Grain-free pancakes are transformed into delicious, grab ‘n go low carb muffins. Enter the world of grain-free baking with confidence with this easy pancake muffins recipe to fuel your mornings!
Grain-Free Baking
When you decide to go grain-free, the world becomes a very different place. It becomes a little tougher, a lot more complicated and not nearly so friendly. At least, that’s how it can feel when you start this dietary journey. It’s not easy being grain-free, because grains are everywhere and in everything. You start looking at labels and find yourself continually astonished at the seemingly innocuous foods that actually contain gluten or grains. And all those comfort foods like biscuits and breads and muffins? Forget about it. You’re terrified of even eating a crumb.
Except that if you take a little time and explore the grain-free world, you’ll quickly discover it’s not quite as unfriendly as you think. Okay, so you can’t walk in to too many stores yet and buy grain-free muffins. The world isn’t quite that ready for the grain-free revolution. But if you are willing to make these things yourself, you will find you have more options than you ever dreamed possible. And if you need a little helping hand a little guidance, that’s where a book like Every-Day Grain-Free Baking comes in.
I will be honest and say that I am not completely grain-free myself. I don’t have any sensitivities, so if a little bit of grains sneak into my diet, I am fine with it. But I certainly can’t sit down and eat a slice of grain-based bread or I will pay the price in a glucose spike. So the majority of my cooking and baking, and subsequent eating, is free of grains and I’ve come to love it. It’s not a strange and unfriendly wilderness any longer, but I do remember vividly how uncertain it felt when I first started out. When Kelly Smith of The Nourishing Home asked me to review her new cookbook, it seemed like a good fit for All Day I Dream About Food readers.
Now, Kelly is not low carb per se, although she does steer clear of refined sugars. But there is so much crossover in our lifestyles and grain-free baking is something of an art form. When you see someone with great skills and solid recipes, you know you have a good basis for adapting the recipes to fit your own needs. Kelly was more than happy to allow me to adapt her grain-free pancake muffins recipe to use low carb sweeteners, so I quickly got to work adapting her Grab-n-Go Pancake Muffins recipe. I live a busy life, you live a busy life, we all need easy low carb breakfast recipes, right?
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter or coconut oil melted
- 3 tbsp Swerve Sweetener or equivalent of choice (more if you like sweet muffins)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and raspberries
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 8 muffin cups with parchment liners (or grease muffin cups very well).
- Add yogurt, butter, sweetener, vanilla and apple cider vinegar to a blender. Then add almond flour, baking soda, and salt on top. Blend on low for 10 to 15 seconds until combined.
Add eggs and blend on low for another 15 to 20 seconds, then blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds, until eggs are just incorporated into the batter.
- Add all but 2 tbsp of the frozen berries to blender and stir in by hand (do not blend!). Divide batter among prepared muffin cups and then place a few remaining berries in the top of each.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until slightly golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool in pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serves 8. Each serving has 7.9 g of carbs and 3.29 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.61 g.
Food energy: 211kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 3.61g
Total fat: 17.09g
Calories from fat: 153
Cholesterol: 79mg
Carbohydrate: 7.90g
Total dietary fiber: 3.29g
Protein: 8.28g
Sodium: 218mg
Grain-Free Pancake Muffins Recipe Notes
Word to the wise, grain-free pancake muffins are not meant to be sweet muffins. They are like pancake batter baked in muffin tins, and as such, are delicious spread with butter or drizzled with sugar-free syrup.
You can up the sweetness of the low carb muffins easily to suit your own tastes. I did change one other little item, simply out of sheer laziness, and that was to stir some of the berries right into the batter in the blender. I simply didn’t want to dirty another dish by transferring the batter to another bowl to stir in the berries. I held some of the berries back to press a few into the top of each muffin so they’d look berry bountiful. I think these were a definite win. And a ridiculously easy grain-free recipe, making the world of grain-free a little easier for all of us!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
I cooked grain free for a while (due to a boyfriend with allergies) and it really opened by eyes to all the options. These muffins looks absolutely fantastic!
