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3-Ingredient Vegan Pesto Muffins {grain-free}

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).
3-ingredient vegan pesto muffin on a white napkin

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 ).

.3-ingredient vegan pesto muffins on a black wire cooling rack

Vegan Egg Cups Made with Chickpea Flour

Breakfast egg cups, 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 cups that are everything you want in an easy, healthy portable breakfast.

Perfect Portable Food (No Refrigeration Required)

Unlike traditional egg breakfast cups, my no-egg cups require 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!

overhead shot of vegan pesto egg muffins

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).

Healthy Highlights of 3-Ingredient Vegan Pesto Muffins

In addition to great flavor, these follow up on my fueling promise:

  • super-low in sugar
  • grain-free & gluten-free
  • a healthy doses of protein
  • slow-burning carbs
  • healthy fat (olive oil + nuts/seeds from the pesto)
  • a mere 96 calories per muffin

In short, these muffins deliver the nutrients (and satisfaction!) you need to power through the day, and on into February!

blue bento box filled with a mandarin orange and a vegan pesto chickpea flour muffin

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!

Related Posts:

  1. Easy Vegan Keto Pesto (nut-free option)
  2. Vegan White Bean Pesto {High Protein, Nut-Free}
  3. Mustard Greens Pepita Pesto {Vegan, Nut-Free}
  4. Vegan Baked Oatmeal Cups {oil-free, GF}
  5. Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal {vegan, oil-free, GF}
  6. Basic Vegan Chickpea Flour Muffins {grain-free, oil-free}
3-Ingredient Vegan Pesto Muffins {grain-free}

3-Ingredient Vegan Pesto Muffins {grain-free}

Yield: 9 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 27 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

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).

Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 cups 180 g) chickpea flour
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups (500 mL) water
  • 1/4 cup Easy Vegan Pesto (or any variety pesto, if not vegan)
  • fine sea salt (to taste, as desired)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Liberally grease or spray 9 cups of a standard size muffin pan.
  2. 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.
  3. Taste batter and add salt (to taste) as desired (the batter should taste somwhat salty; it will vary by type of pesto).
  4. Divide batter equaly between prepared cups.
  5. 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).
  6. Cool in muffin pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of each cup with a knife and carfeully remove each cup.
  7. Serve warm or cool completely.

Notes

Variation: 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!

Nutrition: The nutrition calculation will vary slightly depending on the type of pesto you use.

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, the refrigerator for 1 week, or the freezer for 6 months.

Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving Calories 96Total Fat 4.3gSaturated Fat 0.7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 1.7mgSodium 151mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 2.1gSugar 1.7gProtein 4.2g

Did you make this recipe?

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Trina

Wednesday 21st of June 2023

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

Camilla

Thursday 22nd of June 2023

Brilliant, Trina! I love your ingenuity.Enjoy the muffins :)

Iggy

Thursday 16th of March 2023

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!

Camilla

Saturday 18th of March 2023

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!

Dee

Friday 3rd of June 2022

Can this recipe be made with millet flour?

Camilla

Tuesday 7th of June 2022

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.

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