Moist and flavorful healthy blueberry muffins that are made without refined sugar or butter. No one will ever be able to tell that these muffins are better for you!
I always believed that muffins should always be on the healthy side. A muffin filled with a bunch of sugar and butter is basically a cupcake without any frosting. I'd rather just go all out and add the frosting at that point. Instead, I want a muffin that is wholesome and I can feel good about eating first thing in the morning or giving to my daughter whenever she claims she is "totally, tooooootally starvinggggg" (which is about 8 times a day, by the way).
And again, as I said before in my healthy banana bread recipe, this adheres to my own personal version of healthy which may or may not align with your definition. And that is perfectly okay. If you need something that fits your needs, like vegan, or paleo, there are so many talented bakers out there that have their own amazing versions. But if you want something that is wholesome and guilt-free that tastes just as amazing as your favorite bakery blueberry muffins, you are in the right place.
These muffins are refined sugar free, butter-free, and made with whole wheat flour. To keep them from being dense, I added a bit of arrowroot starch (you can also use cornstarch) to keep them incredibly light and fluffy.
To add to the depth of flavor, we add lemon zest which brings a brightness to the healthy blueberry muffins while the vanilla rounds everything out. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you use frozen blueberries, I especially love Wyman's of Main wild blueberries. Do not thaw frozen blueberries.
The muffins are amazing as-is, but for the purposes of the photos, I added a sprinkling of coconut sugar to the tops of the muffins. It isn't necessary and doesn't add anything to the muffins, but I did want to point that out.
- Flour - For these muffins, we use white whole wheat flour. The whole wheat give us added fiber, plus a plethora of vitamins and minerals. The white whole wheat bakes more similarly to all-purpose flour, so there isn't any differences in the ratios when making your batter. Feel free to use a gluten-free baking mix - a mix that allows you a 1:1 replacement works best. Many of my readers have suggested to leave your muffin batter to rest and hydrate for a minute or two before baking.
- Oil - Some muffins are made with butter, but I prefer to use oil in my muffins. Oil tends to give you a nicer rise and texture. For these particular blueberry muffins, we use refined coconut oil (it doesn't taste like coconut when you bake with it) because it is higher in healthy fats, plus raises the good HDL cholesterol in your blood. Also, don't quote me on this, but it is believed that coconut oil helps with fat burning.
- Yogurt - We use plain nonfat yogurt in this recipe, I prefer using Greek yogurt. It is higher in protein, filling, as well as being lower in calories.
- Milk - You can use any type of milk you prefer in these muffins. Personally, I use unsweetened almond milk because it's my preferred milk, plus it is lower in calories. You can also try coconut, oat, flax, soy, and skim milk. They are all really amazing choices here in these blueberry muffins. It all really depends on what your personal preferences are.
- Sweetener - So, I try not to use refined sugar in my healthy blueberry muffins. The easiest replacement that is easier to find in most stores is pure maple syrup. It also doesn't taste overly like maple, especially in these muffins. Feel free to experiment with your favorite type of sugar replacement. Remember most replacements like stevia are a 0.5:1 replacement (so use half the amount)
These healthy blueberry muffins last for about 5 days in an air tight container and freeze well.
Healthy Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- zest of one lemon
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup plain nonfat yogurt room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup almond milk room temperature
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups blueberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In one bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and lemon zest, set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut, yogurt, eggs, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla together until completely incorporated together.
- Create a well in the bowl of the flour, then add the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. There should be plenty of lumps in the batter.
- Fold in the blueberries without mixing too much. You want for there to still be many lumps.
- Evenly divide the batter among the cupcake liners and bake for 15 - 19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to the wire rack to cool completely.
[email protected] says
Five days, eh? I have a feeling they'd last a lot less than that around my house! Hah!
I've always felt the same way about muffins (i.e. they're generally just cupcakes minus frosting), though I tend not to do much about it, and instead tend to just treat muffins like dessert. Perhaps it's because I'm not big on frosting to begin with. Regardless, when I do find a recipe for a muffin that's ALSO on the healthy side, I'm overjoyed. It's like an acceptable excuse to eat cake for breakfast. Works for me.
Donna says
Just perfect. I am always looking for healthier muffin recipes to fill up the kids and these worked just perfectly.
Carmy says
These look amazing! The insides look so moist and I love having blueberries in my muffins - they add such a pop of flavour. I can't wait for these to go in my oven!
Amy Nash says
I love that these are a healthier version of blueberry muffins. I have two little girls who are muffin fanatics but they are so often loaded with so much sugar that I feel like they don't do a whole lot for getting them started off right for the day before school.
Marisa Franca says
Your blueberry muffins are loaded with blueberries and that's the way it should be. I don't like when you break open the muffin and you have to hunt for the fruit. The muffins would be ideal for breakfast or as a healthy snack. I agree with you about muffins being good for you!!
Tracy Koslicki says
YES! I am SO with you and how muffins shouldn't be filled with butter and sugar - if you want a cupcake, have a cupcake! I love the addition of the lemon zest in this recipe - I can def see how it will make the blueberries pop!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
My kids are "totally starving" at least 8 times/day as well. Muffins are always a snack staple around here because they're relatively healthy and filling. I'm intrigued by your starch addition!