These hearty broccoli muffins with cheese (and optional ham) make a great portable lunch, soup companion or even savory breakfast. Thanks to the coconut flour batter they are gluten free, and can be low carb and keto.
There aren't many food rules in our house. I don't count calories and we only have one family member with a couple of minor food sensitivities (no allergies).
My only rule is that we eat wholesome, unrefined foods as often as possible (the 80/20 rule applies here too). One way I try ensure our meals are super-nutritious is serving vegetables at every meal!
Yes, that includes breakfast!
Although having vegetables for breakfast can indeed be a little more tricky than lunch or dinner. Of course, there are green smoothies that can pack a ton of greens and veggies.
And as much as I enjoy smoothies, I just don't want to have a smoothie every single morning.
When we have oatmeal, I sneak in a few tablespoons of pumpkin or sweet potato puree (whatever we have on hand). When we have an egg breakfast, I try to make veggie-loaded omelettes or sauté a few leafy greens with lots of garlic on the side (Asian-style).
And then there are these awesome broccoli muffins, which are perfect for a make-ahead breakfast that also includes veggies! The ham and cheese just add to the awesomeness of these savory comfort food muffins.
How to Make Broccoli Muffins
Start to make these healthy broccoli cheese muffins by steaming some fresh broccoli. It only takes about 5 minutes. Then rinse the steamed broccoli under cold water and cut or break it into very small floret pieces.
For the muffin batter start by whisking the dry ingredients - coconut flour, tapioca starch (omit if making low carb/keto muffins), baking powder and soda, salt and pepper. Whisk the wet ingredients - eggs, melted butter (or oil), and milk - in a separate bowl.
Then add the dry to the wet ingredients and whisk everything to combine. Now fold in the steamed broccoli, diced ham (optional), cheese, and sliced green onions.
Divide the batter into 12 muffins and bake for about 15 minutes.
Baking Tip for Coconut Flour Muffins
Using parchment or silicone liners works best for coconut flour batter. The muffins stick too much to paper liners or a greased muffin pan and you will lose too much of the deliciousness.
With parchment or silicone liners you get to enjoy all that muffin goodness.
More healthy Muffins Recipes:
Recipe
Broccoli Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup tapioca flour optional (omit for low carb/keto muffins)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup melted butter or flavorless oil like light olive, avocado, safflower, or coconut oil
- ¼ cup milk any kind - dairy, soy or almond, etc.
- ½ cup (50 g) small broccoli florets
- 1 cup (100 g) grated sharp cheese (like cheddar)
- ¼ cup (60 g) diced ham (optional)
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- Steam the broccoli florets for about 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water and cut into smaller pieces; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375° F and line a muffin pan with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a bowl whisk together coconut flour, optional tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and black pepper.
- In another bowl whisk together eggs with melted butter (or oil) and milk.
- Add the flour mix to the wet mixture and stir until all lumps are gone. (Alternatively, you can also blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.)
- Stir in steamed broccoli florets, ham (optional), cheese and sliced green onion.
- Divide batter into 12 parchment or silicone lined muffin cavities. Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Allow muffins to cool in pan for 10 minutes. Serve warm right away or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
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Random Questions
To make the muffins low carb or keto, omit the tapioca starch and ensure you use ingredients that align with low-carb or keto diets. You can also opt for ingredients like almond flour instead of tapioca starch.
While the recipe specifically calls for broccoli, you can experiment with other vegetables such as cauliflower or spinach to create different flavors and textures in the muffins.
Yes, these muffins are perfect for meal prep. You can make a batch ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. They can also be frozen for longer storage.
Yes, if you prefer a dairy-free option, you can use dairy-free cheese or nutritional yeast as a substitute. This will still provide a similar cheesy flavor to the muffins.
Yes, these muffins can be a great way to incorporate vegetables into your child's diet. The combination of cheese and optional ham can make them more appealing to kids, helping them enjoy a nutritious and delicious snack.
Elizabeth
These Broccoli Muffins sound so good! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂 Do you think I could use regular Flour in lieu of Coconut Flour? If so, how much? Thanks
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your review. I don't believe these muffins have been tested with all-purpose flour but you should definitely be able to replace the coconut flour with it if you like. It just might need a little playing around to get the right results. A good rule of thumb is to replace a 1/4 cup of coconut flour with 1 cup of all-purpose flour, so since this recipe uses 1/2 cup coconut flour, you will want to use 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Let us know how it works out if you try it!
Dee
Hi, this recipe sounds so delicious!!! And I'd love to make it. What can I substitute for the melted butter/oil? Thanks!
Regina | Leelalicious
I have not tried making coconut flour muffins without any fat component. Part of me thinks it may be necessary to make it work because coconut flour is so absorbent. I feel like using liquid wouldn't work as well for the texture of the muffins