These streusel-topped, bakery-style low-FODMAP blueberry muffins are made with IBS-friendly vegan ingredients. Fluffy, delicious, and easy on your sensitive digestive system.
IBS and I have a long, ugly history. Over the last eight years, I've done the low-FODMAP elimination diet four times, and I've learned a ton about food, my body (specifically my digestive system), and the way they interact. I have a pretty good idea what foods (and in what quantities) my sensitive digestive system can handle, so I feel amazing pretty much all the time, which is a HUGE difference from how things were in my 20s. It's really pretty cool!
If you've made it this far and are wondering what the hell a FODMAP is... Essentially, certain types of carbohydrates are absorbed improperly in the gut. in people with irritable bowel syndrome, this can cause pain, bloating, and other, um, uncomfortable symptoms. If you're curious to learn more about it, Monash University is a great place to start.
My last major IBS flare started after eating blueberry muffins made from a pretty well-known blogger's recipe. They were SO GOOD it was almost worth the stomach cramps, huge, bloated stomach, and heinous gas. Almost worth it, but not quite.
Well, I guess maybe it was worth it because it inspired me to come up with my own IBS-friendly low-FODMAP blueberry muffins. And these babies are goooooood. So good, you should make them even if you're digestive system is functioning like a well-oiled machine. (Okay, maybe "well-oiled" and "digestive system" shouldn't be in a sentence together. Idk.) 🤷♀️
Enough digestive talk. Let's get to the recipe!
Contents
Recipe Highlights
- In addition to being low-FODMAP, these blueberry muffins are egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free.
- The crunchy streusel topping gives them that extra somethin'-somethin' and makes you feel like you bought them from a fancy-pants bakery. (I ❤️ STREUSEL.)
- This recipe does contain oil, which isn't common with my recipes, but I have included ways to make them oil-free if you're not worried about FODMAPs. I make the oil-free version often and they're equally delicious!
- The different flours called for can all be swapped out for a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, like Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here's a quick look at the ingredients you'll need to make these IBS-friendly blueberry muffins and what substitutions I've used successfully. For the full breakdown on the substitutions, see the recipe card.
- blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- oat flour (can sub gluten-free all-purpose flour blend)
- brown rice flour (can sub gluten-free all-purpose flour blend)
- almond flour (can sub gluten-free all-purpose flour blend)
- tapioca starch (can sub gluten-free all-purpose flour blend)
- baking powder to make them rise up nice and fluffy
- a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness
- ground flax seeds + water to make our flax "egg" and help bind the ingredients
- vegan butter or coconut oil (can sub canned coconut milk, almond butter, applesauce, or a combination if you're not worried about FODMAP amounts)
- coconut sugar for the caramel-like flavor in the streusel (can use brown sugar for a lower-FODMAP version)
- pure maple syrup for subtle, wholesome sweetness
- almond milk (can use the plant milk of your choice if you're not worried about FODMAPs)
- vanilla extract for flavor and fragrance
Recipe Steps
First, gather all your ingredients, preheat your oven, and grease your muffin tin.
Next, combine your streusel ingredients and mix until it's crumbly.
Give any large blueberries a chop and toss them in the tablespoon of brown rice flour.
Combine your dry ingredients. Combine your wet ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir it up. Gently fold in your blueberries.
Now scoop the batter into your muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with the streusel mix, and pop them in the oven.
Bake the muffins until the tops start to turn golden.
Finally, let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan and letting them cool completely.
Helpful Tips
- Chop your blueberries up if they're large. Smaller pieces will help distribute the blueberries throughout the muffins, instead of having just one big berry here and there.
- Tossing frozen blueberries in flour before folding them into the batter will help prevent them from dying your batter purple, which can sometimes bake into a green color (YAY, SCIENCE! 🤓). The moldy hue doesn't change the taste, but there's just something unappealing about a green blueberry muffin!
- Be sure to follow the instructions for letting the muffins cool. If you don't let them cool enough, they'll be very crumbly, but if you leave them in the pan for too long and don't take them out to finish cooling, they'll stay too moist and sticky. Trust the cooling instructions!
FAQs
Can I make these oil-free?
Yes! The oil in the streusel can be replaced with either almond butter or canned coconut milk. The oil in the muffins can be replaced with either applesauce or canned coconut milk. See the recipe card for amounts.
Can I freeze these muffins?
Absolutely! Once they're completely cooled, you can wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap to freeze them. When you're ready to reheat one, you can unwrap it and place it in a 250°F oven for 10-15 minutes, checking frequently, until it's warmed through.
Can I use a different kind of flour?
Yes! You can use equal amounts of a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the oat flour, brown rice flour, and tapioca starch in this recipe. That would be 1 tablespoon of flour in the streusel, 1 tablespoon for coating the blueberries, and 1 cup + 2 tablespoons for the muffins.
I hope you make these muffins! If you do, I would love to hear what you think. Please gimme some stars and leave a review below.
Do you want to see more vegan low-FODMAP recipes? Let me know in the comments!
Low-FODMAP Blueberry Muffins (vegan + gluten-free)
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, softened (can sub almond butter for oil-free but higher-fodmap)
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) coconut sugar, (can sub brown sugar for lower-fodmap)
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) brown rice flour, (can sub GF all-purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon (7 g) blanched almond flour
- Pinch of salt if using coconut oil
For the Muffins
Flax “Egg”
- ½ tablespoon (3 g) ground flax
- 1 ½ tablespoon (21 g) warm water
Blueberries
- ½ cup (75 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen, chopped if they’re large
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) brown rice flour, if using frozen berries (can sub GF all-purpose flour)
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup (60 g) oat flour, (can sub GF all-purpose flour)
- ½ cup (80 g) brown rice flour, (can sub GF all-purpose flour)
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) tapioca starch/tapioca flour, (can sub GF all-purpose flour)
- 2 tablespoons (14 g) blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (106 g) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) vegan butter or coconut oil, melted (can sub applesauce or full-fat canned coconut milk (23g) for oil-free but higher-fodmap)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 6 cup muffin tin with vegan butter, coconut oil, or cooking spray (or line with cupcake papers for oil-free).
- Add the streusel ingredients to a small bowl and mash together using a fork or your hands until it holds together and looks crumbly. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground flax seeds and warm water. Give it a quick stir and set it aside to thicken for at least 5 minutes.
- If your blueberries are large, give them a quick chop. If you're using frozen berries, toss them in a tablespoon of brown rice flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oat flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flax mixture, almond milk, maple syrup, melted vegan butter/oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Finally, carefully fold the blueberries into your batter. If you're using frozen berries, be careful not to overmix it or the batter will turn purple.
- Divide the batter equally between 6 muffin cups, scooping by ¼ cup and filling each muffin cup to just over half-full. Sprinkle the tops generously with streusel mixture.
- Bake the muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden. Cool in the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them directly on the rack to cool completely.
- Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for later.
Nutrition
*Nutrition Disclaimer*
Nutrition information is an estimate. If you are concerned about the accuracy of nutrition information, I encourage you to weigh your ingredients and use a tracking app like Cronometer for more accurate nutritional data.
Alena @ nutriciously says
love this recipe and totally enjoyed reading your "about me" section on the blog! feel you on many things 😉
Amber says
Thank you, Alena! ❤️