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These Healthy Gingerbread Muffins are made with molasses, coconut sugar and warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. They’re soft and moist inside, lower in sugar than a lot of muffin recipes and take about 30 minutes to make.
Notes From My Kitchen
I make these healthy gingerbread muffins every year around the holidays. They’re simple to make, they’re lower in sugar than a lot of other muffin recipes, and they have a really soft, moist texture inside.
I tested them with both coconut sugar and brown sugar, and both work well, so use whichever you have on hand.
They’re perfect with a mug of my Homemade Chai Tea Latte, and if you’re in a gingerbread mood, bake a batch of my Healthy Gingerbread Cookies too.
Recipe Highlights
- Cozy gingerbread flavour: four warm spices plus molasses in every bite.
- Dairy-free as written: made with coconut oil and almond milk.
- No mixer needed: just two bowls and a whisk.
- A holiday breakfast favourite: serve them with my Gingerbread Latte for the full gingerbread experience.
Key Ingredients And Substitutions
- Flour: all-purpose flour gives you the softest muffins. For more whole grains, use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour, or half all-purpose and half oat flour like in my Oat Flour Banana Muffins.
- Molasses: I like blackstrap molasses for a bolder flavour and a darker, richer colour, but regular molasses works too. It’s the same molasses I use in my Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies.
- Coconut oil: melt it and let it cool slightly before mixing it with the eggs so they don’t start to cook.
How To Make Healthy Gingerbread Muffins
*This is a recipe overview. The full recipe with measurements and instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
Step 1
Stir the flour, coconut sugar, spices, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, eggs, molasses and almond milk.
Step 3
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and gently fold them together until just combined.
Step 4
Fill lined muffin cups two-thirds of the way full and bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
How To Store
Store the muffins in a sealed container on the counter for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months. Let frozen muffins thaw on the counter, or warm them in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
Jess’s Tips
- Don’t overmix: fold the batter just until combined. Overmixing makes the muffins dense.
- Don’t overfill the cups: fill them two-thirds to three-quarters of the way full so the muffins don’t overflow.
- Add a crunchy top: sprinkle the muffins with a little raw cane sugar before baking for an extra hint of sweetness.
- No muffin liners? Grease the pan with cooking spray and add the batter right to the pan.
- Want more muffins for the freezer? My Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins With Streusel freeze just as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Swap the eggs for 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp water and left to gel for 5 minutes). They’re already dairy-free.
Yes, use a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
Try These Gingerbread Recipes Next!
If you tried these Healthy Gingerbread Muffins leave a review below and tag me @choosingchia on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook I love seeing your recreations!
Healthy Gingerbread Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Healthy Gingerbread Muffins are soft, moist and lower in sugar, made with molasses, coconut sugar and warm spices. They’re perfect for a cozy holiday breakfast or snack!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (Can sub 1-1 gluten free flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled.
- 1/3 cup molasses
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, adding one third of the flour mixture at a time, and mix until just combined.
- Fill each muffin cup two-thirds to three-quarters of the way full with batter (don’t fill them more, or the muffins will overflow).
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Coconut sugar and brown sugar both work well in this recipe.
- For more whole grains, use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat or oat flour.
- Use blackstrap molasses for the best flavour and a darker colour.
- To make it vegan, use 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp water, left to gel for 5 minutes).
- Don’t overmix the batter, or the muffins will be dense.
Storage
Store in a sealed container on the counter for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 12g
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
Can I sub the almond milk with coconut cream in the can?
Hi Julie, I haven’t tested it out but canned coconut milk is high in fat and much thicker, so it may impact the overall texture of the muffins. Since its a small amount though it should be ok.
I made these Healthy Gingerbread Muffins this afternoon. Awesome! I used Pillsbury Gluten free flour, raw sugar, and blackjack molasses. Highly recommend!
So happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
WOWOWWWW
So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Hi – looking forward to making these muffins! I was wondering are the cloves meant to be while cloves or ground cloves?
Hi Sarah! ground cloves 🙂
These muffins are super delicious & healthy. Thanks for this recipe.
For this recipe can we substitute coconut oil for olive oil instead?
Hi Helene, you can use any type of oil you like!