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Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast muffins

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Wholesome mini muffins with quinoa, oats and apples! Great finger food for little ones and a lovely, portable, pop-able treat for older kids and adults!
Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast bites - these wholesome mini muffins make great finger food for little ones and a portable breakfast/snack for older kids and adults! | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

I’ve got a fun breakfast treat for you today!

We eat a lot of oats around here, especially for breakfast (overnight oatmeal jars are a weekly staple), so I like to try and branch out to other grains from time to time.

Apple cinnamon quinoa bites stacked

These quinoa bites are perfect! Okay, yes, they also have oats, so I’m not straying too far I realize. But it’s a great way to get a different grain in at breakfast time. And yes, quinoa is technically not a grain. It’s a seed. Details, details, details.

These little mini muffins are soft and full of apple and cinnamon flavor with a perfect amount of sweetness from the maple syrup. Quinoa is protein packed, and you’ve got the oats and fruit, so these really are a pretty well-rounded little meal or snack all on their own.

I make a big batch, we eat a bunch the next day (they’re great both warmed up and cold from the fridge) and I freeze the rest to pull out for another morning. Super simple!

Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast bites - wholesome mini muffins with quinoa, oats and lots of apple cinnamon flavor! | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

My kids eat these for breakfast or morning snack and I like that I can grab a couple to go if I’m on the run. They’d even be great to send for school lunches.

I’ve adapted these mini muffins from this recipe and replaced the sugars with maple syrup so that they’re naturally sweetened. They’re also gluten-free (make sure you use certified gluten-free oats) and you could sub a couple of flax eggs for the eggs if you want to make them vegan.

Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast bites - wholesome mini muffins with quinoa, oats and lots of apple cinnamon flavor! | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Make your mornings a little easier and healthier this year with these little quinoa breakfast bites. Enjoy!

Yield: 20 mini muffins

Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast muffins

Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast muffins

Wholesome mini muffins with quinoa, oats and apples, naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup oats (uncooked, I used old fashioned)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup finely chopped apples

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
  2. Mix quinoa, oats, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl.
  3. Separately, beat the eggs in a small bowl. Stir in maple syrup.
  4. Add the egg mixture to the quinoa mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the apple pieces.
  5. Fill each mini-muffin cup all the way full. Use your spoon to pack each one down a little bit.
  6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Notes

Store the mini muffins in an airtight container in the fridge. Or freeze the extras in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 96Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 3g
© Kathryn Doherty
Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast & Brunch
Wholesome mini muffins with quinoa, oats and apples, naturally sweetened with maple syrup.
Apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast bites - these wholesome mini muffins make great finger food for little ones and a portable breakfast/snack for older kids and adults! | FamilyFoodontheTable.com

Comments

  2. Lisa @ Chocolate Meets Strawberry says

    Kathryn, these look absolutely fantastic!! I’ve just pinned them as I definitely want to make some. I’ve been looking for a quick breakfast option lately (I’m back at work this coming week after a long break over Christmas and feel like I might be just a little slow come 5am when the alarm goes off…), and these fit the bill perfectly – high in fibre, low in sugars, no refined sugar at all and super simple. I will let you know how I go! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂 On a side note, it’s interesting that quinoa is actually a seed. I’ve heard that before somewhere I’m sure, but I always forget it! Kind of like I forget that tomatoes are a fruit! As you said – details, details, details. I guess we’re expected to know these things as food bloggers, right? 😉

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Haha, right Lisa! I’m like you in that I pick up tid-bits here and there from cooking and from my job as a health and nutrition editor. Some of it sticks and some of it doesn’t… 😉 And a big YES to easy, fast, healthy breakfast options for those early mornings when everyone’s hungry and everyone’s busy! I hope you love these!

      Reply

  7. Frugal Hausfrau says

    This is going on my must make list!! I love these healthy muffins!

    Thanks for linking up with us on Throwback Thursday – we appreciate it, and are always looking forward to next week’s posts, too!! 🙂 Be sure to follow our pinterest board, too! 🙂

    Mollie

    Reply

  10. Elise says

    I made these muffins yesterday and was quite disappointed with how they turned out. They are super crumbly and very plain. Smell really good though!

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Elise – I’m sorry to hear they didn’t work for you! I’ve made these multiple times and they’ve never been crumbly for me. I do let them cool first so they set up; I wonder if that was the problem. Also, yes, they are not super sweet since they’re meant to be a healthier breakfast muffin. But you could certainly add some more maple syrup or serve them with a spread of fruit jam if you’d like!

      Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Diane! Sure, I think that would work. You’ll just need to bake them for a bit longer. I’d suggest checking them around 22-25 minutes and seeing if they seem done.

      Reply

  12. Caitie says

    This is an amazing recipe!! All of my family tried some & they loved it too! I also made some with mixed berries instead of apples, & some with apples & mixed berries combined, & they tasted Amazing as well!! They r super fast to make and taste delicious! Definitely try this one out 🙂

    Reply

  13. Shannon says

    I just made these and they are so “neat”!! I was going to do the regular size muffin pan, but I’m glad I did the mini, they are perfect bites! Ive already ate like 6 of them! I used honey, they are not sweet, they are just yummy and I can’t wait to have some with some good greek yogurt! Thanks!

    Reply

  14. Shannon says

    These were sooooo good!!! What a great combo! I’m so glad I found your site and this recipe. Thank you for sharing. So easy and delicious! Very versatile….. I’m memorizing this!! Keep up the good work!

    Reply

  15. Amy says

    Hey- these look great. I am allergic to oats, have you ever made a quinoa muffin without grains or any ideas for a substitute?
    Thanks,
    Amy

    Reply

    • Kathryn says

      Hi Amy! We are oats-crazy in my house so I’ve never looked for a substitution. However, I just did a bit of poking around and some people have suggested using ground flax, rice bran, quinoa flakes or chia seeds in place of oats when baking. I haven’t tried it myself but hopefully that gives you some options to try!

      Reply

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