Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins
Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins use whole grains and a no-calorie sweetener for a breakfast treat that’s a a lot lower in sugar and carbs. Check the nutritional information to see if this works for you!
PIN Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins to try them later!
It seems odd, but the truth is that I had a much easier time eating a good breakfast every day when I was rushing off to work in the morning. Now that I”m “retired” and my time is less scheduled, I get distracted from eating and sometimes notice I’ve been up for hours and haven’t eaten a thing!
I really do want to keep the breakfast habit going though, so you might see more quick breakfast options like these Low-Sugar Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins showing up on the blog.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- rolled oats or Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (affiliate link)
- White Whole Wheat Flour (affiliate link)
- baking powder
- salt
- Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or other sweetener of your choice
- dried lemon zest (probably optional but good)
- egg
- milk
- vegetable oil
- fresh blueberries
How can a muffin with blueberries be low in sugar?
I’m calling these low-sugar blueberry muffins, because of course the blueberries have natural sugar, but I used Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) in the muffins with great results.
Are the low-sugar blueberry muffins low in carbs?
These blueberry muffins do have some carbs, but I used White Whole Wheat Flour (affiliate link) for whole grain muffins. Each muffin has about 15 net carbs; if that’s too much of a carb splurge for you check below to see some low-carb muffin recipes made with almond flour that I’ve loved.
Can you make the recipe with frozen blueberries?
You can definitely make the recipe with partly-thawed frozen blueberries if you don’t have fresh ones.
Can you use buttermilk instead of milk?
If I hadn’t bought milk due to kids sleeping over I might have been making the blueberry muffins with buttermilk since I rarely have milk on hand. I haven’t tried them with buttermilk, but there are people in the comments who have reported good results with using it.
Want Breakfast Muffins that are low in carbs?
Check out Low-Carb Muffins and Breakfast Muffins to see a great collection of grab-and-go breakfast ideas that are low in carbs. You might also like to see my Master Recipe for Low-Carb and Keto Egg Muffins.
How to make Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Mix together the rolled oats, White Whole Wheat Flour, baking powder, salt, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or sweetener of your choice, and dried lemon zest, stirring until ingredients are well combined. (If you’re using fresh lemon zest I would add it to the wet ingredients.)
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then mix in the milk or buttermilk and vegetable oil. (Add the fresh lemon zest to this if you’re using it.)
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just long enough to combine them. (Don’t over-stir!)
- Then gently fold the blueberries into the muffin batter, again barely stirring until the mixture is combined.
- I used the smallest size of my favorite individual silicone muffin cups and filled them about 3/4 full, which made 12 smallish muffins. (affiliate links) This would probably make about 9 large muffins if you used the larger size muffin pan.
- One of these muffins with some protein would be a great breakfast, and they’re also perfect as a side for a brunch.
More Healthy Recipes Using Blueberries:
- Slow Cooker Blueberry Crisp
- Power Greens Salad with Blueberries
- Easy Red, White, and Blueberry Salad
Low Sugar Blueberry Muffins
These Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins are a breakfast treat that’s still a pretty healthy choice; check the nutritional info and see what you think!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup rolled oats or gluten-free rolled oats (see notes)
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried lemon zest (see notes)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup fresh blueberries or partly-thawed frozen blueberriesÂ
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/205C.
- In medium-sized bowl, stir together the rolled oats, White Whole Wheat Flour, baking powder, salt, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or other sweetener, and dried lemon zest. (If you’re using fresh lemon zest, add it with the wet ingredients.)
- In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then stir in the milk and vegetable oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until barely combined, being careful not to mix too much.
- When ingredients are combined, gently fold in blueberries.
- Spray muffin pan or silicone muffin cups with nonstick spray if desired. (I sprayed the muffin cups I used.)
- Divide batter equally among muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. (If your muffin pan has large cups, this may only make 9 muffins.)
- Bake muffins 20-25 minutes, until tops are starting to brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I baked my muffins 22 minutes in a small toaster oven.
Notes
Use regular or extra thick rolled oats, but not instant oats for this recipe.
I love Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) but use any no-calorie sweetener of your choice.
If you don't have dried lemon zest, use 1 T fresh lemon zest.
Recipe slightly adapted from Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins at AllRecipes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 236mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Made with Golden Monkfruit Sweetener or an approved sweetener and white whole wheat flour, these Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins would be a good option for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. Check the nutritional information if you’re following a low-carb eating plan to see if they’re too much of a splurge on carbs.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Desserts and Baking Recipes for more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2009. It was last updated in 2023 with more information and a recommendation for Golden Monkfruit Sweetener.
