Make Ahead

The Best Breakfast Muffins

Name: The Best Breakfast Muffins
Yield: Makes 12 Muffins
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups Almond Flour; 3 Bananas; 3 Eggs(Organic if possible); 3 Medium Carrots, Shredded; 3/4 cup Walnuts(or other nuts), Chopped; 1/8 cup Grapeseed Oil; 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar; 2 teaspoons Baking Soda; 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt; 2 teaspoons Cinnamon; 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup or Apple Juice Concentrate; 1/4 cup Options: Dried Cranberries, Currents, Diced apple, Fresh berries; 2 teaspoons Chia Seeds and or Flax Meal

by: DailyMeals

June 10, 2011

3.6

14 Ratings

Makes 12 Muffins

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This is the recipe that gets used most often in my house. I make these every 2 weeks without fail, as my go to "I'm running out the door" breakfast. They are packed with nutrition and easy for anyone (even non-bakers like me!) to make. I first came across the recipe when I was researching paleo diets, and it's stuck with me. I always change it up a bit but the base is the same- eggs, almond flour, banana, and carrot. - DailyMeals
They never get boring because the options are endless. Enjoy. —DailyMeals

Test Kitchen Notes

DailyMeals gives us a solid and versatile breakfast muffin recipe that will take care of us in the morning. With a wonderfully moist texture, this muffin packs a bounty of health in every bite. Banana, carrot and egg team up with almond flour, grapeseed oil and flax meal. I love the way that the apple cider vinegar combines with the baking soda. I added both poppy seeds and fresh blueberries in a rustic batter that I hand mixed. The recipe yielded 15 absolutely delicious muffins, which lasted me all week! These muffins fill you with that happy anticipation each morning of a great breakfast. Whether you slowly savor one with a cup of coffee or have to dash off to work in minutes flat, these muffins deliver. Whip up a batch today! - Sagegreen —Sagegreen

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

2 cups Almond Flour
3 Bananas
3 Eggs(Organic if possible)
3 Medium Carrots, Shredded
³/₄ cup Walnuts(or other nuts), Chopped
¹/₈ cup Grapeseed Oil
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup or Apple Juice Concentrate
¹/₄ cup Options: Dried Cranberries, Currents, Diced apple, Fresh berries
2 teaspoons Chia Seeds and or Flax Meal

Directions

(Preheat oven to 350) First, shred your carrot. I use my food processor because its easier, although it does make the carrot quite juicy so you may have to squeeze out excess moisture, or grate with a hand grater. I never measure the carrots exactly, but it should be about 1 1-2 to 2 cups.
Next, smash your bananas with a fork in a medium bowl. Add oil, vinegar, cinnamon, and eggs. Mix with a hand mixer for a minute or so until you have a pretty smooth consistency(there will be some lumps from the banana).
Now add all of your optional ingredients. Here's where I add my apple juice concentrate, dried cranberries, chia seeds, flax meal, and nuts. Stir to combine.
Now mix your flour with the baking soda and add 1/2 the flour mixture at a time into your banana/egg mix. Gently stir to combine.
Last but not least add your carrot. It will take a bit of work to break it all up and make sure the batter is well mixed.
Add to nonstick muffin tins(use paper liners or a silicone tray). This should make 12 muffins. Bake for about 25-35 minutes. Times will vary as this tends to be a very moist muffin. So if you like them a bit drier just cook for a few more minutes. It also depends on the add ons you've put in and their moisture content.
These are impossible to mess up, and a really delicious and super nutritious. Some other variations include: substituting hazelnut meal for some of the almond meal, or adding a bit of steel cut oats if you feel the batter is too wet.

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44 Reviews

dini February 1, 2024

Just LOVE this recipe so much! It is a staple I make every week.

I turned it into a loaf! And I do cook it for closer to an hour.

I also cut out the oil and mape syrup, because of my restricted diet. And it is still moist and delicious.

It's a keeper. Thank you

Monica B. October 29, 2023

These were perfect. i substituted coconut flour for half the almond meal. It soaked up some of the moisture and made it light but hearty. Also used frozen pineapple inside. Excellent recpe

tucker20 September 25, 2023

I found this recipe to be excellent - just made my first batch - not wet or soggy at all...moist and delicious. I hand-grated the carrots. I dislike recipes that make more than 12 muffins because my pan hold 12 large muffins and the remaining batter continues to rise until I can get the first batch from the oven and out of the pan.

