Morning Glory Muffins
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This morning glory muffins recipe makes moist, hearty muffins packed with carrots, apples, raisins, coconut, walnuts, and warm spices. True to their name, they’re a glorious way to start the day!
Morning glory muffins have been around since the late 1970s, when chef Pam McKinstry created them for her Morning Glory Café on Nantucket. Since then, countless versions have popped up, but the basic idea remains the same: a substantial whole wheat breakfast muffin loaded with all sorts of good things. With carrots, warm spices, and plenty of add-ins, they have a little of the same appeal as carrot cake, only in a hearty breakfast-muffin form.
My morning glory muffin recipe is adapted from King Arthur Baking, but I bump up the spices and add-ins for more flavor. They’re easy to make, freeze well, and are especially handy for breakfast on the go.
“I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and it never disappoints! The muffins are moist and delicious. I usually double the recipe and keep some in freezer so we always have them on hand!”
What You’ll Need To Make Morning Glory Muffins
- Raisins: These get soaked in hot water before adding them to the batter so they’re plump and juicy.
- White Whole Wheat Flour: Has the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour (100% whole grain) but a milder flavor and lighter color. Regular whole wheat flour works, too. You can also use half whole wheat and half all-purpose for lighter muffins.
- Brown Sugar, Cinnamon & Ginger: Brown sugar adds sweetness and a hint of molasses flavor, while a generous amount of cinnamon and ginger gives the muffins plenty of warm spice.
- Eggs, Oil, Orange Juice & Vanilla: These make up the wet ingredients. Vegetable oil helps keep the muffins moist, while orange juice adds a subtle brightness. Fresh-squeezed or store-bought orange juice both work well.
- Carrots & Apple: Shredding them allows them to blend right into the batter as they bake, adding moisture, sweetness, and texture. A tart apple such as Granny Smith works especially well against the sweeter ingredients.
- Coconut & Walnuts: Add texture and nutty flavor throughout the muffins. Either sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut works.
- Wheat Germ: Adds a subtle nutty flavor and contributes to the muffins’ hearty texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Morning Glory Muffins
Prep the raisins, carrots, and apple: Soak the raisins in hot water while you peel and shred the carrots and apple. Drain the raisins well before adding them to the batter.
Mix the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar as you go.
Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, orange juice, and vanilla until evenly combined.
Combine and add the mix-ins: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the carrots, apple, coconut, walnuts, wheat germ, and drained raisins. The batter will be very thick and chunky—that’s exactly how it should look.
Fill the muffin cups: Divide the batter among the muffin cups. They’ll be quite full, which is what gives the muffins their nicely domed tops.
Bake: Bake until the muffins are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool briefly in the pan before transferring them to a rack. The muffins keep and freeze well. See the recipe card below for detailed storage and freezing instructions.
Morning Glory Muffins Mix-and-Match Swaps
These muffins are super flexible—here are a few easy substitutions to make them your own:
- Wheat germ: Swap with wheat bran, ground flaxseed, or even finely ground oats.
- Raisins: Use dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or just leave them out.
- Walnuts: Try chopped pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts—or omit altogether.
If you love these flavors, try my morning glory baked oatmeal next—it has the same morning glory inspiration in a hearty baked oatmeal.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup raisins
- 2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, or Whole Wheat Flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup orange juice (if making your own, you'll need one orange)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and shredded carrots, from 4 to 5 large carrots
- 1 large tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and shredded
- ½ cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- ⅔ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup wheat germ
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water. Set them aside to soak.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- Drain the raisins, squeezing out any excess water with your hands.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture, along with the drained raisins, carrots, apple, coconut, walnuts, and wheat germ. Mix until the batter is evenly moistened and combined.
- Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan. They will be very full.
- Bake the muffins for about 25 minutes, until they're nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the inner muffins comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool in the pan on a rack for about 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto the rack to cool completely. Cover and store at room temperature for several days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn, could you please advise how to make the Morning Glory Muffins without eggs, in order to have a vegan version?
Hi Beth, I really don’t have any experience with egg substitutes but I’ve heard of people replacing eggs with “flax eggs” or applesauce when baking. Hope that helps to point you in the right direction!
I tried using 3/4 cup of applesauce in place of the eggs and they were amazing…..I also made a batch with eggs to taste the difference and you really couldn’t tell them apart.
I had to make some substitutions b/c I didn’t have everything for recipe. Used 1 cup rye flour and 1 cup ap flour; a bit less than 1 cup brown sugar (trying to cut back); ground oat meal instead of the wheat germ;freshly ground nutmeg b/c had no ginger;no raisins b/c I’m not a fan. Used sweetened coconut btw. Next time I want to add some other dried fruit as a substitute for raisins. Awesome result! So easy to make & everyone really liked them even with reduced sugar.
I baked these again & in addition to the mods I mentioned above I added dates to the mix. This made the muffins over the top delicious. I chopped the dried dates in a food processor which made them into a thick and sticky paste-so much so that I didn’t want to incorporate that into the mix-so I cut up the paste into small little pieces. To ensure the small pieces wouldn’t stick together & sink to the bottom of the muffins I mixed in about 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients and tossed in a bowl. I put those in last. The bits of naturally super sweet date puree just melt in your mouth. Admittedly it adds to the labor of this recipe but it was so very tasty.
just made these last night for my young daughter. they are so, so tasty! love the ginger spice. i like to use natural sweeteners when baking for her, so i replaced the 1 cup of brown sugar with 2/3 cup of maple syrup. i nixed the OJ altogether to avoid making the mix too wet and still used the additional 2 T of brown sugar. texture and taste were great! thanks for a great recipe!
Can I bake this as a “bread” in a single baking pan?
Yes, I think that would work!
Delicious healthy breakfast or snack muffin. Full of carrots,apples,raisins and other tasty tidbits. Just fill the cups to the brim and the batter will bake pup to a beautiful big domed delicious treat
Delicious, easy and healthy. A quick breakfast or afternoon snack. Just remember to fill the cupcake spaces to the very top (I use paper cups in the pan) They freeze well and defrost quickly. Enjoy
These were absolutely delicious! My husband loved them, they freeze well and were really moist. Our new favourite muffin
These are best homemade muffins I’ve ever had. I’m new to your site, and can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Do you think I can substitute Whole Wheat Pastry flour for the White Whole Wheat flour. Should I use the same amount?
Hi Daniel, If you don’t have the white whole wheat flour, regular whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour will work fine. I’ve never tried these with pastry flour, so I can’t say for sure if the texture would be right. If you do try them that way, I’d love to know how they turn out!
Well I finally tried the morning glory muffins with Whole wheat pastry flour. I use it so seldom that I need to use it up before it goes bad. The muffins were good (I’ve made them three times and they don’t last long so that means that they are good). I haven’t tried to make the muffins with whole wheat or white whole wheat flour to compare but that’s on my list. I will keep you posted once I do.
Made these muffins for a quick grab on-the-go breakfast. They are the best!! When I lived in the Yukon I used to go to a bakery every morning for coffee and their morning glory muffins, such a fond memory. I’ve been trying to match their muffins and your recipe brings back those memories. Shared with some friends and sent along the recipe as they loved them as well! Thanks for this! I used coconut oil and wheat bran instead of wheat germ. Yum! 🙂