46 Comments on “Low-Sugar Blueberry Muffins”
Glad you liked them, and I love how you adapted!
LOVE!!! I just made these and used unsweetened almond milk (in place of skim) and coconut oil (in place of canola). They are perfect! Love the lemon zest with the blueberries. And these are just the right amount of sweetness. Will make these often! Thank you Kalyn!
Glad they were a hit with the kids!
I made these muffins tonight. Super easy and they were so delicious! I didn't have blueberries, so I used semi sweet chocolate chips. My toddlers loved them! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Krista, thanks for sharing your version! Glad you enjoyed them.
I made these with regular whole wheat flour (not white whole wheat), regular white sugar, nonfat buttermilk, fresh lemon zest, and frozen unthawed blueberries. I used all the same measurements as in the original recipe. I ended up with 11 smallish muffins, but probably could have stretched it to 12 and I baked them for 24 minutes. They were perfect- hearty, slightly sweet, and delicious! This is a keeper recipe that I'm sure could be modified with other spices and fruit.
Karma, I like the sound of that. Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Dear Kalyn,
I can't thank you enough for keeping this blog going and for the lovely and tasty recipes that can be found here.
I absolutely love these muffins, I have twisted the recipe a bit by replacing half a cup of flour and instead adding ground almonds- give it a go!
Thanks very much from England
Karma
Toni, when I saw your comment I wondered if I had mis-typed it, so I checked the link that's in the post to AllRecipes, where I adapted the recipe from. It does say one tablespoon baking powder. Since there is 1 1/4 cups oatmeal and 1/3 cup sweetener, in addition to 1 cup flour, that doesn't seem like that much to me for more than 2.5 cups dry ingredients in addition to the blueberries. Of course, you're free to make it any way you wish! Glad you enjoyed the revised recipe.
I haven't seen anyone say anything about the amount of baking powder on here, so I figured I would just go on and ask. Don't you think a whole tablespoon is a bit much? I baked these last night, following your recipe to the letter, even though I wondered if I had maybe read the Tablespoon wrong, and maybe you meant a tsp. Reread the recipe and nope, it said T. I read through the comments, and saw all the wonderful comments about the recipe and said "I'll just go for it, what the heck." In went the T of BP. They rose well, they browned great. Upon first smell, they smelled heavenly, the shock when I bit into them was something else altogether. I could taste the chemical leavening as a bitter tangy aftertaste. If you experience the same reaction upon baking these, just back the baking powder down to a tsp and a half. Technically speaking, from a baker's point of view, you should really only use 1 tsp leavener per 1 cup flour to keep a good ratio of gluten/leavener, but since these have blueberries and lemon zest in them you want to add just a bit more because of the acid. Just my take on it. Once I lessened the leavening agent, they were WONDERFUL. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Perfect! I have a friend who is diabetic and I think he'd love these muffins. I will make them this week. Thanks!
Keisha, thanks so much. Glad you liked it!
Kalyn I just tried this recipe and I must say they came out perfect. I have never used whole wheat flour before and I can truely say I will be using it again they came out great. Thanks for your blog and all of these wonderful recipes…
Deah, glad you liked it, and of course, adjust to your own preferences as desired!
Baked these last night. Super good! I think next time I'll back down on the lemon zest. Just my opinion.
Love how little sugar these have. I actually just hate muffins that are too sweet!
Kymmi, I don't really know anything about oat flour, but I'd think that with that much oatmeal you do need some wheat flour. The white whole wheat is worth looking for, if you have a natural foods store or Whole Foods you could definitely get it there. You can also buy it online.
I think the brown sugar Splenda would work, might be good.
Thanks for this! I made them this morning (before work! I felt so accomplished) as they were really quick. Popped them in the oven before I walked the dog and voila! Fresh muffins. I'm looking for something my daughter can eat on the way to school/summer camp. Too often it turns out to be a toaster pastry or something else sugar laden.
I think where I went wrong was in using oat flour (I couldn't find the whole wheat white) – and it didn't rise. Still tasty, but my 5 year old claimed to not like them after she finished about 90% of one. I loved the oatmeal taste, though! May have to try a cinnamon apple version sometime.
I wonder if the brown sugar splenda would be a good substitute. I'll have to play with them.
Karen, glad you liked them and thanks for sharing about those substitutions. Good to know other options will work.
These are great! I substituted about 1/8c. agave for the splenda, and rice milk for the cow milk (lactose intolerant). The muffins turned out great. The kids loved them so I'm sure we'll be making these often. Thanks for another great recipe.
Maria, who knows, I just might do it again!
I LOVE that you baked! The muffins look fantastic!
It's happening again with the comments, truly I'm not ignoring people!
