These easy Spinach Muffins are naturally gluten-free (with a tested egg-free option) and come together quickly in a blender. I love their fluffy texture and slightly sweet flavor, but I especially love how my picky children gobble them up!
You should realize that my 5-year-old child seldom eats whatever I make nowadays. But treats, obviously. He’s developed to cherish the snacks they serve at his preschool, similar to Goldfish and graham crackers.Because he’s been presented to bundled snacks like those, and to some fussy eating peers at school, he looks with disdain upon my smoothies (that he used to adore!) and the vast majority of my hand crafted heated products. My 2-year-old little girl is beginning to go with the same pattern, since she needs to be actually similar to her older sibling. Yahoo.
That is the reason I’m SO EXCITED about these biscuits. They’re green, since they’re stacked with new spinach, and my child almost ate the entire container the first occasion when I made them. I love the wonderful way they keep him full, on account of the fiber-rich oats, banana, and protein-rich egg.But, let me let you in on my little mystery: the key is all by they way you present them.
My kid is fixated on Ninja Turtles at the present time, so I called these “turtle power” biscuits, and revealed to him that Ninja Turtles eat these to remain solid. He loves to claim to prepare like a Ninja turtle, so he inquired as to whether he could have two immediately. At that point he returned for two more, and soon once more, he needed two more. (They’re reduced down, as you may already know.)
These healthy Spinach Muffins are made with fresh spinach, gluten-free oats, banana, and a touch of honey for a naturally-sweet muffin my kids love! Egg-free option included.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ripe banana (6 to 8 ounces)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup almond butter (or any other nut/seed butter)
- 1 egg (or a vegan flax/chia egg; see note)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1-2 cups fresh baby spinach , loosely packed
- 1 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a mini muffin tin.
- Into a blender container, add the banana, water, almond butter, egg, honey, spinach, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, in that order. (Liquids on the bottom help facilitate blending better.) Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
- Pour the green batter into the prepared mini muffin cups. I usually get 22 to 24 muffins out of this batch, depending on the size of the banana. If you like to measure, I use about 1.5 – 2 tablespoons of batter per muffin cup.
- Put the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake until the muffins rise and feel firm to a light touch in the center, about 15 to 17 minutes. The edges should turn lightly golden, and might crack a bit.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool at least 30 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. I find that using my fingers to twist them out of the tin helps them release easily, but you can also run a knife around the sides of the muffin to help get them out.
- Muffins can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours, but I recommend storing them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Recipe Notes:
- For a vegan version of these muffins, use a flax or chia egg to replace the egg called for. No need to mix the egg ahead of time; I just add 1 heaping tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water to my blender, with the rest of the ingredients. I also recommend adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in this case, to react with the baking soda and help the vegan muffins rise. Instead of honey, use maple syrup. The vegan version is slightly “gummier” in texture, but still totally passable as a muffin.
- If you can’t have oats, try adding a handful of spinach to this flourless peanut butter banana muffin recipe instead. It’s naturally sweetened and you could use almond butter instead of peanut butter for a paleo version.
- I’m not sure how these would work in a full-sized muffin tin. My kids only like mini muffins, so that’s the only way I’ve tested this recipe. I don’t think the vegan version would work as well, with more middle needing to cook through, but the egg version might be okay with a cook time of closer to 25-30 minutes.
