Light, healthy and simple to make, these delicious Green Tea Quinoa Muffins are even more delicious with a cup of tea or coffee!
Ok so these were originally supposed to actually be GREEN for St. Patrick's Day but I decided to go for taste and not necessarily color. Now don't get me wrong I LOVE green tea and matcha powder (which is essentially a fine powder made from green tea leaves) but it does have a bitter taste like most teas do when brewed and tannins are released.
Another thing is that matcha powder can be quite costly, so a little should go a long way.
These muffins have all the healthy good stuff...green tea, chia seed, flax seed, quinoa, Greek yogurt....ok, yes, there is some sugar and butter but we have to live, right?
Everything in moderation.
Oh and I decided to make these egg-free too, just because. These are perfect for those who have egg allergies or any type of sensitivity to eggs.
I love these muffins because they are made with all wholesome, real food ingredients. There is no junk or anything artificial in here. Just the way I like it.
I am sure some of you might think that quinoa in a muffin might sound a little strange, but it really does add a fabulous texture and of course added protein.
I am always looking to add some more protein to my diet these days, especially when it tastes as yummy as these muffins.
Not going to lie though, I do wish they were naturally colored green. Wouldn't that look so pretty?
This recipe calls for two very ripe bananas, which is just one of the reasons why I always have super ripe bananas in my freezer. The second my bananas start to goo too brown where my kids are complaining how gross and mushy they are, I unpeeled them and place n plastic bags in the freezer.
This way I am not wasting food and I can use them for banana breads, muffins, smoothies...you name it. I hate wasting food!
As many of you know I love making freezer-friendly snacks and meals. These muffins freeze incredibly well!
I like to take them out 10-20 minutes before I am ready to eat it. I just leave it on the counter and let it defrost.
They still taste delicious and fresh. If you want to toast it lightly and add some butter or even peanut or almond butter, that sounds all types of delicious too.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cooked quinoa
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup ground flax seed or flax meal
- 1 tablespoon ground chia seed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon green tea matcha powder
- ½ cup unrefined brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted organic butter
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 ripe mashed bananas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin tins or use cupcake liners.
- Set aside cooked quinoa and allow to cool.
- Combine flour, ground flax, chia seed, baking powder, salt, green tea and matcha powder in a medium bowl.
- Add cooled, cooked quinoa and set aside.
- In another medium size bowl, mix brown sugar, vanilla, butter, yogurt and bananas.
- Add sugar mixture to flour and stir to combine, being careful not to overmix. Place into greased muffin tins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes for regular size muffins and 12-15 minutes for mini muffins, until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan.
- Place in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Here are some more fun and healthy green tea recipes I thought yo might like:
Green Tea Coconut Matcha Ice Cream from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Iced Green Tea from Jessica Gavin
Green Tea Matcha Latte from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Baked Matcha Donuts from Love and Lemons
Blood Orange Green Tea Energy Drink from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
No Bake Matcha Protein Bites from Clean and Delicious
Green Tea Layered Chia Pudding Parfait from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
If you make these Green Tea Muffins or any of the other recipes I have shared with you, please some back and let me know. You guys know that I love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoy these! Thank you for stopping by and please come back soon!
kb
These look great! I've been searching desperately for a truly healthy muffin for our family . Any thoughts on how I could ditch the sugar altogether for something like raisin puree? And what nuts or larger seeds do you think would taste good?
lauren.kelly
Hi Krista! I think omitting the sugar is a personal preference. I would add finely diced walnuts or even sunflower seeds! Let me know how they come out 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
lauren.kelly
Hi Nora! Yes, 1/2 cup, I just corrected it. Thanks so much, I hope you like them 🙂
Sapphire Ecig
Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one
and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam comments?
If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can suggest?
I get so much lately it's driving me insane so any help is very much appreciated.
Nora
Hi, what is the msmt for flax? 1/2 what, a cup please? Thanks!
Bibi @ Bibi's Culinary Journey
Lauren, they look delicious! I made some muffins yesterday & wanted to make them green as well, but it didn't work out well. They were still tasty 🙂
lauren.kelly
Oh good to know I'm not alone 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!