SAVOURY MUFFINS | easy, nut & seed-free & tasty

Can I be honest? This recipe has been in the works for a number of months now and I've almost given up a couple of times. Not wanting to waste food, we have gobbled up all of the failures...and there have been many! I was determined to make a version of a savoury muffin that is truly wholefood and minimally processed, yet still delicious and super easy (of course). 

The many failed attempts have been one hundred percent worth it in the long run and I can rest assured that the next batch of savoury muffins I make will be delicious, especially served hot with some melting plant-based spread - YUM! 

I'm also looking forward to testing these out on our little girl in the future when she begins solids. It will be a handy recipe to have up my sleeve to sneak in some veggies with a hearty dose of oats and chickpeas high in plant-based protein.  

I know lots of you have been looking forward to this recipe after I've shared much of the process on insta, so please let me know what you think in the comments. I hope you enjoy!

x Harry 

 

Makes: 6 medium muffins 
Prep time: 5 minutes 
Cook time: 35 minutes 
Equipment: Food processor, 6 muffin moulds
Difficulty: Easy

1 1/2 cups organic gluten free oats 
3/4 cup chickpea (besan) flour 
1 teaspoon veggie stock powder 
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
3/4 cup plant-based milk* 
1/2 cup (100g) semi-dried tomatoes 
1 cup (150g) zucchini, grated  
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice  

*see cooks notes at the bottom of this post
 

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan-forced (200 degrees conventional). Prep the rest of your fresh ingredients. 

Add all dry ingredients to your food processor and process on high speed until a flour is formed.

Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add your plant-based milk and mix well. 

Add tomatoes, zucchini, basil and lemon juice then mix well again. 

Transfer your mixture to the non-stick muffing moulds (I used silicone) and place in the oven on the middle or lower shelf to bake for 35 minutes. They will turn golden on the top and be quite springy to the touch.  

Allow to cool before removing from moulds. These delicious treats are best served warm with some plant-based butter (look for one with minimal ingredients made with unrefined oils, example pictured below). They are perfect for a filling on-the-go snack to keep you fuelled with wholefood plant-based goodness! 

COOKS NOTES

SWAPS:

This is a great base savoury muffin recipe you can tweak to make your own, perhaps explore some of the swaps below:

Zucchini - pumpkin, sweet potato, winter squash, carrot, red capsicum.

Semi-dried tomatoes - olives, artichokes, roasted capsicum, pickled onions.

Fresh basil - fresh parsley, a small amount of rosemary, a tiny hint of chilli, garlic, fresh dill, a small amount of fresh oregano (you can also swap these for dried herbs if you do not have any fresh on hand, 2-3 teaspoons is plenty). 

Oats and  chickpea flour - I try to provide as many allergen free options as I can. In this case, after many many trials of the same thing, I cannot guarantee that substituting the oats or chickpea flour will give the same result.

Plant-based milk - Any plant based milk will work in this recipe. I recommend going for one with the mildest flavour such as almond, oat or quinoa. Coconut works but does lend a little flavour. 

Garlic powder - You can omit this and add a little extra veggie stock powder or swap for onion powder. 

Lemon juice  - Lime juice works well here too. 

Turmeric powder - You can omit if you don't have it on hand. It lends a very subtle flavour and a nice rich colour. You can also use finely grated fresh turmeric. 


GENERAL:

Doubling the recipe - I highly recommend doubling this recipe as needed. Six muffins is plenty for me for now as I like to snack on a couple a day and get through them quickly. However, once our little girl is eating solids I have a feeling I will be doubling this recipe on the regular! 

Freezing - As with SO many of my other recipes I have not tried freezing these. If you do, please let us know how you go. I rarely freeze things and prefer to make easy recipes and enjoy them fresh...but talk to me in a year as things might change haha. 

Tomatoes - I prefer to get the semi-dried tomatoes from the deli rather than a jar as they tend to be juicier, but the jar variety will also work. Note that they may be a little more chewy.