Paleo morning glory muffins recipe made with almond flour are a healthy breakfast or snack, perfect for those with gluten and grain sensitivities. These classic muffins are easy to prepare and super comforting!
The morning glory muffin, a.k.a. the Something for Everyone Muff, is just so likable. A muffin jam packed with carrots, apples, shredded coconut, raisins and walnuts? I mean, who in Hades was smart enough to come up with this flavor infusion?!
Let me google it.
::Insert elevator music::
Okay, I have the answer.
Chef Pam McKinstry invented the morning glory muffin in 1978 on Nantucket Island for Earthbound Farm. In the kitchen with the whisk (or perhaps a wooden spoon, who knows?).
Here’s the original morning glory muffin recipe. Slash, Pam, I’d like to meet you, you cheeky muffin maven you.
Per usual, I did a little add and subtract magic and came up with a grain-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free version of the recipe, which is also paleo-friendly.
Some people add pineapple. I don’t.
Do you ever say to yourself, “Wow. I should probably vacuum, wash my linens, scrub the tile, season my cast iron skillet, do my taxes, and take care of my fiscal and social responsibilities as a human” and then promptly bake muffins instead? Don’t answer that.
I’m gonna give it to you straight: these muffins require some work. There’s an above-average amount of grating, chopping, and ingredient measuring required for this recipe, but they’re soooo worth it. The recipe also includes ⅓ of a cup of mashed sweet potato, which I recognize not all of you have on-hand just any ol’ day, like me.
If you don’t feel like roasting a sweet potato for the sake of these muffins, I bet you could use a ripe banana instead…and then you’d end up with banana bread morning glory muffs, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that, son!
These grain-free, refined sugar-free dairy-free morning glory muffins are all sorts of nutritious and are perfect for the sharing. They’re well-worth the effort!
The everything muffin!
More Gluten-Free Muffin Recipe:
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Gluten-Free Coconut Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make these Paleo Morning Glory Muffins, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Grain-Free Morning Glory Muffins (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mashed sweet potato
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrot 1 large
- 1 cup grated apple ½ large Fugi
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger peeled and grated, optional
- 2 cups almond flour/meal
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or flaked coconut
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 2/3 cup raw walnuts chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-muffin tray with baking cups.
- Whisk together the mashed sweet potato, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, grated carrot, apple, and ginger until well-combined (wet ingredients).
- In a seperate mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, shredded coconut, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (dry ingredients).
- Pour the dry mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture and stir well until a thick batter forms.
- using an ice cream scoop or small measuring cup, scoop batter into the lined muffin tray, filling the cups 3/4 of the way up.
- Place muffin tray on the center rack in the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until muffins test clean when poked with a toothpick.
- Allow muffins to cool at least 20 minutes before mowing them down < - if you try to eat the muffins before letting them cool, they will stick to the muffin cups like whoa.
Nutrition
I’m diabetic and need to know what the carb count is, and the calories. I love morning glory muffins, and every other kind of muffin there is! lol
Hi there! This recipe looks like exactly what I need for feeding a bunch of folks this weekend. My question is this: does anyone think that I could mix up the batter ahead of time (2-3 days) and then just bake them the morning of our brunch? Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Stacey,
So glad you’re thinking of serving these muffins for brunch – they really are magnificent! I generally don’t mix batter in advance because the leavening agents only work for a short period of time. Plus, I’m a little bit weird about eggs, but that’s more of a personal preference. Essentially, I would recommend making the batter right around the same time you’re going to bake the muffins and wouldn’t make it more than 12 hours ahead of time (again a personal preference). If you do end up making the batter in advance, I would advise bringing the batter to room temperature prior to baking. Hope this helps, and hope you love the muffins!!
These muffins are the bomb! I eat one every single morning! The only thing I consistantly add is 1/2 of a smashed ripe avacado! Yum!
That sounds amazing! I’m sure the added fat from the avocado keeps the muffins super moist and flavorful – love it! Thanks for sharing the tip, Kaye!
I’ve made these muffins several times now. They are great for breakfast on the go and snacks! I’ve changed the ingredients up a few times, now I add pineapple and zucchini as well! I’m not a huge fan of raisins, so I made the muffins with dried cranberries a couple times which was a good substitution. This time, I tried some golden raisins which taste great as well. I’ve made these with pumpkin a couple times rather than sweet potato and I can’t tell any difference between the two. I use my Ninja food processor for the apple, carrot, pineapple, zucchini, and walnuts, which makes this recipe a snap. This is probably the most delicious paleo baked good I’ve tried, and I feel like they have so many healthy ingredients! Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear it, Carol! I love the idea of incorporating pineapple and zucchini to change up the flavor, and I bet dried cranberries are fabulous in the muffin! I’m so thrilled you’re enjoying the recipe – thanks so much for the feedback! xo
Can this work without the coconut? does it need a substitute?
