These healthy breakfast muffins can be enjoyed at any time of the day. But the combination of high fibre quinoa, chia seeds, eggs and fruit does make for a great start to the day. These gluten free muffins are filling, nutritious and delicious.
Healthy ingredients
Quinoa is a key ingredient in this healthy breakfast muffin recipe. Often known as a superfood, quinoa is a seed which originates from South America. It is related to chard and spinach. Quinoa is available as flakes or flour, but for this recipe you will need the whole seed. Quinoa is naturally high in fibre, protein and vitamins and minerals including iron. It also contains all of the essential amino acids, meaning that it contains a better quality of protein than most grains. It is also naturally gluten free. Read more about the health benefits of quinoa here
Chia seed is another nutritional superfood, packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals. Chia seeds are also rich in omega 3 fats. In this recipe, the chia seeds are soaked with the quinoa in water to form a gel which helps to hold the muffins together. Read more about the health benefits of chia seed here
I use apple puree in this recipe, which adds a delicious sweetness. But if you prefer you could use mashed banana. 2 mashed bananas will be the equivalent of two thirds of a cup of apple purée, which will make 8 muffins. In addition, I use a little honey to sweeten the muffins. But if you prefer you could use maple syrup, or molasses which adds a lovely caramel flavour. I also add a few handfuls of sultanas, but these are optional.
You can also vary the spices in the recipe. I love these healthy breakfast muffins with a mixture of ginger and cinnamon, which makes a lovely gingerbread flavour, but you could also try allspice or cardamom. Or a teaspoonful of mixed spice will also work well.
You'll also need eggs, which add more protein and nutrients, and help to bind the muffins. There is also a small amount of butter in the recipe. If you prefer, you could switch the butter for a healthy oil.
The small amount of lemon juice is important as it reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to make the muffins rise. Rest assured, you won't notice the flavour of it in the muffins. If you don't have lemon juice, then the same quantity of white or apple cider vinegar will do the same job.
Tips for making these healthy gluten free muffins
- This recipe is very simple and easy. Bring the quinoa, chia seed, butter, sultanas and water to the boil and leave to soak and soften for 20 minutes. This stage is important as otherwise you will end up with crunchy grains of uncooked quinoa which will spoil your muffins.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Use a pan which is large enough to fit everything in. That way, you'll only have one pot to wash up:)
3. Spoon the mixture into your muffin tray. Do make sure that you line the tray with paper cases, so that you can easily remove the muffins.
Serve the quinoa muffins with your favourite hot beverage. They will store for a few days in an airtight container, and can also be frozen.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a rating and/or comment at the bottom of the page. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
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You might also like to try these other gluten free recipes:
Healthy Breakfast Muffins
Ingredients
- 150 g quinoa
- 200 ml water
- 3 tablespoon chia seed
- 50 g butter
- 100 g sultanas
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ⅔ cup applesauce (150 ml) or 2 medium bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the quinoa, water, chia seed, butter and sultanas to a large pan and bring to the boil. Add a tightly fitting lid, turn off the heat and leave for 20 mins until the water is absorbed, and the quinoa starts to soften.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into a muffin tin lined with paper cases.
- Bake for 30 mins. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.
Sarah Millington
These have a great texture from the quinoa and they are so sticky (in a good way) that you would think they have syrup or treacle in them - which they don't!
Wendy
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed them.