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4-ingredient flourless apple millet muffins are a delicious alternative to baked oatmeal! They are vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and fruit-sweetened.
Confession: I eat an average of three breakfasts. Every day.
For years, I thought there was something terribly wrong with me. I’d get up, eat a healthy breakfast–for example, oatmeal, yogurt, whole grain toast with peanut butter, a big bowl of cereal, or scrambled eggs. I don’t have a huge appetite in the morning, but I have to eat something satisfying or else I quickly morph into a raging beast (to which Nick and Kevin can testify).
All was good for an hour. Perhaps two. But then, without fail, I was starving. I quickly became cranky, irritable, and unable to focus, but, most all, I was mad. Why me? I already ate a great breakfast, so what gives? I’d try to ignore the feeling, but by lunchtime my appetite was raging like an Orc on the trail of a band of hobbits.
It’s remarkable how we blind ourselves to the truth. The solution to my “problem” was plain: my body was screaming, “for heaven’s sake woman, you need more fuel!!!”
It only took 20 years to figure it out.
These days, I eat all morning long. At LEAST three mini meals. And guess what? I feel happy, energized, and focused all morning long. I am a better athlete than I was 10 or 15 years ago. And best yet, no cravings and crazed hunger.
Flourless Millet Muffins for Sustained Morning Energy
These millet muffins are a perfect example of one of my “mini meals.” 100% delicious, fruit-sweetened, perfectly portioned, portable power!
I am going to say it now, and will say it again: you need to eat carbohydrates, especially if you are engaged in any kind of endurance training! Your muscles are fueled primarily by carbs when you are doing sustained cardio work–being in short supply is a recipe for misery and fatigue. Who wants that?
The key is eating high-quality carbohydrates. The millet, apples and raisins in this recipe will make you feel like a superstar.
What is Millet?
Millet is a naturally gluten-free grain (technically, a seed) that is rich in dietary fiber, protein, thiamin, manganese, niacin and magnesium.
Unlike many other grains, millet is alkaline-forming. Acid-forming foods are not “bad” per se, but the typical Western diet is heavily weighted towards them already; adding more alkalizing foods, like millet, to your eats is an easy way to create much-needed balance.
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Made with 4 ingredients
- No added sugar
- High in fiber
Ingredients for Flourless Apple Millet Muffins
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
This portable breakfast is easy-peasy, too. Check out the minimal ingredients:
- Millet
- Apples
- Unsweetened Apple Juice
- Dried Fruit
- Optional: Coconut Oil
Pre-Cook Millet on Stovetop
The millet gets partially cooked on the stovetop before heading to the oven, which results in tender grains that stick together.
If you want to cut the (natural) sweetness, you can sub water for the apple juice. The apples and raisins still provide ample sweetness, or you can augment with some monkfruit, maple syrup or coconut sugar.
The mixture should be thickened, like the above photo, before the mixture heads to the muffin cups.
Don’t forget to spray the muffin cups. Be generous! These will stick like nobody’s business if you forget. Alternatively, line the muffin cups with foil or paper liners.
Here’s to mornings free of crazed hunger and portable breakfasts, and happy baking!
More Great Vegan & Gluten-Free Millet Recipes to Try:
- Carrot Cake Millet Breakfast Bars
- Vegan Millet Kale Quiches
- Millet Apricot Energy Bars (no-cook, 5 ingredients)
- Toasted Millet Banana Muffins
- Curried Millet with Raw Apple Relish
Flourless Apple Millet Muffins {Vegan, Gluten-Free}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups unsweetened apple juice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 large tart-sweet apples, peeled and shredded
- 1 cup uncooked millet
- 1/2 cup raisins
- Optional/adjustable: 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional: 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Optional: 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts or seeds
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring the apple juice and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in apples, millet, raisins, and salt; cover and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until thickened (there will still be some liquid) Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir in coconut oil, nuts or seeds, if using.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F (180C). Line the cups of a 12-count standard size muffin tin with silicone liners. If you are ok eating a small amount of oil, you can grease or spray the cups instead.
- Using a large cookie scoop or spoon, spoon the millet mixture equally among prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tops are golden and slightly puffed. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before running a knife around edge of each muffin and removing from pan.
Hello and thank you for your wonderful recipes! Does the nutritional information include the optional coconut oil and nuts/seeds? Thanks again!
Hi there SE! Thank you for the generous compliment 🙂 No, I do not include the optional ingredients in my recipe calculations. Cheers.
These are very good! I have made them twice for quick breakfasts and snacks. I love the mild sweetness and texture.
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipe, Min!
Hi Severin. Sounds yum. But could I use banana instead? Or pear?
Hi Anne,
Yes to pear! Banana might need some adjustment. I would not cook it like the recipe calls for with the apples. Perhaps add a little bit of water to the cooking millet mixture, then stir in the banana (not sure of amount— 1 cup mashed?) before baking in the cups.
I love your recipes! Made the millet bread twice, with and without the psyllium husks, like it better without, but of course the rise is less. I’m 82 and avoid roughage as much as I can (had serious intestinal problems years ago while on a Macrobiotic diet, learned I didn;t really need much roughage as long as I had vegetables in my diet). Have been GF for 15 years and recently stopped eating rice too, finding millet works very well for me. Going to try the apple millet muffins today!
Hi Severin,
Welcome! I am so happy to know the millet bread is a success. Thanks so much for taking the time to post; hope you enjoy the apple millet muffins 🙂
Hello Camilla,
Love your recipes! 🙂
Is it possible to make these with white rice or rolled oats, since we cannot have millet? If so, how would the ratio or liquids to grain work?
Thanks.
Alex
Hi Alex! I think brown rice would work well in terms of making these without any other changes (cooking time and liquid amounts). Could you do brown rice? If using white rice…less pre-cooking would be needed, as well as liquid, but it would take some experimenting. I am think that still-cut oats could also work. Start with much less liquid, add more as needed until they are tender enough to go into the oven for the final bake (follow the texture suggestions for the millet in terms of how “done” the oats or rice should be before baking). I hope this helps! I think it could be quite good 🙂
Hi, can you help explain this bit? I’m confused about the wording/when to transfer out of the pan.
Also when do you add the coconut oil?
Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool completely before removing from the pan
Sorry about that, Carla! I have made the corrections. Thanks for catching my errors 😊
These came out great. Used dried cherries instead of raisins. Delicious snack as well as breakfast. Thanks.
Glad to hear it, Mark!
A big hit with my husband and me– I’m vegan he’s not, but these suit both of us . Thx for the recipe!
You are so welcome, Carrie!
Hi,
What type of millet can be used in this recipe?
Hi Priya,
I used this kind of millet: Bob’s Red Mill Hulled Millet
Love these! I had a bag of millet in the pantry and all the other ingredients on hand. I used organic butter in place of the coconut oil and they were divine. Very apple pie-like!
Great to hear it, Jennifer!!!