These Apple Hemp Muffins are hot! These whole-grain, vegan muffins by Dreena Burton are easy to make, delicious, tender, and also nut-free and oil-free.
These Apple Hemp Muffins are hot.
Recipe, I mean. Muffins too, but you know, let ’em cool at least a little before taking a bite.
Who would imagine that hemp muffins could be so popular? Readers have loved this recipe for years now, so much that I revised it for Plant-Powered Families.
The original version appeared in Vive le Vegan back in 2004. Yep, I’ve been using hemp seeds in my recipes for many years, before it was a trendy superfood.
When I started using hemp seeds and talking about them in my recipes, I got that “ohhhh, you are that kind of vegan!” sort of reaction.
People didn’t know that hemp seeds were a highly nutritious food – a ‘superfood’ if you will.
No, instead they thought they’d get high from my brownies. Of course they wouldn’t! Because I saved it all for muffins. #kidding #relax!
Jokes aside, it took a few years for the worth of hemp – high in protein, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants – to be recognized in the world of healthy eating. Thank goodness it has, because it has made these virtuous bitty seeds widely available (and accepted)!
For Plant-Powered Families, I freshened up the recipe and made them oil-free. Even without the oil, these muffins are still beautifully moist and tender. To ensure they don’t stick to the muffin liners, try using these parchment muffin liners. They do the trick!
I make these muffins often for school lunches, because they are substantial, healthy, and of course nut-free.
Apple Hemp Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole-grain spelt flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2/3 – 3/4 cup hemp seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom can substitute freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup plain or vanilla non-dairy milk
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup raisins or chopped raw banana spears use kitchen shears or knife to cut in small pieces about size of raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, sifting in the baking powder and baking soda. Stir through until well combined. In another bowl, combine applesauce, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, and vanilla, and mix together. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and gently fold and mix through, until just combined (do not overmix). Spoon the mixture into a muffin pan lined with cupcake liners (this will fill 12 muffins quite full). Bake for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (See notes above about cooling to help remove from liner.) Makes 12 large muffins.
Have you tried these Vegan Apple Hemp Muffins? What is your favorite way to eat hemp seeds?
Alex says
These look divine! Really want to try hemp seeds, alas i have not seen them around ( and heard they are REAL expensive). 🙁
despite the lack of hemp, i would like to try making your muffins, is there a good substitute for hemp seeds in this recipe?
Thank you!
susan leshinsky says
Can I sub WW flour for the spelt flour? I have WW pastry flour,too
Dreena says
Hi Susan, you can, but use less. I’d use w/w pastry, as it’s a softer flour, less grainy. Generally, you need a little more spelt when substituting for w/w, so when subbing the other way, use a little less. Here, I’d probably use about 1 1/4 cups of w/w pastry. Hope that helps!
Barbara says
How did you make them gluten free ?
Just going gluten and dairy free due to medical issues with my 3 year vold so very new at all.this nut he lkes muffins ! Shalom
Dreena says
Hi Barbara, do you need them strictly gluten-free or simply free of wheat (the two are confused often). I haven’t made these gluten-free, but they are made without wheat flour. For more gluten-free recipes, you can link to my recipes page and search “gluten-free” under the dietary category. Also, over 1/2 of my cookbook “Let Them Eat Vegan” is gf, and my PP15 ebook is all gluten-free. Both are here: https://dreenaburton.com/books/ Good luck! 🙂
Ruth says
Do you have a nut-free cookbook?
Carrie says
Love this! I made some tweaks and made these as Pumpkin Hemp Muffins! Mine are gluten free, too. Never would have been able to get that far with them without this recipe – I wrote about it in my blog and credited you as my inspiration. 🙂 Now that I’ve found you, I have lots of reading to do – your recipes look great! Thanks again!!
Anna says
Hi Dreena,
Could I use fresh apple juice instead of applesauce?
Dreena says
Hi Anna, no not in this case. The applesauce is needed for texture and there is a lot used in this particular recipe. Best to wait until you have some!