Try these healthy vegan blueberry lemon muffins next time you need of a treat or snack that isn’t packed full of added sugar! If you are like me, you’re probably tired of making muffins that seem like cupcakes without the icing. This recipe is great because it only contains half a cup of added sugar, making these blueberry lemon muffins great for a healthy on-the-go snack!
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How to Make Eggless Muffins
In ‘traditional’ baking, eggs provide steam for leavening, add moisturizing fat and help hold the batter together. They also give baked goods a smooth and creamy texture. However, you can easily make eggless baking recipes by replacing the egg with vegan substitutes such as a “flax egg”.
Flax eggs are great for making eggless muffins because they act like normal eggs in baking. It’s also simple to make; flax egg is simply made from ground flaxseed and water. As the water gels with the flax seed , it provides moisture and structure the same way an egg would. Flaxseeds are also full of nutrition and are an excellent source of plant-based omega 3s.
How to Make Healthy Vegan Muffins
There many ways to make muffins healthier, including adding ground flaxseed, using whole wheat flour, flavouring with lemon and blueberries and using less added sugar. Adding flaxseed by using a flax egg is a great way to give your vegan muffin recipes more nutrition. Flaxseeds are a great source of healthy fat, fibre and omega 3s.
Using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour is another great way to increase the nutritional value of muffins. Whole wheat flour is rich in vitamins B1, B3, and B5, riboflavin and folate. It’s also higher in fiber than all-purpose flour.
Using natural flavouring, like lemon and blueberries, is an easy way to give muffins loads of flavour without any preservatives or chemicals. Fruits such as blueberries contain natural sugars which sweeten muffins and provide lots of flavour.
Lastly, to make muffins healthier, use less added sugar. Some recipes swap white table sugar for more natural sources like maple syrup or honey; however, maple syrup and honey are still added sugars. The only way to make your muffins free from added sugar is to exclude any kind of sweetener other than natural sugars from fruit.
Tips for Making Tasty Blueberry Lemon Muffins
For this recipe I use one large lemon worth of juice and zest to give the muffins delicious flavour. Any less than this amount and the lemon flavour won’t come through enough.
I recommend using wild/small blueberries if possible because they stay evenly distributed in the muffins. You can also use frozen blueberries, but they may turn your batter purple once they thaw. If you don’t want purple batter, use fresh berries or frozen berries directly from the freezer so that they don’t have time to thaw.
These healthy vegan blueberry lemon muffins make the perfect snack or treat. They are full of flavour, only contain half a cup of added sugar, and have great nutritional value from the flaxseed and whole wheat flour. If you use frozen blueberries, be prepared to end up with some funky purple muffins!
Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins Recipe (Eggless)
Equipment
- Muffin tin
- Muffin liners
- Large bowl
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¼ C whole wheat flour
- ¾ C all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
Flaxseed "Egg"
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 6 tbsp water
Wet ingredients:
- ¾ C plant-based milk
- ¼ C vegan butter or margarine melted
- ½ C granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp lemon juice about 1 large lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon zest about 1 large lemon
Other:
- 1 ½ C blueberries fresh or frozen; wild blueberries work best
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
- Grease a muffin tray (I use an oil spray). Line it with muffin liners. This recipe will make 12 muffins.
- Mix your flaxseed egg together by measuring 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed then stirring in the 6 tbsp of water. Set aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients: 1 ¼ C whole wheat flour, ¾ C white flour, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: ¾ C almond milk, ¼ C vegan butter or margarine, melted, ½ C granulated sugar, 6 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 large lemon), 1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 large lemon). Whisk in the flaxseed egg (it should be thickened up by now, if not, let it sit for another few minutes).
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the blueberries. Be careful not to over mix. Stop stirring when the dry ingredients are mixed in.
- Scoop the mixture evenly into 12 muffin slots in the tray.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes until the edges start to brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.
- Let sit for 5 minutes when out of the oven then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely,
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This post was written with help from Emily Scott, University of Guelph AHN student.
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