Low Calorie English Muffin
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My easy two-minute low calorie English muffins make the best quick and easy breakfast fix! Toast them up and add your favorite toppings.
Craving fluffy and crisp English muffins but watching your calories? This low calorie English muffin recipe will be your ultimate healthy bread fix. It’s tender on the outside but has soft, fluffy pockets in the middle.
When I tested this recipe side by side with store-bought muffins, I found the homemade version not only lighter in calories but better at holding up to toasting. The trick comes from blending the oats super fine, which mimics flour, while chia seeds create that chewy structure you’d expect in a traditional English muffin.
Table of Contents
Why make my low calorie English muffins recipe
- Healthy. No butter, oil, sugar, or flour! This recipe is as healthy as it gets. We have used oats for protein, chia seeds for fiber, unsweetened applesauce for binding, and milk to adjust the consistency.
- Quick and easy. Unlike the traditional muffin, which takes hours to make, this recipe requires less than 5 minutes (including preparation, cooking, and cooling time). You can even batch-cook them and have them on hand for quick breakfasts.
- Versatile. Spread peanut butter on them, make a breakfast sandwich, or even make muffin pizzas- use them like traditional muffins.
What readers are saying
★★★★★ – “We love these muffins. Since it is quick, we have made them frequently.” – Rita
★★★★★ – “This was such a good low calorie bread fix!” – Addy
Ingredients Needed
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
- Rolled oats. Also known as old-fashioned oats. Avoid using steel-cut oats as their texture will produce tough and flat muffins.
- Chia seeds. For a bit of texture, fiber, protein, binding, and omega-3 fatty acids. Ground flax seeds could also work, but I sometimes find the flavor can be a little overpowering.
- Baking powder. Gives the muffins the necessary rise.
- Unsweetened applesauce. Adds moisture and softness to the dough. You could use mashed bananas, but be wary that they will be a little sweet.
- Milk. Use any dairy or plant-based milk to bring the dough together.
- Salt. Just a pinch to add some flavor.
How to make a low calorie English muffin
Step 1- Blend the dry ingredients until a powdery texture remains.
Step 2- Make the dough. Transfer the dry ingredients into a bowl, then slowly stir in the applesauce and milk to form a thick, smooth dough.
Step 3- Microwave. Grease a 4-inch ramekin, then carefully pour the dough into it. Microwave for 2 minutes.
Step 4- Cool, slice, and serve. Letting the muffin cool for a minute or so makes it easier to remove from the ramekin. Slice the muffin in half, toast it, and serve immediately.
Recipe tips and variations
- Always grease the ramekins. Trust me on this- nothing is worse than cleaning up ramekins with half the muffin batter baked into them.
- Blend very well. The key to perfectly fluffy muffins is to blend everything to a fine powder.
- Allow the muffins to cool down. Allowing the muffins to cool for a minute or two makes it so much easier to remove them from the ramekins.
- Make them in bowls/ mugs. If you don’t have a ramekin, you can use flatter bowls or bowl-like mugs to make them. I have tried them, and my muffins came out great!
- Add a layer of cornmeal! If you’re craving the classic corn smell and the nostalgic crumble, dust the greased ramekins with cornmeal before adding your dough.
- Flavor your dough. Instead of plain English muffins, make them with garlic powder and Italian seasonings for a savory option or cinnamon and raisins for a sweeter breakfast option. My niece actually prefers the cinnamon one toasted with cream cheese!
Storage instructions
To store. Because this English muffin recipe takes a few minutes, I often make them fresh. But they keep well in the refrigerator for almost a week.
To freeze. If you wish to enjoy muffins longer, freeze them in freezer-safe containers/bags for up to three months.
To reheat. Toast the muffins in a toaster, oven, or pan until heated through and crispy.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Portion the dough into greased, oven-safe ramekins and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F until fully cooked. It usually takes 10-12 minutes to get the golden brown tops!
When made as written, there are just 88 calories in each low-calorie English muffin.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Since this English muffin recipe discusses and includes caloric information, the nutrition information has been reviewed by registered dietitian Felicia Newell, MScAHN, RD, CPT.
Low Calorie English Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons rolled oats
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon milk of choice
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the oats, chia seeds, baking powder, and salt. Blend on high until finely ground.
- Transfer to a bowl, add the applesauce and nondairy milk, and mix to form a sticky dough.
- Place the dough in a greased ramekin and smooth out the top.
- Microwave for 2 minutes on high.
- Let it cool for about 1-2 minutes before removing from the ramekin.
- Slice in half, toast, and enjoy with toppings of choice.
Notes
- Milk: I use unsweetened almond milk to keep the calories low. Any milk will work, but the calorie count will change.
- Leftovers: Keep in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition
More English muffin recipes
Originally published November 2016
What you mean by unsweetened applesauce? Like no sugar?
I wanted to make this today but I dont know if I can use instant oats instead of rolled. Would it be the same?
Wow it really is low calorie. So only oats and milk? But eggs are not needed?
We love these muffins. Since it is quick , we have made them frequently.
That is what I like to hear!
I want to make some but how do I make them without a microwave oven? Thanks.
We include oven instructions.
This was such a good low calorie bread fix!
These were so good!!
It’s been 8 years since I started a gluten free (and free of a lot of other foods) diet. Because of all the other sensitivities, I hadn’t bothered trying to replace bread, except for the occasional rice cake. I mostly stick to whole foods but I decided to give these a try. I followed the recipe exactly as written, using a homemade, safe-for-me, baking powder. Was a little worried by the smell as it cooked up and when I opened the microwave after waiting 5 minutes, I was even more skeptical. It looked like an oatmeal puck. Breakfast gone wrong. But I plowed on, sliced it and toasted it up. I don’t use any kind of butter/margarine spread so I decided to top it with pb and sliced strawberries. I was blown away! It was so tasty and so comforting. I’ve had pb and fruit on rice cakes but boy is that not the same. This was sooo good. I tried some of the second slice on its own. Still tasty. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed a proper sandwich. Crossing my fingers that this sits well in my tummy because I can’t wait to make it again. More a treat than a staple but still so happy. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
EXCELLENT! Followed the recipe until I combined the fine flour (oats, chia, baking powder) with the applesauce and milk (unfiltered oat milk) and saw it desperately needed more liquid so I threw in more applesauce and oat milk to get it more combined and then got it all incorporated with my hands. Baked in oven. Toothpick was clean after 15M but didn’t have golden brown edges, so I gave it 5 or 10M more and then let it sit in the turned-off oven for a while. Next morning I sliced it and put it in toaster oven and had it with almond butter and raspberry jam. It is sooooooo good. Better to toast it a little longer until there’s a little crispness. Gave one to a friend and she loves it, too. Definitely making this again. Pristine ingredients! Kudos on the brilliant recipe!
Can you use GF quick oats….have a hard time finding any other GF oat options!
Sure thing 🙂
This looks so yummy! Do you know how long and what temperature to bake if using an oven. I prefer not to use a microwave. Thanks in advance and can’t wait to make it! 😃
Instructions included in the post and the recipe card!
do you grease/oil your ramekin? i am trying to figure out ways to keep things from sticking without greasing (or using parchment paper since that isn’t available here) but so far, no luck.
Yes, you can grease it lightly.