Get your morning started with these whole-wheat Morning Glory muffins featuring apple, carrot and toasted walnuts. They’re quick to prepare, don’t need a mixer, and are easy to customize with a few ingredient swaps to suit your taste.
What are morning glory muffins?
These muffins combine shredded carrot and apple with toasted walnuts and chopped dates for natural sweetness and texture. The recipe uses whole-wheat and oat flours for a heartier crumb and vegetable oil instead of butter, making them dairy-free. They’re lightly spiced for warmth and are perfect for breakfast or an on-the-go snack.
Ingredient substitutions
If you want to change the flavor or adapt the recipe to what you have, here are easy swaps that work well in this batter:
- Nuts – replace walnuts with pecans or use sunflower seeds for a nut-free option.
- Dried fruit – swap dates for raisins or dried cherries, or try fresh berries for a juicier muffin.
- Oil – substitute melted butter for a richer flavor if dairy is fine for you.
- Vegetable – shredded zucchini works well instead of carrot for a milder, moist muffin.
- Fruit – use seasonal fruit such as pear or crushed pineapple in place of the apple.
- Spices – feel free to experiment; chai spice or extra cinnamon pairs nicely with these flavors.
Tips & FAQs
Yes. Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm gently in the microwave or oven.
Use an ice cream scoop or the same measuring cup for each muffin liner so the batter portion is consistent and muffins bake evenly.
More breakfast bakes to try
- Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Maple & Pecan Donuts
- Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts
Recipe
Morning Glory Muffins
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin
Ingredients
- 141 g whole-wheat flour (1 1/4 cup)
- 69 g oat flour (3/4 cup)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 57 ml orange juice (1/4 cup)
- 149 ml vegetable oil (3/4 cup)
- 213 g light brown sugar (1 cup)
- 198 g shredded carrot (2 cups)
- 118 g shredded apple (1 cup)
- 57 g toasted walnuts (1/2 cup)
- 71 g chopped dates (1/2 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and lightly grease them.
- In a large bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, oat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.
- Add the shredded carrot, shredded apple, chopped dates and toasted walnuts. Stir to combine so the fruit and nuts are evenly coated.
- In a jug or another bowl, whisk the eggs with the vegetable oil, vanilla and orange juice until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until combined.
- Using a 1/3-cup measure or an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter. The batter should reach near the top of each cup.
- Bake for 25–28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
The nutritional information is an estimate per serving.