These Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins are gluten free and naturally sweetened with honey. Bursting with zesty lemon flavour, these muffins are a great breakfast of snack that the whole family will love!
These muffins are not going to last very long in your house (they are so delicious) - so you may want to bake a double batch of them! I can't get over the sweet and zesty lemon flavour, with a little crunch added from the chia seeds. I came up with this recipe idea while thinking about the many ways that you can use chia seeds. From coconut chia parfait, to chia seed jam (in these Raspberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars), overnight oats... and then I began to wonder if I could add them into muffins as a swap for poppy seeds.
So, these Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins are a new take on traditional Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins! There's nothing better than a healthy delicious snack that also packs a nutritional punch of protein, healthy fats, and fibre to keep you fuelled throughout the day.
NourishMint
This recipe includes a few key ingredients that I always have in my pantry, and love to bake with! Here's a quick run down of some of the key ingredients, and why these are healthier alternatives to conventional baking ingredients:
Almond flour - Almond flour is a great option to bake with, because it is a great source of protein, healthy fats, fibre, and minerals such as magnesium and manganese. When you reach for one of these Lemon Chia Seed Muffins for a snack, it's great to know that you're getting some protein and fats in there rather than just a carbohydrate-rich muffin that would spike your blood sugar and not keep you full for very long. You can use almond flour for so many tasty treats - including these Almond Flour Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies!
Arrowroot Flour - When baking with gluten free flours, it's great to include arrowroot flour to bind everything together. Arrowroot flour is a starch, and it acts as a sticky and fluffy agent to make these almond flour muffins light, fluffy and moist. Alternatives to arrowroot flour are Tapioca Starch (aka Tapioca Flour), or Potato Starch. Each of these starchy flours has very similar properties.
Chia Seeds - Chia seeds are a great source of fibre, omega-3 fatty acids (which help to lower inflammation in the body), and protein. They also contain essential minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, as well as antioxidants. Adding chia seeds to your diet helps to promote healthy digestion, balance blood sugar, and strengthen your bones (with all those essential minerals that are necessary for bone health)!
Avocado Oil - This oil has a neutral flavour and high smoke point, making it great for baking, roasting, and light frying. If you want to swap out avocado oil, you could alternatively use melted coconut oil for this recipe! I recommend swapping out highly processed and refined vegetable oils, canola oil, sunflower oil, and grape-seed oil for avocado oil in all of your cooking and baking. These oils are hydrogenated, high in trans fat, and promote inflammation in the body.
Lemon Zest - Lemon zest is the secret ingredient to make these muffins super juicy, zest, and delicious! I recommend using organic lemons (if possible) since you'll be using the rind. Wash the lemons well, and dry completely with a towel. Drying the lemons before using a lemon zester/ grater makes it easier to get plenty of zest off, and also makes the zest fall into your bowl easier, rather than sticking to the grater. Lemon peel or zest is high in Vitamin C, as well as the antioxidant D-limonene, which helps to fight free radical damage.
Ingredients for Healthy Lemon Chia Muffins
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Chia seeds
- Honey
- Almond flour
- Arrowroot flour (or tapioca flour)
- Avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- Eggs (or 2 flax eggs)
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Vanilla extract
Tips for Baking Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins
Pre-heat your oven and have your muffin tin prepped and ready to go before you begin mixing your ingredients. You'll want to mix the wet and dry ingredients together just before you add the batter to the muffin tins and pop them in the oven right away. The reason for this is that the baking soda reacts with the acidic lemons in this recipe, and in order to get the full rise in the oven, you'll want to get the muffins baking before the reaction fully takes place! Other than that one tip, these muffins are super simple to make and come together very quickly.
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350ºF, and line (or lightly grease) a muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the the dry ingredients including the almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, sea salt, chia seeds, and lemon zest.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, mix together the lemon juice, eggs, avocado oil, honey, and vanilla extract.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined (do not over-mix). Scoop immediately info prepared muffin tin, and bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes (or until lightly golden on top).
- Let cool on a baking rack, and enjoy!
How to Store
These muffins are almost better the next day, as I find they get super moist and almost juicy with the lemon flavour, once they have had some time to sit overnight! I recommend storing them in a sealed glass container. You will likely eat them up very quickly as they are SO delicious, but if they last for longer than a day you can store them in the fridge so that they last for longer. You can store these Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Keep scrolling for the full recipe and description of how to make these delicious Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins!
Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond flour
- ⅔ cup Arrowroot flour
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- 3 tablespoon Chia seeds
- 2 teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Zest from 2 lemons
Wet Ingredients
- Juice from 2 Lemons (½ cup lemon juice)
- 2 Eggs
- ⅔ cup Honey (or maple syrup)
- ¼ cup Avocado oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350ºF, and line (or lightly grease) a muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the the dry ingredients including the almond flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, sea salt, chia seeds, and lemon zest.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, mix together the lemon juice, eggs, avocado oil, honey, and vanilla extract.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined (do not over-mix). Scoop immediately info prepared muffin tin, and bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes (or until lightly golden on top).
- Let cool on a baking rack, and enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for my Healthy Lemon Chia Seed Muffins! Please be sure to leave a comment and review below if you make this recipe. Looking for more healthy gluten free baked treats and desserts? Check out my recipe for Raspberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars, and these delicious Double Chocolate Chickpea Brownies!
Please tag me @nourishmintkitchen and share on your IG stories if you make this recipe, I would love to see your creations!
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