I have to say well worth it – they are excellent!

Thank you very much,
Ellen
Boston, MA

Hi Barbara, I think you could try these without the orange juice, but make sure to substitute another liquid in its place.

5 stars
Really delicious! The long list of ingredients should not deter you. These were fun and easy to make.

Hi all- I couldn’t see where the nutritional information is listed? Please direct me to that info…thanks!

Hi Suzanne! We don’t calculate nutrition information for our recipes on the Super Healthy Kids site. BUT all of our recipes also live in the Prepear app, along with reviews and nutrition info (and an awesome layout that helps you cook!) Prepear is totally free and you can get it here: https://www.prepear.com/

Hi there! I haven’t tried this personally, and I would expect the muffins to turn out with a different consistency (maybe denser) if you subbed in almond flour. If you decide to experiment with it, I hope you’ll come back and let us know how it turned out!

5 stars
In the oven now, my second time making these muffins! This time my girlfriend requested I make them FOR HER to take on her camping trip!
YUMMMM

Can these be made without coconut flakes and sunflower seeds? I just don’t have them on hand… could I just increase the other add-ins or would you substitute something else?

5 stars
I have made so many different toddler friendly healthy muffins and these are my absolute favourite ever. They are so dense in nutritious ingredients and so DELICIOUS. I have a batch in the freezer but actually making another batch now as hubby and I like them so much too. Thank you!

Have these in the oven! Experimenting, I used the pulp from my juicer to make these! They smell delicious! Used almond flour, oat flour,and coconut flour. I didn’t add the seeds.

I always love seeing what low or no sugar recipes you’ve got. I love being able to turn to your website and not spending hours creating when you’ve already done it!

Here’s my challenge. I am Celiac pre-high cholesterol and darn, pre-diabetic. What changes could I make to these ingredients? I use a GF flour 1 to 1 blend but maybe the coconut oil is a No. Thanks so much.

5 stars
Rarely do I find a recipe that’s perfect. No changes necessary. A perfect balance of healthy, tasty and filling. This is a must try!

1 star
The eggs took the health out of this muffin. Eggs are high in fat, cholesterol, sodium. They are a chicken’s embryo.