I am too excited about this muffin recipe to wait until St. Patrick’s Day! I’ve had great luck in the past using pureed spinach to turn pancakes green, so I knew I could make a green muffin. Not only do I think these turned out fantastic, even Mr. Picky loved them, too. Although I did tell him a little lie and said I used green food coloring and he just lit up, eyes wide, “Really?! You did?! Really, Mom?! Like the unhealthy kind?!” Honestly, I’m a little disappointed that my son actually thinks I would use food coloring in a muffin. And just as disappointed that he would be excited to eat that same muffin. I had to lie again. Actually, buddy, it’s a natural green food coloring which gets its color from spinach. Bummed out face. I know for a minute there he thought I suddenly turned into an exciting mom, one who would take risks and dare to use carcinogens! “Oh. They’re still good, I guess.”
And they are good! These muffins are lightly sweet, moist, simple and BRIGHT GREEN because they are loaded with spinach! St. Patrick’s Day is a HUGE opportunity to get green foods into your kids because they are expecting them. You’re showing your spirit. On any other day, green muffins are you just trying to sneak leafy greens into your kids who are not fooled. But the closer we get to March 17th, green muffins are part of the fun!
This is a very basic muffin recipe. The spinach is undetectable and the banana is very subtle. But if you hate banana, you might be able to sub 1/2 cup of applesauce. I think adding walnuts or chocolate chips would be great, too. One of my daughters suggested cream cheese frosting, although then these become cupcakes which is fine, too. These tasted best the day they were made and the next day, too. They lasted just fine a few days on the countertop in a sealed container, but I would freeze what you don’t think you’ll eat within a couple days. Let me know if you make these and if you get lucky!
Green Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour or spelt flour (or use 2 cups of King Arthur Multi-purpose Gluten-free Flour + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum)
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup, Grade A or Grade B
- ¾ cup dairy or non-dairy milk, such as almond milk
- ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 5- or 6-ounce bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with unbleached parchment liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a blender add egg, maple syrup, milk, oil, vanilla and spinach. Process until pureed.
- Add spinach mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in the mashed banana.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups about ¾ full. I like to do this with a large ice cream scooper. Bake about 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Store at room temperature up to 3 days. These freeze nicely!
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I think these are amazing… But for those who are intereste very very sweet. Next time I’d do far less syrup.
these were so good and my kids loved them. i have done all different variations of “normal” flours/wheat germ and sugar/maple/applesauce sweeteners and it always turns out great. very easy to adapt.
Also, i just blend the banana into the blender and then pour into bowl and the texture is always perfect.
thanks so much. my kids are OBSESSED with this muffin….. 1 year and 2.5 years old
i am sorry i tried to leave 5 stars but it wouldnt allow it! i didnt mean to leave two stars 🙁
No worries, but thank you! I love all your adaptations of this recipe. Such a healthy breakfast/snack for your littles!
I just made another batch today…..my kids are now 2 ans 3.5 and still obsessed….by far their favorite muffin. this batch has 1/2 wheat and 1.2 regular flour and for sweets i did 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/4 maple. they love it every time.
Nice work, mama!
These were so good and a hit at the office today! Thank you and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
So great to hear! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I´ve done these for today´s S Patrick day, I used 50gr spinach and about 60gr cellery leaves, not really because I wanted to try something new but because I didn´t have more spinach and my garden is full of cellery :). I also substituted coconut oil for a bit less than 1/4 c butter, 2 tsp baking powder for 1/2 baking soda (1 tsp soda altogether) , and milk for plain yogurt plus 1 tbsp lemon juice to make the soda work. The result was delicious, the bananas, cellery and spinach turned out to combine great in a mildly sweet muffin, and they elevated pretty well despite the soda replacement. Great recipe for today thanks
I forgot, I also substituted 3/4c. maple syrup for about 1/3c honey 🙂
Wow! This is an incredible adaptation of the recipe. Love it!
Can you use frozen spinach? Only asking because I have some.
Maybe! If you try it, I would defrost it and squeeze it dry. I’m just not sure how much to use and if the color will be as vibrant green as it is with fresh spinach. Probably not, but maybe that’s not a big deal.
Ok thanks 🙂
I know these are old comments, but my kids and I have made these many times and we often use frozen spinach. They turn out great, just not as green! Making a batch (with fresh spinach) for my son’s kindergarten class for St Patrick’s Day tomorrow.
So great to learn! Thanks for sharing.
Any ideas for substitution if I only have one banana?
You can try adding 1/4 cup applesauce plus some additional sweetener, maybe another 2 Tbs. dry or wet sweetener.
I plan on making these for tomorrow (THANK YOU!). Think I could substitute either 1 cup of applesauce or another banana for the egg? Thanks!
Why don’t you try a flax egg? 1 Tbs. ground flax meal mixed with 3 Tbs. warm water. Allow to sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before adding to the batter. Otherwise, 1 cup of applesauce sounds like too much to use in place of 1 egg. Another banana might work though.
I made a double batch of these with 1.5 times the leavening agents. I had some doubts on the product as they were very wet on the inside, even with a longer baking time. However, my daughter’s preschool class was thrilled with the result, including my wonderful daughter who normally won’t touch anything green with a ten foot pole. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Glad it worked out. But they were wet on the inside because you doubled the recipe but only multiplied the leavening agents by 1 1/2. Next time if you make a double batch, double all the ingredients! 🙂
Can I double this recipe?
For sure!
Is there a substitute for unrefined coconut oil? It’s such a small amount and rather than buy a whole bottle just to try these….thanks!
Sure! You can use olive oil or melted butter.
would whole wheat flour that is not pastry flour still work?
Whole wheat flour is a bit coarser and heavier than whole wheat pastry. I would use half whole wheat and half white, otherwise they may come out a little dense and heavy. Even 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 white.
Thanks! They are great! Do you know how many calories are in each?
Not sure! You would have to plug the recipe into a calorie counter.