This morning, I received the summer email that parents either love or hate: “Welcome back to school!”
Personally, I have mixed feelings about this email. Okay, mixed feelings for about two seconds and then excitement sets in. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love August and back to school time. Maybe it’s because I was a teacher before having children. Or, and probably much more likely to be the case, I personally thrive on consistency and routine and find my children are the same way. Summer is a time when both those words have absolutely no meaning.
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It’s been a fun summer. We’ve gone to the movies on a random Tuesday night, without caring about bedtimes. (PS: Incredibles 2 is a fantastic movie–even better than the first one.) We traveled to Iceland with the kids. We’ve had fun in the kitchen, enjoyed picnic dinners at the beach, and watched way too much Netflix. <–We’re just catching up on the last nine months of new content. It’s been a good summer. And now it’s time to enjoy the last few weeks, all while preparing for a new school year.
We talk a lot about food prep here on the blog and over on Instagram. I’ve personally seen the benefits of meal prep (even if this means preparing just one breakfast item) in my own life. Meal prep has helped us simplify our full weeks, allowing us to spend less time in the kitchen during the week.
I encourage you to give meal prep a try. Start small, with just one thing. This one thing may look like preparing one breakfast item, or chopping a few veggies for snacks and lunches. By starting now, you’ll get into a routine with meal prep and build some meal prep muscles. I think you’ll be amazed at how much of an impact preparing just one thing can have on your week.
This week, here on the blog, we’re going to make muffins. The goal in sharing simple muffin recipes is to help you get started with meal prep.
Muffins are a great food to prep in advance for several reasons:
- They’re easy to make. About 15-20 minutes is all you’ll need to prep muffins.
- They keep in the fridge for about a week.
- They don’t require any special reheating. I keep muffins in the fridge and take out as many as needed when I wake up in the morning. By breakfast time, the muffins are usually around room temperature. Muffins may be reheated in a microwave, too.
- They will feed a family for multiple days, especially if paired with fluffy scrambled eggs or sunnyside up eggs, healthy yogurt bowls, or smoothies. <–This keeps the muffins from getting boring morning after morning.
- It’s easy to cook once, eat twice with muffins. Make a double batch so you can save some in the freezer for another week (or even later that week). For most flour-based recipes, I don’t recommend doubling recipes in the same bowl since the results aren’t always favorable. Use two bowls, and whisk together each batch in their own separate bowl. Sure, this means cleaning up an extra bowl, but think about the time savings in the future.
- Muffins aren’t just for breakfast. They also make a great lunchbox addition and snack.
Later this week we’re going to make a flourless, blender muffin recipe. Today we’re going to make muffins using einkorn flour.
Einkorn is known as the oldest variety of wheat making it an “ancient” grain. The ancient grain is believed to have originated in the Tigris-Euphrates region and is possibly the main grain referenced in the earliest accounts of the Bible. Einkorn is said to be the wheat men were eating in the earliest days before modern day wheat varieties. While modern wheat has undergone hybridization, einkorn still holds true to its original properties. Einkorn is slowly gaining popularity, but is still grown in only a few regions in Europe.
Einkorn is my favorite flour to work with when making traditional, flour-based baked goods. The sweet, ancient grain has a lighter texture and taste than modern day wheat, and contains a more favorable gluten ratio.
I’ve received a number of requests for particular baked good recipes made with einkorn flour. One of the requests that stood out was for a master muffin recipe. The suggestion was to create one master muffin recipe with multiple possibilities. What a great idea! Talk about simplicity.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been tweaking this master recipe to make it just sweet enough, just moist enough, just flavorful enough to be able to work with multiple mix-in options. Today’s recipe is just that–a incredibly versatile muffin recipe that can easily be customized to your liking. Feeling like a blueberry muffin this week? No problem! Use this recipe as your base. How about chocolate chip and coconut muffins? Awesome! Do it! Start with the base recipe and add in your chocolate and coconut. What about veggie-filled muffins? Yep, add those veggies.
This recipe is perfection, in my opinion. Simple, basic perfection with so many possibilities.
Talk about the perfect way to start flexing your meal prep muscles before the busyness of the new school season.
These muffins are a great breakfast for busy school mornings. Pair the einkorn muffins alongside eggs (one of 16 different egg styles), healthy yogurt bowls, or a smoothie. For more breakfast ideas for kids (and the entire family), check out 27 Easy & Healthy Kids Breakfast Ideas.
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7 Ways to Make Einkorn Muffins
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Einkorn Muffin Recipe: One Master Recipe, Multiple Ways to Customize
Ingredients
- 8 TB unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup maple syrup (144g) or honey
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (135g) OR plain whole milk yogurt (or a dairy-free yogurt)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose einkorn flour (222g), sifted *
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Equipment:
- large bowl
- medium bowl for sifting the einkorn flour
- sieve for sifting the einkorn flour
- muffin pan
- muffin liners
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease or line a muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together: melted butter, maple syrup, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: sifted einkorn flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add any customizations desired (see notes, below). Stir to incorporate the customizations into the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin pan (it will be thick). I use an ice cream scooper.
- Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until firm on top. My muffins are usually done at 18 minutes, but this may vary with each oven. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before enjoying.
- For storage, I keep the muffins in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. They also freeze well.
Video
Notes
1 cup halved blackberries
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1 cup shredded carrots or zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup dried fruit, such as: chopped mangoes, cranberries, or cherries
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chocolate chips + ½ cup dried cherries
1 cup chopped apples + extra ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup shredded carrots + ½ cup raisins For dairy-free muffins, use melted coconut oil in place of the melted butter.
This is my first recipe using einkorn flour, and I LOVE these muffins!! They are so delicious (and I made them plain) and I feel SO SATISFIED after eating just one of them! You MUST try this recipe – super easy too!
Sounds so good! Could coconut sugar be used instead of maple syrup? Thsnk you!
Hi Peggy, thanks so much for the sweet comment and for being excited about the master einkorn muffin recipe! It sounds delicious, and yes, coconut sugar can absolutely work as a substitute for the maple syrup. Since the recipe calls for 1/2 cup (about 144g) of maple syrup (or honey as noted), switching to coconut sugar will change things a bit because it’s a dry granulated sweetener instead of a liquid one.
Coconut sugar has a lovely caramel-like flavor that pairs nicely with the cinnamon and any add-ins (like blueberries or veggies), and it bakes up well in muffin recipes like this. The main differences are:
Maple syrup adds moisture and a bit more liquid to the batter, so using coconut sugar will make the batter slightly drier/thicker.
Coconut sugar is less sweet per volume than maple syrup (and granulated sugars in general), but it dissolves and incorporates differently.
For the best results with this 1/2 cup maple syrup amount:
Use about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of coconut sugar to match the sweetness level closely (start with 2/3 cup if you prefer less sweet muffins, or go up to 3/4 cup for a closer match to the original). Many bakers find 1 cup coconut sugar replaces about 3/4 cup maple syrup in reverse, so scaling down here works similarly.
Since you’re removing liquid (the syrup), you might need to add a small amount of extra moisture to keep the muffins tender. Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of milk (or your applesauce/yogurt choice) or even a splash more applesauce until the batter reaches a thick but scoopable consistency (similar to the original thick batter described).
Steps to try it:
Whisk the melted butter, eggs, vanilla, applesauce/yogurt as usual.
Stir in the coconut sugar until mostly dissolved (it might be a bit grainy at first, but it’ll blend in).
Add the dry ingredients and mix gently.
If the batter seems too thick/dry compared to photos or past bakes, add that extra 1-2 TB liquid.
Proceed with add-ins, scooping, and baking at 350F for 18-20 minutes.
The muffins should turn out moist and flavorful with a subtle toasty note from the coconut sugar, and the texture holds up great with einkorn. If you want to keep it super simple, you could even do a 1:1 swap by volume (1/2 cup coconut sugar) and see how it goes, then adjust liquid next time if needed.
I’d love to hear how your batch turns out with the coconut sugar twist!
Thank you so much for your response and all the great information!
I trust Kristin’s einkorn recipes with all of my being. Each one I’ve tried (I still use her einkorn bread and pizza dough recipe 3+ years later) never misses, and this is no exception! Today I added blueberries, but I’ve also added carrot and zucchini before and that was a hit with my toddler. I love that none of her recipes (that I’ve tried at least) require a mixer. Just use a whisk or a spatula and you’re good to go! Thank you for the amazing einkorn recipes, Kristin!
Hi Caroline, thank you so much for this glowing review! It means the world to hear that you’ve been trusting and loving the einkorn recipes for over three years now, especially the bread and pizza dough ones. Knowing they’re still go-tos in your kitchen is the best compliment.
I’m thrilled the master muffin recipe hit the mark again today with those blueberries! Adding fresh or frozen blueberries is such a classic and delicious twist, and it’s awesome that you’ve had success with carrot and zucchini before too. Those veggie add-ins are sneaky winners with toddlers (the natural sweetness and moisture from them really shine in this base). The fact that it works so well without a mixer is one of my favorite parts too, just a whisk or spatula keeps it simple and approachable.
If you’re ever in the mood to mix it up more, the recipe’s flexible for things like tossing in a handful of chocolate chips with the berries or even a dash of lemon zest for extra brightness with blueberries. Your toddler-approved variations sound perfect for keeping breakfast fun and nutritious.
Thanks again for the kind words and for being such a longtime supporter of the site. Happy baking, Caroline.
this recipe is fantastic! I made them into mini muffins (adjusted cooking time to 10 min) with mini chocolate chips on top and they turned out perfect. my kids love them! thank you!
Aww thank you for the great feedback
I have made this multiple times over the last few years. I don’t typically leave reviews, but I’ve got to come here and recommend these muffins! I’ve had multiple people ask for the recipe when I’ve shared them with friends. I love that this uses maple syrup instead of sugar. They’re moist, tender, and so delightful. LOVE this recipe. It is also very forgiving!
