Light, tender and soft Vegan Blueberry Coconut Banana Muffins made with ground flaxseed and coconut oil. These muffins are sweetened with pure maple syrup for a healthy morning treat.
Do you believe in magic??? I’m a realist, so magic isn’t quite on my believe radar, but it’s days like today that I question it’s existence.
Why you ask? What makes today so special that it questions my core beliefs?
Um, I just mixed up some batter with no eggs, no dairy, no gluten, and no refined sugar. Here’s the magic part; somehow, someway, this concoction resulted in miraculously delicious tender little muffins that taste just like banana bread!
Really, I am still in shock and quite floored by this result. I literally sat in front of the oven for the entire 20 minutes that it took to bake these breakfast miracles, ooing and awing at the fact that my muffins were rising and actually baking. I mean, I’ve heard of using ground flaxseed as egg replacers, but I didn’t believe that it actually worked…until now.
I was skeptical pulling them out of the oven thinking, “You may look like muffins, but do you taste like muffins???”
Kind of like how you look at every single picture on Pinterest these days wondering, “Do you really taste as good as you look?” Because, let me tell you, there are more times than not where I precisely follow recipes only to discover that they neither look nor taste like the item described or pictured on the internet. It can feel quite defeating.
So to avoid utter disappointed, I sat and stared at these banana muffins for a good 10 minutes before I was brave enough to even try one. And I was quite satisfied to discover that what you see is exactly what you get with these.
Muffins that look like muffins = muffins that taste like muffins. Score!
These Vegan Blueberry Coconut Banana Muffins have a light and tender crumb, without the foul gummy texture that most vegan and gluten free items give off. They have a delicate banana flavor and can be mixed with a handful of fresh blueberries, or chocolate chips if you’re feeling really crazy…or if you just have chocoholic children like I do.
I sweetened the muffins with pure maple syrup, leaving them free of any refined sugar (unless you add the chocolate chips, wink wink). With the mashed bananas and maple syrup, these muffins aren’t lacking in the least with sweetness. Just like the Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Bread, my children thought these muffins were “treats”.
I loved topping these muffins with toasted coconut for even more texture and a little crunch, but they are just as delicious without. I tell you, my kids are picky, and as much as I try to get them to eat coconut, sometimes they just won’t. So I always make sure to leave a handful of muffins “naked” for my little crazies.
Ben even slipped one of these muffins into his lunchbox the next day for work. Again, what is it with him taking initiative to pack his own lunches. I’m starting to think there may be a hidden agenda here…
I’d love to hear from any of you vegans out there about any tips and tricks you have to make your recipes delicious. I’m going to make a conscious effort to create a few more vegan and dairy free recipes for those of you who require or choose those diets. It’s a fun challenge to embrace.
What’s your favorite muffin mix-in?
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 6 tablespoons warm water
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten free oat flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour
- ⅓ cup coconut flour
- ⅓ cup potato starch
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- 1 cup finely mashed bananas (3-4)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus enough Silk Original Coconut Milk to equal ¾ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾-1 cup washed and dried blueberries (optional)*
- ¾ cup dairy free chocolate chips (optional)
- ¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine warm water and ground flaxseed and stir. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes. In another small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and enough coconut milk to equal ¾ cup. Stir and let sit while you are measuring your dry ingredients.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl sift together gluten free oat flour, tapioca starch, coconut flour, potato starch, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil, mashed bananas, vanilla, and lemon juice/coconut milk mixture. Whisk until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in blueberries or chocolate chips.
- Fill muffin cups ¾ full with batter. Top with sweetened coconut flakes if desired. Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes or until tops are stiff and toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan on cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and directly onto cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Serve slightly warm. Store extra completely cooled muffins in airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
