Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (2024)

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Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (V, GF): an easy, 1-bowl recipe for soft, fluffy orange muffins with a hint of delicious cardamom flavor. Made with healthy ingredients. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free.

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Here comes the guaranteed grumpiest day of my life: my birthday. I know, I know… what’s wrong with me? I’m hugely grateful to be alive, enjoy my life and practice gratitude/trying my darnedest not to complain too-too much on a daily basis. But something about my birthday just puts a wrench in it. Unless I make and eat an entire vegan chocolate cake… .

Do you feel the same way?

Like, what is it about birthdays that hold way too much weight, too much reverse-levity (okay, that’s probably the same thing), but you know… they feel like a check-in date of some sort where you have to See How Things Are Progressing in Life.

Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (2)

I don’t know when this annual birthday grump fest started, but if I had to guess, it may have begun about 5 years ago. When I hit the last sparkling years of my 20s. Tbh, they weren’t that sparkly and I’m really freaking glad they’re over. But something about that decade change made me face facts: I’m older now, expected to be more mature, and expected to have accomplishments under my belt.

Today, at least, I can say that I’ve accomplished baking this healthy gluten free orange cardamom muffins recipe. There! Take that, mid-30s Progress Report Card!

Funny thing is, I’m glad to be in my 30s, putting all of the foolish mistakes of my 20s behind me, and moving forward into this for-realsies career. I finally learned that I’ve got to stand up for what I want, call people out when they’re taking advantage, and vocalize my appreciation for the immense good in my life.

How’s that for a grade, ya birthday bugger? 😉

Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (3)

I now have the confidence and grit to focus on what I want, and not constantly apologize for getting it–something I talk about coming to terms with in my moist banana bread recipe post. So maybe I can just let myself be grumpy this year, for one day… then quickly snap back and appreciate, bless and beam about all the good things that surround me. Including you. 🙂 If it weren’t for you, right now, reading this post, I wouldn’t be able to do my dream job and make a career out of it. I wouldn’t be able to sit with you, virtually, and gossip, make cookies, and swap kitchen makeover updates.

So thank you. And a Happy Everyday to all of us! (It would’ve been weird to wish myself a happy birthday, right? Hehe.)

I hope you truly enjoy these healthy gluten free orange cardamom muffins. They were a little outside of my comfort zone (see: Birthday Progress Report Card: required risk-taking). But I’m really happy with how they turned out. They’re moist, fluffy—but just the right amount of satisfyingly-dense, orange-y, with a delightful hint of cardamom. A little bit like my Easy Orange Muffins, but with some much-needed birthday pizzazz.

Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (4)

Will you celebrate my birthday with me by whipping up a batch of these Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins? Here are a few delicious points about these gluten free muffins! They’re:

  • vegan, gluten free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free
  • fluffy and moist, with just the right amount of dense texture
  • oh-so-satisfying
  • seriously perfect for a gluten free muffin basket including:gluten free maple pecan pumpkin muffins,gluten free banana oat muffins,moist gluten free chocolate pumpkin muffins,lemon poppy seed muffins, andmoist banana chocolate chip muffins! .
  • made with the healthy, whole ingredients you know and love
  • just the easy gluten free orange muffins you’ve been searching for
  • so great with aVegan Pumpkin Pie Smoothieor myTriple Berry Smoothie
  • your soon to be favorite homemade gluten free muffins!
  • dedicated to myself for my bday, which sounds weird, so we’re gonna move on

Let’s get our birthday bake on! You grab the muffin pan, I’ll grab the balloons!! Okay, now I’m getting excited—blame the balloons. 😉 Thank you for being here, and sharing in these wonderful bake-a-thons with me. There’s nothing better than seeing and hearing what you think. Pop over to Instagramsome time if you want to chat! ‘Til next time…

Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️

.︎ Click below to Pin.︎

Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (5)

📸 Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker and tag @beamingbaker. I would love to see it! 📸

If you enjoyed this Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe, then you’ll just love these Vegan Gluten Free Muffins recipes:

Healthy Gluten Free Vegan Muffin Recipes

  • Blueberry Orange Muffins
  • Easy Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins
  • Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
  • Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins Recipe
  • One Bowl Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
  • Chocolate Orange Muffins (Vegan)
  • and…Deliciously Healthy Orange Bread, just for fun! 🙂

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Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (6)

Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free)

★★★★★4.9 from 22 reviews
  • Author: Demeter | Beaming Baker
  • Yield: 9-12 muffins 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (V, GF): an easy, 1-bowl recipe for soft, fluffy orange muffins with a hint of delicious cardamom flavor. Made with healthy, whole ingredients. Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Healthy.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups gluten free oat flour, if using homemade, make sure it’s very finely ground, not coarse
  • ½ cup finely ground, blanched almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tablespoons orange zest (about 1 large orange)
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Glaze

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: oat flour, almond flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  3. Add water and milk to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 10-second increments until just warm. This will prevent the melted coconut oil from solidifying once mixed with these liquids.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients: water, milk, orange juice, orange zest, oil, sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Whisk until just incorporated, making sure no flour patches remain.
  6. Pour batter evenly into prepared muffin pan—filling each cup all the way to the top for fewer muffins with high, domed-tops, and ¾ of the way for more muffins that are smaller. Bake for 22-26 minutes. Mine took 24 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check for doneness—once it comes out clean with just a few moist bits, it’s done. Another way to tell: gently and carefully press your finger into the top of one muffin, if it springs back, it’s done.
  7. Place the muffin pan on a cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 1-3 hours. Optionally, in a small bowl, whisk together Glaze ingredients until thickened: confectioners’ sugar and orange juice. Drizzle muffins. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.