Tena says
Can you use coconut flour instead of almond?
Carolyn says
You can try…use about 1/3 the amount of coconut flour.
Deb Brandt says
suggestions for the yogurt? Need them to be dairy free…..Would canned full fat coconut milk work?
Thanks
Carolyn says
I’d probably use just the thick cream from the coconut milk, with just a little added of the watery part.
Tricia says
Could sour cream be substituted for the yogurt? It’s impossible for me to find a small size of full fat frozen yogurt, but I always have sour cream on hand.
Carolyn says
It may be a little on the thick side so use some water to thin it out.
Khadijah says
Did you try the sour cream?
Sevysia says
Yes, I sub sour cream for yoghurt all the time. Works great!
Rachel says
Not frozen yoghurt. Cold, in fridge case.
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry says
Wow, these look divine! I can’t believe these are grain free! YUM!
Aimee says
These look amazing! I need to head to Costco for some almond flour & get baking!
1stLadyFord says
Aimee your costco has almond flour?
heather @french press says
these sounds like a terrific breakfast! grab and go is where it’s at for us!!
Linnae says
Your Costco has almond flour? Jealous!! They even pulled it from their website now!
Marilyn says
Costco did carry Honeyville which is my favorite but discontinued it. They have another I believe is Sunblest. I am not familiar with that brand.
Debbie says
is it 1/2 cup each of blueberries and raspberries or 1/2 cup total?
Carolyn says
1/2 cup total.
Pamela M says
I happen to have non-fat Greek yogurt (thus extra thick) in then oust already. Do you thnkthat would work?
Carolyn says
Yes, probably.
Jackie says
Could you actually use this as pancake batter?
Carolyn says
No idea but I bet you could!
Judy says
I am just a beginner with THM. These look great because I get hungry for pancakes or something other than eggs. I am assuming that this is an E meal, is that right? Thank you for posting.
Carolyn says
No, these would be an S. Low carb and high fat so definitely an S.
Malainie says
These look wonderful! I just picked up a bag of frozen blueberries, blackberries and red raspberries that I’ll use for this!
Avery says
I have made these twice in the past few days. They are so amazing! I used probably closer to a cup of frozen raspberries, and also a whole bunch of Lilly’s brand no-sugar chocolate chips. So good! I doubled these easily and got 24 nice-sized muffins. Use butter for a not low-carby taste. I have never been one for coconut so the butter flavor was a nice touch. Also, I used sour cream in place of the yogurt one of the days and there was no noticeable difference. They rose very nicely, and make me forget I am eating low carb! Thanks for yet another amazing recipe:)
Carolyn says
Glad you like them!
anne l says
I made these today with full fat coconut milk, not the cream off the top and they came out perfectly. Great recipe!
Laurie says
Just curious…what is the total calories?
Carolyn says
It says in the bottom of the recipe. 211 per muffin.
Anne o says
Made today- so yummy. Subbed Maple flavor cuz I was out of vanilla. Very delicious warm out of the oven. Another winner Carolyn-thank you!
Vicki says
I made them tonight and they taste great, but they don’t look like yours. The frozen blueberries sunk to the bottom of the muffins – even the berries I set on top. I followed your directions, except I used the non-fat Greek yogurt, because that’s what I had in the house.
It seemed like the whole berries were just too heavy to float in the batter.
Do you know why that might happen? Is it possible I over-mixed the batter? My blender is an older, basic model, and at first nothing seemed to be blending except the bottom third
of the container, so I used a spatula to scrape down the sides and mix the flour, and then eggs in by hand, before blending a little longer than suggested on high.
Carolyn says
Could be the over mixing but I actually think the yogurt is to blame. Nonfat yogurt may not have the fat content to help those berries float on the surface.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
These muffins look seriously so perfect. Good thing I have all the ingredients on hand so I can whip up a batch now to have for breakfast during the week.
Sara says
These turned out absolutely delicious. And I mean flipping delicious!!! Thank you for a grain/sugar free recipe that actually tastes like food.
