These Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Muffins are a delicious, healthy breakfast or snack that you can enjoy while on the go!
I always have frozen fruit and vegetables on hand. Frozen fruit is great for baking and in smoothies, and frozen vegetables serve as a quick and easy side dish on a busy night.
What many people don’t know is that frozen produce is just as healthy as fresh! It’s frozen at peak ripeness, so the nutrients stay locked in until you’re ready to eat them. Fresh fruits and veggies found in the produce section are often picked before they are ripe, so they may not develop all of their vitamins and minerals.Don’t me wrong – I love fresh produce, but lot’s of people knock the frozen kinds, when in reality they’re great!
I have a big bag of organic frozen blueberries in my freezer, so this weekend I set out to make healthy blueberry lemon muffins.
I wanted to make a blueberry lemon muffin that wasn’t overloaded with sugar, butter or oil, and I was determined to use whole wheat flour for my base. My criteria was tricky because I needed enough moisture to prevent the muffins from drying out.
To replace extra butter or oil, I used one cup of unsweetened applesauce to keep the muffins moist (and add a touch of sweetness). Combined with just a few Tablespoons each of butter and milk, these muffins were delicious!
I think these Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Muffins are perfect as a mid-day snack for both grown ups and kids. They’re also easily enjoyed on-the-go. If you give them a try, let me know how they turn out for you!

These Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Muffins are a delicious, healthy breakfast or snack that you can enjoy while on the go!
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour, but expect a denser muffin)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest, from about 2 lemons
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons milk (I used skim milk, but oat milk or almond milk also work)
- 1.5 cups frozen blueberries
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tray or line with baking liners and grease the liners.
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In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce, lemon zest, butter, egg, vanilla and milk. Gently fold in the blueberries. Try not to over mix the batter.
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Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Place the muffin tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the tray and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
Hannah
Rachel these look SO GOOD!! I baked whole wheat chocolate chip banana muffins the other day and fell in love and I’ve been looking for other yummy healthy muffins. I just get so annoyed when it comes to zesting…do you think there is a way around that?? If not I guess I’ll just do it!!
xoxo miss ya!!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Hannah, those sound awesome! I love seeing your baking creation on instagram 🙂 Zesting is super easy if you have a microplane grater like this one: http://astore.amazon.com/litchebigapp-20/detail/B00004S7V8
Christine @ Cooking with Cakes
I love blueberry muffins!!! I’m always craving carbs in the morning, and this looks like the perfect balance between something that tastes indulgent but is really healthy – love this!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
Christine, me too! But, let’s be real, I am ALWAYS craving carbs, haha 🙂
Christine @ Cooking with Cakes
story of my life sista
Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen
You can’t beat a good blueberry muffin and these look perfect. Interesting fact about peas and their protein. I’m thinking they will be making a comeback soon!
Rachel (littlechefbigappetite)
I hope so because I love them! (Not as much as these muffins though, hehe)