These muffins with quinoa flakes are a perfect way to start your day! These quinoa flake muffins are nutritious and made with simple ingredients like gluten-free flour, eggs, applesauce, cocoa and - you guessed it - quinoa flakes!
When you first go gluten-free, you're usually just focused on getting gluten OUT.
Cut that bread, crackers, pizza, cereal, etc, etc, etc.
But then you gotta get some other ingredients that will help keep you ON the gluten-free track for life.
And one of those ingredients I suggest you get your hands on are: quinoa flakes!
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Quinoa flakes are a great addition to your gluten-free pantry!
And these chocolate muffins with quinoa flakes are a fantastic way to start using quinoa flakes.
📝Ingredients for muffins with quinoa flakes
- Quinoa Flakes - I use GoGo Quinoa Flakes
- 1:1 Baking Gluten-Free Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Cocoa powder
- Salt
- Bananas, very ripe or thawed from the freezer
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Eggs
- Oat milk - or milk of your choice
- Maple syrup
- Mini dark chocolate chips
🔪How to make quinoa flake muffins
Here's the high level steps to making these chocolate chip muffins with quinoa flakes.
See the recipe card below for more details😄
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and get your muffin pan ready. Either use a silicone muffin pan or silicone muffin cups.
In a large bowl, combine the gluten free flour, flaked quinoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
In a medium bowl, mix the smashed banana, applesauce, eggs, maple syrup and oat milk together until combined with a whisk.
Pour this banana mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
Optional step: let this mixture sit for 15 minutes before baking. Add chocolate chips.
Divide mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
🥶Storage and Freezing
These muffins keep well in an air-tight container for 3 days on the counter.
You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
🙋♀️What are Quinoa Flakes?
You know how when you cook quinoa, you get the seed kind of bursting out?
And you get those "curly q's" alongside of the seed?
With quinoa flakes, the seed is flattened or rolled out, and then toasted (so it doesn't really split apart like when you cook it.)
The result is a flake that resembles really fine oats almost.
Here's what it looks like right out of the box - see the little flattened quinoa seed?
🥣How to cook quinoa flakes
For hot cereal using quinoa flakes, take ⅓ cup of flakes and add almost ⅔ cups of boiling hot water; cover for 1 minute.
Then top with yogurt, some fruit and a little almond milk or coconut milk.
🔪Where can I use quinoa flakes?
You can use quinoa flakes so many different ways!
Add them to make hot cereal, put them in smoothies for a boost of fibre and iron, add them into baked goods (like this recipe).
You can even put them in soups.
For hot cereal using quinoa flakes, I take ⅓ cup of flakes and add almost ⅔ cups of boiling hot water; cover for 1 minute and then I'll add yogurt, some fruit and a little coconut milk.
🍎Are quinoa flakes healthy?
Yes!
Here's the great thing about quinoa flakes: once they're rolled out, they retain all the same great properties of quinoa.
Some of the nutritional highlights of quinoa flakes include:
- They're naturally gluten-free
- High in plant-based protein
- Full of good fiber and healthy carbs
- Source of iron
❓What do quinoa flakes taste like?
Cooked quinoa. Like in a major way.
I opened the package of quinoa flakes and that familiar smell just hit me.
If you're into quinoa, good chance you'll like the taste of quinoa flakes!
Top Tip
For these muffins with quinoa flakes and all gluten-free muffin recipes, let your muffin batter sit for about 15 minutes after you have everything mixed together.
I've heard this tip before and find it really helps to let the ingredients in the gluten-free muffins get activated before getting into the oven.
Alright, hope you love these muffins like we do❣️
~April
More recipes with quinoa
📖 Recipe
Quinoa Flake Muffins with Chocolate Chips (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup quinoa flakes
- 1 ¼ cup 1:1 gluten-free baking flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 ripe banana mashed, about ½ cup total
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup oat milk or milk of choice
- ¼ cup mini semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with silicone muffin cups or use a completely silicone muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, combine the flaked quinoa, gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the smashed banana, applesauce, eggs, maple syrup and oat milk together until combined with a whisk.
- Pour this banana mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Add chocolate chips and give one final stir.
- Optional step: let this sit for 15 minutes before baking.
- Divide mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clear.
- These muffins keep well in an air-tight container for 3 days on the counter. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Jodi says
They are very moist and much better tasting than the other quinoa flake muffin recipe I tried. I do wonder if 2 Tablespoons of cocoa is enough. Even just for “eating w your eyes”. With 2 T of cocoa, my family joked that they looked like meatloaves w chocolate chips on top! 🙂
haha thanks for commenting Jodi! Glad you liked them 🙂 Good point on the cocoa - we do eat with our eyes first! lol --> "mini meatloaves"