    Adapted from my Easy Orange Muffins Recipe.

    Also try my Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins and my Dark Chocolate Muffins.

Notes

– Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or in a cool, dark environment. Glaze when ready to eat, or day of.
– To Freeze: store in an airtight container or bag, unglazed, in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. Allow to thaw for about 30 minutes at room temperature before enjoying. Or, heat in the microwave in 15 second increments until just warm.
– *Powdered sugar substitutes: Swerve powdered sugar is a good sugar-free, low carb substitute. You can also grind the sweetener of your choice, such as Xylitol, in a coffee grinder or small blender until you get a powder. Since Swerve is a bit drier, use about 2 ½ teaspoons orange juice to make the glaze.
– *You can also add more powdered sugar if you’d like a thicker glaze.

  • Category: Muffins, Breakfast, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Healthy

© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.

SHOP THE RECIPE

Here are a few items I used in today’s recipe.🙂

Muffin Pans (2pk)|Coconut Oil |Maple Syrup |Coconut Sugar |Gluten Free Oat Flour |Citrus Zester |Citrus Squeezer |Parchment Cupcake Liners |Cooling Rack |Glass Mixing Bowls|Bellemain Stainless Steel 3 Cup Flour Sifter

This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you.

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Healthy Gluten Free Orange Cardamom Muffins Recipe (Vegan, GF, Dairy-Free) (2024)

FAQs

How do you make gluten-free muffins less dry? ›

Add more fat or liquid: It might just be that you need a bit more moisture in your recipe, especially if you're converting a regular “gluten-ful” recipe to gluten-free. Try adding anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup of liquid or fat to the recipe and see if that helps.

Why are my gluten-free muffins crumbly? ›

Dry or Crumbly Muffins:

If you have dry or crumbly gluten free muffins, you need more liquid wet ingredients in your muffin batter. Every gluten free flour blend will have a slightly different amount of liquid needed. Blends with dried milk powder will need less liquid, but a starchy blend may need more.

What are the benefits of vegan muffins? ›

Vegan Bakes are Nutrient-Rich

Vegan recipes rarely call for many processed ingredients or saturated fats. Instead, the nuts and seeds used as dairy substitutes are a great source of unsaturated fats, which help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

What is the secret to moist gluten-free baking? ›

Moisture – for some reason gluten-free cakes tend to get a little dry. Any gluten-free cake will dry out super-fast and get hard on the outside if it's not properly refrigerated and covered. I swear by always using buttermilk and adding a little more fat into the batter to compensate for the dryness.

What is the best gluten free flour for muffins? ›

Brown rice flour contains one single ingredient—brown rice. And while all brown rice flours are naturally gluten free, it's essential to check that the one you're using was made in a gluten free facility. In recipes, brown rice flour works best in bread, muffins and cookies.

Is there a trick to baking with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Do I need xanthan gum for gluten-free baking? ›

Xanthan Gum adds thickness and viscosity to gluten-free breads and other baked goods. Without xanthan gum, your gluten-free baked goods would be dry, crumbly and flat. Because xanthan gum is gluten-free and vegan, it's the preferred thickener for those home bakers with food allergies.

How do I substitute gluten-free flour for muffins? ›

If the original recipe calls for 260 grams of all-purpose flour, substitute with 260 grams of your blend. Beat the batter more. Because gluten-free flours provide less structure than all-purpose, the batter or dough you make with them may require more beating than that which you are accustomed.

Is it OK to eat a muffin everyday? ›

Now muffins aren't all bad. These things are only unhealthy if eaten on a regular basis. If every so often you want a muffin for breakfast or a snack, that's no big deal. When you grab a bakery muffin for breakfast daily, that's when you increase your risk for unwanted weight gain and other health issues.

Why do vegans feel better? ›

A Few Days After Going Vegan

Within the first few days of plant-based eating, you may feel more energized and alert. The protein in meat is tougher for humans to break down than plant protein is, making it a challenge to digest, which can cause sluggishness.

Why are my vegan muffins gummy? ›

If your ingredients, even vegan ingredients, aren't all room temperature (i.e. some are cool, some are warm, some are hot), the cake will come out gummy. Another reason is that you might have been checking on your cake in the oven…by opening the door! Try to keep the oven door closed as much as possible.

How do you keep gluten-free baked goods from drying out? ›

Don't overmix: Overmixing can cause gluten-free baked goods to become tough and dry. Mix your ingredients until just combined and avoid overworking the dough. Doughs and batters tend to gelatinize the gums (xanthan & guar) in flour blends/mixes, so you could end up with a 'slimy' texture if you over do it.

What can I add to muffins to make them less dry? ›

First, mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl and then mix the dry ingredients in another to prevent the muffin mix from being over-mixed. Some recipes will even recommend adding in greek yogurt or buttermilk to bump up the moisture.

How do you moisten dry muffins? ›

First, prick the muffin tops all over with a toothpick. Next, pour your liquid of choice (e.g., milk or fruit juice) into a bowl, dip a pastry brush into it, and brush the tops of the muffins. The liquid will seep into the muffin's interior, soaking the crumb and softening the muffins, turning them as good as new.

Why are gluten-free baked goods so dry? ›

Some gluten free flours will produce a cake which is on the dry side. This might be due to the lack of gluten but can be for many other reasons. Lots of gluten free flour is rice based and this can result in a dry and slightly gritty texture.

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