Ellen M. February 22, 2021

I've been making these muffins for years, so often that I know the recipe by heart. When I insert a sharp knife and it comes out clean I know they are done. They are moist but I've never had a problem with sogginess. I'm careful about my sodium intake so I cut the salt by half (at least). Tart dried cherries add a nice tang. These muffins also freeze well. Thank you DailyMeals for this delicious, nutritious recipe!

Amanda January 27, 2021

I’m really surprised this was ‘test kitchen approved’. I agree with many other people, the muffins are quite soggy in the middle and the amount of salt + baking soda is really overpowering - to say to throw in a handful of oats in the end if too soggy seems like a lack of recipe testing. While some might like that there is very little sweetness, I found it quite bland.

tideport December 30, 2017

What is the equivalent of 3 medium carrots, if one can't eat carrots? If bananas are not in season, is there anything to replace them with that is the right amount of gooey / moist (but not too moist)?

tideport December 30, 2017

to clarify, what is the approximate equivalent of 3 medium carrots in cups (if I use apples instead, for example). Thanks!!

DailyMeals December 30, 2017

Hi! I would guess it’s about 2 cups- you could try shredded apple if you squeeze out some of the moisture or you could try shredded coconut or even some rolled oats but you would add less oats as they will definitely dry hem out more

Windischgirl December 30, 2017

You could substitute zucchini or apples for the carrots. Wondering where you live that bananas are not in season? I’m in the mid-Atlantic on the East Coast of the USA and we always have bananas in the markets, and cheap, too.
I suppose you could substitute applesauce, another fruit purée (like pears or squash), or even lekvar, adjusting the sugar to taste. The bananas add moisture and sweetness and a bit of pectin to help hold the mixture together.

Akiko October 12, 2015

Thanks for the recipe! I agreed with others who made the comments here. The muffins were a bit too salty for me. I would reduce the amount of salt, and also use half almond meal and half flour next time. The texture of the muffins felt too wet. Adding shredded coconut sounds good:-)

Julie August 30, 2015

A tsp of salt is WAY TOO MUCH! Next time I will only add half. I used half almond meal and half whole wheat flour and I really like the texture and consistency. Unfortunately, the salt is killing it for me.

Connie April 25, 2015

To+wet;+disappointed;+almond+flour+isn't+cheap+either+:(

Dina A. March 1, 2015

I love how healthy and tasty these are, but I agree with another person that they came out too wet! I found myself eating it and fearing they were undercooked so I put the muffins back in for another 10 minutes, to find they weren't any firmer. Maybe half flour/half almond flour would do the trick?

DailyMeals March 12, 2015

Hi Dina! What I started doing is using coconut oil and/or grass fed butter in place of the oil- since coconut oil is solid at room temp it helps with the wetness

asthmagirl December 9, 2014

I just made these tonight and they were pretty fantastic. I used sunflower oil instead of grape seed and whole wheat flour instead of almond because that is what I had on hand. I threw in shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, pomegranate seeds (hopefully they stay good), and I almost threw in poppy seeds but I forgot. I will certainly make them again. I will also note that the bananas I used were super ripe.

Grace A. November 12, 2014

These muffins taste amazing, but they came out too wet using only almond flour. Next time I would do a flour mixture with half almond and half regular to help them dry up a little.

Windischgirl November 1, 2014

Thanks for this recipe; it suits my improvisational baking style! I made "clear out the pantry" muffins, using a combination of bran cereal, almond meal, and AP flour; added in a bag of frozen cranberries; used sunflower seeds for the nuts; and supplemented the fresh carrots with some cooked shredded carrots (told you I was cleaning up!). I think they will be a healthy and hearty breakfast for me this week.

Nyborg May 26, 2014

Best GF muffin recipe I've ever made, and I've made too many to count. I cut the recipe in half and so had a little extra egg in there, which only improved them, I suppose. Added blueberries. This recipe yields muffins that are not too sweet, and have a really great texture.

natasha September 14, 2013

i discovered your site yesterday ! I LOVE IT! I LOOOOOOVE IT! i just made these muffins, without a DOUBT the best muffin recipe i have ever come across! and i have looked at many as i have quite a severe sensitivity to gluten ! mmmmm good!