Sevysia says
Thanks for another great LC recipe! Will be making these again and again. I used sour cream in place of the full milk yoghurt because that’s all I had. Added an extra tbsp of erythritol (Now brand, sorry haven’t tried Swerve yet but I will the next time I need to buy it). I made one batch with the berries and another batch with Lily’s LC chocolate chips ~ both turned out yummy!
Melissa says
I tried these for the first time and LOVE them! I did make some substitutions based on what I had available. I kept them dairy free by using coconut oil instead of butter and coconut yogurt instead of regular yogurt. I make my own almond milk 3-4x/week, so I always have some pulp left that I dehydrate & grind down to a flour. Extra fiber, and they have been pre-soaked so no chance of phytase. Since I did use the “almond meal” I had to add in 1/2 cup of almond milk till it was muffin consistency. This also led me to have to cook them twice as long! No problem, I just kept testing and putting them back in. So, approx. 30 minutes later @ 350degrees they tested done and were FABULOUS!!
Thanks so much! I hope my substitutions can help anyone else who is dairy free and frugal!
Kathy says
I have made these twice, once with chopped apple instead of berries and once with frozen wild blueberries. They are delicious and the texture is great. I made these in my blender and did have trouble with the batter gunking up around the blades but I don’t have a high powered blender. The next time (and there will be a next time) I’ll probably use my kitchenaid mixer. It’s so nice to have an alternative to eggs for breakfast.
el says
Do these freeze well?
Carolyn says
They should. In my experience, all muffins like this freeze well and I’ve frozen similar ones, although not these in particular.
Anne L. Texas says
Yes! I bake them up and freeze them then set one out in the morning when I get up. When I’m ready..it’s ready!
Anne L. Texas says
PS about an 1/8 tsp of lemon oil really brings out the flavor
Helena Angelina says
These look incredible Carolyn – the texture and crumb looks amazing! I’ve not seen anything low carb turn out like that. I’ll be giving them a whirl for sure!
Helena Angelina says
U should say these look amazing Annie AND Carolyn! 🙂
Jill says
I just made a double batch of these. They’re very good! I ended up getting 24 mini muffins and 12 regular muffins out of the double batch. The mini one I tried is slightly dry, but the the flavor awesome. I used 3 T Swerve plus some liquid stevia and did everything else as written. They’ll be great with some butter or cream cheese.
Angela says
Made a batch of these delicious muffins this morning and I have to say it was incredibly hard to stop at only 1. Thanks again Carolyn, for the amazing recipes.
Jen says
Made a double batch this morning. Came out delicious. My only issue is that they stuck to the paper liners horribly. I ran out of paper and greased some, and I have to recommend skipping the paper and just greasing. So delicious.
Carolyn says
I always, always recommend the parchment paper liners to avoid this issue. If you want easier clean up, make sure you grab some!
Nicole says
I often grease (spray with coconut oil spray) my liners so they don’t stick as much.
Lorri says
These are super easy and DELICIOUS! Eating some right now. They baked up lighter than I expected. My picky 12 yo is eating one right now. He loves it and said “It doesn’t even need butter!” Thank you for sharing this. I will be making this again. Just a note, I used Greek Yogurt for mine.
Barbarainnc says
Can these be made with out a blender?? Just use a spoon to mix them ?? I have seen foil liners, and will look for parchment liners. ? ?
Carolyn says
Yes, they can be. A little more work but it shouldn’t be a problem. Make sure to mix your dry ingredients first, then add the wet ingredients.
Barbarainnc says
Thanks
Anne says
I used an electric hand mixer with no problems. Just dumped everything in sans the berries. Worked – and turned out – great!!
AB says
You need to verify your carb count on this one. I uploaded this recipe into MyFitnessPal and with 8 muffins, they come out to 32 NET CARBS per muffin!
Carolyn says
No, actually I don’t have to. I make it very clear on my blog that I do not count the carbs in erythritol, as they do not raise my blood sugar one little bit. Most low carbers don’t either. Hope that info helps!
