Since I’m on holidays and you might not be, I thought I should share some great, healthy muffins with you to make up for it. Muffins are the best way to make veggies part of your breakfast routine without having to drink grass. I’m sorry, very-full-green-smoothie-bandwagon, I am not jumping aboard. Smoothies should be pink.
Muffin batter, it turns out, can also be a lovely shade of pink!
These were all Gemma’s idea, as she spotted the beets in the store and asked if we could make muffins with them. It was easy to adapt the ever-popular Garden Vegetable Muffins recipe to accommodate her request, and the beet flavour is actually very mild. In fact, the muffins baked up to a deep golden brown, not the deep purple-pink I was hoping for based on the un-baked batter! However, the brown colour does mean picky eaters won’t immediately sense something amiss :)
Beets do have a very earthy flavour, and this lends a slightly different taste to the muffins which our whole family liked. I actually like both these and the original Garden Vegetable version best warm with some butter and a generous slice of cheddar cheese.
If you love healthy muffins packed with veggies, get your grate on and stock the freezer with these Carrot Beet Muffins and some of these other tried-and-true veggie (and fruit) muffins!
Low-Fat Chocolate Zucchini Banana Muffins
Whole Wheat & Oat Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups peeled, grated raw beet
- 2 cups peeled, grated raw carrot
- Zest of half a lemon or orange
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- In small bowl, whisk together flours, ground flax, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a larger bowl, cream sugars and oil on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla, vegetables, and zest. Gradually add in the dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed, mixing just until combined. (Overmixing will make your muffins tough).
- Divide batter among prepared muffin tins and bake for 20-23 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean from the centre.
- Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely…best eaten warm, either fresh or “fresh” out of the microwave.
This was an absolute hit!!
Soooooo Good!. Changed a couple of things. I used pumpkin pie spice and poppy seeds.
If I use honey instead of white sugar how much should I use?
I ate one and just had to have another one, so much for having supper now. I offered a old lady friend half of one as she is a small person. She ate a whole one.
Thanks for the great recipe.
Wayne
I love the idea of pumpkin spice and poppy seeds! Can you tell me, please, did you just add it, or substitute it for something? Many thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
Absolutely loved these muffins they are my favorite muffin yet! I made them vegan by replacing the egg with banana and it turned out fantastic. May substitute some granulated sugar with maple syrup this time and see how it turns out. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, they sound delicious!
How much banana did you use? Thanks!
I make these with NO sweetener! I use the 1/3 cup oil (not apple sauce) and add about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of plain yoghurt. I also use 1/3 cup oat bran, 2/3 cup rolled oats and a cup of whole wheat flower. Add golden raisins and walnuts and it’s super delicious! Have made several times now and this has been my favorite combo.
Thanks for the recipe. I used flax seed gel instead of eggs and it turned out tasty.
Hi , may I use honey instead of suger?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but you could definitely substitute at least half the sugar with honey!
Hi, question – why do people put muffins in their freezer?
I like the taste of fresh muffins best, and find that freezing any leftovers the day I make them keeps them freshest. That way I can take one out when I want it and microwave it for 30 seconds and it tastes like fresh! No soft tops from sitting at room temperature :)
Hi
I want to know that what should i replace with egg.
We dont eat eggs
You can replace with a “flax seed egg” – about 1 Tbsp ground flax seed and 2 Tbsp water, let sit for 5-10 minutes until jiggly but fairly set. You can do the same thing with chia seeds if you don’t have flax.
I used 2 tbspoons flaxseed with 6 tbspns hit water and let gel together for 3 mins then add to batter and mine turned out great!
I have too many carrots and rutubaga in the ridge that I do not know what to do with them all. This is my week for muffins I think! Thanks for the lovely recipe! Not sure if I have vanilla though. Hmmm. I’ll try something else for vanilla!
Thanks for the great recipe. Added some modifications to make it even healthier. Substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil, and 1/2 cup of bran for 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. Omitted the salt as we are trying to cut back on sodium and added 1/2 cup of raisins. Still turned out just like your pictures and they taste wonderful!
As we in Britain only really use pounds & ounces OR grammes & kilogrammes, please would you consider putting the conversion weights in as well as the ‘cups’ as a quantity. I’ve tried to use a Tala jug that has ‘cups’, and I’m afraid it just doesn’t work as good as the actual weight alternative.
Would really help, as I want to do a class making beetroot |& carrot muffins. Thank you. Heidi
Hi Heidi, I’ve never baked with weights so I wouldn’t be very comfortable adding them in without trying it, as I’d just be using Google to do the conversions, which you could do and probably have a better idea than me if they were accurate :)
Heidi
You can buy US measuring cups from Asda or Amazon.co.uk, they are so much easier than weighing everything.
Love your recipes btw Anna!
Thanks Anne!
Sometimes I like weighing things and it is more acurate, so I stick a label under my containers with equivalences. Example, 1 cup of four is xx g.
Hello:
How would you adjust this recipe for gluten free? Could you substitute an equal amount of an all purpose gluten free flour in place of the white and whole wheat flours?
Thanks
Generally when you substitute all purpose gluten free flour you need to add 1 tsp of xantham gum as well to maintain a good texture – many gluten free flours will give ratios on the back of the bag for how much xantham gum to add per cup of flour.
Thanks for the recipe, my 1 and 3 year-olds loved it. I used cooked beets instead of raw because it’s easier to peel and grate. But it seemed to turn out fine. =)
That’s great! How do you cook the beets before grating?
I put it in boiling water for 30-45 mins and the skin practically rubs off.
These were so delicious! My 1 1/2 yr old helped me make them and he devoured a fresh warm one after! His favorite word today is “muffin”. Thanks:)
I love when kids love these too! Thanks for your comment :)
Hi there these were absolutely lovely, I didn’t have enough carrot so used 1/2 cup of zuchinni
Tis le awesome!
So glad you liked them – I love how versatile veggies are in baking!
That they are! I am trying to use what is left in my fridge before my holiday to the us. This was perfect! Such a hit here in our household! Thank you so much!
I made these for my daughter’s preschool class the other day & they were a big hit. I made them in the ‘small’ muffin pans and reduced the cooking time a bit. There were no leftovers in a class of 2YO kids!
I made this muffins this morning and they were a hit for breakfast. I’m always looking around for healthy recipes and this one was easy, fast and delicious. I was slightly concerned when the mix looked so purple, however after baking it most of the coloring was gone. My family had no idea what was in it. The muffins were moist and delicious. I’ve already share this website with 3 friends.
Thanks so much Linda! Glad you liked them – I loved the batter colour, but if they stayed that way after baking it definitely would’ve been a tough sell to my kids :)
I can’t do green smoothies either, or V8 juice (unless it involves a Bloody Mary!). I could, however, happily eat my veggies in the form of these scrumptious muffins!
You always make the best muffins. I wish you were my mom. haha
Haha, I love that you refuse to get on the green smoothie bandwagon…that wagon left without me a looong time ago! :)
My kids love the Garden Vegetable Muffins, and I’m sure they’d be up for trying these too!