My sophomore year of high school, our marching band flew to Hawaii to spend Spring Break in Honolulu. Our director organized a parade performance one morning in Waikiki, as well as a symphony concert at a school located just a few blocks from our hotel, but he scheduled plenty of free time and fun activities for the rest of our week-long vacation.
We attended a comedy show just a few hours after our planes landed at the airport; toured some of the most historic spots in the city by bus, including Iolani Palace, the home of the final monarchs before Hawaii became the 50th state; walked around Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial for almost an entire day; and dined at two different luaus, complete with flaming-baton-twirling hula dancers.
Since our hotel lacked a large dining facility that would fit all 250+ band members along with the nearly 50 parent chaperones, our director arranged for us to eat breakfast at a separate buffet-style restaurant a quick two-block walk away. The owner opened the doors for us from 7-9 am each day of our stay, and we could wander over whenever we woke up and felt hungry.
Most of the food fell under the traditional “Continental Breakfast” category, with plenty of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and hash browns served in hot chafing dishes; bagels and bread for toasting; and lots of fresh fruit. I always looked forward to the big, juicy spears of fresh pineapple!
The restaurant also offered a wide selection of pastries, in addition to the bread and bagels, that they set out in large linen-lined wicker baskets. We found croissants (both plain and chocolate-filled!), glazed donuts, sticky buns, and multiple flavors of mini muffins, including double chocolate, lemon poppy seed, and blueberry.
On our first morning there, I grabbed a blueberry muffin to go along with my pile of pineapple. Upon biting into it, my first thought was, “This is heavenly—it’s the best blueberry muffin I’ve ever eaten!” It was supremely moist, probably due to ample amounts of sour cream, and incredibly buttery. I felt like I was nibbling on a cupcake—and I quickly dashed back to the buffet line to grab two more!
I ate a lot of blueberry muffins on that trip…
Although I’m much more health-conscious now, I still enjoy blueberry muffins just as much as I did back then, so I’ve been working on perfecting a healthier version of those treats I fell in love with on Hawaii. And I finally did it… These are the most incredible Healthy Blueberry Muffins! They’re supremely tender, full of juicy berries, and come with none of the guilt of traditional recipes!
Yum. ♥
This easy muffin recipe begins with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, closer to that of all-purpose flour, but with the same health benefits as regular whole wheat. Whole wheat pastry flour would be a great option, as well.
Note: I included my favorite gluten-free flour blend in the Notes section beneath the recipe!
Unlike traditional recipes that call for large amounts of butter or oil, this healthier one only uses 1 tablespoon. Yes, that’s it! The rest of their tender cupcake-like texture comes from my favorite ingredient in healthier baking. If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you probably know what it is already…
Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture to the muffin batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. Greek yogurt also gives them a protein boost too… One cup of Greek yogurt contains 20g+ of protein! (Regular yogurt contains closer to 8-10g of protein instead.) I like to buy a big tub of plain Greek yogurt and simply scoop out whatever I need because it’s much cheaper than purchasing the single-serving cups.
These muffins are sweetened with a combination of honey and vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s really concentrated, so a little goes a long way! I like this brand, which comes in a small bottle with an eyedropper, and you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores and online. (You’ll also use vanilla crème stevia in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Some of my recipe testers found that the muffins sweetened with only vanilla crème stevia had an very tiny, ever-so-slightly bitter aftertaste, which is why you’ll also use a couple tablespoons of honey. Agave would be a good substitute, but I’d caution against pure maple syrup since that has a fairly iconic flavor of its own.
And finally, the best part… The blueberries! I highly recommend fresh blueberries for these muffins. You just can’t beat their sweet, juicy flavor! Additionally, fresh blueberries will not bleed when folding them in or turn the batter a murky gray color. Frozen will work in a pinch, as long as you don’t mind the batter’s discoloration, and I’d recommend tossing them in a little bit of flour first to minimize that.
Now who’s ready for breakfast??
| Healthy Blueberry Muffins | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured liked this)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
- ¾ tsp vanilla crème stevia
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cups (175g) fresh blueberries, divided (about 1 pint)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Mix in the honey and stevia. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in 1 cup of blueberries.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and gently press the remaining blueberries into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Agave or pure maple syrup may be substituted for the honey.
If you prefer to substitute additional honey for the vanilla crème stevia, you'll need to add 6 more tablespoons of honey and reduce the milk by approximately the same amount, or slightly less.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
Fresh blueberries work best because they have better flavor and don’t bleed when incorporating them into the batter. However, if you only have frozen, then reserve 1 tablespoon of flour, and toss the frozen blueberries with that just before folding into the batter. They will still bleed some and turn the batter grayish in color.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
What would be the regular sugar and/or brown sugar equivalent to substitute for the stevia? Although I am concerned about calories, I prefer not to use stevia. Also, would you know the calorie implications of using real sugar? I guess i might be able to substitute all honey but I think that would change the flavor profile too much and may not really help minimize the calorie count?