Carolyn says
Actually, now that I look at the recipe, it only takes 3 tbsp of Swerve. I know these ingredients do NOT add up to 32 g per muffin so I think either MyFitnessPal has lost its mind or you entered something incorrectly. Believe me…my software (MacGourmet) pulls from the USDA database of nutrition so something is off in your calculations, not in mine. 🙂
AB says
So… this was really bugging me because my family said they were awesome but I decided not to try them. Yet, could NOT figure out how MFP calculated the way it did. 🙁
Dug into it a bit deeper. Lo & behold, the “food” it grabbed when I imported the recipe was listed as 225 grams sugar!!! What!?!??! Let’s just say I quickly fixed that baby!! Whew…
I enjoyed one for breakfast today & am looking forward to “leftovers” tomorrow!
Thanks! 🙂
Carolyn says
yes, I asked about this on Facebook and a reader said that when she imported it, it turned 3 tbsp of Swerve into 3 CONTAINERS (full containers!) of stevia. Not sure what is up but MFP is really not reliable. When you see a big discrepancy like that, be sure to check each individual ingredient.
Sogol says
These are AMAZING. So simple and so delicious! I think these are going to become a weekly staple, with maybe so chocolate chips being added in as well. I used sour cream like some others did above because I always have it handy and I used mixed frozen berries so there were some blackberries and strawberries as well. Divine! Didn’t need any additional sweetener, but I couldn’t say no to some extra butter! Thanks for another winner! 🙂
Carolyn says
I’ve done raspberries and chocolate chips. Those were popular with the kids!
Kelly H. says
SO GOOD! I actually blended the berries completely and it was delicious. Just a suggestion maybe, since I’m currently making everything you upload haha, but is it super hard to also give the actual weight of things, in grams or ounces? Not sure what your process looks like. Since I have GD (just emailed you, hi again!) I weigh everything for every recipe I make to keep scrupulous count of the carbs, so I can connect higher values to what I’m eating and avoid all medications. I mean, like I said, I end up weighing it all, but its amazing how different 1/4 of almond flour measures each time you do it! I often wonder if your stuff tastes a little differently than mine! The frozen berries in this recipe is really what I was thinking of. I bet those measurements can vary a lot! Maybe it doesn’t affect the taste that much and my type A/OCD is showing 🙂
Anyway, loved these! they’re so moist. I love having stuff like this to grab in the mornings.
Kathleen W. says
I made these this morning and they are great !
Andrea says
These are so delicious, and unlike regular muffins, they taste even better after cooling and refrigeration, which makes them perfect for Grab and Go! I usually just reheat them in the microwave at work. Super easy for my crazy mornings! Thanks so much for sharing your talent in the kitchen with us!
Missy says
I just made these and they were absolutely delicious! Probably the best baked goods I’ve tried that are low carb. Thank you so much for all of your recipes, they are really a life saver. 🙂
Carolyn says
Thanks so much!
Dominique Brown says
These were sooo good. Thanks.
Alex says
I made these this morning with extra Erythritol, some liquid stevia and I subbed homemade kefir made with heavy cream for the yoghurt. Also I used almond meal that I grind up from making almond milk. These were amazing. They are as satisfying as the traditional oatmeal buttermilk blueberry muffin recipe I made for years before baking grain free. My kids (who are not grain free) enjoyed them as well. Excellent recipe!!!
Katie says
Does the swerve sweetener serve a structural purpose or is it purely for the sweet flavor?
Carolyn says
For sweetness. You can replace it.
Pattie says
Just made a batch of these and they are terrific. Love that the carbs are lower than a lot of low-carb muffin recipes out there. Good amount of protein per muffin too. I agree with your previous comment about not counting the carbs in erythritol. Most low carbers do not. I used foil liners and had no problem with them sticking. They are delicious with some Kerrygold butter on them. Fabulous recipe! Thank you.
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Pattie!
Annie says
These are awesome Carolyn. Thank you!
