Oh muffins, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… First, you can serve these blueberry (or anything you want) whole wheat muffins as part of breakfast, lunch, or just by themselves as a snack.
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Second, they really are easy to make, and with so many possibilities of what you can add to the muffin batter I am certain that you will find a combination that you (and your kids) will love.
Third, my kids scarf down their beloved customized versions, and I feel good about what they are eating. And last but not least, they freeze beautifully!! Check out all the different types of berries. Try these Lemon Blueberry Muffins too!
The inspiration for these blueberry, fruit, nut, or anything you want whole wheat muffins
I definitely have to give credit to my 5-year-old daughter for inspiring me to make these whole-wheat muffins. She got very excited one morning when I asked her what she wanted for breakfast and responded with “blueberry muffins!” We had not made muffins in years and I think she likes the idea of them because, well, the shape is strikingly similar to a cupcake!
Once we got started my creative juices started flowing … these don’t just have to be blueberry muffins! I put strawberries in some and some leftover pear that I had on hand in others … and why not raisins? My 3-year-old loves raisins.
So anyway, you get the idea how you can take the plain batter and add whatever flavors your heart desires. Make one big batch that's all the same or make each one different…and most importantly, have fun with it!
Are whole wheat blueberry, fruit, nut, etc. muffins healthy?
The whole wheat muffin batter that I used in this recipe is made from real food ingredients. That means no processed flour or refined sugar! And the overall amount of sweetener used is reduced compared to store-bought muffins. When you add healthy ingredients like fruit, veggies, and nuts, whole wheat muffins end up being a pretty balanced breakfast or snack.
If you’re new to doing real food swaps in your house, this is a great replacement for busy families to skip processed cereal in the mornings. Plus you can sneak an extra serving of fruit or veggies in for picky eaters!
Tips before you get started making these blueberry (or anything you want them to be) whole wheat muffins:
Why does this recipe use juice?
I’ve used both apple and orange juice to make this muffin recipe, it just depends on what I have on hand. The juice adds liquid/moisture to the recipe, which is needed for these whole wheat muffins to bake properly. It also doubles as a substitute for refined sugar.
Some people may find orange juice too bitter, so in that case I’d recommend just using apple juice (we prefer unfiltered organic juice not from concentrate). You could also substitute another juice variety of your choice such as pear. Just make sure it’s 100% juice!
Finally, you can also substitute the juice with milk if you prefer. The muffins will still turn out moist, but you may find them less sweet. If you opt for milk, I suggest using sweeter mix ins or adding a bit of additional honey, depending on your preference.
Can you use frozen blueberries or raspberries in whole wheat muffins?
Frozen blueberries and raspberries should bake the same as fresh berries in this recipe. Just make sure your berries don’t melt while you’re mixing them in! If the frozen berries start to melt, they’ll start to release juice into the batter and may not hold their shape as well.
Try this Lemon Blueberry Bread too!
What foods make good fillings for muffins?
I call these “whatever you want them to be” muffins because you can add pretty much anything to the batter, and they still turn out. You can also combine more than one filling for unique flavors!
Fruit (fresh, frozen, or dried, for sweet muffins)
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Diced strawberries
- Chopped and peeled apple or pear
- Applesauce
- Mashed banana
- Raisins
- Dates
- Dried cranberries
- Lemon or orange zest
Vegetables (for savory muffins)
- Grated carrots
- Zucchini
- Pumpkin
- Corn
- Sweet potato
- Bell pepper
- Garlic
- Onion
Nuts (chopped)
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Pistachio
Dairy & Meat
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Cubed pieces of cooked meat (great for a breakfast muffin!)
If your whole wheat muffins with dried fruit, nuts, or other mix-ins come out dry
Sometimes homemade muffins can come out dry. This usually happens when you scoop the flour on the heavier side or slightly under measure the liquid in the recipe. It can also happen if you’re using dried fruit or nuts that absorb the liquid (vs fresh or frozen ingredients that have a lot of internal moisture).
Depending on how dry they are, you can add ¼ to ½ cup of applesauce, Greek yogurt, mashed banana, or grated zucchini.
How to keep muffins from sticking to the pan
I always bake my muffins inside muffin liners to make it easier to remove them. If you're using paper liners, look for the parchment variety. Another idea is to use foil cupcake liners and lightly spritz them with an oil of your choice.