Chelsey1818 July 3, 2013

I made these for a camping trip and they were delicious! I added fresh rasberries, dried cranberries, and coconut shavings. Super healthy and tasty!

MnCampCook May 15, 2013

My family can't get enough of these muffins. The basic recipe is has handled any improvisation I've thrown at it. I usually use 4 eggs and add a cup of rolled oats. I've also decreased the cinnamon to 1 tsp. and added 1/2 tsp each of ginger and mace. I love nuts and dried fruits so I don't limit those additions to 1/4 cup. The batch is generally 24 to 28 small muffins that disappear quickly. Thanks for such a great recipe!

DailyMeals May 16, 2013

Thanks MnCampCook! I just recently started putting dried sour cherries...its fun to always mix it up! So glad your family likes them

adele93 February 4, 2013

would a combination of almond meal and whole wheat flour work as a sub for almond flour?

Daria F. January 24, 2013

These guys are great!
I was going to substitute almond flour with smth I have, but then decided to go ahead and buy one. It takes time to make (more than I think most of the muffin recipes do), but it worths it! seriously, you are having the whole great healthy breakfast packed in this little treat.

Kelly W. January 17, 2013

Hi - I made them with 1/2 maize flour and 1/2 whole spelt flour and they were great. Think you'd be fine with whole wheat.

Daria F. January 17, 2013

Thank you! Spelt is a good idea, I'll try spelt/whole wheat;) Excited!

Daria F. January 17, 2013

also interested in using whole wheat flour. will it work the same way?

WoooPigSooie January 13, 2013

Has anyone tried whole wheat flour instead of almond flour?

Kelly W. January 12, 2013

Do you think I can substitute Doves Farm gluten free flour for the Almond flour?

AEC December 18, 2012

Definitely going to try these Any reason canola oil cannot substitute for the grapeseed?

db7 November 9, 2012

oops, I see its already in there, my bad.

db7 November 9, 2012

Jessica, if you try it with applesauce maybe also try adding some ground flax meal mixed in water to act as a binder. Maybe 2 TBSPs. If you look at some vegan recipes it should give you a good ratio to use

starving_artist November 11, 2011

This recipe is amazing. I went with raspberries and dried apples. Huge hit!

FrancesRen September 20, 2011

I made it this AM and loved how every delicious bite, I'm not thinking of the amount of butter, sugar and white flour in it. Mine turned out a bit moist this time, going to try to bake it a bit longer and see how it turns out! Thanks for the recipe!

DailyMeals July 3, 2011

Thanks Sagegreen for your review! :)

Sagegreen July 3, 2011

My pleasure, DailyMeals. I added a photo, too.

JessicaBakes June 24, 2011

I know this makes me weird, but I absolutely loathe bananas. Suggestions for other fruit that could take its place well?

DailyMeals June 24, 2011

Hi Jessica, you could try applesauce/purée perhaps... I havent tried it but it seems like maybe it could work. Maybe 1-1/2 to 2 cups, or equivilant to 3 bananas. I would love to know if you make it work!(we are having a severe banana shortage here in Oz)

Sagegreen June 25, 2011

Yum, thanks DailyMeals for this great versatile recipe. I used 2 small bananas, since you suggested this recipe was forgiving, along with fresh blueberries and poppy seeds. Love the flavors and JessicBakes, I really don't taste banana much at all. I think if you tried a small banana with some applesauce you would get all the great moistness without any detectable banana flavor. I think rhubarb would be great in these! Do report back whatever you try.

JessicaBakes July 7, 2011

Ha...trust me, I can literally detect ANY banana. I mean, i can smell banana from across the room and feel the need to leave. It's pretty bad for someone who loves baking! Love the pumpkin puree idea though...going to try to make these for some upcoming airplane travel and will let you all know how it goes!

DailyMeals June 23, 2011

Thanks Sagegreen..hope you like them, its the most versatile recipe, i love it!

Sagegreen June 23, 2011

What attracts me to make these is how healthy they sound. I anticipate that they will also taste wonderful with carrots and almond meal....maybe a bit carrot cake-like? I will use fresh blueberries, too. I picked up ground flax meal. Wasn't sure if golden or whole would be better, but as you say, they sound versatile. Looking forward to these. I always love how the editors ferret out those overlooked, almost hidden recipes where no one has yet commented.