Healthy Morning Glory Muffins (Gluten-Free Option!)

Name: Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup oat flour; ½ teaspoon fine salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ((see Notes)); ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 1½ cup shredded apples; 1½ cup shredded carrots; ¾ cup chopped pecans; 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed; 5 tablespoons water; ¾ cup light brown sugar; 7.5 oz pumpkin; ½ cup oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Get ready to rise and truly shine with my Healthy Morning Glory Muffins. Featuring a colorful medley of pumpkin, apples, and carrots, plus whole grains, nuts, and seeds, these naturally vegan little bundles of joy are like sunrise in a muffin cup.

45 degree hero shot of a pile of healthy vegan morning glory muffins on a white table with a glass of vegan milk in the background.

This recipe was originally published on November 1, 2019. It was updated with new photos and information on August 20, 2023.

What is a morning glory muffin?

Think of these muffins as a celebration of everything good and wholesome. They're filled with good-for-you ingredients like carrots, apple, nuts, flaxseed, and spices. My recipe also includes canned pumpkin!

Whether you're dashing out the door or taking a moment to savor the quiet of the morning, these nourishing treats are the perfect companion, ready to brighten up your day bite by delicious bite.

Ingredients Needed

These no egg pumpkin muffins require just a handful of pantry staples, plus a bunch of fruits and veggies. Here’s what to grab:

All-purpose flour - This recipe will also work with gluten-free all-purpose flour mixes if they have xanthan gum. (GF instructions below.) Or, if you have a hankering for my old recipe, you can also use whole wheat — just note that they’ll turn out a bit denser if you do.
Oat flour - Fresh out? You can make your own by blitzing old-fashioned rolled oats in a high-speed blender or food processor until very fine. You can also use more all-purpose flour.
Fine salt - I think fine sea salt has the best flavor here, but you can also use kosher. (I’m typically not a fan of iodized salt — it tends to leave a bit of a bitter taste.) If you’re making a swap, consult a conversion chart.
Baking soda & baking powder - You’ll need both kinds of raising agents to get the perfect tender crumb. Been a while since you baked anything? Give them a quick test using vinegar and hot water, respectively.
Pumpkin pie spice - If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground clove.
Unsweetened shredded coconut - You *could* use sweetened if you wanted. I just think they’re sweet enough on their own without the added sugar.
Apples - While you can certainly use any apples you like to eat out of hand, this is a great spot if you accidentally got a mealy one in the bunch. (Not-so-great eating apples make great baking apples, especially when they’re shredded!)
Carrots - Feel free to use orange, yellow, or purple carrots. Parsnips work, too!
Pecans - They’re better in smaller pieces for these carrot pumpkin muffins, so don’t waste your money on the fancy halves! (Save those for decorating my gluten-free German Chocolate Cake!)
Ground flaxseed + water - Together, these humble ingredients work wonders to replicate an egg. Simply mix, stir, and let sit for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes gelatinous.
Light brown sugar - Dark brown sugar will do just fine, but leave a more distinctive molasses flavor. You can also swap in less-refined sugars like muscovado or grated jaggery.
Canned pumpkin - If you happen to have a can kicking around from the last time you made my gluten-free pumpkin bread or pumpkin spice blondies, these breakfast treats are a great way to put it to use any time of year. Pumpkin acts as a binder in the batter and does an amazing job at keeping them super moist.
Oil - Any neutral-flavored oil will work, like avocado oil. You can also use a fruity Spanish olive oil if you want an added layer of complexity.
Vanilla extract - Feel free to use an equal amount of either vanilla paste or vanilla powder.

Overhead hero shot of healthy vegan morning glory muffins on a white kitchen towel on a white table.

How To Make These Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

My homemade morning glory muffins come together in just a few simple steps:

Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C) and line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Step 2: Make flax eggs. In a large bowl, mix together the flaxseed and water and set aside until it thickens into a gel, about 10 minutes.

Process shot - soaking ground flax in water to make a vegan egg.

Step 3: Dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the all-purpose flour, oat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and unsweetened shredded coconut. Set aside.

Process shot - all dry ingredients added to a mixing bowl.

Process shot - dry ingredients after whisking together.

Step 4: Wet ingredients. Add the sugar, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla extract into the bowl with the flaxseed mixture and stir until smooth. Fold in the apples and carrots using a spatula.

Process shot - wet ingredients and sugar added to bowl with the flax egg.

Process shot - morning glory muffin batter after stirring in the carrots and apples.

Step 5: Mix wet & dry. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.

