It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day and I wanted to blog about these insanely delicious spinach muffins so you can prepare to make them. I wanted to make some type of bread or muffin that was green but without all the added food coloring! Let’s just say, these are seriously a winner. There is so much spinach in here but you can’t even taste it. Your kiddos will love them and think they are so fun to eat. They are moist, fluffy, and oh so green! The color is so vibrant. I love it! They are delicious and the hint of lime makes it that much better. Feel free to skip the glaze if you don’t have time to make it. The muffins are sweet enough to just eat on its own.

You can also use this batter to make some spinach waffles and drizzle some maple syrup on top. I love putting muffin batter in a waffle iron. It cooks super fast and has a crunchy texture on the outside.

Your family is going to love these muffins or waffles on St. Patrick’s Day morning. They are really easy to make too! Definitely a healthier alternative than adding all that green food coloring!

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar (or a little less depending on the ripeness of your bananas)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach
3/4 cup mashed banana (from about 1 to 2 bananas)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Lime Coconut Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar
juice from 1/2 lime (or a little more)
1/3 cup toasted shredded coconut
Zest from one lime

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a blender, place oil, milk, pure maple syrup, and spinach. Blend on high for about 30 seconds or until completely puréed. Add mashed banana and vanilla; blend on low for a few seconds just to mix.
Pour puréed mixture into dry mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until completely combined. Careful not to overmix.
Fill muffin cups about ⅔ full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and lime juice in a small bowl and whisk until combined and your desired consistency. Add more powdered sugar if it is too runny or add more lime juice if it is too thick.
After muffins have cooled for 10 minutes, remove and place muffins on a wire wrack to cool some more. Drizzle the glaze on top and sprinkle some toasted shredded coconut and lime zest on top.
Enjoy!

Notes

***If making waffles, heat up your waffle iron to medium high. Once heated, spray with cooking spray before putting the batter in it. Cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions. I let mine cook a little longer after it beeped for a crisper waffle.

(Recipe adapted from The Green Forks)

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: valeria.chao

Vegan Spinach Muffins/Waffles with Lime Coconut Glaze