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Today I’m excited to share an easy dairy free muffin recipe with you. We’ll be making oat free, protein packed, chocolate chip muffins. This recipe is also gluten free, and free from other common/top allergens.

We’re going to be using wholesome ingredients to make amazing muffins. In fact, this is one of my favourite gluten-free muffin recipes to share because of the added protein and how kid friendly it is. Before we look at the recipe, let’s look at some muffin tips first.

If this is your first time making dairy-free muffins, gluten-free muffins, or egg-free muffins, don’t worry, I’ve got you. After you’ve made this one, be sure to check out my free-from muffins cookbook for more awesome recipes. Each one is gluten, dairy, and egg free 🙂

Tools You’ll Need to Make These Muffins

Ice Cream Scoop or Cookie Dough Scoop
Large Bowl or Stand Mixer (wire/whisk attachment)
Muffin Tin/Muffin Pan
Muffin Cups/Muffin Liners (I use the If You Care brand for paper liners)
Kitchen Scale
Spatula (I like to use a heavy duty spatula)

Ingredients for Making These Muffins

Chia Gel/Bind

2 TBSP Chia Seed Meal
8 TBSP Water (room temperature is fine)

Part 1 Ingredients (Dry Ingredients)

100g Organic Maple Sugar
80g Tiger Nut Flour (tuber, not a tree nut)
80g Sorghum Flour, superfine OR Brown Rice Flour, superfine
50g Zego Foods Pure Protein (Sacha Inchi Seed)
35g Arrowroot
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Organic Ground Vanilla

Part 2 Ingredients (Milk Mix)

110mL Milk of Choice (4 ounces)
1 TBSP Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

Part 3 Ingredients

110ml Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract

Part 4 Ingredient

110mL Hot Water (4 ounces)

Part 5 Ingredient

50 – 100g Chocolate Chips of Choice

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

If you can’t use olive oil, use a low flavoured oil that bakes well. Tiger nut (tuber, not a tree nut) would be my first choice. Oils such as avocado oil may not work as well due to the distinct flavour some people pick up on. I can’t tell you if coconut oil will work as we have a coconut allergy here and it’s not something I’ve personally tested.

For those who can’t have chia, a flax egg/gel will work in its place. Use 3 TBSP golden flax meal + 6 TBSP water. The bind and overall texture will be altered slightly. You’ll notice I don’t use an egg replacer (commercial), and that’s because I’ve accounted for the different parts of an egg throughout the recipe.

If you can have eggs, replace the chia blend with 2 medium eggs, beaten.

If you have an all purpose flour that you enjoy, you can use it in place of my flour blend. You’ll use a total of 160g of flour (to replace the tiger nut and sorghum flour). If you’re using something like whole wheat flour, don’t over-mix your batter, as we aren’t here to develop a gluten network.

If you’re using an all purpose gluten-free flour blend, your results may vary. Many GF AP blends such as Bob’s Red Mill or Cup-4-Cup contain extra ingredients such as xanthan gum. Since I’m allergic to all of these and don’t bake with them, I can’t personally vouch for the outcome.

Any milk or dairy-free milk can be used (almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk, coconut milk, etc.). Know that soy milk and full fat coconut milk will bake up differently than other non-dairy milk options. However, you’ll still be happy with your results.

The apple cider vinegar can be replaced with white vinegar (usually corn based) or rice vinegar. Lemon juice will also work, but it will alter your taste, ever so slightly.

To replace the maple sugar, you’d need to use another granulated sweetener (date sugar, coconut sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, etc.). A liquid sweetener such as pure maple syrup or honey won’t work in this recipe. Additionally, a sugar-free sweetener such as Stevia won’t work.

If you were to make every substitution I’ve accounted for, you’ll still have muffins, but they won’t be the same.

Helpful Resources

Other Muffin Recipes I Think You’ll Enjoy

Each of these muffins is gluten free, vegan, and top 9 allergy free. You can see more of my muffin recipes here.

Carrot Banana Muffins (fun for toddlers and kids)
Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Muffins (amazing vegan muffins)
Grain Free, Truly Corn Free Lemon Paleo Muffins (a fluffy muffin for the whole family)
Double Chocolate Muffins (great recipe for kids and adults)
Gluten Free Spinach Muffins (easy recipe that your kiddos can help make)
Millet Muffins (tastes amazing with a little bit of dairy free/vegan butter)

Directions

Start by combining the chia meal and water in a small bowl. Mix very well, then set aside. Next, measure out the milk and add the vinegar to said milk. Now, measure your oil into a separate measuring cup, then add the vanilla. This completes the prep for the wet ingredients.