Step 6: Fold in the pecans using a spatula.

***NOTE: If you’re turning these into gluten-free dairy-free pumpkin muffins, make sure to let the batter rest for 30 minutes after this step before baking.

Process shot - dry ingredients added to bowl with wet ingredients.

Process shot - healthy morning glory pumpkin muffin batter in a bowl after combining.

Step 7: Bake. Evenly dish out the batter in the muffin pan and bake them in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Step 8: Cool. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before taking them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Process shot - 6 cup muffin tin filled with muffin tin liners filled with morning glory muffin batter.

Process shot - pumpkin morning glory muffins cooling in the tin after baking.

Serving Suggestions

Breakfast on the go - If you, like me, are not quite human first thing in the morning, these vegan healthy pumpkin muffins are the solution. You can whip them up on a lazy Sunday, then enjoy their wholesome yumminess all week long!
Packed lunches - When you have to go to the office for work (or your kiddo is at camp or school), these lovely, moist muffins are a perfect lunchbox treat.
When it’s your turn to be “snack mom” at the next sporting event. Don’t be the boring mom that brings carrot sticks! These pumpkin-laced vegan morning glory muffins are sweet enough to get the kid stamp of approval while still giving your tots a nice boost of nutrients. Hooray for cool mom points!
For a breakfast buffet, pair with other healthy self-serve options like coconut yogurt, gluten-free granola, and fresh-cut fruit. Don’t forget the coffee, tea, and juice!

Overhead shot of morning glory muffins with one that has a bite taken out and turned on its side so you can see the moist interior.

Recipe Success Tips

Try using a food processor. A food processor (Fitted with the large shredding blade) will make short work of your veggie prep. That said, a box grater will totally do the trick. Plus, it’s a good workout for your arms!
Don’t over-fill your muffin liners. I find that using an ice cream scoop is super helpful when filling the muffin pan with batter - they all turn out the same size! Make sure to evenly distribute the batter into the 12 wells on your muffin tin.
Make it look pretty. Save a few pecans to sprinkle over the top before baking to get that pro bakery look. You can also sprinkle a little granulated, turbinado, or sanding sugar as well!
Let your homemade morning glories cool to room temp before storing them in an airtight container. If you pop them in while they’re still warm, condensation will accumulate and rain down on the muffins, leaving them soggy and sticky.

FAQs

Is a muffin healthy for breakfast?

There are “muffins” that are really just an excellent excuse to eat cake first thing, and then there are what I’d consider wholesome muffins. You know, the kind that uses whole grains, real fruit (and vegetables!), nuts, and seeds? Like these healthy morning glory muffins with pumpkin and pepitas. I’m no nutrition professional, but by my count, these totally qualify as a healthy breakfast.

How many calories are in a morning glory muffin? How much sugar is in a morning glory muffin?

I can’t speak for all Morning Glory muffins, but in this nut, seed, fruit & veggie-packed vegan pumpkin muffins recipe you can expect around 295 calories and 17 grams of sugar. That said, only ¾ cups of brown sugar are added to the recipe, the rest is completely natural from the fruits and veggies.

What’s the best way to store these vegan pumpkin morning glory muffins?

They’ll last for 3 days if kept in an airtight container at room temp, 5 to 6 days if kept in the fridge, or up to a couple of months in the freezer.

If you opt to go the freezing route, wrap each muffin carefully, preferably in something airtight like a zip-top bag with all the air sucked out to prevent freezer burn. To serve after freezing, let defrost for about 20 minutes at room temp, then warm using a toaster oven or a quick zap in the microwave.

Can I make these gluten-free?

To make these tasty treats celiac-friendly, use your favorite gluten-free 1-to-1 flour for the all-purpose flour. (1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour is 148g.) Also, make sure your oat flour is certified gluten-free. Then, give your muffin batter a brief 30-minute rest before baking so the flour can properly rehydrate.

More Muffin Recipes

Cranberry orange muffins are my perfect muffins to make when I have some leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving or Christmas!
These bakery-style blueberry muffins are so fluffy, moist, with that iconic domed muffin top.
If you're gluten-free, try these gluten-free banana muffins or these gluten-free zucchini muffins. Both are so moist!

Not in the mood for muffins, but love pumpkin? Try my dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe or gluten-free pumpkin bread instead!

I hope you love this easy recipe for healthy morning glory muffins as much as I do! If you give the recipe a try, don't forget to leave me a ⭐️ rating and a comment below — I always love hearing from you! And make sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also get all of my newest content delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for my email newsletter.

5 from 4 votes