I’m partnering with Stevia In The Raw® to bring you today’s recipe! I love their zero-calorie stevia products. They’re so easy to use and perfect for baking!
Every year, I always wait until Thanksgiving ends to start the winter holiday season. Some people pull out their Christmas trees and sing along with festive carols as soon as November begins, but I prefer to slowly savor each season and enjoy one holiday at a time.
With the clean dishes drying in the sink and the leftovers safely tucked away in the refrigerator, my family often kicks off the Christmas season with a holiday movie on Thanksgiving night. We alternate between Rudolph, Olive the Other Reindeer, and A Charlie Brown Christmas, three of our favorites (and we sometimes sneak an extra slice of pie while the credits roll!).
The next morning, Mom usually climbs into the attic and carries down boxes upon boxes of lights and decorations. She generally starts with the dining room table, setting out deep crimson charger plates topped with white dinner plates with gold trim in front of each chair, followed by centerpieces of candles and poinsettias.
Dad and I volunteer to work on the artificial tree (the rest of my family is allergic to real ones!), and after we fluff each branch, we carefully string rows and rows of colorful twinkly lights around and around the tree. We wait to start decorating until after Dad places the Santa tree topper and Mom hangs up their very first Christmas ornament at the top of the tree, a little angel from their honeymoon in Hawaii.
This year, I decided to bake these Healthy One-Bowl Gingerbread Muffins as a festive treat to enjoy while starting the holiday decorating! They’re supremely moist with lots of cozy spice flavors, yet they contain no refined flour or sugar and just 123 calories!
Judging by how quickly they disappeared around my family… I need to bake a double batch next time!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY GINGERBREAD MUFFINS
Let’s go over how to make these healthy one-bowl gingerbread muffins!
You’ll start with… A big mixing bowl! Probably pretty obvious, right? 😉 In that bowl, you’ll whisk together a teensy bit of melted butter (or coconut oil!), egg whites, and vanilla. Yes, just an itty bitty amount — a mere 1 teaspoon of butter! But I promise these healthy gingerbread muffins are still supremely moist and fluffy, and I’ll tell you why soon!
Next, you’ll whisk in the spices and salt. You’re using ginger (impossible to make gingerbread muffins without it!), cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I prefer my healthy gingerbread muffins on the extra spicy side, so I’m pretty generous with the ginger. It just tastes so warm and cozy and comforting!
Note: I prefer whisking in the spices and salt now, rather than later with the flour, to prevent clumping and ensure they’re evenly distributed throughout the batter!
Time for that secret ingredient that keeps these muffins so moist! And that’s… Greek yogurt! If you’ve browsed through my recipes before, then you probably know that it’s one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking. It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your healthy one-bowl gingerbread muffins a protein boost too!
Next, you’ll stir in two different sweeteners. Yes, two! They’re both equally important in creating the best healthy gingerbread muffins. The first is molasses. Along with ginger, molasses is what gives gingerbread its iconic taste. Ginger provides the cozy spice flavor, while molasses contributes a deep richness. I don’t recommend substituting anything for it because your healthy one-bowl gingerbread muffins just won’t taste the same without it!
The second is stevia. Specifically, Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag! Stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener that contains an extract from the stevia plant, and Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag sweetens cup-for-cup like regular sugar. It’s so easy and handy to use in baking recipes to reduce calories without sacrificing flavor (up to 700 calories are saved for every cup of sugar swapped!), like with these healthy one-bowl gingerbread muffins!
Once you’ve stirred in the milk, it’s time to add the last three ingredients: white whole wheat flour, baking powder, and baking soda. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… Which lets the sweet flavor and moist texture of these healthy gingerbread muffins truly shine!
Just remember… Do not dump the baking powder and baking soda into the bowl! After adding the flour in, gently sprinkle them on top. Sprinkling these two ingredients, rather than dumping them in the center, prevents clumping and ensures your healthy gingerbread muffins rise properly, thus giving them the best texture imaginable!
Hint: You wait to add the baking powder and baking soda now, rather than with the spices, to ensure they’re not activated too early — especially the baking soda! Baking soda is activated as soon as it comes into contact with liquids, and if it’s activated too early, your muffins won’t rise. (Oops!) So that’s why you wait to add it until the very end!
One last tip for you! If you’re using muffin liners like I did in these photos, remember to generously coat your muffin liners with cooking spray. Low-fat batters, like with this healthy gingerbread muffins recipe, tend to stick to liners like superglue. Yet if you mist the liners with cooking spray, they peel away from your muffins much more easily!
Who else is ready for a festive holiday breakfast?? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy gingerbread muffins!
| Healthy One-Bowl Gingerbread Muffins | | Print |
- 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp (10g) ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) molasses (see Notes!)
- ½ cup (12g) Stevia In The Raw® Bakers Bag
- 1 cup (240mL) nonfat milk
- 2 ½ cups (300g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using paper or metallic liners, place them in each muffin cup and coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and vanilla. Whisk in the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the molasses and Stevia In The Raw®. Stir in the milk. Pour in the flour. Gently sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda on top of the flour; then gently stir everything together until just incorporated.
- Spread the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes or until the centers feels firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before 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.
It’s very important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much will dry out your muffins, instead of resulting in the moist and tender texture they should have.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
By sprinkling the baking powder and baking soda over the flour, instead of pouring or dumping them in the middle, it helps prevent clumps and ensures your muffins rise properly.
IMPORTANT MOLASSES NOTE:The molasses is essential to create the gingerbread flavor. You just need regular molasses (like this), not blackstrap molasses. (Blackstrap molasses is a bit too bitter!) Molasses inexpensive, shelf-stable, and keeps for ages. I do not recommend substituting for it, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine too! In a pinch, you can substitute pure maple syrup, honey, or agave, but the muffins will no longer have that classic deep, rich gingerbread taste.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, and 1 ¼ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.