Pre-heat your oven to 350f/177c then line your muffin pan with liners. I used a standard muffin pan for this recipe. Grab your digital kitchen scale, place your empty mixing bowl on, and tare to 0.

Add the dry ingredients one at a time, and remember to tare between each ingredient. Once all of the dry ingredients are in, whisk to lightly combine. For this muffin recipe, I used a stand mixer with the wire attachment. A large mixing bowl with an electric whisk or handheld whisk will work as well.

Whilst mixing on low speed, add the dairy-free milk mix. Whisk for about 10 seconds, then turn off. Allow the reaction to take place. Turn the mixer back on to low speed and add the oil and vanilla mix. Mix until mostly combined (it’s going to be a thick mass, see photo), then add your chia gel. Mix again and when the ingredients are just about all together, you can add the hot water.

Continue to mix on medium speed until all of the ingredients are well combined. Finally, mix on high speed for 20 seconds. Place your bowl back on the scale, tare to 0, and add your chocolate chips. Fold them in gently. Your muffin batter is done 🙂

Use an ice cream scoop or large cookie dough scoop to portion your batter into the muffin liners. Bake in your preheated oven at 350f/177c for 25 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool in the tray for 10 minutes before ejecting them.

Storage Information

You can store these muffins on your countertop for a few days, or in the fridge for a few days. For muffins, I like to use a clamshell container rather than an airtight container, as the latter can sometimes mess with the moisture content of free-from muffins.

For best results with these dairy free muffins, I encourage you to freeze them. Once your muffins have cooled completely, you can store them in the freezer for up to 4 months. After 4 months you’ll notice a small change in texture.

To thaw, leave a muffin at room temperature on your counter top for about 90 minutes. Reheating is not advised as this can degrade the texture a bit. If you’re in a rush and absolutely must heat to thaw, do so carefully until *just* thawed. Do not overheat.

Recipe Specific Questions

Can I use less sugar in this recipe?

You can use as low as 80 grams of sugar in this recipe, but don’t go any lower than that, as this is already a low sugar muffin recipe.

What’s the best dairy free milk to use in these muffins?

My personal preference is homemade oat milk since it’s very allergy friendly. The brand Malk sells a great almond milk that’s free from gums etc. that I’ve also tested and it works very well. As stated above, you can use any dairy-free milk and have good results.

Can I use coconut flour in this recipe?

No, you can’t use coconut flour in this recipe. Now, if you’re a coconut flour pro, yes, you can, since you know the ratios. Coconut flour absorbs liquids at a different rate than most flours, and needs to be used carefully. Since there’s a coconut allergy here, it’s not something I’ve developed for.

Can I use oat flour in this recipe?

Yes, you can replace the tiger nut flour with oat flour. I use organic purity protocol gluten free oat flour when baking. When using oat flour, make sure your muffin batter doesn’t sit for a super long time, as this can alter the final outcome.

Can I use almond flour in this recipe?

No, you won’t be able to use almond flour in this particular recipe. Almond flour (especially blanched almond flour) behaves differently from most other gluten free flours. If you’re an almond flour pro and have an AP flour blend you know works well, give it a try.

How much flour is this? Is it a cup of flour? More or less?

I’m sure you were hoping for cup measurements, however, using grams allows me to share precise measurements with you. This allows you to use your kitchen scale and get the best results possible. With gluten free flours, they each have a different weight. That means 1 cup of almond flour isn’t the same weight as 1 cup of arrowroot.

In the end, if these numbers aren’t closely watched, you may end up with wasted ingredients. I will say, baking with eggs can prevent major issues, but this is an egg free recipe as well. I promise, using a kitchen scale is super easy, and you don’t have to bother with leveling or packing cups of flour.

Do I need to let these cool on a cooling rack?

Honestly, no. I rarely use one, and generally don’t call for one. You can eject your muffins on to a countertop and be OK. Now, if you’re in the mood to use a cooling rack, I sure won’t stop you.

Can I use a vegetable oil or canola oil in this recipe?

Honestly, I can’t say, as I don’t bake with those types of oils. What I can tell you is this: if you bake often and know that your oil of choice works well, give it a try. The two oils that I can couch for are olive oil and tiger nut oil (tuber, not a tree nut).

Easy Dairy-Free Protein Muffins Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan)