Savory Vegetable Muffins Without Eggs

Veggie muffins with no added sugar, no added fat, entirely whole grain, lots of healthy veggies , a good source of calcium and vitamin A – get ready to bake!!

These savory vegetable muffins are a perfect way to get more vegetables into your day. Loaded with healthy veggies and full of flavor, these are a great option for picky eaters or anybody who isn’t too keen on eating their vegetables. These muffins make a great healthy snack, lunch, breakfast, or side.

But a warning – these are SAVORY muffins  – do not think sweet.  (If you  want a “sweet” one with no added sugar, try this one.)  And the texture is not a light as a muffin that contains a cup of sugar per recipe.  Sugar both gives flavor and  the texture that many of us think of in baked goods.

The texture is not a light as a muffin that contains a  cup of sugar per recipe.  Sugar both gives flavor and  the texture that many of us think of in baked goods.  Also the flax egg muffins did not rise as high as the muffins containing regular eggs.

 

The first time you bake these I suggest you start with a regular sized batch.  It will help you get the hang of these muffins and determine if your family likes more or less spice.  I have found that it is easier to prepare two batches worth of veggies at a time, since a medium sized zucchini is about 8 ounces. You can leave the extra shredded veggies in your fridge for a couple of days to bake more so you can  have plenty for your freezer.

Preparation

Shred your veggies first.  You can use any combination of shreddable veggies.  We have successfully used carrots, zucchini, eggplant, beets.  Zucchini has been a staple in  these muffins for at least part of the veggies.  Use at least two veggies.  A food processor makes the shredding faster, but you then have to wash it. I found it more efficient to shred the vegetables by hand using a box grater.

When your vegetables are shredded, place them on a double layer of paper towels.  Because of the amount of moisture in zucchini, I put the zucchini in one double layer of paper towels and the other veggies in another if I am doubling the shredded veggies (which I always do!) As you prepare your other  ingredients, the shredded vegetables will lose moisture.  Squeeze as much liquid as you can out of them before adding the vegetables to the batter.  If you prepare your veggies earlier in the day (store in the fridge) or even the day before, you will not need to squeeze out any moisture!

Next you will want to prepare your flax eggs.  For this recipe, the usual ratio of 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed to 3 tablespoons of water contains too much liquid.   Two tablespoons water for every tablespoon of ground flaxseed is just the right amount.  Stir well and allow to sit until the flaxseed and water form a gel, about 10 minutes.

Put your dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine.

In a medium or large bowl, whisk or stir the flax eggs with the yogurt to combine.  Stir in the applesauce.

Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir.  The batter will be stiff.  That is good because as the vegetables cook they will release liquid.

Add the vegetables and mix well.   Add the cheese and mix to combine.

To use liners or not??

Use a muffin scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into nine muffin tins sprayed well with cooking spray.  Because of the wetness of these muffins, we do not recommend using liners. This is  because more moisture escapes and you have better muffin texture if you do not use liners.  You can also use another method to grease your muffin tins.

Bake the muffins at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Rotate the muffins front to back and return to the oven for about 7-8 minutes.  If you have an instant read thermometer, your  muffins need to be over 200 degrees in the middle.  If you undercook your muffins, they are impossible to remove from the tins.  Or if you  have used liners and they come out of the pan,  the centers are too wet.  You can also use a toothpick to check for doneness.  The baking time seems like a long time, but you are  also cooking the vegetables.

I strongly suggest you bake one or two muffins the first time to check the  cooking time in your oven.  You will need to wait until these test muffins cool to judge their texture though   – this will take you awhile, but it will save the rest of your muffins from being under or over cooked. Because of the large amount of vegetables in the recipe, it can be hard to tell when they are done.  They will lose moisture as they cool, so let them cool completely before eating.

Substitutions

Dairy free – These muffins can easily be made dairy  free.  Use a dairy free yogurt & milk.   Omit the cheese or use a dairy free shredded. Click here for the dairy free recipe and notes.

Gluten free – I used King Arthur Baking Company’s Measure for Measure flour and they came out perfectly!  They rose better than my 100% white whole wheat version.  Everyone who tasted them enjoyed them.

Using different vegetables – Go for it!  Let us know what you try!!  We experimented with carrots, zucchini, eggplant, beets and sweet potatoes.  Just use at least 2 veggies (8  ounces of each). We suggest using half zucchini for your vegetables.

Using different spices –   If your family likes more spice use cumin and black pepper as  well as the chili powder. You can use the fresh or dried herbs.  Start with the spices you think your family will enjoy.

Add oatmeal for scones – These muffins tend to be on the wet side because of all the vegetables they contain.  If you think your family  would  like scones better, it is an easy modification.  Just adding oatmeal to the mixture absorbs that extra moisture so that the dough can be patted into a traditional scone shape and baked.

I’ll be honest – these are not as good as my favorite sweet potato zucchini bread.  But they also do not contain the 2 cups of sugar that recipe does.  For our road trip yesterday I ate two with cheese and fruit for lunch.  It was a perfect travel food and the dietitian part of my brain was happy too!