Healthy Vegan Blueberry Muffins With Almond Meal

These healthy vegan blueberry muffins are packed with nutrition! Made using almond meal and oats, they’re moist, not too sweet and gluten-free. Loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients and healthy fats, these muffins are easy to prepare and SO tasty!

Blueberry muffins are such a classic that I have to admit, it had been ages since I had made them. I find that most vegan blueberry muffin recipes are made with refined flours that don’t really appeal to me as an everyday choice.

You might expect me to say that because I’m a registered dietitian – but I’m not here to hate on white flour. Give me a nice piece of sourdough any day…but make my muffins nutrient-dense and from foods rich in fibre! I want food to TASTE good and also make me FEEL good! So I like a more nutrient-dense muffin because it keeps me feeling full and satisfied for longer. That’s the power of plants!

So it was time for me to create a truly healthy vegan blueberry muffin. It’s one of those plant-based breakfast recipes that everyone can agree on and I know how much you loved the muffin recipes from Eat More Plants Cookbook so I thought I’d better get a couple more muffin recipes on the ol’ blog!

Healthy Vegan Blueberry Muffin Ingredients

Just what makes these vegan blueberry muffins so healthy? A ton of wholesome plant foods that pack plenty of nutrition (and flavour!) into every bite.

• Almond Meal: almond meal (or flour) is simply ground almonds. Almonds are low in starch and rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and plant-based protein. What’s even more special about almond meal is that it has a neutral, slightly sweet taste and produces a tender crumb like the best cakes…it’s really a special ingredient.
  
• Rolled Oats: whole grain oats contain soluble fibre, which helps regulate digestion and supports the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut while digesting slowly to minimize blood sugar spikes.
  
• Mashed Banana: I keep the added sugars and oils lower in this recipe by adding banana, which creates a natural sweetness and adds moisture to the batter.
  
• Ground Flax: flaxseed contains anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids and lignans, special phytochemicals that help to support hormonal health. In order to access all of these benefits, they need to be ground as their tough casings are too difficult to break down. Because of their high soluble fibre content, ground flax makes an excellent egg replacement that I use in many of my baking recipes.
  
• Blueberries: Blueberries are one of my favourite fruits because they are sweet, versatile and available frozen all year round. Berries are well-studied for their anti-inflammatory pigments. Blueberries also contain a bit of gelling soluble fibre which is so good for your gut.
  
• Extra virgin olive oil: yep, I even put olive oil in my muffins. Why? Because it’s the healthiest, most researched cooking oil you can buy. I promise, you won’t taste it.

How to Make Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Step by Step)

Blueberry muffins come together without much fuss. It just takes a few simple steps!

Make the flax egg: stir the ground flax with 1/4 cup of hot water in a medium bowl and set aside.

Make the batter: whisk up the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in the medium bowl, with the flax egg, and then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. There’s no gluten in the recipe so no worries about overmixing!

Add the blueberries and fill the muffin tin: Fold the blueberries into the batter and scoop by 1/4 cup measure into muffin tins lined with parchment or silicone liners.

Bake and cool: bake in a preheated 375 degree oven on the centre rack for 23-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the muffin pan for at least 10 minutes before turning onto a baking rack and allow to cool fully before serving. As with many gluten free recipes, the muffins firm up once cool.

Blueberry Muffin Tips, Substitutions + Troubleshooting

Quick breads are usually pretty forgiving with substitutions, but this healthy vegan blueberry muffins recipe is a bit of an exception! A few substitutions seem to be fine, while others cause gumminess or collapsed muffins.

• Be sure to bake muffins on the centre rack of your oven. This will give you the most even heat.
• You can absolutely use frozen blueberries for this recipe. They bleed a little colour but I don’t mind! To minimize it, you can toss them with the dry ingredients if you like. Or, let thaw completely in a colander, rinse and then pat dry very well before adding to batter.

Vegan Blueberry Muffin Substitutions

• Non-dairy milk: I like almond milk here because it has a light texture but you should be able to use any non-dairy milk you have on hand. I have made these with soy and oat milk with no problem.
  
• Flours: I typically use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose, which is chickpea-based, for nutrition. I have also used Bob’s 1-to-1 gluten free mix with good results. You want to avoid coconut flour because it is VERY absorbent and difficult to substitute.
  
• Fruit: you could easily use other berries, although I would recommend you cut larger berries in half so it doesn’t break up the batter too much. Or, ditch the blueberries and swap in dark chocolate chips! You do you.
  
• Flaxseed: ground chia will also work as an egg replacer, although I typically find it doesn’t work quite as well as flax, it should work here.
  
• Banana: too much banana will cause the muffins to be gummy inside and collapse, no matter how long you bake them. If you have a medium banana, cut off a third. Use just half of a large banana. The recipe also doesn’t work as well if you’re using thawed frozen banana.

How to store blueberry muffins

These vegan blueberry muffins keep well on the counter, loosely covered, on a paper towel to absorb moisture, for about 3-4 days.

Can you freeze these muffins? Absolutely! Freeze on a baking sheet until firm and then transfer into a freezer bag for 1-2 months. Simply let thaw on the counter overnight; or, you could warm thawed muffins briefly (5 minutes) in a 350 degree oven so they feel fresh baked!

More vegan quick bread recipes

If you’re looking for more muffins, quick breads and waffle recipes, try these:

• Sweet Potato Waffles
• Oatmeal Blueberry Breakfast Bake
• Roasted Rhubarb Muffins
• Macadamia Ginger Banana Bread

Looking for more vegan breakfast recipes? I highly recommend you try my 15-Minute Vegan Apple Pie Oatmeal!

If you try these muffins, please take the time to give them a rating or comment! It helps others find my work…and of course, I love seeing your creation on Instagram, so be sure to tag me @desireenielsenrd.