This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Morning Glory Muffin recipe makes the perfect healthy and easy breakfast. Filled with zucchini, carrots, coconut, nuts, and spices, you can feel good feeding these to your family every morning. Great for making ahead and freezing for busy days or snacks. You’ll love having these on hand! While you’re mixing up your breakfast routine you have to try my Cinnamon Muffins and Banana Bread Muffins.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is a healthy and nutritious recipe worth making and not just because this is a perfect way to get your kids to eat veggies willingly! Mwahaha! These healthy morning glory muffins are based on my mom’s carrot cake muffin recipe, but I added in a bunch of fun goodies like grated zucchini, chopped walnuts, shredded unsweetened coconut, unsweetened applesauce and replaced a lot of the processed sugar with real maple syrup. Lots of goodies shoved into a soft and sweet breakfast muffin. YUM.
Ingredients For Morning Glory Muffins
I know this is a long list of ingredients, but they are healthy ingredients that are so good for you!
- unsweetened coconut– adds a bit of chewiness and texture to the muffins.
- unsweetened applesauce– adds moisture to the muffins making them soft.
- granulated sugar– adds just a bit of sweetness.
- all purpose flour– fills out the muffin. See my note below about making these gluten free.
- zucchini + carrot– use a box grater to shred. Be sure to remove as much moisture as possible from the shredded zucchini. I use a tea towel to do this.
- maple syrup– use a pure maple syrup for best flavor.
- walnuts– chopped, and optional.
- pantry staples– eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, oil (coconut oil, avocado oil or vegetable oil).
Pro Tip: Yes, you can make these muffins gluten free! Simply substitute the all purpose flour for Pamela’s Gluten Free Flour Blend at a 1:1 ratio. It’s the only flour blend I consistently get great results with. Bob’s Red Mill also has a decent flour blend, but I much prefer Pamela’s.
How To Make Morning Glory Muffins
Believe it or not, the hardest part of this recipe is grating all the veggies, which is not hard at all, just mostly time consuming. Besides that, it’s a very straight forward recipe. For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is step-by-step directions for how to make these muffins:
Preheat + Prep
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a standard 12 cup-muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
Make Muffin Batter
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, coconut and walnuts together until combined. Add in the grated zucchini and carrot.
Pour in the wet ingredients (applesauce, maple syrup, eggs, oil and vanilla). Stir until just combined.
Fill Muffin Cups + Bake
Scoop into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve warm or wait until cooled completely.
Recipe Variations
There are several different versions of Morning Glory Muffins, all with different variations of the following ingredients. If you’d like to experiment and make this recipe your own, feel free to switch up the ingredients I used with any of these:
- finely chopped pineapple (drain thoroughly)
- grated apple (Granny Smith apple would be great here)
- raisins, golden raisins or Craisins
- other chopped nuts like almonds, pecans, or pistachios
- pepitas or sunflower seeds
- additional spices like nutmeg, allspice or pumpkin pie spice
- ground flax seed or hemp seed
Not only do you get a lovely spiced muffin, but you get extra boost of vitamins from the grated veggies, nuts and seeds!
Storing Muffins
Muffins can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Make Ahead + Freeze
These also freeze really well! Allow to cool completely before placing in a freezer safe container or ziploc bag. Remove as much air as possible. Muffins will stay fresh for up to 2-3 months.
Love Muffins? Try These Other Delicious Muffin Recipes:
- Bakery Style Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Skinny Mini Banana Muffins
- Pumpkin Swirl Donut Bread
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
I hope you rotate these delicious breakfast muffins into your mornings! Enjoy with a glass of orange juice and have the best start to your morning! So tasty. The printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends. 🙂
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shredded
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 cup zucchini grated and wrung out
- 2 cups carrot grated
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, coconut and walnuts until combined. Add in zucchini and carrot and stir.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add in the wet ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together and then start to incorporate the dry into the wet using a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Scoop into prepared tins and bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool 7 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Wow! I made these this morning. Didn’t tweak the recipe at all. It was perfect the way it is. The muffins are delicious! Thank you!
I had all the ingredients except apple sauce. I ended up making applesauce from the apples I had on hand (honey crisp). The muffins came out tasting oh, so good! Your recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
I love these muffins! They are so good that I keep buying zucchini to make more!
Coincidentally I (finally) made these muffins for the first time yesterday from the recipe I got from you January 2017. They are a hit!! Thank you always for sharing with the rest of us!
You didn’t state how full to fill the liners.
These are wonderful I started making few moths ago. As fall approached I have made them with zucchini squash and pumpkin. I use what ever I have in house figs,raisins, nuts. The recipe is solid and works well with any change
except I tend to bake them longer. I also replaced apple sauce and syrup with fig puree I jar when I have an abundance of extra figs. I have tried removing sugar and replacing with monk fruit ( Costco ) but I cut it back to half a cup because it has a higher sweet point.
I made these exactly as the recipe called and they were great! The only down side is there is a lot of sugar… next time I’m going to try to substitute some of the sugar and cross my fingers they taste as good. Thank you for the recipe. My 3yr old likes them also
Delicious! Sweet, but in a maple syrup way. However, the muffins are extremely dense and I followed the recipe to the tablespoon. ??
I’m 85 years old and the only eater in my home. Made 2 sizes, large size for breakfast and small for snacks. I will make again and will add crushed pineapple. VERY tasty and healthier than what I’v been eating.
Excellent. J’ai changé la farine blanche pour de la farine de blé. J’ai aussi réduit la quantité de sucre.