Susan says
Fabulous muffins! My mom likes these better than her own lifelong recipe… Thank you!
Jennifer says
Just tried these and they actually taste like pancakes! How is that possible? They were very easy to make and delicious. I used Greek yogurt and mixed berries and added a few 100% chocolate chunks.
Toni says
After modifying an almond flour recipe I use as a cornered replacement for muffins, I decided to seek a few out! I’ve been a HUGE fan of your recipes for quite sometime and have recommended many to your site that ask my advice on my ketogenic lifestyle… I’m quite pleased with this recipe and so is my husband. I did use sour cream, merely because I didn’t have the yogurt and a couple others said they tried it with no difference. Smash hit in my book. I did also sprinkle a little bit of erythritol on top for just a smidge of crunch that we like. Thank you Carolyn, for all that you do in the low carb/keto world! It’s GREATLY appreciated!
Carolyn says
Thanks for recommending my blog!
A.Rice says
I bet these would be good with a small piece of hotdog or cooked Sausage link inserted before baking. Hmmmm….
Lindsey says
I don’t have any apple cider vinegar on-hand, is it necessary for the recipe or can it be left out?
Carolyn says
A little acid is necessary to activate the baking soda but you could use any vinegar.
Kristine says
These are awesome!!! I really liked them but even my skinny and growing like a weed 14 year old son (who doesn’t like many of my low carb options) ate 3. THREE! That totally was a shocker. This recipe is a keeper for sure. My husband thought they tasted like the blueberry muffins you can find at a hotel – the kind in a cellophane wrapper that are really moist. I think that’s the reason they are so go – the texture is so tender.
Carolyn says
That’s great news!
Tammy says
Hi,
These sound sooooo tasty! But I am not eating low carb and don’t use sweeteners. How much sugar would I use?
Carolyn says
The same amount.
Cara says
Made these last night, hot out of the oven they tasted too eggy, when cooled they are perfect! This morning I sliced in half, browned in butter and served with whipped cream and Walden Farm syrup – amazing blueberry muffin French toast! Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
Good point, they are better after cooling!
Natalie says
I have these in the oven right now. Checked them at 18 minutes and the middles were still wet. So, back in they went and I’m just enjoying the delicious smell! Can’t wait to try them in the morning!!
Michaela says
Can I use the flax seed/water combo to replace the eggs? My little boy has an egg allergy. Thanks in advance!
Carolyn says
I think it’s worth a try but I haven’t done it myself.
Appletree says
Hi, did it work please?
Kari says
This recipe is AWESOME!! I used sour cream (only because that’s what I had in my fridge) and they turned out perfectly – I even made an extra batch and made actual pancakes out of it – they were the best pancakes I’ve even eaten!! I’ve tried a lot of low carb pancake recipes in the past and most of them are way too eggy for my liking. These are so good – will definitely make them a staple in our house!! Thank you!!
pam says
I, like so many others, have tried unsuccessfully to find a pancake recipe, which truly has the texture and taste as description states. Funny what we crave. I did try your other blueberry pancake muffin recipe. It did come the closest (for me) to matching a common pancake taste & texture. But I did find myself tweaking the recipe, to try to get it closer. Taste was good, but texture was off.
How did I miss this recipe. PERFECTION (in my opinion). It meets all my wants, for a pancake. Fluffy, stayed fluffy, taste, not eggy at all, and texture is wonderful (no gag reflex trying to swallow). I can hardly wait to bake, and eat, more. I am going to dare my family and friends to identify it as low carb sugar free. Thank you, Carolyn. For all of your innovative recipes, and the time you spend creating them.
Carolyn says
Wow, what great feedback, thank you!
Ange says
Having bought some erythritol specially for these muffins (never used it before and here in the uk had to order a bag online as couldn’t find it locally) I am doubly impressed – firstly by the sweetener itself, I really couldn’t believe how much nicer it tasted than Stevia or other sweeteners! I’ve got you to thank for that introduction Carolyn ?
