Wholesome and healthy Morning Glory Muffins make the most delicious breakfast treat that tastes just as good as any spice cake recipe!
With nutrient-rich ingredients like apples, carrots, whole wheat flour, and walnuts, you will feel good about serving these muffins to your entire family.
Muffins are always a tasty breakfast option. Individually sized mini cakes, filled with wholesome ingredients can make eating a healthy breakfast seem like much less of a chore.
They look enough like a cupcake that you’ll have no trouble serving Morning Glory Muffins to even the pickiest of kids, and they’ll love them because they taste amazing!
OMG.. I Made the Morning Glory Muffins this morning. They are AMAZING! My family is crying out for more. Definitely my go-to recipe from now on. I cut down on sugar but they still taste so so good. Thank you.
Rutendo
Need more muffin ideas? Try my Classic Blueberry Muffins, Strawberry Banana Muffins, Orange Muffins, Carrot Banana Muffins, or Pumpkin Banana Muffins next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tasty and Moist Muffins – Brown sugar, orange juice, crushed pineapple, and shredded apples and carrots ensure that these muffins are delicious with the best tender texture.
- A Healthy Breakfast Option – Compared to cereal or some other muffin recipes, Morning Glory Muffins are actually full of nutritious ingredients! They make a great grab-and-go option too.
- Versatile Recipe – It’s fairly easy to swap out ingredients in this recipe to use up what you already have on hand, or just add in more flavor or goodness. I’ll give you some tips on making adjustments below.
As a bonus, this muffin recipe comes together all in one bowl, with just a whisk and a spoon! No mixer is required.
Key Ingredients in Morning Glory Muffins
Here’s what you need to make these wonderful apple carrot muffins (including easy substitutions):
- Flour: We’re using both all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour in this recipe. I prefer to use both rather than all whole wheat, as I find that using only whole wheat flour makes the muffins a bit too dense.
- Apple: Choose any firm variety of apple, and shred it using a box grater.
- Carrot: You’ll also want to peel and grate the carrot. If done correctly, the apples and carrot shreds will just melt right into the muffins. In place of the apple or the carrot, you can use shredded zucchini.
- Nuts: I love this recipe with chopped walnuts, but you could also use pecans or pistachios.
- Raisins: Regular raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or any other dried fruit will also work.
- Crushed Pineapple: This adds sweetness and moisture to the muffin batter. If you don’t have pineapple, try it with applesauce, mashed banana, canned pumpkin, or extra oil.
- Coconut: Shredded coconut pairs wonderfully with the spices and pineapple in this recipe. Leave it out if needed, or replace it with extra nuts or raisins.
- Vegetable Oil: You need some fat to make these muffins taste their best.
- Orange Juice: This adds a delicious flavor to the muffins, but you can replace it with any other type of liquid, including milk or apple juice.
- Flavorings: Vanilla extract, cinnamon, and ginger make Morning Glory Muffins taste like an amazing spice cake!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Morning Glory Muffins
Start by preheating your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease the wells well.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Stir to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Add the vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined.
- Add the Mix-Ins: Stir in the grated carrot, grated apple, crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, and raisins, mixing until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Combine: Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir just until everything is combined and there are no streaks of flour left in the batter.
- Scoop: Add the batter to the prepared muffin tin, filling each well all the way full.
- Bake: Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 7 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 9-11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tip!
These muffins rise less than some others, and definitely less than cupcakes will. You can fill the muffin liners all the way up!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t be afraid to make substitutions! As long as you use the correct amount of flour, baking soda, eggs, and oil, the rest of the ingredients can be played with. Just try to keep your substitutions even. So, if you take out something wet, add something wet to replace it. The same goes for the dryer mix-ins.
- To grate the carrot and apple, use the larger holes in your box grater. Since we want the moisture, there’s no need to squeeze out any of the liquid from these at all!
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. The muffins will be tough and chewy if you mix the flour too much. Gently fold the mixture rather than stirring.
- Pay attention to the oven temp. This recipe bakes the muffins at two different temperatures. After the first 7 minutes, reduce the heat to continue baking.
- Avoid overbaking. Pull these muffins out of the oven when they are just cooked through. You’ll get moist crumbs if you stick a toothpick into the center.
Storing Tips
Keep your morning glory muffins in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 2 days.
You can also freeze these muffins for up to 2 months!
What to Serve With Morning Glory Muffins
Enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee ( I like to use my Moka Pot), or a healthy green spinach smoothie with your muffins for breakfast.
Recipe FAQs
The original recipe for this muffin was created and served at a cafe called the “Morning Glory Cafe” on Nantucket Island back in the 1970s.
Aside from the replacements I already mentioned, try adding a tablespoon or so of wheat germ, ground flax seed, hemp hearts, ground oats, or even protein powder.
Sure! Skipping the whole wheat flour will give your muffins a lighter texture.
Yes! You can sweeten this recipe with honey or maple syrup in place of the brown sugar called for here.
I haven’t personally tested this recipe without eggs, but I’ve heard others have had success substituting the eggs with “flax eggs” (1 tablespoon ground flax seed and 2.5 tablespoons water per “egg”) in morning glory muffins. If you try it, be sure to let me know how it worked for you!
More Tasty Breakfast Recipes
All Breakfasts →
Enjoy the amazing flavor and simplicity of these healthy morning glory muffins! They’re wonderful as a make-ahead breakfast option, so be sure to Pin the recipe to save it.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Morning Glory Muffins
Recipe Video
Equipment
- Box grater
- 12 cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup (70 g) dried raisins
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (100 g) grated carrot
- 1 medium apple peeled and grated (use a firm variety)
- ½ cup (115 g) crushed pineapple not drained
- ½ cup (55 g) chopped walnuts
- ½ cup (35 g) shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease the wells well.
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Stir to mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Add the vegetable oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture, stirring just until everything is combined and there are no streaks of flour. Fold in the grated carrot, grated apple, crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts, shredded coconut, and raisins, mixing until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each well all the way full.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 7 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 9-11 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
- Don’t be afraid to make substitutions! As long as you use the correct amount of flour, baking soda, eggs, and oil, the rest of the ingredients can be played with. Just try to keep your substitutions even. So, if you take out something wet, add something wet to replace it. The same goes for the dryer mix-ins.
- Instead of pineapple, use mashed banana, applesauce, canned pumpkin, or extra oil.
- Instead of walnuts, try pistachios or pecans.
- If you don’t have apple and carrot, either can be replaced with shredded zucchini.
- To grate the carrot and apple, use the larger holes in your box grater. Since we want the moisture, there’s no need to squeeze out any of the liquid from these at all!
- Don’t overmix the muffin batter. The muffins will be tough and chewy if you mix the flour too much. Gently fold the mixture rather than stirring.
- Pay attention to the oven temp. This recipe bakes the muffins at two different temperatures. After the first 7 minutes, reduce the heat to continue baking.
- Avoid overbaking. Pull these muffins out of the oven when they are just cooked through. You’ll get moist crumbs if you stick a toothpick into the center.
- Storage: Keep these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Rutendo Isabella Dzvova says
OMG.. I Made the Morning Glory Muffins this morning. They are AMAZING! My family is crying out for more. Definitely my go-to recipe from now on. I cut down on sugar but they still taste so so good. Thank you.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad that your family loved them, and it’s good to know that you can reduce the sugar!