free of gluten and top 9 allergens
A blend of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg fills these muffins with the best flavors of fall.
If you’re looking for a morning muffin recipe that is oil-free and low in sugar, these fruited sweet potato muffins are the perfect guiltless treat!
To make these fruited sweet potato muffins, you’ll need:
- Sweet potatoes
- Flaxseed meal and water
- gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- only a half cup of cane sugar
- baking soda and baking powder
- salt and spices
- unsweetened alternative milk, such as hemp or gluten-free oat
- unsweetened applesauce
- pure vanilla extract
- apple cider vinegar
- mixed dried fruit (chopped apricots, cranberries, and raisins)
Easy Steps in Making Fruited Sweet Potato Muffins
- Begin by baking 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes. This is best done a day ahead or several hours before making the muffins. When the potatoes have cooled, scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork or potato masher in a small bowl. You will need 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe.
- Make flax eggs by whisking together flaxseed meal and water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. Then whisk vigorously until flax eggs are gelatinous. Add mashed sweet potato, milk, applesauce, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Whisk until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk together – flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Gently combine the dry mixture of flour and spices with the wet mixture and fold in dried fruit.
- Use a spoon or portion scoop to dollop the batter into a metal muffin pan or silicone muffin baking pan. We like to use a #16 portion scoop or disher to portion muffins, which is usually designated with a blue handle.
- Sprinkle each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon of flaxseed meal. Place in oven and bake about 25 minutes or until tops are firm and bounce back when you gently press on them. You can also insert a toothpick in center. It’s done if the toothpick comes out clean.
If using a metal muffin pan, use muffin liners to keep this recipe completely oil-free. Some sticking may occur if you use traditional muffin liners, or no muffin liners. We recommend the parchment paper liners for best results.
Sweet Potatoes
We look for sweet potatoes with tapered ends and a bright orange flesh. White sweet potatoes are too dry for these muffins.
Cooking the sweet potatoes can be accomplished by baking, boiling, or steaming. We recommend cooking the sweet potatoes a day ahead or several hours before making the muffins.
By baking the sweet potatoes, the cooking process allows a special enzyme in the potatoes to transform the starches into a natural sugar, making them sweeter than those potatoes that are boiled or steamed. This sweetness naturally means less sugar is needed when making these muffins.
Two Temperatures Are Better Than One!
We start high and then go low. The initial 5 minutes of baking time at 425-degrees F promotes a faster rise for the muffins, making them tall and rounded. The temperature is then turned down for the remaining bake time.
Chef Mary’s Tips
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. We replace ours every 6 months to ensure leavening power is not lost. The leavening power is what causes the muffins to rise.
- Remember that the key to baking quick breads is not to overmix the batter. Don’t use a hand mixer or stand mixer, just a large spoon or spatula. This ensures that your muffins will bake up soft!
- Naturally moist muffins, like these fruited sweet potato muffins, tend to get sticky and soggy in lidded containers and ziplock bags that prevent air circulation. When muffins have completely cooled, put a paper towel on the bottom of the container. Arrange muffins in a single layer. Top muffins with another paper towel before putting on the lid. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store in a large ziplock, also lined with paper towels. It’s important to add the paper towels to absorb any moisture the muffins release. This helps keep them fresher longer. To freeze, place in airtight container or large freezer storage bag and store for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Fruited Sweet Potato Muffins
Yield 12 standard muffins
Free of: gluten and top 9 allergens.
Muffins with the best flavors of fall!
Ingredients
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons flaxseed meal, divided (2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon)
6 tablespoons water
1-3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1/2 cup pure cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using a flour blend containing xanthan)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened hemp or gluten-free oat milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup mixed dried fruit (chopped apricots, cranberries, raisins)
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Wash and scrub 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven. When cool, scoop out flesh and place in a small bowl. Mash and measure out 1 cup; set aside. We recommend cooking the sweet potato a day ahead or a few hours before you make the muffins.
- Make flax eggs by whisking together 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal and water in a medium bowl. Set aside for 5-10 minutes.
- Line a standard 12-cavity muffin tin with parchment paper liners. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425-degrees F.
Steps
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Return to flax eggs and whisk vigorously. To the flax eggs, add mashed sweet potato, 1/2 cup milk, applesauce, vanilla, and vinegar, whisking together until smooth. Add the potato mixture to the dry ingredients; stir just until combined without overmixing. Depending on how dry the sweet potato is, it may be necessary to add an additional 2 tablespoons or up to 1/4 cup of milk. Gently fold in dried fruit. We used ¼ cup chopped apricots, ¼ cup dried cranberries, and ¼ cup golden raisins. The batter will be thick.
- Spoon batter into muffin liners. For portioning muffins with ease and uniformity, we like to use a #16 portion scoop or disher, often designated with a blue handle. Garnish with remaining 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal by sprinkling each muffin with ¼ teaspoon.
- Bake at 425-degrees F for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 375-degrees F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then gently remove muffins from pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
To store muffins, when they have completely cooled, put a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container. Arrange muffins in a single layer. Top muffins with another paper towel before putting on the lid. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also store in a large ziplock, also lined with paper towels. It's important to add the paper towels to absorb any moisture the muffins release. This helps keep them fresher longer. To freeze, place in airtight container or large freezer storage bag and store for up to 2 months in the freezer.
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