Last week I promised more muffin recipes, and, well, I guess I’m not wasting any time. Because here’s another! These Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins aren’t just low sugar (no refined sugar), low in oil, high protein (for a muffin), and dairy-free. They’re also wonderfully moist, full of flavor, and just plain cute. AND they have a shockingly good sense of balance!

Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins recipe - these moist little gems are dairy-free and full of protein. Add chocolate chips for an extra little treat!

Okay, so I may have used a hidden skewer to make that stack stay upright. A food blogger’s gotta do what a food blogger’s gotta do!

These muffins were my first foray into quinoa in muffins. It’s such a brilliant addition! I’d seen them around and decided to throw some cooked leftover quinoa into these to see what happened.

Basically, the quinoa just sort of integrates in with the muffin – you really have no idea it’s there. But it helps contribute to a surprisingly moist muffin, considering how little oil is used in the recipe. And of course there’s all the Omega-3 and protein goodness that comes with the quinoa territory. Gotta love that stuff.

This is my first one-dish-two-ways recipe that’s not veggie/carnivore, but instead adult/picky toddler. I absolutely get how sad the following fact is, but basically, my kid won’t touch muffins if they don’t have chocolate chips in them. I know, I know. I know. But I feel less guilty about that when the muffins have lots of other good stuff in them that she’s getting while she eats the chocolate chips. So there’s that. Sideways face.

Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins recipe - these moist little gems are dairy-free and full of protein. Add chocolate chips for an extra little treat!

So for this batch, I made half with chocolate chips and half without. I love these without the chocolate chips, and I’m watching my sugar intake so they were perfect for me. But with chocolate chips? Yeah, they’re even tastier. They’re actually pretty irresistible.

Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins recipe - these moist little gems are dairy-free and full of protein. Add chocolate chips for an extra little treat!

Another benefit to mini muffin making? The baking time! These things bake up in 9 minutes flat. No joke.

Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins recipe - these moist little gems are dairy-free and full of protein. Add chocolate chips for an extra little treat!

More Banana Muffin Recipes

Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins recipe
5 from 1 vote

Peanut Butter Quinoa Mini Muffins

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 24 mini muffins (or 10 large muffins)
These moist little protein-packed gems are as adult-friendly as they are kid-approved. Make them even more irresistible by adding a few mini chocolate chips.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (can substitute butter)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips + more on top (optional*)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the cups of a 24-cup mini muffin pan with a little coconut oil or an oil mister. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, peanut butter, and honey until well-blended. Stir in the coconut oil. Add the egg and whisk well. Stir in the vanilla and quinoa.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk or wooden spoon just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
  • *If you’re adding chocolate chips to only half, fill 12 of the muffin cups with the plain batter (about a scant 2 tablespoons each). Then stir in 1/4 cup chocolate chips to the remaining batter and divide the chocolate chip batter among the remaining cups.
  • Bake until the tops spring back when you gently poke them with your finger, 9-10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Remove from tins and place on a wire rack to cool for another 5 minutes. Serve. Muffins keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They also freeze well.

Notes

This also adapts well to standard-size muffins. I find I get about 10 good-size muffins and they take about 14-15 minutes to bake.
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