DAIRY-FREE OPTION: Use the coconut oil option, stick-style vegan butter (like this!), or any oil in place of the unsalted butter. Use non-dairy yogurt alternatives (ie soy-, almond-, coconut-, or even oat-based) in place of the Greek yogurt. Use your favorite non-dairy milk in place of the nonfat milk.
SUBSTITUTING OTHER SWEETENERS: See the Nutrition Information below for more information about how to substitute other sweeteners!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar, dairy-free option}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
This post was sponsored by Stevia In The Raw®. As always, all text, opinions, photographs, and recipe are my own.
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Apple Gingerbread Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Scones
♡ Healthy Gingerbread Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Morning Glory Gingerbread
Hello Amy. We don’t have stevia in the raw in Cyprus. How can i substitute?
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Xenia! What’s your favorite sweetener for baking recipes that you’d like to use instead? 🙂
Hi Amy,
thanks a lot for your recipes!
i cannot find any stevia in the raw either 🙁 but i really want to make this recipe. Can i subsitute with honey, maple syrup or peanutbutter (anything but sugar) ?
It’s my pleasure Lena! If you’d like to use honey or maple syrup, then use ½ cup and reduce the milk to ½ cup to compensate for the added liquid. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins! 🙂
Hi!
Is 1/2c of stevia right? I’ve only used the liquid before but you use a tiny, tiny amount of that xx
This baker’s stevia that Amy lists is not the same as the usual stevia extracts, which are very, very sweet in small amounts. The baking one is meant to be used in the same amount as regular sugar, which it can do because it has other ingredients fluffing it up. You’ll have to find another baking stevia substitute if you can’t find this one.
Thanks for chiming in Julie! Both the liquid stevia that Sarah mentioned and the Stevia In The Raw in this recipe work equally well in baking recipes. It’s just a matter of how much of the particular stevia product to use and whether the other ingredient amounts need to be adjusted! 🙂
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Sarah! Yes, ½ cup of Stevia In The Raw is correct. I actually go over that in the text of my blog post above the recipe! It’s designed to sweeten cup-for-cup like granulated sugar, whereas the liquid I use in my other recipes is much more concentrated, which is why I use a lot less of the liquid. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you try them!
Is there a way to substitute maple syrup or something for the stevia? Thank you!
Yes! You can substitute ½ cup of maple syrup for the stevia, then decrease the milk to ½ cup to compensate for the added liquid. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins if you try them Palutena!
Ah, thank you so much!! Yes I am SO excitied to make these. Gingerbread is like my favorite flavor EVER!! 🙂
You’re welcome Palutena! I’m a big gingerbread fan too. I’d be totally fine eating it all year round! 😉 I can’t wait to hear how your muffins turn out!!
Thanks! ,Exactly what I feel like today.
It’s my pleasure Nynke! I’d love to hear what you think if you try these muffins! 🙂
Hi,
Can I sub reg. Sugar for the stevia? I know it won’t be as low fat. Would it be the same amount?
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Amara! Yes, you can substitute the same amount of granulated sugar for the stevia. I recommend reducing the milk by 3-4 tablespoons to compensate because granulated sugar dissolves differently than Stevia In The Raw. The muffins will still be just as low in fat though — sugar just adds carbohydrates, not fat! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think if you try these muffins!
Thanks for the recipe. I am going to try this type of Stevia for the first time! Gingerbread muffins and hot tea pair well this time of year!
Thank you so much Cynthia! I love your idea of pairing them with tea — that sounds delicious! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of Stevia In The Raw!!
I love gingerbread in any form, so I’ll be anxiously awaiting your substitutions for Stevia in the Raw. I try not to use a mix of sweeteners, since the “other sweeteners” often aren’t very healthy.
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe LaRue! What sweetener would you prefer to use? 🙂
I prefer pure stevia — I have both the powder and now the liquid form, since I’ve seen that you use liquid stevia in many of your recipes. An alternative to pure stevia would be coconut sugar. Thanks, Amy!
It’s my pleasure LaRue! If you have the exact liquid stevia that I’ve linked to in my other recipes, then you’ll need 1 ¼ teaspoons of that, and you’ll probably need to increase the milk by a bit (2-4 tablespoons) to compensate. If you’d like to use coconut sugar, then you’ll need ½ cup (96g), and you’ll probably need to reduce the milk by 3-4 tablespoons since coconut sugar dissolves differently than Stevia In The Raw Bakers Bag. I can’t wait to hear how your muffins turn out! 🙂
Beautiful recipe!! I appreciate the patience for Christmas, I admit this year I got on the Christmas music train faster than I normally do. The moment Thanksgiving is over my mom is in decoration transition mode. She also goes into baking mode. The other day it was pumpkin bread, gingerbread, and lemon bread. If only she’d used stevia! HA.
Thanks so much Brittany!! I’m right there with you this year… Normally I take a few days to ease into the Christmas spirit (unless I’m spending the weekend at my parents’ house!), but I was full on singing Christmas carols on Friday morning. Oh well, no shame in that! 😉 All of your mom’s holiday baking sounds delicious!! I hope she made at least some of the Brittany-friendly! 🙂
Would it possible to substitute coconut sugar?
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Allegra! Yes, you can substitute the same amount of coconut for the stevia. I recommend reducing the milk by 3-4 tablespoons to compensate because coconut sugar dissolves differently than Stevia In The Raw. ? I can’t wait to hear what you think if you try these muffins!
Any idea if I can sub in almond or pea milk instead of regular milk?
I’ve actually covered this already in the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions! I know it can be easy to miss. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these muffins Rich!