I didn’t have any coconut and the muffins turned out fine without it.
This turned out so delicious. Thank you so much for an amazing and healthy muffin. This is definitely a keeper in my muffin recipe rotation.
Substitutions because I didn’t have it: No ginger & no coconut. I food processed dates for raisins. Used orange squash for the sweet potato, garbanzo bean flour for the almond flour, Opal apple for Fuji. No muffin papers – greased the tins (popped out beautifully). Results? A squidge powdery texture with the garbanzo flour. Since no oil in the garbanzo flour as in the almond could possibly add a little – like 1/4 c. – coconut oil and try that out. But it never stops me from lavishly buttering. Had these with omelet with minced mushrooms. Love the ingredients! Thank you!
I just took these out of the oven. I had substitute regular syrup though as I didn’t have maple I could have tried Molassas instead but it is such a strong flavor. Anyway. LOVE THEM. I did need to cook mine a little less time, 25-28 minutes in my convection bake which I am not experience at using. Thanks!
So glad they turned out well, Karen! And thanks for letting us know which changes you made – that’s very helpful! xo
I followed the Grain Free Morning Glory Paleo recipe but the “batter” was super dry – not like a batter at all. I substituted:
Coconut flour for the almond flour
Honey for the maple syrup
Mashed peach for the sweet potato
Your thoughts on which ingredient screwed it up?
Hi Chris, the batter was super dry because you substituted coconut flour for almond flour. Coconut flour absorbs roughly 3 times more liquid than almond flour, so you would have needed to change the portion of liquid, too. I haven’t tested the recipe with coconut flour, but you would probably need to add an additional egg and at least 1/2 cup to 1 cup additional liquid (such as coconut milk or oil). Since the entire recipe would be different, you would need to experiment with the liquid-to-flour ratio. Let me know if you try the recipe again as it’s written in the post. 🙂
Ha! Yes, after I emailed you, I did some Internet searching, which I should have done BEFORE I made the muffins. You can tell I don’t bake much, right? Anyway, after researching, I decided not to waste what I had so far (I had only baked one muffin to test it). I added one egg (all that I had left in the house) and two 13.5 ounce cans of coconut milk. The batter consistency was much better, then. I did not have a large twelve muffin tray, just two small twelve mini-muffin trays, so I baked 24 more. That batch came out pretty well. In the interim, I went to the grocery store and for the last batch, I added one more egg and some extra raisins (love raisins!). Even better consistency. My baking time was about 38 minutes. That batch was the best. The muffins are good, but definitely have a strong coconut taste (ya think?!). Since I can’t use almond flour (allergies), I think next time I will try a substitute I read online, which is one full cup of tapioca flour and one scan cup of coconut flour. I’ll let you know how that turns out. As much as I bake, though, you probably won’t here from me until 2016. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe and an interesting learning experience!
Has anyone ever calculated the nutrion facts?
Could you substitute pureed pumpkin if you don’t have sweet potato? These look amazing.
Absolutely! Pumpkin would work like a dream 😀
Do you think chick pea flour would work here? I’m gonna try it!
That’s a great question! I actually have almost no experience with chickpea flour, but my assumption is it would work. let me know how they turn out!
My problem is that I do all of those responsible things only to make a disaster out of my kitchen right after! haha. I luuuuuuurve morning glory muffins so much. Pineapple or no pineapple they’re delicious either way. I’d take these over pizza any day of the week too 😉
So, basically, everything good in the world stuffed into a muffin…FOR BREAKFAST. I approve.
xoxoxox Love ultra-stuffed muffs 😉
I was wondering where you were going with that pizza jargon, lol. I’m glad it ended in these muffins because they look waaaay better, IMO. 😉
Now I just need to figure out how to get away with leaving work to drive my happy ass to Reno to eat one. You saved me one, right?
Oh man, at first I was like ‘Um I think Julia is off her rocker?’ buuuut DUH. I am super gullible, so April Fools’ is the worst for me! Ok so these muffins are packed with so much and I’m in love with them. You+me+these muffins=the perfect brunch?!
Hahaha, I was like, what in the heck is she on about?! That ain’t pizza!
I’m helping a client with a FODMAP elimination diet, and with a few small tweaks I think this recipe could work! Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Deserves FIVE STARS! So happy I made a double batch. These are DEFINITELY worth the work! THANK YOU!!!
I’m so happy you like them, Lisa! Thanks for the sweet note! xo