AMAZING!! I misread the recipe and added two cups of zucchini instead of just one and it still worked out perfectly! Great recipe-thank you!
Can I use apple instead of zucchini?
sure!
Could I use oat flour for this recipe & still have zucchini or pineapple added? Thank you!
Yes, oat flour would work fine in place of all purpose.
I have made these several times and everyone loves them! I typically just put in the shredded zucchini and carrots and have used plain greek yogurt in place of the applesauce and it comes out great! I also enjoy that you offer it in metrics as well 🙂
For the zucchini, is the 1 cup measured before or after it has been wrung out? These sound really good!
Great questions! Measure the zucchini after it’s been wrung out.
Could you use stevea for the sugar, I’m a diabetic
[…] https://laurenslatest.com/morning-glory-muffins/ […]
Thanks so much these are amazing!
My girls and I have enjoyed making these and so easy . I add a tsp of nutmeg for the perfect kick☺️
Easy & Taste GReat!
Easy & Taste GReat!
Loved these! Cut down on the sugar slightly and subbed one cup of the flour with whole wheat. Whole family loved them!
[…] This article and recipe adapted from this site […]
I have made morning glory muffins before and I thought ok tried and well ……… but I had lots of carrots and zucchini so ok try this one left in my pile to try and I have to say I am glad I did. These are delicious got 18 . Thank you for sharing the recipe
[…] This article and recipe adapted from this site […]
I made these today. I didn’t have applesauce but I had crushed pineapple .I added about 1/2 cup. crushed pineapple in. Also I am from Maine .I brought some Maine Maple Syrup Grade A Medium Amber. Note: if you buy the unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon you wont need to add much more cinnamon to the recipe.
I love the Morning Glory Muffin recipe. Muffins are my weakness.
These turned out delicious! I had to use up zucchini I had before it went bad.
These were the substitutions I made:
1. Used 1/4 avocado oil, 1/4 apple sauce
2. 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar instead of white sugar
4. 5 packets of stevia
5. 1/3 cup maple syrup
6. 1 cup spelt flour, 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
7. Added 1tsp all spice, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves
8. In place of one for the eggs, I made flax egg
These were amazing! Super moist and flavourful. My 3 kids (one of them is a toddler) and hubby loved them.
Thank you for such a great recipe.
I can’t wait to try these! Usually I meal prep my breakfasts for the week on Sunday and these look like a great addition.
I turned this recipe into a cake. My family loved it. Thanks for sharing it. 😉
These look delicious! I’ve had Morning Glory muffins before but never made my own. This is a must try! Thank you!💕
These muffins are AMAZING! My son made them for his 4-H project and won grand champion. At the state fair, they won special merit (the highest ribbon!)! Love all of your recipes, but this one now holds a special place in our hearts!
I make these every Easter and add a little cream cheese frosting for a yummy dessert.
These are amazing! Everyone I’ve gifted them to, always asks when I’m making more. They are a stand-by in our kitchen now. Love. Love. Love.
I want to make these flourless. Has anyone tried making with quick cooking oats. I’m just wondering if I would use the same amount of oats as flour.
Unless you’re using REAL maple syrup, you’re not changing out healthy sugar for unhealthy sugar. Most “maple syrup” in the store is just a blend of corn syrup and artificial flavoring. Honey could be a good alternative, molasses, or agave syrup would also be good alternatives. I tend to use Sugar in the Raw more often that processed sugar, or even brown sugar as a substitute.
[…] Morning Glory Muffins […]
This looks like a fantastic way to sneak more veggies into my kids’ diet! Thanks for the idea!!
I make these weekly now. I have a great supply of frozen zucchini and just used my last bag of frozen carrots from the garden. Add a few sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and they are a huge hit
[…] Visit the recipe. […]
I’m gluten free. I’ve made these with Cup 4 Cup and also with just cassava flour to make them grain free. I’ve also on occasion left out the eggs and used flax eggs. I really don’t think you can mess up this recipe. I always increase the walnuts and coconuts to 1 cup and add in 1 cup raisins and sometimes even 1 cup shredded apple too. It just makes more muffins in a recipe and always comes out incredible. I think you can easily decrease the sugar by half but I haven’t tried it yet. You could always add in a cup of shredded apples along with the other ingredients for a more naturally sweet muffin.
[…] Source: Laurens latest Crédit Photo: Capture image de la vidéo Facebook […]
These muffins are amazing! Everyone I have given them to loves them as well. Great way to sneak veggies into your kids’ food!
Can pineapple be used IN ADDITION to ALL the other ingredients in the Morning Gloryj Muffins? Thanks.
I wouldn’t add it in because of the extra moisture. If you chop it small and press out the moisture in paper towels, I think it miiiiight work, but again, that extra moisture worries me a bit.
Can you add apple along with Zuchinni and Carrots? Or will they be too moist?
[…] Morning Glory Muffins […]
[…] morning glory muffins are amazing and filled with zucchini and carrots which completely tricks my kiddos into eating a […]
I made these with a few low carb modifications (almond flour, monk fruit sugar) and my co-workers talked like they were CRACK! I texted the recipe to 4 people last night after serving them at our morning faculty meeting on Monday. Thanks for the recipe!
[…] Source: laurenslatest […]
I make these weekly without the sugar, half the oil using coconut oil, and adding chocolate chips for my toddler. He has them most mornings for breaskfast!
I want to make everything on your blog! 🤤 I don’t ever have real maple syrup on hand. Can I use the “fake” stuff? Or increase the applesauce? Maybe use seeetened applesauce? What do you think? Also- I hope you enjoy your 10 days without social media! 😀
Try honey.