Blueberry Quinoa Muffins

These Blueberry Quinoa Muffins are made with cooked quinoa and cinnamon and packed with blueberries, making them an ideal breakfast or snack. Plus, they're an easy way to sneak extra protein in the form of quinoa into your diet! 

I originally made these quinoa muffins back in 2017 (whoa!) and decided it was time to give them a much-needed retest, and I must say that I'm quite pleased with how they turned out. They're similar to my carrot cake muffins and vegan blueberry muffins, but unique in their own way.

Though there's quinoa in them, these muffins are quite similar to a classic muffin recipe, made with flour, sugar and applesauce, which helps keep them moist, and of course plenty of blueberries. 

Recipe features

• An easy way to sneak some quinoa into your diet and reap the health benefits.
• Tastes like a classic blueberry muffin, but slightly less sweet.
• This recipe is naturally vegan, and can easily be made gluten free as well.

Ingredients

Flour - All purpose flour or gluten free all purpose flour is what you'll want to use in this recipe; you can't substitute almond flour, coconut flour or oat flour because they're completely different than all purpose. 

Sugar - Cane sugar is the way to go, as these muffins aren't super sweet, but if you want to cut down on sugar, use monkfruit sweetener instead.

Quinoa - Cook it ahead of time to save time! You want the quinoa to be cooked and mostly dry, so cooking it in advance works best if you can. 

Flax eggs - In order to keep these vegan-friendly. To make flax eggs, simply whisk 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 5 tablespoons of water and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until the flaxseed has absorbed the water. 

Coconut oil - I love using coconut oil in baking because it's slightly sweet -- just make sure it's at room temperature before you incorporate it. Another great option is avocado oil because it's neutral-tasting. 

Applesauce - An absolute must in order to keep muffins moist and not dry! 

Blueberries - I tend to prefer using fresh blueberries instead of frozen because frozen blueberries tend to hold more moisture, which can impact the overall texture in a negative way. 

Directions

Step 1: Cook the quinoa. You can do this step a day or two in advance and keep the cooked quinoa in a sealed container in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. If you prefer to do it in real time, follow the instructions on the back of the quinoa bag and allow the quinoa to cool. 

Step 2: Stir dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar, cooked quinoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. 

Step 3: Whisk wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk the flax eggs, coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract together. Then, pour the dry ingredients into the wet and gently fold together just until the flour disappears, then fold in the blueberries. 

Step 4: Bake. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray each one with nonstick spray. Divide the batter evenly, then sprinkle each muffin with a little extra sugar (optional). Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and allow them to cool a bit before enjoying.

Tips and FAQs

• Be careful to not overcook the quinoa; you don't want it to be wet. To avoid this, cooking the quinoa ahead of time and storing it in the refrigerator can help absorb any moisture.
• Don't over-mix the batter; Instead, gently fold everything together with a rubber spatula.
• The muffin batter will be thick, so use the back of a spoon or your fingers to smooth the batter out before placing the muffins in the oven.
• Don't love blueberries? Try adding chocolate chips or chopped walnuts instead! 

Can I make these without oil? 

I haven't tested this recipe without oil, but you may be able to substitute melted butter instead. 

Can these be made gluten free?

Yup! Simply use your favorite gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour instead. I haven't tested these with any other flours, and don't recommend using other gluten free flours as they're all quite different.

Storage

Room temperature: Store these quinoa muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Freezer: To freeze, wrap the muffins individually in plastic wrap, then store them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.

More muffin recipes

• Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
• Vegan Chocolate Muffins
• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Muffins

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in August 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in June 2023.