These Vegan Blueberry Muffins are made with bananas, rolled oats and spelt flour, making them a healthier option for on-the-go breakfasts!
Oh hey! Gosh, sorry it's been a while. Life happened again. To be honest, it's been a rough few weeks, and despite the best of intentions to get a few recipes up, things didn't quite pan out as I'd hoped.
I'm not always sure who's reading here (and my apparent lack of self-confidence and self-belief make up a big piece of the problem) so I tell myself it's not worth talking about it, because am I essentially just talking to an empty room? But I'm feeling like maybe I need to push myself over that line a little and do something that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. And not worry about if anyone's actually listening. Though, of course, I hope someone is. Let's face it, we all crave connection, don't we?
So yeah, I guess I've been giving myself a hard time lately, believing over and over again that the work I do is not good enough. That I'M not good enough. And whilst I'm down there in that pit, it can be really hard to see the light, to see the truth. The real truth. It can be really hard to believe in that truth and act accordingly. And so the cycle continues.
I haven't got it all figured out yet, but I've been working on getting a little bit more of a balance going on in my life. I've come to realise that I put way too much energy into work and 'futurising'. And I tend to neglect the here and now. So I'm trying to remedy that a little bit: I've started meal prepping so that I have more time to spend with my husband. I've ordered myself a few novels to read because all through my childhood and teens I devoured books but these days all I read are cookbooks and blogging articles on my phone. And I bought some brush pens so that I can learn to hand letter.
And on the to-do list: Start a gratitude journal and wind down every evening by writing in it. Buy an actual alarm clock and move my iPhone from my bedside table. And many more things I'm sure. But that'll do for now. Baby steps and all.
What do you do to achieve balance in your life? How do you avoid being a complete mess? Tell me your secrets! And if you don't have the secrets either, feel free to simply share how you're feeling too 🙂
Anyway, let's talk about these Vegan Blueberry Muffins! Oh, I do love a good muffin. Especially a blueberry one. The simplest things are often the best, right? During my 28 day vegan challenge I had a major hankering for a blueberry muffin. It also happens that blueberry muffins are my husband's favourite so Vegan Blueberry Muffins just had to be made!
I wanted to make healthy-ish muffins so these are partially sweetened with bananas and made with a combination of rolled oats and spelt flour. So basically these are full of good stuff. I used a flax egg instead of regular eggs - I found that one flax egg was sufficient for this recipe - where I would normally have used two eggs as I found that using two flax eggs made the muffins a little gummy in texture. I also replaced some of the oil with almond butter for that irresistible nutty flavour.
The result? Wonderfully moist and flavourful Vegan Blueberry Muffins that are perfect for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack.
And if you're looking for more muffin recipes, check these out:
- Quinoa Spelt Blueberry Breakfast Muffins
- Double Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins
- Blood Orange Rhubarb Muffins
- Cherry Sourdough Muffins
- Blueberry Sourdough Muffins
And as for me? Well, I'm a work in progress, putting one foot in front of the other. And celebrating each step for what it is. I'm super stoked with these Vegan Blueberry Muffins and I'm so chuffed with how my photographs turned out. I absolutely adore food photography and I'm not sure if I've ever actually mentioned that before - I tend to just churn out these photos without a word about them. But the truth is I love it and working with food and my camera fills me with joy - something else to find more space for in my life!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 250 g (2 cups) wholemeal spelt flour
- 75 g (¾ cup) rolled oats, plus more to sprinkle at the end
- 100 g (½ cup) soft light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, (baking soda)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 bananas, medium sized, ~200g
- 200 ml (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) almond or oat milk, (or other plant milk of choice)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) rapeseed oil
- 60 g (¼ cup) almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 125 g (1 cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin cases.
- Start by making a flax egg: In a small bowl mix the ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water. Set aside for 10 minutes to absorb.1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- In a large bowl, mix together the spelt flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarb and salt.250 g (2 cups) wholemeal spelt flour, 75 g (¾ cup) rolled oats, 100 g (½ cup) soft light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas using a fork. Add the flax egg, almond milk, oil, almond butter and vanilla and whisk to combine.2 bananas, 200 ml (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) almond or oat milk, 60 ml (¼ cup) rapeseed oil, 60 g (¼ cup) almond butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir gently until just combined.
- Toss the blueberries in a little flour and add them to the batter (try not to add too much excess flour). Stir to combine.125 g (1 cup) blueberries
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cases. Top with extra blueberries and a sprinkling of rolled oats if desired.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Natalie says
I’ve always been a bit unsure of plant based cakes, as my diet includes a range of animal derived products. However these muffins - WOW! You cannot tell they are vegan, healthier too! I definitely recommend these. Give them a go!
Sasha says
Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Michelle Alston says
Ah lovely Sasha, I know how you feel. But, please believe that you are better than you think, your work is perfectly gorgeous, always! But I know this space can be tough and lonely! You are not here alone though, I always check in to see your lovely posts x As far as balance goes, switching everything off works for me and giving myself permission to not post anything if I don't feel like it. The art of slow blogging is my favourite thing right now 😉 Xx
Sasha says
Aww you're so sweet Michelle, thank you! You're right, it can be really lonely so thank you for being there for me 🙂 the art of slow blogging, I love that! xx
Monica | Nourish & Fete says
Oh, Sasha, I so relate to what you've written here - it is so easy to let self-doubt overcome us, especially in this strange world of food blogging, no? But I for one am not only reading but absolutely love your work, both your recipes and absolutely gorgeous photography - like for example how these muffins, both the process shots and finished products, make my mouth water!! So please keep doing what you're doing, at least as long as it brings you joy!
Sasha says
Monica - this comment absolutely made my day! Thank you for such kind words. 🙂 xx
Sue G says
Thank you, not just for great recipes and beautiful photos, but for your frankness. I guess we all feel we are less than we should be sometimes and it's nice to hear we are not alone in that. Love the gratitude journal idea - exactly what I need at the moment.
Sasha says
You're right Sue, we really aren't alone. Thank you for your kind comment 🙂
Christine @ Happy Veggie Kitchen says
Fantastic recipe, I love how much thought you putting in to making healthy swaps while keeping the muffins delicious. Just the style of baking I enjoy for my family. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sasha says
Oh thank you Christine, I'm so glad you like the recipe!
Jack says
These muffins look amazing, and I made them last night! They are so moreish!
Sasha says
Great! So glad you enjoyed them!