Triple Berry "Whole Grain" Gluten Free Muffins (Vegan, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Let's be honest: there are countless healthy muffin recipes online and all of them probably claim to be The Best Healthy Muffin Recipe Ever. My triple berry gluten free muffins, though, are something special. Why?

Well, first of all, this isn't just a gluten free muffin recipe; it's also a vegan muffin recipe that is free of refined sugar and oil...but still tastes finger-lickin' good. Thanks to quinoa and buckwheat flour, these gluten free muffins also have a hardier flavor and a moister texture than most of the gluten free muffins you can find in stores. (If you miss starting the day with a whole wheat muffin, these gluten free muffins might be just what you need).

The last reason why these triple berry muffins need to land on your menu ASAP? These babies taste like a healthy blueberry muffin on steroids. Adding pieces of raspberries and blackberries creates a scrumptious mix of sweet and tart bites - especially since this is a healthy banana muffin recipe at the base. In fact, I may or may not have devoured half a dozen in only a few days. Apparently, I can't resist enjoying a soft, moist and berry-packed muffin for a gluten free snack!

Ingredients for Your Triple Berry Gluten Free Muffins:

Ready to try out this vegan muffin recipe for yourself? Start by gathering a few simple ingredients. This makes around 15 medium vegan muffins.

Healthy Muffin Dry Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa flour, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Bob Red Mill's 1-for-1 gluten free baking flour). 

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1-2 tsp cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon in all of my baked goods!)

Healthy Muffin Wet Ingredients:

1 medium banana, mashed
1 chia egg (1 TBSP ground chia seeds + 3 TBSP water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups watered down cashew milk (can sub with another kind of dairy free milk or regular milk)
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

Instructions to Make the Best Healthy Muffins

These gluten free muffins are also simple to make! To start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and whip up your chia egg. For the chia egg, all you need to do is mix 1 TSBP of ground chia seeds with 2 TBSP of water. You can either use pre-ground chia seeds or grind your own with a high-speed blender or coffee grinder. Once the ground chia seeds and water are combined, set aside your chia-water mix to gel.

Then, add all of your dry ingredients into one bowl. In another bowl, mash your banana and add one cup of your milk and your vanilla extract. After giving your chia egg around 10 to 15 minutes to gel, pour it into your other wet ingredients and mix. Now the fun part: combine your wet and dry ingredients and stir thoroughly. Add the other 1/4 cup of dairy free milk and make sure your gluten free muffin batter is well incorporated. The batter should end up being pretty wet. If your vegan muffin dough is too dry to mix together easily, though, add a little extra milk or water.

Finally, pour 1/2 cup of mixed berries into your dough and fold them in. I used a mix of frozen blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, but you can certainly use any of the cheap summer berries hanging around in your fridge. If you use strawberries, be sure to chop or break them up so all of your fruit is about the same size (mine were roughly the size of dimes).

Now all you have to do is transfer your gluten free muffin mix into a paper-lined muffin tin (these muffins are extra moist, so I definitely recommend using muffin liners for easy removal and to encourage your muffins to stay together). I filled up each liner to the halfway mark and ended up with around 15 muffins.

Pop your healthy blueberry muffins in the oven and let them do their thang for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You'll know that the muffins are ready when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. (FYI: these healthy muffins don't rise as high as some of my other gluten free baked goods, so don't depend on height to tell if these gluten free muffins are done). Baking time can differ depending on your oven and where you live (I'm in Colorado, which means high elevation!), so I'd suggest checking at the 10-minute mark and going from there.

Let your muffins cool for 15 minutes or so, and then dig in! My favorite part about these gluten free muffins is biting into a huge pocket of berries. Add some nut butter on top and it's like eating a delicious and allergy-friendly PB&J sandwich! I also enjoy these healthy muffins crumbled on a (vegan) yogurt parfait, as a topping to my morning smoothie bowl or as a gluten free snack when I'm on the go.

How can you make this healthy muffin recipe your own? I haven't tried any ingredients besides the ones that I listed above; however, you could probably use just quinoa flour, buckwheat flour or all purpose flour. The texture of the muffins will change, though. You could also try adding some chocolate chips or cacao powder if you're craving a sweeter treat or superfood powders like maca or turmeric for an extra healthy muffin recipe. If you want some hidden veggies, you can even make a "greens muffin" by blending the milk with spinach or another leafy green before adding it to the batter (like with my mini baked green pancakes)! As always, use this gluten free muffin recipe as a springboard for your perfect muffin.

Like this recipe? Tweet it out by clicking here: "Blueberry muffins got an upgrade w/ triple berry #glutenfree muffins! #Vegan, #oilfree & #sugarfree! @collegeceliackc http://bit.ly/2vmASYi"

The truth is, I've always been partial to a good blueberry muffin recipe. As I've shared before, blueberries are my favorite berry - and what could be better than a fluffy muffin filled with juicy berries? After tasting these triple berry gluten free muffins, though, I think that I have a new favorite.

Because the only thing better than blueberry muffins has to be (secretly healthy) muffins with three times the berries and three times the flavor!

To save this recipe for later or print it out for when you're cooking, use the image below!

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Triple Berry "Whole Grain" Gluten Free Muffins (Vegan, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free)

by Casey Cromwell / Casey the College Celiac July-17-2017

Craving a healthy blueberry muffin recipe that is free of allergens but packed with flavor? Then these triple berry gluten free muffins are exactly what you need! Thanks to quinoa and buckwheat flour, these vegan muffins have a "whole grains" flavor. And, despite being oil free and refined sugar free, these gluten free muffins will disappear before you know it!

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa flour
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1 (1 TBSP ground chia seeds + 3 TBSP water) chia egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups watered down cashew milk
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries

Instructions

1. o start, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and whip up your chia egg. For the chia egg, all you need to do is mix 1 TSBP of ground chia seeds with 2 TBSP of water. You can either use pre-ground chia seeds or grind your own with a high-speed blender or coffee grinder. Once the ground chia seeds and water are combined, set aside your chia-water mix to gel.2. Then, add all of your dry ingredients into one bowl.3. In another bowl, mash your banana and add one cup of your milk and your vanilla extract. After giving your chia egg around 10 to 15 minutes to gel, pour it into your other wet ingredients and mix.4. Now the fun part: combine your wet and dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.5. Add the other 1/4 cup of dairy free milk and make sure your gluten free muffin batter is well incorporated. The batter should end up being pretty wet. If your vegan muffin dough is too dry to mix together easily, though, add a little extra milk or water.6. Finally, pour 1/2 cup of mixed berries into your dough and fold them in. I used a mix of frozen blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, but you can certainly use any of the cheap summer berries hanging around in your fridge. If you use strawberries, be sure to chop or break them up so all of your fruit is about the same size (mine were roughly the size of dimes).7. Now all you have to do is transfer your gluten free muffin mix into a paper-lined muffin tin (these muffins are extra moist, so I definitely recommend using muffin liners for easy removal and to encourage your muffins to stay together). I filled up each liner to the halfway mark and ended up with around 15 muffins.8. Pop your healthy blueberry muffins in the oven and let them do their thang for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. You'll know that the muffins are ready when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 9. Let your muffins cool for 15 minutes or so, and then dig in!

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 18 mins Total time: 48 mins Yield: 15 medium muffins

*Also found at Snickerdoodle Sunday, What'd You Do This Weekend, Made by You Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Terrific Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, RunningWithSpoons*

What is your favorite kind of muffin? Do you miss a "whole grain" flavor in your gluten free baked goods? Tell me in the comments!