Designed to taste like old-fashioned bran muffins, these healthy, delicious, and not-too-sweet muffins–made with chickpea flour & flaxseed meal– are grain-free, gluten-free & vegan.
While blueberry and lemon poppyseed rank as favorites for many, bran muffins–hearty, cinnamon-spiced, and lightly sweetened with molasses or brown sugar–are definitely my jam.
Fueled by my affection, I decided to try something a wee bit wacky.
Bran muffins. Without the bran.
Not only free of bran, but free of all grains.
It took several rounds of testing, but (cue the fireworks; a great muffin recipe deserves fireworks, right?), but I did it!They really do taste like bran muffins! Perhaps, even better.
Most of all, they are marvelous, by any measure.
Whether you embrace or eschew grains, you will love these muffins. I used a combination of chickpea flour and flaxseed meal to create the tender, yet hearty, texture, and a bit of dark molasses (I used blackstrap) and mashed, ripe banana for subtle yet deeply flavorful sweetness.
In addition to being free of grains, the muffins are:
*Vegan
*Gluten-free
*High in fiber (more than the average bran muffin!)
*Low in sugar
*Low in fat
*Only 123 calories per muffin
They are also fast, easy and frugal to make (always high on my list for simple breakfast recipes), child-approved (cinnamon and vanilla always help on that front), and, like all muffins, incredibly convenient for breakfast on the run.
They are pretty great on the weekends, too, when you have time to slather on some of your favorite preserves and savor a second cup of coffee :).
Another bonus: unlike traditional muffins, these muffins taste even better on day two. Or three. A few minutes of baking leads to multiple days of satisfying breakfasts and snacks. Go ahead, make two batches.
Although delectable plain, enjoy embellishing these otherwise humble muffins in multiple ways (e.g., dried fruit, chocolate, additional spices, and more).
They are definitely keepers!
Happy baking, everyone. I’m off to the kitchen for another no-bran muffin 🙂
Making this recipe? I would love to see it!
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- 1 cup chickpea flour
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- 1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup finely mashed, very ripe banana
- ½ cup nondairy milk
- 2 tablespoons dark molasses
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or grease 8 cups of a standard size muffin pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until blended, being sure to break up any and all lumps in the chickpea flour.
- In a large bowl, stir together the banana, milk, molasses, oil and vanilla until blended. Add the flour mixture, whisking until blended and smooth.
- Divide batter evenly between the prepared cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes until the surface of muffins appears dry and a toothpick inserted near center of muffins comes out with only moist crumbs attached.
- Cool in pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from pan and serve warm or cool completely.
Sweetener Options: An equal amount of maple syrup or honey (if not strictly vegan) can be used in place of the molasses.
Bananas: Be sure to use very ripe, soft bananas for the recipe. It will take about 1-1/2 medium-large bananas to equal ¾ cup mashed. Be sure to measure the mashed banana for best results.
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