This classic breakfast baked good gets a few upgrades with my Vegan Blueberry Muffins!  It is just the right amount of sweetness, and the high fiber content will keep you satiated.  Keep reading to learn my tips on making these the best muffins ever!

Vegan Blueberry Muffins

One of my Vegan Blueberry Muffins is an ideal breakfast on the go for me. It has just the right amount of sweetness to get me excited about the day ahead and has enough fiber to keep me satiated till lunch—or the next muffin.

Bananas in Baking

Bananas are for more than just banana bread! Bananas are put to work in my Vegan Blueberry Muffins as an egg replacement.  They provide the structure, some leavening and lots of flavor.  As a rule of thumb, one banana replaces one egg in baked goods.

Bananas can also be used to replace oil and butter in recipes if your goal is for a low fat muffin.  In my Vegan Blueberry Muffins, I add oil because fat equals flavor and moisture! If using bananas as a fat replacement, I recommend using a low gluten flour such as cake four and reducing the baking time.

Similar to making banana bread you want the banana to be fully ripe or even overripe when making my Vegan Blueberry Muffins.  As bananas and almost all fruits ripen, the starch turns to sugar becoming sweeter and more aromatic.  It is also much easier to mash a ripe banana than a green banana.

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour¹

I used to use all-purpose flour for everything, from muffins to cakes and cookies it was all I had in my cabinet.  Until I learned how the varying gluten content of the different types of flour—cake, all-purpose, whole wheat and pastry—have such a big impact on the final product!

I buy whole wheat pastry flour, and most my flours from Bob’s Red Mill.  I like this flour for my Vegan Blueberry Muffins for many reasons.  First, it has a high nutrient content because the entire wheat berry—germ, bran and endosperm—is included in the flour. That means this flour is high in fiber and B-vitamins.

The next reason I love this flour is that the lower protein content makes my Vegan Blueberry Muffins tender and extra fluffy.  It is also great to use for quick breads, flaky pie crusts, layer cakes, cookies, biscuits, and the fluffiest pancakes.

Overmixed Muffins!

My Vegan Blueberry Muffins are delicious—as long as they are not overmixed! Overmixed muffins become tough, gummy and chewy, no thank you.  It’s a common mistake that I made all the time when I started baking.

Most baked good get their rise from baking powder, which is a mix of a base, usually sodium bicarbonate and an acid such as cream of tartar. It is activated when it is combined with water or another liquid, causing the acid to start bubbling the base, which produces carbon dioxide.

When the batter is overmixed, the carbon dioxide runs out before the muffins can even reach the oven.  To avoid overmixing, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are no longer visible.  If any lumps remain, it is not a big deal! Repeat, lumps are ok! They will hydrate quickly in the heat of the oven.²

Overmixing also causes overdevelopment of the gluten leading to a super tough muffin with tunnels and a less than puffy muffin top.  Using whole wheat pastry flour for my Vegan Blueberry Muffins helps because it has a lower gluten content.  Still, you need to be wary, and mix the muffin batter just until all the ingredients of my Vegan Blueberry Muffins batter is incorporated.

Let’s Get Baking!

We are so close to eating some Vegan Blueberry Muffins! Make sure to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Then, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  This will make for a more supple dough and help make overmixing less of a concern.³

Pour the Vegan Blueberry Muffins batter into a greased muffin tin or into muffin liners placed inside a muffin tin.  I like checking that the muffins are done with a toothpick, they are ready when the toothpick comes out clean.  Lastly, allow the muffins to cool for just a few minutes in the tin. Then, transfer to a cooling rack (if you have one), otherwise the muffins will continue to cook and dry out. Enjoy!

Similar Pages

Looking for more baked goods? Try my Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins, Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins or my Healthy Carrot Muffins.

References

1. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods. Accessed October 25, 2020. https://www.bobsredmill.com/whole-wheat-pastry-flour.html
2. Chemical Leavening Formulation | Baking Processes. BAKERpedia. Accessed November 21, 2020. https://bakerpedia.com/processes/chemical-leavening-formulation/
3. Mixing Dough or Batter: Wet into Dry or Dry into Wet? | Cook’s Illustrated. Accessed February 5, 2021. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/6522-mixing-dough-or-batter-wet-into-dry-or-dry-into-wet

Vegan blueberry muffins

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack

Keyword: blueberry, muffins, vegan, vegan blueberry muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup maple sugar
• 1 banana mashed
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425°F. Line muffin tin with baking cups.
• In a large bowl, combine pastry flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, bananas, almond milk, and vanilla.
• Add wet ingredients into dry and combine gently. Fold in blueberries.
• Scoop out batter into muffin tin, filling each spot approximately 2/3 full.
• Place in the oven for 25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool before serving.

Video

Notes

Note: can use fresh blueberries in place of frozen