If you don’t want to use liners, you’ll need to properly grease the muffin pan. Use your favorite method, or try spreading butter inside the muffin tray’s cups, then dusting with whole wheat flour. Shake off the excess.
Other muffin recipes you might like
- Whole Wheat Lemon Raspberry Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana (Nut) Muffins
- Whole Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins
- Apple Walnut Muffins
Fruit, Nut, or Berry Whole-Wheat Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil (or other oil of your choice)
- ¾ cup apple juice (or orange juice)
Filling Options - about 1 cup needed (see below for details)
- berries
- fruit
- nuts
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl with a fork or whisk mix the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs, honey, vanilla, oil and orange juice. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together – do not overmix.
- Now here is the fun part. If you are in a hurry just add 1 cup of blueberries, mashed up banana & nuts, or other filling of your choice. If you have 5 or 10 minutes extra (and some anxious helpers) do not add anything to the muffin batter before continuing with the next step.
- Line a muffin pan with liners and fill ⅔ to ¾ of the way full with batter. If you didn’t already add your filling, sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of whatever you would like (from the list below or from your own creation) onto the top of each raw muffin in the pan. Then gently mix each one with a fork or spoon.
Here are some options to consider for the fillings:
- blueberries
- diced strawberries
- peeled and diced pears
- applesauce
- either diced or mashed up bananas and chopped walnuts
- raisins and chopped pecans (I add an extra pinch of cinnamon to the muffins with this filling)
- grated carrot and chopped walnuts
- orange or lemon zest (only add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of zest per individual muffin)
- a mix of dried fruit bits
- jelly - After the filling has been mixed into each muffin slide the tray into the warm oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature and freeze some for a later date.
Enjoy!
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Ruth says
I tried making these, and well the taste was good, im not sure what I did wrong, they were kind of tough, chewy and they stuck to my muffin papers so bad. any suggestions?
Marianne says
Hi,
I have had a lot of practice in making cakes (used to be a pastry chef). I would first make sure that you aren't mixing the flour too much. When you beat flour it releases the glutens that make it heavy (this is why you have to knead bread so much). If you try just mixing until everything is just barely mixed that should help. :)Another thing could be the amount of liquid in the fruit - some fruits have more than others and you should compensate by reducing other liquid a little. Hope that helps!
Jen says
LOVE these muffins! My 9 year old daughter absolutely loves helping me in the kitchen and these are her favorite to make.
Jessica says
Do you melt the oil?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jessica. Yes, you do melt the oil. Here is more info on cooking with coconut oil: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
Genevieve says
When I use coconut oil, whatever I make tastes soapy to me. Is this just me? I made these today following the recipe exactly with the same result. Could it be the coconut oil I'm using?
Riann says
This happened to me too. I even made the muffins twice to make sure I did everything correctly and there is just this wired underlying taste.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Genevieve. Maybe you could try a different brand. I've noticed a slight difference in flavor depending on which I use. ~Amy
Dawn says
Made these today and they were so good! I used whole wheat pastry flour and bc I was running low replaced 1/2 cup with almond meal. We had two really ripe bananas so I threw them in with some pecans. The whole family enjoyed these and they will be so handy to grab for breakfast or a snack. Thank you for sharing!
Charlene says
I have a bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer. Can I just use those or will them being frozen affect the outcome? Obviously, not much of a baker here :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Charlene. You can use frozen berries. The texture might be a bit different. Add them last. If you allow them to thaw, they will bleed throughout your batter. ~Amy
Audra says
Charlene -
I always use frozen blueberries when I make these and I just toss them in a couple tbsp of whole wheat flour before mixing into the batter. That keeps them from bleeding as much. Super yummy!
Erin says
This has been my go-to muffin recipe for about 2 years now. I made them today with 1/2c of blueberries & 1/2 cup of diced peaches (skin removed). This is by far my favorite! I highly recommend it!
Lexie says
Hi
I have a question about these muffins. They sound absolutely amazing, but i don't like using fruit juices in my muffins. Is there anything i could use instead that would work?
I'd really aprecciate if you could help me.
Thanks
Lexie
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Lexie. While I have not tried this, I think it would work to make a sweet syrup by using a little honey or maple syrup combined with water. That would provide both the liquid and the sweetness that the fruit juice would otherwise supply. Again, it is a suggestion that I've not tested. :) ~Amy
Amy says
Lexie - I tried this and had run out of juice, so I used a well-mashed banana and water. They tasted great!
Staci says
I stirred in shredded coconut and mango butter!
