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Easy, 3-ingredient vegan pesto muffins are the savory breakfast you are craving! Chickpea flour is the not-so-secret ingredient that makes this portable breakfast possible (as well as nutritious).
Hallelujah: January is almost over.
January is a fine month in many respects (e.g., clean slate, new possibilities, and, personally, my birthday month), but sheesh, it is a challenge to make it through without freezing, succumbing to flu, or suffering from the post-holiday blues. Like a marathon, it’s an exhilarating rush at the start (This is it! Here I go!), followed by a long haul, and a strong possibility of hitting the wall (i.e., aloha resolutions, show me the sofa and some chocolate).
But here we are, days away from February, and I am here to say “You’ve got this!!!” But to make it through, you will need some great fuel to stay on task.
I’ve got some easy eats that can help you do just that. For example, my 3-ingredient vegan pesto muffins, (i.e., vegan egg breakfast cups, made with chickpea flour ).
Vegan Pesto Muffins Made with Chickpea Flour
Breakfast egg cups / egg muffins, mixed and studded with all matter of extras, are a great (and extremely popular; google and see) option: easy, minimal ingredients, make ahead, & portable. But if you cannot (or do not) eat eggs, you’re out of luck.
Or so you may have thought.
With some chickpea flour, water and baking powder–plus some pesto, for an instant punch of flavor–you can have light, fluffy “no-egg” breakfast muffins that are everything you want in an easy, healthy portable breakfast.
Perfect Portable Food (No Refrigeration Required)
Unlike traditional egg breakfast muffins, my no-egg version requires no refrigeration while toting from point A to point B. You can wrap, tote, and go without any worries of spoiling.
I used my easy vegan pesto recipe to make these, but you can use a ready-made pesto, too (opt for a cheese-free variety if you need to keep these vegan).
No pesto? No problem. You can whip up a wintery, inexpensive pesto in no time using kale or parsley, plus some garlic, nuts/seeds and olive oil (perhaps some nutritional yeast, too–it delivers a great cheese-y flavor, plus protein).
Alternatively, replace the pesto with 3 tablespoons of olive oil (or the oil of your choice), along with the seasonings you prefer. It’s still January, so you deserve to flavor these any which way that you like!
Recipe Benefits
- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Portable breakfast
- 3 ingredients
- Quick and easy to make and bake
Ingredients
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.
- chickpea flour
- baking powder (certified gluten-free, as needed)
- vegan pesto, homemade or purchased (check out my easy recipe here)
Step by Step Directions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
- Preheat oven to 425F (210C). Liberally grease or spray 9 cups of a standard size muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour and baking powder. Slowly whisk in the water until blended and smooth.
- Whisk in the pesto.Taste batter and add salt (to taste) as desired (the batter should taste somewhat salty; it will vary by type of pesto).
- Divide batter equally between prepared cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 24 to 27 minutes until lightly puffed and light golden on top (do not overbake, or they will lose their “eggy” texture).
- Cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of each cup with a knife and carefully remove each muffin from its cup.
- Serve warm or cool completely.
Be Careful, Do Not Overbake
Be careful not to overbake these, or they will become more bread-y than egg-y.
They will still be delicious, but more like a savory muffin (mmm…savory muffin…). Stick with the cooking time range provided and they will be fluffy, but also slightly custardy towards the middle (truly, they are like eggs).
So if you’ve got five minutes, whip up a batch tonight. No need to wait for the morning to eat them: breakfast for dinner sounds mighty fine for a cold, grey January night.
Eat well, and be kind to yourself, readers!
FAQ
- Is there a substitute for the pesto? Yes. Replace the pesto with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt for plain egg cups. Add in any herbs, spices, or cooked vegetables you like!
- I calculated different nutrtion numbers. Why? The nutrition calculation will vary slightly depending on the type of pesto you use.
- How should I store the muffins? Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for 6 months.
- Are there any substitutes for the chickpea flour? No, this recipe will only work with chickpea flour.
Related Posts:
- Easy Vegan Keto Pesto (nut-free option)
- Vegan White Bean Pesto {High Protein, Nut-Free}
- Mustard Greens Pepita Pesto {Vegan, Nut-Free}
- Vegan Baked Oatmeal Cups {oil-free, GF}
- Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal {vegan, oil-free, GF}
- Basic Vegan Chickpea Flour Muffins {grain-free, oil-free}
3-Ingredient Vegan Pesto Muffins (grain-free)
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups chickpea flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup Easy Vegan Pesto, or any variety pesto, if not vegan
- fine sea salt, to taste, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. (210C). Liberally grease or spray 9 cups of a standard size muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour and baking powder. Slowly whisk in the water until blended and smooth. Whisk in the pesto.
- Taste batter and add salt (to taste) as desired (the batter should taste somewhat salty; it will vary by type of pesto).
- Divide batter equally between prepared cups.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 24 to 27 minutes until lightly puffed and light golden on top (do not overbake, or they will lose their "eggy" texture).
- Cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of each cup with a knife and carefully remove each muffin from its cup.
- Serve warm or cool completely.
Hi Camille, thank you so much for creating and sharing this very yummy recipe xxx 🙂 . I didn’t add all the water as my mix seemed very watery with just 1 and a quarter cup water (probably because I was using our Australian cup measures!?). I had some roasted, peeled red capsicum nearby so chopped up some and put a small amount in some and also topped some with grated vegan cheese that was also nearby on the bench while I was in cooking mode! ;). All variations were yummy and this recipe is so so so easy it will definitely be a regular! 🙂
Ro, that sounds so delicious! I think I need to get some of the pesto out of my freezer and make your variation asap 🙂 I am so glad you like the recipe, enjoy!
My muffins in the oven, but had a little bit of natter left. I added butter to a small skillet and did a scramble with it, wait couple minutes for it to cool down, it was delicious! I am sure the muffins will come out great.
Thank you,
Trina
Brilliant, Trina! I love your ingenuity.Enjoy the muffins 🙂
Super yummy and filling! I used 1 cup of water because the dough looked runny enough and added 2 tsp of hemp powder for an extra protein kick. Instead of pesto I used 50g of chopped slightly-undercooked broccoli + 1tsp olive oil, ended up making 12 smaller muffins so the centers would be cooked properly (my oven struggles with that ahah). They’re delicious!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You are SO welcome, Iggy! I have not made these in some time (I am wondering WHY? :)) Thank you for reminding me about them, too, and so happy you enjoyed them!
Can this recipe be made with millet flour?
Hi Dee,
I am not sure that that would work. Chickpea flour has egg-like qualities (so it will hold together without added starches). I do not think the millet flour would work solo here.