Wow, Serena, reading this just made my morning brighter. It’s reviews like yours that remind me why I love sharing adaptable recipes like this one.
I should specify – I used Einkorn flour, it’s all I bake with.
Einkorn-only club represent!! 🏆 Everything I suggested earlier is exactly what works with our favorite ancient grain (no sugar, no problem). Can’t wait to hear how your next savory muffins rise — you’re going to nail it!
Love this master muffin recipe, this is great! There is a savory muffin I made that doesn’t have any sugar. It’s pretty dense, very little if any crumb. Any tips on making it fluffier crumb if there’s no sugar?
Shannon, thank you! I’m so glad you’re loving the master recipe! 🧡
For savory muffins with zero sugar, einkorn can definitely go dense, but here are my favorite ways to keep them fluffy and tender:
Increase the eggs by 1 (extra structure + lift)
Add 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil, melted butter, or even full-fat Greek yogurt for moisture
Beat the eggs + fat together for 30-60 seconds before mixing in the flour (this helps trap air)
Don’t over-mix once you add the flour; stir just until combined
A slightly higher bake temp (400°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop to 375°F) gives a better rise
Let the batter rest 10-15 minutes before scooping (einkorn loves that rest!)
I have made this recipe countless times. Delicious with a variety of add-ins! I normally double it and make two variations. Our favourite is raspberry chocolate chip. My nephews who swear against einkorn love these also!
love this, thank you for the feedback
I just found this recipe and made these muffins. I am so pleased! They are delicious – added frozen blueberries. I was looking for an uncomplicated einkorn muffin recipe and this is it!! I am looking forward to making these with dried apples and dried pears. Thank you so much.
So glad you love this, thank you for the feedback!
Hi! What measurement of milled einkorn would you recommend?
Hi Gabrielle,
Thanks for reaching out about the Master Einkorn Muffin Recipe! For milled einkorn flour, I recommend using the same measurement as listed in the recipe, which is typically 2 cups (240g) of all-purpose einkorn flour for a standard batch of 12 muffins. Since einkorn absorbs liquid differently than other flours, make sure to measure by weight for the best results, and mix just until combined to avoid dense muffins.
Thank you for this versatile recipe. I made 12 honey blueberry and 12 maple syrup- sweetened carrot and date. The latter took a couple of minutes longer to bake. Both are scrumptious.
You’re welcome, Gail
What can you use if you can’t have applesauce or any kind of yogurt?
Hi Jess, thanks for your question! If applesauce or yogurt isn’t an option, you can try mashed banana or pumpkin puree as a substitute in the einkorn muffin recipe. Both provide similar moisture and binding properties. For a non-fruit option, consider using a neutral oil like avocado or melted coconut oil, though you might need to adjust the liquid content slightly (start with a 1:1 replacement and test). Let me know how it works out or if you have other dietary needs to work around!
Hi!
Would it be possible to make these into mini sized muffins? If so, what amount of time is recommended, and would the temperature remain at 350 degrees?
Thank you!
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for your comment! Yes, you can absolutely make the einkorn muffins into mini muffins. I recommend keeping the oven temperature at 350°F. For mini muffins, reduce the baking time to about 10-12 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick to ensure the centers are set. Start checking at 10 minutes to avoid overbaking, as mini muffins bake faster due to their smaller size.
Let me know how they turn out!
I made this recipe with blueberries and loved. It was so good. Can’t wait to try it with zucchini.
Hi Elaine,
I’m so happy to hear you loved the einkorn muffin recipe with blueberries! That’s such a great choice, and I bet they were delicious. You’re going to have so much fun trying it with zucchini, it adds such a moist texture and pairs perfectly with the einkorn’s nutty flavor. Let me know how the zucchini version turns out
Used this muffin recipe about 4 times in one week. My children love it without added fruit. I prefer adding frozen blueberries. The perfect muffin.
Hi Daisha,
Thank you so much for your kind words about the einkorn muffin recipe! I’m thrilled to hear your children love it plain, and that you enjoy adding frozen blueberries for your own twist. It’s awesome that you’ve made it four times in one week. That’s the kind of feedback that makes sharing recipes so rewarding. If you experiment with other add-ins, I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience.
Hi Kristin!
Sorry, I forgot to reply and say thank-you for your answer to my question about reducing the butter!
I am a little slow at doing these things.
But I love all your recipes.
Thanks again,
June 🌷
You’re welcome
There were amazing just as the recipe calls for!
Yay, Genny! So glad you enjoyed the muffins.
Can you use Greek yogurt?
Hey Diana, Yes!
Do I need to modify the recipe to make a blueberry or banana bread instead of muffin? Thank you in advance for responding
Hey Jai, Use this einkorn banana muffin recipe and add 1 cup of blueberries to the batter after mixed: https://livesimply.me/einkorn-banana-maple-muffins-naturally-sweetened/
Can I make this into a loaf instead of muffins? What changes would I make for a loaf?
Hey Jamy, Yes, no changes to the recipe needed. Just bake for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Can I replace the butter with shortening?
Hey Ali, I’ve never tried this, but you can try. Let me know how it goes.