Scott says
Awesome recipe! I made these with blueberries and OJ but left out the honey since I'm not really that fond of honey, and they were absolutely perfect and delicious.
Never used coconut oil before, but bought some to make these and I really liked the flavor it added.
Alzbeta says
I made mine mini (works much better for our 3 year old!) with apple chunks. They were delicious... thank you for the amazing recipe!
Crystal says
I want to make these using rhubarb. Should I cook the rhubarb first?
Kendra says
No, you don't need to. I just made some with raw rhubarb and strawberry jam and they turned out really well!
Lisa says
These were amazing... I was lucky I had one as it came out of the oven, because the kids ate all the rest!!! My Kids are used to choc/banana muffins so I used a 1/2 banana and just a few choc chips as the filling (with apple juice as my liquid)and I was happy to see the kids loved them. Can't wait to experiment with other flavors!!
Kasia says
Hello,
I really want to try these but I don't have apple juice on hand but do usually have applesauce. Would it work to sub the applesauce volume for the apple juice? Esp if I use frozen berries? Thanks much, also excited to try white whole wheat flour since I tend to not enjoy reg whole wheat flour....
Heidi says
Was there an answer for is question? I have the exact same question! No juice but have applesauce and using frozen berries.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi. Apologies as we can rarely answer comments/questions in real time. Did you try it? That would have been my advice...to try it and share your outcome. :) Let us know. ~Amy
nicole says
my daughter is allergic to egg - what would you suggest as a substitutue?? Thank you for all you do - you have inspired me to do more for my family!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Nicole. You can use both flax or chia combined with water as an egg substitute. Here is how: http://www.veganbaking.net/egg-replacers/208-chia-seed-binder#.UaS-_pxtYyg. Good luck. ~Amy
Nicole says
I just made these with 365 Brand Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, coconut oil and 1 1/2 cups of frozen (not thawed) organic blueberries. Delicious! I'm shocked they turned out so sweet with just the juice and 2T of honey. My 9, 6 and 2 year olds loved them. Thanks!
Eva says
Looking for ideas to replace the old habit of cupcakes for birthdays. My daughter turns 5 tomorrow and of course, who does not bring cupcakes to school? I will be trying these tonight!
Katie says
Thanks so much! That clears up a lot of confusion! :)
Katie says
I see that you use coconut oil for this recipe and I'd like to do the same...since it's solid unless mixed with something warm, do you have any tips on mixing it in with the rest of the ingredients?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Katie. You need to melt the coconut oil before adding it. Here is some additional information: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. Good luck. ~Amy
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Sue. It is normal for the muffins to stick a little to the liners. You could always use an olive oil mister instead of a commercial spray. ~Amy
Sue says
I made these muffins with banana and my kids are loving them. The only problem that occurred was that the muffin stuck the the muffin liner. I tried looking for an answer on the internet but all I am reading to do is to use a spray like PAM, which I don't want to use. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks so much for this recipe and any suggestions!
Karen Marshall says
We are just making the switch to whole wheat. I am having a hard time getting my kids to eat these. Tried banana, blueberry and raisen. I am using olive oil. Would coconut oil change the test? Thanks Karen
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Karen. Have you tried using the white whole wheat flour? Also, I never notice a taste difference when baking with coconut oil. Here is a little more on cooking with coconut oil: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/02/07/how-to-cook-with-coconut-oil/. ~Amy
Erin says
I made these and they were bitter. Is this the taste of the whole wheat flour or something I did wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. Whole wheat lends a richer flavor compared to white flour but not a bitter flavor. These muffins should taste just sweet enough. Were your ingredients fresh? Whole wheat flour can turn rancid pretty quickly. ~Amy
Tina says
Great recipe! I look forward to trying these! Any idea on the calorie content of the plain batter?
Thanks!!
Amanda says
I have always just made the banana bread into muffins. I can't believe I have never made these. They were so good. I added chopped strawberries, bananas, blueberries, walnuts and rolled oats (a little extra juice to compensate for all the dry ingredients) and they turned out perfect. I did add extra cinnamon and honey too just because we like it. Do you ever use the Bob's red mill gluten free all purpose baking mix?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Amanda. Glad you enjoy the recipe! Your version sounds yummy. Lisa's family has not ventured deeply into the gluten free landscape because they, fortunately, have no sensitivities in their family. I do some gluten free baking but try to stick with 100% whole grain flours. I grind a lot of GF oatmeal into flour. One of our former team members did a post that included some gluten free recipes and grains: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/06/28/food-allergies/. ~Amy
Anna says
They were a little dry when I made them. What did do wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Anna. Maybe shorten your cooking time a little? If your oven runs a bit hot, that small amount of time can mean the difference between just right and not quite. Give them another try and watch them closely toward the end. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Jennifer says
I have three boys, ages 11, 7 and 5. And we are new at this adventure, and we are very excited. Today I made this recipe and the muffins are already gone. We loved it!!!