Secondly of course the muffins themselves are absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I used lemon juice in place of Apple cider vinegar and it seemed to do the trick. Will be making these again no doubt.
Thanks for all your fab recipes helping me stay on track as I try to low-carb my life!!
Carolyn says
Glad you liked them!
Gail Virgin says
I made these “pancake” muffins today and as usual, your recipe blew me away!! They are FANTASTIC!! Look & smell just like non-low carb homemade muffins…even better actually! Thank you Carolyn for all your hard work perfecting delicious Keto, low carb recipes. I have tried many Keto, low carb recipes and yours are some of the absolute BEST! I just LOVE your recipes and can’t wait to buy your cookbook at Indigo….hopefully this week!! I have a question…can I use this recipe and add lemon oil/extract (maybe instead of vanilla), lemon zest and fresh cranberries (not berries) to the recipe? To make lemon/cranberry muffins? My husband is a huge fan of lemon/cranberry muffins. Thank you in advave!! ?
Carolyn says
Absolutely, your version sounds delicious!
Gail Virgin says
Oops…thank you in “advanced!! ?
Rebecca says
If I want to add protein powder to these, will the recipe still work? Should I change any other ingredients?
Nicki says
WOW, not sure how I found you but you might be an Angel. I have made many changes to my life due to Cancer and car accidents, knowing giving up Gluton would help, but honestly couldnt think of a world with my favorites. Then poof, somehow you appearded and I’m loving what I’m reading and thinking even I might be able to do this. You might bemy new Angel
Carolyn says
Glad to help!
Patricia Clayborn says
Can this recipe be baked as a loaf?
Carolyn says
I honestly have never tried!
Kristin says
Yum! These are so good. I stuck to the recipe and don’t think I’ll make any changes when I make them again. Thank you!
Barbara says
Wow these are delicious as all your recipes are. I had to use 4oz of cream cheese and splash of almond milk in place of the yogurt as I didn’t have any. It made 10 muffins that way. I don’t know how they could have been any better. Thanks for this fabulous recipe as usual.
Andrea says
Suggestions on how to substitute fresh berries instead of frozen? Coat them in almond flour?
Carolyn says
You shouldn’t have to do anything, just add them and stir gently.
Therese Bartlett says
These are the ONLY thing helping me get the rest of my family on board with keto way of eating. Amazing! I find they take longer to bake in silicone muffin trays so I’ll stick to my (parchment cup lined) metal muffin tin, but we make these regularly and freeze them in individual servings. Such a nice change from all the egg breakfasts. Mmmmm tasty. Thank you!!
Carolyn says
Glad to help. I know how hard it is to get kids to eat keto.
Pam Cockrell says
I used a silicone muffin pan and it took FOREVER for the muffins to cook! Is that normal? Should I not use the silicone pan? Also I looked everywhere for whole milk plain yogurt that didn’t have a sugar count in the nutritional chart. Used what I found but curious to see if all whole milk yogurt has a natural sugar content.
Thanks for another yummy recipe.
Pam Cockrell says
Uh oh!! I just read some of the other comments and realized that I used baking powder not baking soda! My muffins turned out really good but a little dense. Could that have been the difference? Still tasted awesome.
Carolyn says
Yes, that would make a huge difference. For baking powder you need at least 2x if not 3x the amount.
Shirl says
These are great. Just wanted to let you know that I saw a recipe at Sugar Free Londonder that looks really really close to this one, just doubled. She published it after you did, and called it GRAB & GO LOW CARB MUFFINS.
Carolyn says
Yep. She did that quite some time ago and it was almost identical. I reached out to her and she credited me. It should have a link to me.. if it doesn’t, then perhaps I should reach out again.
Tricia says
Hello! Have you by chance tried this recipe with cream cheese instead of the yogurt? I’m not sure how the extra thickness would affect the muffin quality. I have some in my fridge and thought I’d use it if possible. Thanks for your help!
Carolyn says
I think you would need to let it soften and then add some cream to get it to be the right texture.