Dairy Free Muffins

Do you know the secret to amazing dairy free muffins?  There isn’t one! These are created from basic ingredients that you most likely have on hand. I made these muffins with fresh blueberries, but can easily be made with frozen berries or bananas, too!  Side note: these are also vegan, and can be made gluten free. The best part, you only need one bowl!

Nutrition note:  If you’ve been following my story, you may have heard we had to go dairy free due to a dairy allergy in one of my littles.  We are not egg free, but these are also made without eggs in case you are dealing with an egg allergy – or if you just want a good vegan blueberry muffin recipe!

How are these dairy free muffins different?

These muffins are lower in saturated fat than traditional muffins since there is no butter.  They are simple and easy to make. I will often add dairy free chocolate chips to this recipe for a sweeter treat!  You may also notice the sparkle on the top of these muffins; I added clear white sprinkles to the top for a pretty finish (and because my 3 year old always asks for the glitter top!).

What ingredients can be substituted?

We get a lot of requests for gluten free options at The Dietitian Diet.  These can easily be made into vegan, gluten free blueberry muffins. You’ll simply need to swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten free version.  I like this one from Bob’s Red Mill. It is replaced at a 1:1 ratio, which just means you don’t have to change the quantity of flour. 

Coconut oil is my favorite fat to use when making these blueberry muffins. Before we went dairy free I would have used butter.  It turns out, however, the oil makes these muffins even creamier!

I used a non-dairy milk for this recipe.  My go-to brand is Silk Vanilla unsweetened almond milk.  You could also use coconut or hemp milk.

Baking powder is the leavener for these dairy free blueberry muffins.  The last time I made these muffins I was completely out of baking powder!  I used a mixture of baking powder and cream of tartar (thank god I remember this lesson from food science class!).  If you find yourself out of baking powder, check out this handy guide of replacements.

How to make dairy free muffins step by step.

Step 1:  Gather ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tbsp clear white sprinkles

Step 2:  Preheat your oven to 375°F.   Spray muffin tin with coconut oil spray, this recipe is for a 12 cup muffin tin.

Step 3:  Combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Create a well (small hole) in the center and pour in your wet ingredients. Stir just to combine, don’t overmix.  Finally, gently fold in the blueberries.

Step 4:  Add your muffin batter to the tin. Bake for about 20 – 25 mins, or until baked through and lightly browned.  If using the sprinkle topping, add to the top of muffins around minute 10.

Tips for making muffins.

1.  Over-mixing is problem with simple muffins.  It is absolutely fine if the batter is a bit lumpy prior to mixing the blueberries.
2. Gently fold the blueberries.  Too much blending will cause the delicate fruit to be smashed.  This will turn your muffins blue!  
3. Don’t be afraid to add a few extra nutrient rich ingredients.  I like flax seeds and chopped walnuts in these dairy free blueberry muffins.

Need more allergy friendly muffin ideas?  Try these recipes!

Dairy free chocolate chip banana muffins. 

Healthy carrot muffins.

Check out the rest of our dairy free recipes here.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Happy Eating,

Kate