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Chocolate Secret-Spinach Spelt Muffins - Healthy, Plant-Based Oil-Free Dessert Treat Recipe from Plants-Rule — Chocolate Secret-Spinach Spelt Muffins – Healthy, Plant-Based Oil-Free Dessert Treat Recipe from Plants-Rule

Secret Ingredient: Spinach for Oil-Free Chocolate Plant-Based Muffins

Most vegan baking recipes involve lots of oil, refined sugar, and refined flour. While these treats are free of animal products like butter, milk, and eggs, they can often be less than nutritious. Taking a whole foods, plant-based approach to baking means get rid of refined ingredients. That means no oil, no sugar, no syrup, and only whole grain flour. How can you create a moist, delicious chocolate muffin under those guidelines? The secret: Spinach.

Spinach Add Moisture, Replacing Oil

Removing oil from a baking recipe can leave you with a dry, crumbly muffin. To replace this lost moisture, I used spinach. Like most vegetables, spinach is packed with water. Technically, you could use any green in this recipe. However, sweet baby spinach is the ideal plant-based ingredient. It has natural sweet flavor, which compliments the flavor of these muffins well. Plus, you can find pre-washed bags in the produce section. Which means it’s quick and convenient.

To add even more moisture to the recipe, I also used unsweetened applesauce and unsweetened plain almond milk. These ingredients help create a smooth batter so that the muffins get plenty of rise during baking. You can use any plant-based milk for this recipe, though. Soy milk and rice milk also work.

Dates and Bananas Add Sweetness, which Means no Refined Sugar, Syrup, or Honey

Unlike most vegan baking recipes, I want to keep this whole foods, plant-based. Therefor, I am trying to avoid refined ingredients like sugar, syrup, or honey. Even so-called “healthy” sugars like coconut sugar and maple syrup are quite calorie-dense. Plus, they can spike your blood-sugar, making your energy fluctuate.

Bananas, applesauce, and dates replace refined sugars or syrup for this whole food, plant-based healthy recipe
Puree the wet ingredients together using a blender or immersion blender for a moist, delicious muffin.

To sweeten this recipe, I used a combination of dried dates and ripe bananas. Pitted deglet noor dates add deep rich sweetness, similar to brown sugar or coconut sugar. However, they are loaded with fiber, which helps prevent your blood-sugar spike. Bananas have a lighter sweetness, similar to white sugar. They are also loaded with fiber and other nutritious vitamins and minerals like potassium, B6, and vitamin C. Using a combination helped balance the sweetness for these awesome plant-based muffins.

A Blend of Whole Grain Spelt Flour and Brown Rice Flour Create Perfect Texture – No Refined White Flour in this Recipe

The last element to consider in this healthy vegan recipe was the dry ingredients. Again, many vegan baking recipes still use refined white flour. However, I wanted to use whole grain flours to keep this plant-based.

Whole grain spelt flour, brown rice flour, and unsweetened dark cocoa powder create the dry mix for these whole food, plant-based vegan muffins.

It took quite a bit of trial and error, but I found the perfect ratio of whole grain spelt flour and brown rice flour. Spelt flour has a nutty, rich flavor, which compliments the chocolate flavor of these muffins. Brown rice flour helps retain moisture. This gives you a moist muffins, with the perfect texture. Together, they create a crumble that has a good chew while also staying light and fluffy.

You’ll love these plant-based oil-free Chocolate Secret Spinach Muffins! They are:

Moist and Perfectly Sweet
Freezer-Friendly
Kid-Friendly
Healthy
Chocolatey

What’s that nutrition?

Whole food, plant-based baking means you get more nutrition for less calories. We call this calorie density. Each of these muffins is only:

120 calories
1 gram fat
17% daily fiber
3 grams protein
36% of daily calcium

Enjoy!

Chef Katie’s Healthy Cooking Tips for Chocolate Secret Spinach Oil-Free Plant-Based Muffins

Spelt Flour: Spelt flour is milled from a whole grain, a member of the wheat family. It has a nutty flavor that accents the chocolate in this recipe. Find it in the baking section of most groceries, near the other flours.

Gluten-Free: Spelt is a member of the wheat family so it contains gluten. For a gluten-free version of this recipe, substitute with a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix.

For a gluten-free version of this recipe, swap out the spelt flour for an All-Purpose Gluten-Free baking mix
A few coconut flakes add an elegant touch to these muffins. You can omit it though
Sprinkle on a few flakes of coconut before baking. They will get toasted during the baking for an elegant presentation

Dark Cocoa Powder: For the best flavor, use a high-quality dark baking cocoa powder. It’s worth investing in a product that has deep, rich flavor. This will make your chocolate baking more delicious.

Nut-Free: You can substitute a nut-free, plant-based milk for the almond milk. Soy milk, oat milk, and rice milk would work. Be sure to use plain, unsweetened milk for the best flavor.

Keep it Green: You can omit the cocoa and espresso for a Mean Green version of this recipe. Add ½ cup of spelt flour to make up for the cocoa powder. These end up tasting more like banana bread – a delicious, healthy, plant-based breakfast muffin!

Oil-Free Baking: I’m on a Mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oil. This recipe uses applesauce and whole foods to replace oil. For spray-free baking, use parchment muffin liners.

Chocolate Secret-Spinach Spelt Muffins – Healthy, Plant-Based Oil-Free Dessert Treat Recipe from Plants-Rule
Chocolate Secret-Spinach Spelt Muffins – Healthy, Plant-Based Oil-Free Dessert Treat Recipe from Plants-Rule