Thanks!
Adrienne
You’d need to add 6-8 tablespoons of granulated or brown sugar and decrease the milk to about ½ cup. This would add 24-32 calories to each muffin, and using all honey would add about the same amount. You could also use a similar amount of other no-calorie sweeteners (i.e 6-8 tablespoons), such as Truvia or Splenda, if you prefer. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins Adrienne!
These look delicious! I try not to use regular sugar, but I don’t have any stevia. If I increased and used just honey how would that change the recipe? Thank you!
I actually answered that question in the Notes section underneath the Instructions already! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins Amanda!
Blueberry muffins are my favorite and these look so good! This may seem like a weird question for a low-fat muffin recipe, but I am trying to inporate more healthy fats into my diet and I was wondering if it would be ok to actually use 3 tablespoons of coconut oil instead of one, and decrease the yogurt to 90g (6 T. )?? Thanks! 🙂
Now your question about the whole eggs makes more sense Anna! 😉 Yes, you’re welcome to make that substitution. I’m excited to hear how it turns out and what you think of the muffins!
If I don’t have vanilla creme stevia can I use regular stevia and add vanilla? If so, how much vanilla would you suggest?
Yes, but the amount depends on the stevia that you have! Not all stevia products have the same level of sweetness. I’d recommend an additional ½ teaspoon of vanilla and your stevia’s equivalent of 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins Rachel! 🙂
So glad this question as asked. I’m gonna give this a whirl 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins Laura! And if you’re substituting a different stevia product and want to double check the amount, I’m happy to do so with you! 🙂
Oh, thanks 🙂
I’m using Nirvana organic stevia extract (liquid concentrate) and it says on the label.., 2-3 drops= 1 tsp sugar.
My pleasure Laura! If that’s true, then 54 drops should be the right amount. I’m not sure what the equivalent is in teaspoons since every dropper can be different. I’ve found that some stevia products tend to be not quite as strong as advertised (i.e. the company says 3 drops = 1 teaspoon of sugar, but it really tastes like it should be closer to 4-5 drops), so just keep that in mind! 🙂 I’m so excited to hear how your muffins turn out!
These look so delicious! I have been looking for a good recipe for blueberry muffins and I can’t wait to try this tomorrow!! Just one question do you think these will be ok to freeze at all? I’m going away for a couple of weeks and thought I might leave a batch in the freezer for my hubby so that he eats healthy while I’m away lol!!xx
You’re so sweet to do that for your hubby Sally! Yes, these muffins freeze very well. I actually love keeping a batch for myself in my freezer! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you both think of them!
Amy
I tried the blueberry muffins and they were a complete disaster. In an effort to be healthy and gluten free I used Red Mill super fine almond flour. The batter was very thin and the muffins sank completely in the middle and we’re mush. Was it the flour???
Thanks
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Gloria! Did you make any other substitutions besides the almond flour? Or alter the recipe in any other way? This batter should be rather thick, as seen in the recipe video, so my guess is that there was too much milk or honey in yours. We’ll figure this out — I promise! 🙂
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for your response! The flour I used was Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour. The only substitution I made was I used coconut milk. My blueberries were frozen as well but I mixed them with flour as you suggested.
Gloria
My pleasure Gloria! Did you measure the 2 cups of flour by weight or with a measuring cup? And just to verify, you used 2 tablespoons of honey and ¾ teaspoon vanilla crème stevia?
Hi Amy, I measured with measuring cups using your method, which I always do anyway. Your recipe calls for 3/4 cups of milk. That, along with the Greek yogurt, and honey, is quite a bit of liquid for 2 cups of flour. My batter was quite thin and look nothing like your photo. I am not a novice Baker however I am new to using some of these ingredients such as the almond flour and Stevia drops. This may just have to go down as a baking mystery! I appreciate your help and comments.
Best,
Gloria
It’s my pleasure Gloria! If you followed the rest of the recipe exactly as written (often people forget to tell me about little tweaks they made, which is why I asked you so many questions! 😉 ), then it was definitely the super fine almond flour that did it. If you watch my video, you’ll see the thickness of the muffin batter after mixing everything together and when filling the muffin cups. I specifically designed the recipe and ratio of ingredients for the flour options I listed in the Ingredients list or Notes section, so if you use one of those, you’ll have much better results next time! 🙂
I used 2/3 cup of vanilla whey protein to replace 2/3 cup flour and omitted honey and stevia since it is sweetened and added 2 T of yogurt to replace the moisture from the honey. It came out amazing! calories: 111, 7g protein per muffin.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Calia! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your modifications too — I always love hearing what tweaks work!
