When it comes to muffins, there is only one thing I love more than a hearty whole grain recipe, and that’s one which incorporates forgotten pantry ingredients. These whole wheat cinnamon raisin muffins help use up any stray cereal lingering in your cabinet. In fact, you can use a few different types, if you wish!
100% Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Muffins that are Naturally Dairy Free
I originally created this whole wheat cinnamon raisin muffins recipe for Attune Foods, and used Uncle Sam Cereal. That was a decade ago, but Uncle Sam is still one of my favorite cereals. It has such a short ingredient list (whole wheat kernels, whole flaxseed, salt, barley malt, B vitamins), and I like simple, low-to-no sugar cereals. But in humid climates, cereal can go stale rather quickly. So I recently pulled out this recipe again to salvage those healthy flakes.
Each of these whole wheat muffins contains approximately 3 grams of fiber and over 3 grams of protein (just the right amount for my stomach in the morning), and they qualify as low fat, with under 5 grams of fat ech. They are also fairly low in added sugars to keep your blood sugar from soaring first thing in the morning. I find them just sweet enough when made with unsweetened applesauce, raisins, and a bit of honey (less than 2 teaspoons per serving).
If you prefer a fat-free muffin, you can replace the oil with additional applesauce or banana, but the muffins may be a bit gummy. I prefer adding a little bit of oil to keep the texture nice and tender, but since I have received many questions about making these fat-free, I thought I would include this note.
Special Diet Notes: Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.
- For egg-free muffins, see our egg substitute guide.
- For vegan muffins, see our egg substitute guide and swap agave nectar or maple syrup for the honey.
- 1 cup water
- 1 egg (see our egg sub guide, if needed)
- 1¼ cups whole grain cereal (I use Uncle Sam Cereal)
- ⅓ cup raisins
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF, and line or grease 9 muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the water, egg, cereal, and raisins. Let them sit and soak while you measure out your dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Returning to the cereal bowl, stir in the honey, applesauce and oil. Gently stir in the flour mixture, until everything is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter evenly into the 9 muffin cups. They will be rather full.
- Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.