Packed with produce, whole grains, and yummy flavor, these Morning Glory Muffins are a perfect way to start the day—or to refuel throughout the day. Try the muffins warm for breakfast or for snack. And know they freeze well so you can add them to your stash!
This post is sponsored by Colavita
Morning Glory Muffins
I love a muffin that’s packed full of produce, and these are one of our all-time favorites. They have carrots, apple, chopped nuts, and raisins, so they are kind of the best of all muffin worlds. And you can vary them according to the preferences of your kids, which means you can omit the chunkier ingredients and just use ones that blend more finely into the batter.
These are great muffins for kids and make a wonderful baby muffin since they are super tender. We love them for breakfast and snack, and sometimes we even have them as a side with soup—like Carrot Soup or Chicken and Stars Soup–for a cozy dinner option.
I’m using Colavita Olive Oil in this recipe for beneficial fats and moisture. I love their products since they are family owned and operated, and the company offers so many delicious and wholesome Italian pantry staples including olive oil, pasta, beans, tomato sauces and pastes, and more. Use my exclusive 25% off code YUMMY25 in their online store, too.
(You may also like my Carrot Cake Muffins and my Applesauce Muffins.)
Table of Contents
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Ingredients You Need
Below is a look at the ingredients you need to make this muffin recipe so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Applesauce: I use smooth, unsweetened applesauce in this recipe. Use an applesauce that you like the flavor of to ensure the best flavor in the finished muffins.
- Carrots: Shredded carrots cook and soften in the muffins as they bake in the oven. I find it works best to grate them on a handheld or box grater so the texture is soft.
- Apple: You can use any type of apple you like in this recipe. I tend to bake with Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or another baking type apple.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil is a wonderful way to add beneficial fats and moisture to this recipe, and the one from Colavita is light in flavor and bakes so nicely.
- Eggs: I use eggs in this recipe to ensure the muffins are light and tender. See the Notes for the egg-free option.
- Whole wheat flour: I like to use whole wheat flour in this recipe since it absorbs the moisture in all the produce yet still creates tender, light muffins.
- Brown sugar: I like to add just a little brown sugar to this recipe to make sure they are sweet enough.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract: These two flavorings help ensure that the muffins have plenty of flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: A combination of these leaveners ensures the muffins bake through and rise properly.
- Golden raisins: You can use any type of raisins in this recipe, but I have a preference for golden ones. Use whichever type you prefer.
- Walnuts: Chopped walnuts add beneficial fats and nice texture here. I chop them small so they are a pleasant texture in the muffins. You can omit this ingredient to make these nut-free.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is an overview of how to make this recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full amounts and instructions in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven and coat a muffin pan with nonstick spray. Add the wet ingredients to a large bowl.
- Stir together the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients, including the flour and sugar.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Serve at room temperature, warm, or cold.
Other Produce-Packed Muffins to Try
You may also like these muffins, which feature a lot of flavorful produce, too:
- Spinach Banana Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Carrot Cake Muffins
- Zucchini Carrot Muffins
- Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
How to Store
Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. If it’s very humid in your home, line the container with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Serve cold. You can also freeze muffins, either some of the batch or all of the batch, for a future week.
Best Tips for Success
- Add ½ teaspoon ginger for more spice if desired.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flours.
- If you prefer your baked goods sweeter (or if you leave out the raisins) increase the brown sugar to ½ cup.
- To make these with all-purpose flour instead of wheat flour, add 2 tablespoons additional flour to ensure the muffins aren’t too moist.
- Serve at room temperature or warm. Top with butter, nut butter, or cream cheese.
- Use parchment paper liners instead of nonstick spray if desired.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts, or use double the raisins and omit the walnuts.
- Egg-free: Use a store-bought egg replacer such as the one from Bobs Red Mill.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Favorite Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup grated apple
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (finely chop them so they blend into the batter)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup standard muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the applesauce, carrots, apple, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Gently stir the carrot mixture into the flour mixture. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, using about ¼ cup per muffin cup.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Serve at room temperature, warm, or cold.
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. If it’s very humid in your home, line the container with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Serve cold. You can also freeze muffins, either some of the batch or all of the batch, for a future week.
- Add ½ teaspoon ground dried ginger for more spice if desired.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flours.
- To make with all-purpose flour instead of whole-wheat, add 2 additional tablespoons flour to ensure that the muffins aren’t too moist.
- If you prefer your baked goods sweeter (or if you leave out the raisins) increase the brown sugar to ½ cup.
- You can omit the walnuts and use ½ cup raisins if desired.
- Egg-free: Use a store-bought egg replacer like the one from Bobs Red Mill.
Can you sub white AP flour for the whole wheat flour? Thanks!
I would add 2 extra tablespoons if you want to do that. Enjoy!
Can you make this into 24 mini muffins and for how long if you can in the oven
Mini muffins typically take about 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!
These are delicious!! Made them for our toddler as a healthy snack, but ended up loving these so much I have them with coffee in the AM. You put out such great, delicious, healthy and easy recipes. Thank you!
Hi! Can you omit the brown sugar completely from this? Any subs required? Thanks!
You can omit it if you prefer. Enjoy!
Absolutely love these! As a mama of 2 I enjoy making these and eating them as much as the kids. Every time I have leftover carrots my mind jumps to these muffins.
My toddler (who’s caught on to hidden veggies recently) went insane for these muffins. Literally shrieked with excitement whenever I handed one to her! I love how healthy the ingredients are and how easy they are to make. I’ll definitely be making these again soon!
So so yummy!!!
Hello! What would be the cooking temperature and time if baking these in a regular cake loaf pan? Thanks!
Hi- I’m not sure which side a cake loaf pan would be. Let me know and I can estimate the timing.
My pan is about 9 1/2 x 4 inches. Thanks!
Hi Amy,
My pan is about 9 1/2 x 4 inches. Thanks!
Hi Amy! Can these be made into mini muffins okay? Thanks!
Hi- Sure, just reduce the baking time by about 2 minutes. Enjoy!
Hi Amy! LOVE all your muffin recipes! Can these be made into mini muffins okay? Thanks!
Hi- Sure, just reduce the baking time by about 2 minutes. Enjoy!
How do you keep the carrots from turning green in your muffin recipes?
I haven’t had that happen with any of my recipes since I use a very small amount of baking soda. If it’s happening, make sure that the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the batter (or use a little less).
Do you think it’s okay to leave out the brown sugar? Or substitute maple syrup?
Added a tbs of grated ginger and subbed the applesauce with a banana! Left out the raisins and THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Is there is a substitute for apple sauce that would work?
You can use mashed banana instead of you prefer.
Hi Amy! Was looking for your egg free option as you noted above to see notes section. Is there an egg free option that will work for this muffin that you have tested? They look delicious!
Hi- Apologies for not adding that. This one works with the egg replacer from Bobs Red Mill. I don’t recommend something like a flax egg due to the high moisture content in the batter. I hope that helps!
Great, will give that a try, thank you!