My muffins didn’t come out as sweet as expected, I did not have the vanilla creme therefore I used 6 extra tbsp of honey and although it said to use less milk I had to use the 3/4 because the dough was too lumpy…. I am going to give it another try once I buy the vanilla stevia
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Fabiola! That sounds disappointing. How did you measure the flour? If the muffins weren’t sweet enough and you still needed the full ¾ cup of milk, then it sounds like there was too much in the batter. Did you use measuring cups or a kitchen scale? If you used the former, can you describe in detail how you measured the flour? Also, did your batter look the same and have the same consistency as mine did in my recipe video? We’ll get this sorted out, even though you plan on using the vanilla creme stevia! 🙂
To measure the flour i used a spoon to pour into my measuring cup and shakes it side to side to level it, and i did this lije 3 times till the measuring cup got filled and i leveled it with a knife.
The batter had semi similar consistency
Thanks for the information Fabiola! Based on how your described measuring the flour, there was definitely too much flour in your muffin batter. When measured like that, you can end up with 1.5 times as much flour as when you lightly spoon and level (without shaking the measuring cup side to side!), and that extra flour is definitely causing the issues that you’ve experienced! If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Don’t shake the measuring cup — only the fork! Once there’s a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never “pat” the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less flour to the batter, so you’ll end up with moist and tender muffins. Does that make sense? 🙂
That makes total sense! The fork method seems like it would take forever lol
I am a beginner baker so since I’ve pininterest a few of your recipes I think it will be best to invest on the scale to save time and measure accurately. I will give this recipe a secons try this weekend and I will update you. Thank you so much for all your help
It’s my pleasure Fabiola! And thank you so much for saving my recipes on Pinterest! That really means a lot to me. 🙂 The kitchen scale I own (and link to in many of my recipes and blog posts!) only cost $20. I bought it here on Amazon. It’s been the best investment I’ve ever made, and I really hope you feel the same way!
So, my 10yo DD is a rhythmic gymnast and we are VERY aware of what she eats. I want to be sure to encourage healthy eating and fueling the body, with a few treats. Her bday was today and we didn’t want to bring junk to the gym (which is highly discouraged, but they can’t stop us, of course). She finally decided on blueberry muffins and I scoured the internet for a healthy version. Yours won! lol! We used all whole wheat pastry flour, which my kids are used to and I like the slightly nutty taste but lighter texture vs regular whole wheat. We also used all honey ( I’m trying to adjust my kids’ tastebuds for less sweet), coconut oil and whole milk. They were pronounced DELICIOUS by all the 8-14yos and several girls want me to share the recipe with their moms! Yay!!! I would like to try it with the white whole wheat flour and maybe grass fed butter next time. My DD has said before that ALL her teeth are “sweet teeth” and she LOVES sweets, so this is a HUGE win for us! I’m also going to try with strawberries next time! Thank you so much!!! PS-we also ONLY eat greek yogurts, so that part was great…DD wants to try vanilla greek yogurt next time, but that would REALLy up the sugar content, so I’m not sure about that, but I bet it would taste good!
Oh my goodness, I’m honored that you selected my recipe to celebrate your daughter’s birthday with her fellow gymnasts — that means so much to me Myrinda! I’m really glad everyone loved these muffins, and I’m so touched that the girls wanted you to share the recipe with their moms! WOW! Thank you so much! ♡ And a happy belated birthday to your DD!!
Hi Amy,
What whole grain flour would you recommend to substitute for the white whole wheat? I don’t want to have to buy 3 to 4 flours to mix them to make a flour to use for a batch of muffins. I can’t have wheat or white refined (all purpose) flours.
I tried a batch last night with spelt flour, it tasted good, but I really didn’t like the texture, it wasn’t a muffin texture at all. I can have for example: spelt, buckwheat, kamut, coconut, millet, quinoa flours. I have spelt, buckwheat and coconut flour on hand at home.
However, I need to get whey isolate protein for the carrot cake protein muffins I want to make, so I could pick up whichever flour you would recommend.
Also, is there a way I could add protein powder to this recipe as well? What would I have to take out/add and how much protein powder? (If it’s even possible to do this)
Hope to hear back from you soon.
Thank you! 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in this muffin recipe of mine too, Sylvie! I don’t recommend adding/substituting protein powder here. If you can’t have gluten, then I really do recommend the blend I included or a store-bought GF flour blend. All gluten-free flours have their own unique flavor and texture, which is why it’s important to combine multiple together when replacing wheat-based flours. The combination gets much closer to emulating the taste and texture of regular wheat-based flours! It’s also incredibly important to use the xanthan gum (make sure your store-bought GF blend has it, if you decide to go that route!) because it’s what imitates gluten’s structural properties. Muffins made without it will collapse and be very dense, rather than light and tender in texture. 🙂