{Gluten-Free} Green Smoothie Muffins

These flavorful, quick, and easy muffins were developed out of... well, laziness. I love to bake but I don't like the time it usually takes, and I especially don't like the dishes. This recipe eliminates both those problems and leaves me with tasty muffins full of nutrients!

Their namesake doesn't come from the taste- no, these muffins taste like a moist, sweet, fruity banana muffin with no discernible "green" taste... they are called green smoothie muffins because they contain many of the ingredients you might find in a green smoothie, and they are made just like one too!

If you can make a smoothie, you can make these! They couldn't be easier!

These muffins have a gorgeous, deep green color. And because of all the fruit and veggies they are incredibly moist with a little springiness from the oatmeal- an all around great texture!

Now, I wouldn't put chocolate chips in my green smoothie... but if you're feeling so inclined, they go great in these muffins! Just 1/2 cup of your favorite chocolate chips is all you need.

These will be a hit with the whole family, and are a great way to sneak extra veggies into everyone's diet (who couldn't use more of that?).

Could you just throw all the ingredients into the blender and let 'er rip? Yes... but building the ingredients in the blender the way I have outlined ensures that you don't need to use the tamper to get the ingredients to mix, nor should you have to use a spatula. Happy baking!

To make one dozen muffins you'll need:

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted and then cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 ripe bananas
1 cup strawberries
2 cups spinach, lightly packed
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey

Equipment
blender or food processor
12-cup muffin pan
12 muffin liners
small bowl for melting butter or coconut oil
measuring cups and spoons

Prep and preheat:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

To the blender, add in:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

To the blender, add in:

1 cup strawberries
2 cups spinach, lightly packed
2 bananas, peeled and broken into several smaller pieces

Turn the blender on, starting at medium and increasing to high until the ingredients are mixed together well, are uniform in color, and no large chunks are left... about 60 seconds.

To the blender, add in:
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup honey

Adding the honey in at the end ensures that it won't just stick to the bottom of the blender and not be mixed in. And if any honey ends up sticking to the side of the blender (it shouldn't) you can easily reach it with a spatula to push it down.

Turn the blender on high and blend until the batter is a uniform and smooth consistency, about 30-60 seconds.

You will see the oats broken up into little specks and there should be no visible whole oatmeal.

Pour the batter right from the blender carafe into the muffin cups. Evenly distribute all the batter between the 12 cups- fill each muffin cup no more than 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan and before eating.

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. These muffins also freeze wonderfully!

They will last up to one week in the fridge or one month in the freezer.

Clean up is super simple! Just rinse any green smoothie batter out of the blender carafe with warm water, and then fill it 1/4 full with water, add in just a small squirt of dish soap, and blend on high for 60 seconds.

The blender will clean itself! Pour out the soapy water and rinse with warm water.