Abbey says
We made these Friday night. We got 20+ muffins out of it and they were all gone by Sunday evening. Our 4.5 year old helped and had a blast. Not to mention, she ate a majority of them. I didn't have any "juice", but used a "smoothie" drink we had and it seemed to work. Maybe lost a little bit of sweetness, but as noted on the blog, the fruit more than made up for it. I would suggest to make sure you FILL it with fruit! You could probably get more muffins out of it that way, too. Also, more ripe fruit is probably best. Needless to say, we will be making these often and I highly recommend these!!!!
Lindsay says
Oh, and I also sprinkled some granola on top to give them a little "crunch".
Lindsay says
Made these yesterday and experimented to see which my kids would like, so I did 3 blueberry, 3 strawberry, 3 grated apple, and 3 with a honey/cream cheese/cinnamon filling (previous poster suggested - awesome!!!). Our favorites were the cream cheese filled ones and the shredded apple ones. The strawberry ones were decent, but the strawberry chunks were mushy and my kids refused to try them. LOL. The blueberry ones were okay, but none of us are big blueberry fans anyway. Will be making these again.
Debbie Lyman says
Just pulled a batch of blueberry muffins out of the oven - looking forward to trying them! If my kids leave any for me, that is...
Joelle says
Did anyone else have issues with these muffins sticking to the bottoms of the liners? So annoying! But delicious even without the bottom!
Elisha says
These muffins are DELICIOUS!!!!! The first time I made them without the juice and added extra honey. They were still good, but not as great as they are with the juice and honey. I also used a Hungarian Whole Wheat flour, I could see the fiber, but the muffins came out light and fluffy!
The original plan was to make a batch to share with my husband and co-workers...my co-workers never stood a chance! Those muffins were gone within an hour!
Courtney says
These are delicious! I followed the recipe but used 1/8 cup of applesauce and 1/8 cup of canola oil. I've used coconut oil in the 100 Days zucchini bread recipe and I just can't get over the coconut taste. I filled the muffins with a cup of frozen blueberries and used orange-mango juice (what I had on hand) and they turned out great! Thank you so much to Lisa and the team for all of these great recipes. Everything we've tried has been so good. I'll definitely be buying the cookbook when it comes out in January!
Jocelyn says
I've started making & freezing muffins for lunches. What is the best way to freeze them so they stay the best? How long do they keep in the freezer?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jocelyn. We typically suggest up to three months. ~Amy
Brandon says
I made a filling of organic Creamcheese and Honey. It was delicious and reminded me of Sara Lee Cream Cheese pastries from my childhood. (Horrified by all the Processed Foods I ate as a child and I am trying so hard to feed my children real foods.) Thank you for all the wonderful recipes!
Esme says
Hello, i want to make these for my husband who is over seas, how long do they last when not frozen, it takes about a week to receive packages. thank you!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Esme. A week is a long time in the life of a muffin. I think if there is a way to ship them frozen, that would be your best and freshest bet. ~Amy
Emma says
Loving these muffins! I used pineapple juice and filled my muffins with some blueberry spreadable fruit (putting half the batter in each muffins cup, putting on a large dollop of jam and then covering it with some more batter). The result was a delicious, naturally sweet muffin. I had some unrefined raw sugar that I lightly sprinkled on top since I love a little glaze and it added just a touch of sweet. Thanks for a great recipe.
Kristen W says
I've been making these muffins for a while now, but I've stopped putting fruit in them because when I defrost them from the freezer, the fruit seems to make them mushy inside! Any suggestions? Am I doing something wrong? Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kristin. Can you tell me what fruit you are adding? Some will add more moisture than others. ~Amy
Kristen W says
Raspberries, blueberries or cranberries
Robyn W says
These are great. I haven't made muffins in years but after seeing so many of Lisa's wonderful lunches featuring muffins I found myself craving them. We are snowed in today so it was a great chance for me to make these using frozen blueberries I always have on hand.