Every so often for a special occasion like Mother’s Day or her birthday, my family treated my grandmother to brunch at Mimi’s Cafe, one of her favorite breakfast spots. We picked her up from her house across town before driving a few freeway exits to the neighboring city where the restaurant sat at the edge of the movie theater parking lot.
Since my family’s stomachs growl rather loudly before our first meal of the day, we avoid lines and long waits as much as possible. We strategically planned to arrive at “off” hours to beat the crowds (or even stopped by the morning before Mother’s Day instead!), and the hostess led us to a table almost as soon as we walked up to her stand.
After glancing through the menu, we always admired the fun French-inspired décor. Paintings of baguettes and croissants filled the walls, striped awnings hung over a few cozy booths, and a petite bistro-style table and chairs even sat on a tiny little decorative balcony up near the ceiling in one room. We usually mentioned how much we wanted to go back to France at least three times by the end of each meal!
When the waiter stopped by to take our order, we typically ordered the same things over and over. Mom selected the French toast with a huge mug of their hot chocolate topped with whipped cream; my brother requested the same, although sometimes switched to waffles instead; I originally opted for something similar to my brother, although I switched to scrambled egg whites or an omelet in high school; and Dad ordered the most interesting egg dish he could find on the menu, often one of the daily specials that came with a jumbo muffin on the side.
As a generous man, Dad always offered to share some of his muffin with everyone at the table, and I usually tried to snag the seat next to him so I could easily sneak an extra bite or two. He typically chose the honey bran, an incredibly moist muffin with a slightly heartier texture. Yet every so often, Dad ordered the blueberry muffin instead, and that one tasted just like a decadent cupcake—probably because of the ample amounts of butter and sour cream hiding inside that gave it such a tender crumb!
After watching Zootopia at the theater last month and spotting Mimi’s Cafe across the parking lot, I started craving those bran and blueberry muffins. Although tempted to walk over and ask the hostess for one to go, I headed home and made this Skinny Single-Serving Blueberry Muffin instead—a much healthier choice! It’s so simple, ready in just 10 minutes, and packed with over 5g of protein!
A few of the ingredients may be slightly unfamiliar, so let’s go over those briefly! This clean eating recipe starts with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from heartier red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, but it still has the same benefits as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be a perfect substitute!
You’ll sweeten the mug cake with one of my new favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way! You’ll need just 18 drops for this muffin-in-a-mug. This is the brand that I buy, and you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Whereas traditional recipes for mug cakes and muffins typically call for 2 tablespoons of butter and an egg (oh my goodness, my waistline is cringing at all of those calories!), this healthy one is the exact opposite! It includes no egg and a mere ¼ teaspoon of butter. And it still has the same tender texture!
You’ll use Greek yogurt to give this mug muffin that tender texture instead! Greek yogurt provides the same moisture as extra butter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives this muffin a big protein boost too.
Now here’s my final trick to perfectly a tender mug muffin (and cake!)… You’ll microwave it on 30% power for a longer period of time, instead of 1 minute on high like traditional recipes. The lower power better simulates baking in a regular oven, and it prevents the mug muffin or cake from turning out tough or rubbery. I use this trick for all of my microwave mug recipes, and it gives them that perfect tender texture every time!
Time for breakfast! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking. I’d love to see your blueberry muffin!
| Skinny Single-Serving Blueberry Muffin (in a mug!) | | Print |
- 3 tbsp (22g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- 1/16 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tbsp (15g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tbsp (22mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 18 drops vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
- 9 fresh blueberries
- Lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter, Greek yogurt, and milk.* Stir in the vanilla and vanilla crème stevia. Gradually mix in the flour mixture, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until just incorporated. Gently fold in 6 blueberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared ramekin, and gently press the remaining blueberries on top. Microwave on 30% POWER for 2 minutes 40 seconds (2:40). Let the muffin cool for at least 2 minutes to allow the center to finish cooking through.
Whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
Other sweeteners may be substituted in place of the vanilla crème stevia, but you may need to adjust the amount of flour or milk depending on the type of sweetener that you use. You’ll need the equivalent of 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Frozen and fully thawed blueberries may be substituted for the fresh. The microwave time may vary slightly.
If the yogurt and milk are cold, they will immediately re-solidify the melted butter. If this happens, microwave on HIGH for 6-8 seconds or until the butter re-melts; then proceed with the rest of the instructions.
It’s VERY important to microwave the mug cake on 30% power. This is set differently depending on the brand of microwave that you own. If microwaved on HIGH (full power) for a shorter time, the cake will be gummy, and the top may be overdone while the insides stay raw.
Microwave times may vary, depending on the wattage of your microwave oven. I used a 1000-watt microwave.
To bake the muffin in a regular oven, bake it at 350°F until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I haven’t prepared the muffin this way myself and can’t guarantee how long it will take, but check for doneness after about 12-14 minutes to start.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, sugar-free, high protein}
View Nutrition Information
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♥ Skinny Single-Serving Peanut Butter Mug Cake
♥ Skinny Single-Serving Fudgy Brownie
This is PERFECT for when I need something sweet without baking an entire batch of cookies! But usually I bake your cookies so I guess it’s fine to eat half the batch. 😉
Can I use strawberries instead of blueberries? Also can I use sugar instead of stevia? I’m pregnant and not supposed to consume any sweetness.
Yes, you can use strawberries instead! You’ll want about 1 large fresh strawberry that’s been diced. As for the sugar, I’ve already covered that in the Notes section beneath the Instructions. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the muffin Cynthia!
Thank you! I’m excited too. I have your strawberry oatmeal cookies in the oven now!!
You’re so sweet — I can’t wait to hear what you think of both recipes Cynthia! 🙂
Good flavor but this came out rubbery and chewy.
Yikes! That isn’t supposed to happen Laura. Did you microwave your mug cake on 30% power? Higher power levels are what normally cause a rubbery texture, and I talk more about that in the Notes section underneath the Instructions and in the text of the blog post above the recipe. 🙂
Yep, I followed everything exactly (actually I even put it on 20% power for the last 40 seconds)!
Thanks for the information Laura! Do you know the wattage of your microwave?
I am enjoying making your recipes!!
I was wondering if the Blueberry Bread can be put in the freezer and if so for how long?
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes Marilyn! That means a lot to me! 🙂 What’s the exact blueberry bread recipe that you’re asking about? Would it be my Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Quick Bread, by any chance? (I have multiple quick breads made with blueberries, so I just want to make sure I understand the exact recipe you’re interested in so I give you the best answer! 🙂 )
thank you for replying!!
The recipe I was referring to was “Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Quick Bread”.
It’s my pleasure Marilyn! Yes, that recipe can definitely be frozen. It works best if you slice the bread into individual slices and freeze those slices, rather than freezing the whole loaf. If stored inside of zip-topped bags with all of the air squeezed out, the frozen slices should keep for at least 3 months (if not longer!). 🙂
They was terrible and didn’t come out anything like the photo very disappointed
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Ayame! I’d love to help figure out what happened with your muffin. In order to do so, I have some questions for you! 🙂
Was it the taste or texture? Can you elaborate more on what was “terrible” about it?
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use the exact same stevia that I did?
What was the consistency of the raw batter before you cooked it in the microwave? Was it thick, thin, dry, runny, etc?
What’s the wattage of your microwave?
Did you use 30% power to cook it?
What was the texture of your muffin like after cooking and letting it rest for 2+ minutes?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them!