Vegan Blueberry Orange Muffins

A wholesome vegan blueberry muffin recipe with oats, whole wheat flour, and the citrus flavor from orange juice and extract makes it a perfect treat any time of the day.

Prep Time20

Cook Time18

Cooling Time5

Total Time43

Method: Baking

Course: Muffins

Servings: 18 Muffins

Ingredients

PART 1:

1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup orange juice I used freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon orange zest

PART 2:

¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 flax eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

PART 3:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

ADD ONS:

2 cups blueberries

TOPPING:

½ cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners and lightly grease them with non-stick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the topping ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the 3 ingredients listed in Part 1.
Add oil, applesauce, flax eggs, and sugar mentioned in Part 2, and beat well with a handheld blender.
Place a sieve over the bowl and sift together the dry ingredients in Part 3.
Mix the dry and wet ingredients with a wooden spoon. Do not overmix.
Lightly flour the blueberries, stir them into the muffin batter, and gently mix.
Scoop out ⅓rd cup of batter for each muffin and fill the muffin tin. I was able to fill 18 muffin holes as against the 2 dozen mentioned in the original recipe.
Sprinkle the topping mixture on top of the muffins and put the muffin tins into the oven.
Bake at 400F/200C for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 375F/190C and bake for another 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the muffin pans from the oven and place them on cooling racks for a couple of minutes. Later take the muffins out of the pan and place them on the cooling racks to cool completely.

Notes

The blueberries I used were quite big, and the 2 cups I used looked like a lot in the batter. So I resisted my urge to use the 3-4 cups mentioned in the original recipe, especially since my youngest son doesn't like too many blueberries in a muffin.
I had a slight thought to increase the quantity of sugar, but I stuck with the 1 cup, and it was just the right amount of sweetness for our family.

Taste & Texture

One bite of the muffin and you get to enjoy the crunchiness of the walnuts, sugar topping, the chewy texture from the oats and whole wheat flour, the bursting juicy blueberries, and the sweetness is just right from the perfect quantity of sugar, and the muffin is not dense too.
And, of course, the flavor of orange from the orange juice and zest was an added bonus.
All in all, it was one perfect bite and a perfect eggless muffin. My family and friends loved it.

Nutrition