Brookelmt, thanks for sharing, and so glad they worked for you.
I tried these today with a few modifications. I used regular Whole Wheat flour (lower carbs and higher fiber than my white flour but I have no idea how south beach it is) and I split the oil with applesauce (no real reason, just lowering the fat level a bit). I also used regular sugar (okay, organic evaporated cane juice) but decreased the measurement about 2 T because of the applesauce and I used Rice Milk (unsweetened, unflavored) since my son is supposed to avoid cow dairy.
They were nice and heavy and it stuck with me for awhile which the cakey muffins don't tend to do.
Also, my 3 year old loved them which is always a plus!
Nanci, I'm not worried about it at all. My brother-in-law is a chemical engineer and he uses them.
I hav silicone muffin tins and I like them. However, some years back a chemist who helped develop them told me that she would never use them due to the compounds in them. Have you had any info on the long term safety of the silicone baking utensils?
Hate it when Blogger sends comments to me after I've responded and it looks like I'm ignoring people! FabFrugalFood, the recipe said baked at 400F for 20-25 minutes. I used that temp and took them out after 22 minutes. This was in a toaster oven, might have made a little difference.
Barb, white whole wheat flour is definitely South Beach legal for phase 2 or 3. It's whole wheat flour made from a type of lighter wheat. The wheat is also milder in flavor, so it's better for a lot of things. Try it, I bet you will become a fan. I've had very good luck just substituting it for white flour in lots of recipes. (If I knew even the slightest thing about baking I could probably do even better with it, but I'm learning!)
Kandra, thanks so much! You'll love the muffins when you get to phase 2. I'd probably eat them with some kind of protein, which lowers the glycemic index.
I have read that things don't brown as well in the silicone baking cups, but your muffins look golden brown and delicious!
Did you adjust anything from the original recipe as far as temp or oven placement?
These look delish and I only have a few more days until I'm on Phase II! Your site is definitely one of my favorite finds of all time!
whole wheat white flour??? Is that legal on south beach…more than 3 gms of fiber???? Actually never heard of it, but I hope that it is cause my husband is not a big fan of whole wheat or any bread that is brown…He thinks I am pulling one off on him, although he has not caught on the whole wheat pastas yet.
I want to try these…looks like breakfast to me! -CA
Interesting idea to use almond milk. I hadn't heard of that before but I bet it's good.
I love the combo of blueberries and lemon… these look gorgeous!
These would definitely encourage me to eat breakfast in the morning (if it weren't already my favorite meal of the day). I also like using almond milk instead of milk in my baked goods – it adds a little hint of extra flavor.
Thanks for posting such delicious recepies… looks really YUMMY! i am surely gonna try these out
Lauren, thanks! I'm not a fan of those muffins that taste like cake. These are just slightly sweet, but very tasty.
These look fabulous, Kalyn! What a nice, portable twist on an oatmeal breakfast. Great to see the low sugar option! Muffins tend to be sugar/calorie bombs, yikes. These look a bit lighter. 🙂
I'm trying not to laugh hysterically that people are asking me baking questions! I am completely in the dark about most things related to baking. I think the silicone cups behave just like a metal pan though; haven't ever seen anything about adjusting the time.
Glad people are liking these, and also a bit relieved to hear that I'm not the only one who gets distracted and forgets to eat. (Never happens when I'm working away from home. Then eating *is* the distraction!)
I'm really crazy about the white whole wheat flour. I love the way it behaves, and yet doesn't overwhelm cakes and cupcakes with "whole grain" texture. I've never tried the silicone baking cups. Do you need to adjust the baking time when you use them?
I know exactly what you mean about distraction when you work at home. Hours can go by before I've tuned in to my growling empty stomach. Having these muffins on hand would be a tasty, handy breakfast treat.
These look lovely! I have to have breakfast; regardless of where I am or where I am going as I simply cannot function without…:) This looks like a delightful start of the day!
Thanks for this one, Kalyn! I'll definitely be making this when I get back home.
I don't have any experience cooking with Truvia, so I'm not sure how it will work. Love to know how it works if you try it though.
Laura, I got these muffin cups at Sur la Table. It was actually at the Ferry Building in SF, but I'm guessing all the Sur la Table stores would have them. I've seen some other brands online and did notice they look pretty thin. These are great. Have used them over and over too.
Looks so yummy!
Where do you get your silicone muffin cups from? I bought some a few years back, but I never liked how they seemed to deflate and spill when I filled them with batter. Yours look much sturdier than the ones I had.
These look delicious! I'm for sure going to try these once I pick up some more splenda 🙂
do you think it'll taste any different if I use truvia?