My Vegan Blood Orange & Cardamom Breakfast Muffins are easy to make so they're perfect for meal prep or busy mornings. Get the recipe below.
These Vegan Blood Orange & Cardamom Breakfast Muffins are the kind of recipe that makes mornings feel a little brighter. Lightly sweet, warmly spiced, and naturally fragrant with fresh citrus zest, they're perfect for a quick breakfast or mid-morning snack.
Made without oil or vegan butter, they're a lighter alternative to traditional muffins while still being soft, satisfying, and full of flavour. Gone are the days of picking up a muffin in Starbucks or Costa Coffee on the way into work! You just don't get flavours like this in coffee shops.
Blood oranges add a subtle tang and beautiful aroma, while cardamom brings gentle warmth that pairs well with the citrus. These vegan muffins are simple to make with everyday ingredients coming together in just one bowl, making them ideal for meal prep! Who wouldn't want to start each day of the week with one of these?
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Ingredients
Get your shopping list at the ready because you're going to need the following ingredients to make these muffins:
- Wholemeal self-raising flour
- Apple sauce
- Plain vegan yogurt
- Blood oranges
- Ground cardamom
If you want to decorate the blood orange muffins you'll also need icing sugar and another 2 blood oranges.
Step-by-step instructions
- Step 1: line your muffin tin with muffin cases and pre-heat your oven.
- Step 3: add the wholemeal self-raising flour, cardamom and blood orange zest to a bowl and mix to combine.
- Step 3: stir in the applesauce, vegan yogurt and blood orange juice until just combined
- Step 4: divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases
- Step 5: bake for 18 - 22 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre of the oven comes out clean
- Step 6: top with a drizzle of blood orange icing and a slice of blood orange (optional)
Hint: If you drizzle over the icing while the muffins are still warm it will soak in.
Substitutions
Don't have all the necessary ingredients? Have no fear! I've got you covered:
- Blood orange: when blood oranges are hard to come by, use regular oranges or clementines
- Cardamom: swap for cinnamon, nutmeg or mixed spice
- Wholemeal flour: regular white self-raising flour will also work just as well
Equipment
It's time to get your equipment ready and get baking! You're going to need:
- Citrus juicer
- Citrus zester
- Knife
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Muffin tins
- Muffin cases
- Wire cooling rack
Storage
Store the cooked muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
They can also be frozen for up to 2 months and defrosted whenever you want a sweet treat.
Frequently asked questions
They're lightly sweet and designed for breakfast rather than dessert so they're not at all sickly. For a sweeter muffin you can top with a little icing and a slice of blood orange.
Over mixing is usually the culprit here. Only mix until the ingredients are just combined.
The recipe
Vegan Blood Orange & Cardamom Breakfast Muffins
Equipment
- Citrus juicer
- Citrus zester
- Mixing bowl
- spoon
- Muffin tin
- Muffin cases
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 20 g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 120 g unsweetened applesauce
- 120 g vegan yogurt
- 1 blood orange juice and zest
- 0.25 teaspoon ground cardamom
To decorate (optional)
- 8 tablespoon icing sugar
- 1 blood orange juice only
- 1 blood orange cut into slices with the rind removed
Instructions
- Preheat to 180°C /350 F / gas mark 4. Line or lightly grease a muffin tin.
- Add the wholemeal self-raising flour, cardamom and blood orange zest to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Stir in the applesauce, vegan yogurt, and blood orange juice until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Optional decoration
- Mix together the icing sugar with the juice of 1 blood orange and drizzle over the top of the muffins to glaze.
- Finish by topping with slices of blood orange that have had the peel removed.
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