Gluten/Dairy/Egg-Free Carrot Coconut Pineapple Muffins

Gluten/Dairy/Egg Free Carrot Coconut Pineapple Muffins

Now that we have a gluten allergy in our house, I’ve been trying to get my arms around gluten-free baking. It’s been challenging as there are so many gluten-free flours out there, and I’m not always sure which ones to use. However, my goal in baking gluten-free is to ensure that I pack in as much nutrition as possible.

Many store-bought gluten-free muffins are made with white rice flour and starches; also, they often contain eggs or dairy products. Since my son is allergic to dairy and eggs as well as gluten, my only choice is to make homemade muffins, the perfect opportunity to make a healthier gluten-free muffin. White rice flour, a common ingredient in store-bought gluten-free muffins, is probably the least nutritious of the gluten-free flours. Better choices include brown rice flour, Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour (made with bean flours, sorghum flour potato starch and tapioca flour), quinoa flour, and teff flour.

Here’s a comparison of these gluten-free flours (1/4 cup serving):

                                      Dietary Fiber         Protein
White Rice Flour                1 gram              2 grams
Brown Rice Flour               2 grams             3 grams
Bob’s Red Mill’s GF Flour    3 grams             3 grams
Quinoa Flour                    2.2 grams           4 grams
Teff Flour                          4 grams             4 grams

As a beginner gluten-free baker, I was using Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour to substitute in my muffin recipes. However, I noticed a slightly funky smell sometimes from muffins made just with Bob’s Flour, so I decided to try including other gluten-free flours in the muffins I made this weekend. I’ve read that it’s best to mix a variety of flours together in gluten-free recipes, so I felt comfortable substituting other gluten-free whole grain flours. Again, my goal in baking my own gluten-free muffins is to make as nutritious a muffin as possible, although it is easy to be tempted just to buy the less nutritious gluten-free muffins in the supermarket.

Actually, making gluten-free muffins really doesn’t take much time at all once you have the different flours. I chose coconut sugar (organic evaporated coconut palm nectar) as the sweetener in these muffins, an unrefined sugar that is low glycemic. Also, I  reduced the amount of oil typically used in muffin recipes by substituting some applesauce. I used light olive oil as the oil of choice in this recipe, a heart healthy oil. Finally, since my son is also allergic to eggs, I used ground flax seed and water to substitute for eggs (1 egg=1 tablespoon ground flax seed plus 3 tablespoons water).

These muffins turned out beautifully moist with a nice crumb. I really couldn’t have been happier.  I’m feeling more comfortable with my gluten-free substitutions the more I bake, and am just thrilled that I have some healthy gluten-free treats that my kids can enjoy (even though only one of my boys is allergic to gluten, I’ve been giving them all the same gluten-free muffins to keep things simple, and they’ve all loved them; besides, they’re healthier).

Gluten/Dairy/Egg-Free Carrot Coconut Pineapple Muffins

These muffins have a nice tender crumb.

Printable Recipe
1 cup gluten-free flour mix (I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Baking Mix)
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup teff flour
2/3 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple sauce
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir just until blended.

Portion batter into muffin tin. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until toothpick in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

More Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins:
The Baking Beauties’ Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
Gluten Free Naturally’s Gluten Free Carrot Pineapple Coconut Muffins
Elana’s Pantry’s Gluten Free Carrot Mini-Muffins
Gluten Free Goddess’ Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
My Real Food Life’s Gluten Free Vegan Carrot Muffins

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