If you’re searching for gluten-free breakfast ideas, these moist morning glory muffins are a great place to start. Made with gluten-free all-purpose flour, grated carrots and apples, shredded coconut, raisins, and a bright touch of orange, they’re an easy, one-bowl recipe that yields tender, flavorful muffins. Using applesauce in the batter keeps the crumb extra moist while reducing the amount of oil needed. I also use a few simple gluten-free muffin techniques so the muffins bake up light and fluffy rather than dense or gummy.
Gluten-Free Morning Glory Carrot Muffins
This recipe grew out of another successful gluten-free muffin I developed: an easy zucchini muffin that handles higher moisture well. Muffins like these, which combine gluten-free flour with watery mix-ins like grated carrots and apples, need a few adjustments to ensure a tender texture and consistent results.
Gluten-free flour blends don’t absorb liquid the same way wheat flour does. Without attention, that can lead to a gummy interior or tops that sink. These muffins address that by balancing the wet and dry elements and using a couple of practical tricks.
Instead of relying solely on oil for fat, the batter uses both oil and unsweetened applesauce. Both keep the muffins moist, but applesauce helps hydrate gluten-free starches more effectively than oil alone. Another helpful step is letting the batter rest for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the gluten-free starches to soften and absorb moisture, improving structure and resulting in a softer, more tender crumb.
Ingredient Tid Bits
These morning glory muffins are flexible and easy to adapt. They carry warm cinnamon spice and pair well with a variety of mix-ins; feel free to omit or substitute any optional additions.
- Gluten-free flour – I recommend a reliable cup-for-cup style blend for best results, but many gluten-free blends will work. If you need dairy-free muffins, confirm your flour blend doesn’t contain milk powder.
- Applesauce – Unsweetened applesauce was used here to avoid extra sugar, but sweetened applesauce can be substituted if needed.
- Oil – Use a neutral or mildly flavored oil you prefer: melted coconut, canola, avocado, grapeseed, or even a light olive oil.
- Grated carrots and apples – Peel and grate both using a box grater or grating attachment on a food processor. If you’d like crushed pineapple instead of some apple, replace 1/2 cup grated apple with well-drained crushed pineapple.
- Sweetener – A mix of light brown sugar and honey provides sweetness and structure. You can swap honey for maple syrup and brown sugar for coconut sugar, but changing both wet and dry sweeteners will alter texture, so adjust carefully.
- Orange – Adding fresh orange zest and juice brightens the flavor. Use the zest from one orange and then squeeze it for the juice called for in the recipe.
- Mix-ins – Coconut, raisins, and nuts are classic in morning glory muffins. Swap or omit them based on preference; see the “Extra Yummy Modifications” section below for ideas.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below are step-by-step photos and streamlined instructions. For exact ingredient amounts and the full recipe card, see the recipe section further down.)
- This recipe yields 16 muffins. Line muffin cups with paper liners or grease the pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: applesauce, packed light brown sugar, oil, honey, eggs, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla.
- Stir in the grated carrots, apples, raisins, coconut, and pecans. Then fold in the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Using a large scoop, divide the batter among the liners, filling them almost to the top. Let the filled pan rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats; this helps hydrate the gluten-free starches and improves texture.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The muffins are done when the tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Extra Yummy Modifications
Many ingredients can be swapped to match your tastes. Below are reliable substitutions and additions that work well in these spiced muffins.
- Nuts – Pecans are used here, but walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, pepitas, or sunflower seeds all work. Or omit nuts altogether.
- Dried fruit – Swap raisins for golden raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dates, or dried cherries.
- Trail mix – Replace the coconut, nuts, and raisins with an equal amount of a gluten-free trail mix for a different flavor profile.
- Flaxseed – For a heartier, whole-grain note, stir in up to 2 tablespoons of ground or whole flaxseed.
- Crushed pineapple – Replace 1/2 cup of grated apple with well-drained crushed pineapple. Squeeze excess juice before measuring and add it drained for best texture.
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Moist Gluten-Free Morning Glory Muffins (One Bowl)
Melissa ErdelacPin
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup oil (any preferred)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
- ¼ cup orange juice (from zested orange)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrot (peeled)
- 1 cup grated apple (peeled)
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Equipment
- Large cookie scoop (or large trigger scoop)
- Box grater or food processor grating disc
- Muffin tin
Instructions
- Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups. The batter will rest before baking while the oven preheats.
- In a large bowl, whisk together applesauce, brown sugar, oil, honey, eggs, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in grated carrots, grated apple, raisins, coconut, and pecans. Add the gluten-free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix until the batter is uniform and there are no dry flour pockets.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a large scoop to divide the batter among the liners, filling them almost to the top. Let the filled pan rest for 15 minutes while the oven finishes preheating.
- Bake about 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The muffins are done when the tops are set and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storing and Freezing Tips
Once cooled, store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Avoid refrigerating, which can dry them out; loosely covering with foil helps retain texture better than plastic wrap.
For longer storage, wrap cooled muffins individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly before serving.