The easiest vegan raspberry muffins, with just ten ingredients and one bowl! Plant based yogurt adds a great flavour here and makes for very light muffins, despite using 100% whole grain spelt flour.

I try to make muffins once a week to have as snacks or a quick breakfast, and these have been a favourite lately. With our autumn fruiting raspberries starting to peak, we’re getting a large bowl of berries every day now, and making good use of them before moving.

The yogurt is key to this recipe and can’t be subbed. There are so many great plant-based yogurt options these days, really something for everyone, so I’m sure you can find one you like. There is a homemade coconut yogurt recipe in my book if you want to make it yourself.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

Few of the recipes on OE use ingredients like vegan yogurt because it can be pricey and I don’t usually have it on hand. For this recipe, though, it’s well worth it – the yogurt makes for excellent texture and flavour.

• A one-bowl recipe: despite using spelt flour, this can all be made in one bowl if you’re careful not to over mix. Gently fold in the berries and you’ll be fine.
• Made with whole grain flour: this recipe calls for whole grain spelt flour, which adds extra protein and fibre along with a nice nutty flavour.
• Minimal ingredients: you only need ten total ingredients, including salt and baking powder. Always a good thing!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Yogurt: I’ve made these with oat, cashew, and coconut yogurt, all with excellent results. Dairy yogurt works too (Graham eats it, so I did test for this). If you buy a vegan yogurt you don’t love on its own, use it for the muffins!
• Olive Oil: whatever your normal baking oil is can replace the olive oil, but I find coconut oil makes the muffins too dense.
• Spelt Flour: light spelt flour can be used in place of whole grain. Whole wheat pastry flour should work, too, and regular whole wheat flour. I haven’t tried the latter and it does tend to be heavier, so it may result in denser muffins.
• Raspberries: fresh or frozen. Don’t have raspberries on hand? Use blueberries or blackberries instead, or a mix.

Step by Step

1. Wet ingredients: mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl and add the other wet ingredients.
2. Mix: whisk well until fully combined. You can use an immersion blender to puree any pieces of banana if you don’t like the texture.

3. Add dry ingredients: carefully stir in the flour and other dry ingredients.
4. Add raspberries: carefully fold in the raspberries until evenly incorporated. Don’t over mix.
5. Scoop into muffin tin: evenly divide the batter and then top with extra berries (optional).
6. Bake: for about 20 minutes, or until they pass a skewer test.

If you can’t see the video in the post, please watch it on YouTube instead.

Recipe Notes

The banana acts as both a binding agent and a sweetener. If you want to switch this out, you could use a lesser amount of applesauce (about 50g / ~1/4 cup) or a large egg (if there’s no need to avoid eggs).

These make slightly smaller, denser muffins than my banana blueberry muffins, which the recipe is adapted from. This is due to the added yogurt and it’s well worth it for the excellent flavour.

One of my favourite things to do with this recipe is add in mini chocolate chips along with the raspberries and make a chocolate raspberry muffin. Maybe not for a breakfast muffin but if you plan on snacking, add in about 50-70 grams of chocolate chips (I toss in a handful and don’t measure).

How to Store

Storage: since the muffins contain a lot of fruit, they’ll only keep for a day or two at room temperature. I recommend storing them in a sealed container for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Freezing: freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. For best results, thaw in the refrigerator.

Expert Tips

• Don’t make unlisted substitutions: a really common one is almond flour. It doesn’t contain any gluten and doesn’t absorb much liquid like other flours do, so it can’t be subbed 1:1. Coconut flour is another favourite, and it’s the opposite problem. Stick with the recommended subs above.
• Try not to over mix: spelt has less gluten than plain flour and can become tough more quickly when over-mixed. Stir until just combined, and a few streaks of flour are fine.
• Check oven temperature: this is a common problem. Home ovens often run 10-20°C off from what they’re set at so a small oven thermometer can be helpful. If you find that your bakes are often failing despite following the recipe exactly, you may need to check this.