These healthy gingerbread muffins are the perfect spice-filled baked good this winter season!
The whole grain batter is laced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves and is made super-moist with Greek yogurt and applesauce.
Each perfectly cooked muffin is swirled with a light vanilla glaze. You're going to love them!
How to make healthy gingerbread muffins
Featured Ingredients
For the muffins:
- Applesauce and Greek yogurt: To add moisture to these super tender muffins.
- Molasses and brown sugar: For sweetness and rich gingerbread flavor.
- Oil: I use avocado or canola - any neutral will do.
- Egg: To hold everything together.
- Vanilla: Flavor, of course!
- Flour: I use whole wheat pastry flour for muffins. It's loaded with fiber yet finely ground, making for a more tender muffin.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger and cloves - it's gingerbread, afterall!
- Turbinado sugar: This is optional, but I love sprinkling a little on top of the muffins before they bake to provide a crispy, lightly sweet crust.
For the glaze:
- Powdered sugar: You can use regular powdered sugar or a substitute like Swerve (for a lower sugar option).
- Milk: Just enough to make a creamy glaze.
- Vanilla: For flavor, of course!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin with muffin liners and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the applesauce, Greek yogurt, molasses, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.
- Use a hand mixer set on medium speed to beat until fluffy. Slowly beat in the milk until combined.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt until combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing with a spatula, being careful to mix until the ingredients are just combined (do not overmix).
- Use a cookie scoop or measuring cup to fill each muffin liner with batter until almost full to the top. Sprinkle the top with the sugar (if using).
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes, then without removing the muffins from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until just set.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool 5 minutes before removing them from the tin and letting them completely cool on a wire rack.
- While the muffins bake, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small glass measuring cup.
- Once the muffins are mostly cooled, drizzle each with the vanilla glaze.
Recipe Substitutions and Alterations
- Instead of applesauce: Use an additional ¼ cup of oil.
- Instead of Greek yogurt: Use an additional ½ cup milk (of choice).
- Instead of brown sugar: Use another ½ cup molasses. Or use a brown sugar substitute like Swerve.
- Instead of oil: Use an additional ¼ cup applesauce or melted butter.
- For the flour: Use whole wheat, oat, whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour.
Nutrition Considerations
- To make them gluten free: Use gluten free all-purpose flour. Be sure all packaged ingredients are gluten free.
- To make them dairy free: Use dairy free yogurt and milk, like soy, coconut, almond, cashew, oat, pea or rice.
- To make them vegan: Use plant-based yogurt and milk, like soy, coconut, almond, cashew, oat, pea or rice.
- To make them nut free: These muffins are nut free. be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.
Fabulous muffin recipes:
- Sweet Potato Oatmeal Muffins
- Coffee Cake Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
- Cranberry Ginger Muffins
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Mixed Berry Crumble Muffins
- Blueberry Date Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins with Pistachio Crumble
Healthy Gingerbread Muffins
These whole grain muffins are laced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves and is made super-moist with Greek yogurt and applesauce. Each perfectly cooked muffin is swirled with a light vanilla glaze.
- Prep Time: 10-15 mins
- Cook Time: 15-20 mins
- Total Time: 25-35 mins
- Yield: Makes 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Gingerbread Muffins:
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup dark molasses
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
- 2 ⅔ cups flour*
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional)
Vanilla Glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin with muffin liners and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the applesauce, Greek yogurt, molasses, brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer set on medium speed to beat until fluffy. Slowly beat in the milk until combined.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients while mixing with a spatula, being careful to mix until the ingredients are just combined (do not overmix).
- Use a cookie scoop or measuring cup to fill each muffin liner with batter until almost full to the top. Sprinkle the top with the sugar (if using).
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes, then without removing the muffins from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven and let them cool 5 minutes before removing them from the tin and letting them completely cool on a wire rack.
- While the muffins bake, whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small glass measuring cup.
- Once the muffins are mostly cooled, drizzle each with the vanilla glaze.
Notes
Baking Tip: Don't overmix the batter. Mix it until the batter is just combined for the most tender muffin.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 268
- Sugar: 27g
- Sodium: 123mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 1mg
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