Low Calorie Muffins
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My low calorie muffins are moist, fluffy, and come in over 10 flavors. Made with no butter or added sugar, they use pantry staples and bake up beautifully.
When I’m watching my calories, I find baking healthy desserts is crucial to staying on track…and not raiding the pantry in the middle of the night. That’s where my low-cal muffins come in.
During recipe testing, I experimented with making the muffins completely fat-free, using applesauce and then yogurt in place of butter or oil. While both versions were edible, they lacked the fluffiness and moisture you’d expect from a truly good muffin.
My final version strikes the right balance: just two tablespoons of oil in the entire batch. The result is muffins that are light, fluffy, and a fraction of the calories that grocery store muffins have (a typical bakery or grocery muffin is often 250-400+ calories due to larger portions and added fat and sugars)- without sacrificing taste or texture.
Table of Contents
Why I love this low calorie muffin recipe
- Simple ingredients. The base recipe requires only 7 pantry staples.
- Wholesome. No butter or sugar is needed, yet you’d never guess how moist and sweet they are.
- Ready in 20 minutes. Including prep time.
- 10 flavor options! I’ve included the base recipe plus 10 equally delicious flavors you can make with a few simple additions.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Hello, I just took Muffins out of the oven. I did add blueberries and lemon zest. Frosted with lemon buttercream. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free, except for the frosting. Very nice texture muffin. I look forward to making it with the other add-ins. Thank you for your recipes.” – Lea
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into low calorie muffins, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour. You can also use whole wheat flour, but it will increase the calorie count a bit. I tested this with gluten-free flour, and it worked out pretty well. I used Bob’s Red Mill.
- Sugar free substitute. I like using allulose because it dissolves like traditional sugar, but monk fruit sweetener or brown sugar substitute will also work.
- Baking powder and baking soda. Both leavening agents are used to give the muffins some rise and fluffiness.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk to keep the calories down, but any milk works.
- Olive oil. My preferred oil. Avocado oil is another heart-healthy option.
- Egg. room temperature egg.
- Vanilla extract. Just a drop to give it a subtle vanilla flavor.
How to make low calorie muffins
Step 1- Prep. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners.
Step 2- Make the batter. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in any optional mix-ins.
Step 3- Bake. Pour the batter into the 12 muffin liners. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 4- Cool. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid overmixing. Overmixing can cause excessive gluten development, resulting in dense, chewy muffins. I recommend mixing until the batter is smooth.
- Don’t overbake. The muffins will continue to cook as they cool, so pull them from the oven as soon as a toothpick inserted comes out ‘just’ clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
- Bake in the muffin tin. If you don’t have muffin liners, grease the muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Swap the sweetener. If you’d rather not use sweeteners, you can use regular sugar, honey, or maple syrup. Just note this will increase the calories.
Flavor variations
As mentioned earlier, I treat the muffin base as a blank canvas and add mix-ins to vary the flavor. That said, calories will increase. I’m including approximate calories per muffin (based on 12 muffins total). Actual values vary by brand and portion size.
- Lemon blueberry (106 calories). Fold through 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries (75g) and 1/2 a lemon’s zest.
- White chocolate raspberry (125 calories). Add 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips (45g) and 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen raspberries (75g).
- Triple chocolate (162 calories). Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (20g) and 1/4 cup each of milk, white, and dark chocolate chips (135g).
- Apple cinnamon (110 calories). Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and one finely chopped medium apple (180g).
- Trail mix (147-157 calories). Fold through raisins, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips (3/4 cup total= 120g).
- Banana (120 calories). Mash two medium bananas (230g) and fold them into the batter.
- Pumpkin (106 calories). Fold through half a cup of pumpkin puree (120g).
- Classic blueberry (105 calories). Toss through 1/2 cup of blueberries (75g) in some flour, then fold them into the batter.
- Zucchini (103 calories). Fold through 1/2 cup of finely shredded zucchini (60g).
- Peanut butter chocolate chip (185 calories). Fold in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (45g), then swirl in 1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter (125g) on top of the muffin batter.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover muffins should be refrigerated, covered, for up to one week.
To freeze: Place the baked and cooled muffins in a resealable plastic bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I tested an eggless option! Just replace the egg with 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce.
✅ Nutrition disclaimer
Nutrition information on this page was calculated using weighed ingredients and analyzed by our in-house registered dietitian using standard food composition databases. Values are estimates and may vary depending on specific brands, ingredient substitutions, and portion sizes. We recommend measuring key ingredients (especially dry ingredients and fats) by weight to improve accuracy.
Low Calorie Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour 240g, including gluten-free blends
- 1/3 cup allulose 70g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3g
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 240ml
- 2 tablespoons olive oil 30ml
- 1 large egg 50g (without shell)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Line and grease a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sweetener of choice, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, olive oil, and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold through the mix-ins of choice.
- Divide the muffins between the 12 muffin liners. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Calorie disclaimer: When made as is, each muffin is 102 calories. Mix-ins will increase the calorie count. Please refer to the flavor variations sections for approximate calorie counts with various mix-ins.
- Leftovers: Keep in the fridge, covered, for one week, or in the freezer for 6 months.
Nutrition
More low calorie recipes
- Low calorie banana bread– This moist and fluffy banana bread is healthy enough for breakfast!
- Healthy mug cake– One of my most popular desserts that takes less than two minutes to make.
- Low calorie ice cream– Each scoop has just 50 calories, so don’t be surprised if you polish off the whole batch.
- Low calorie candy– Gummy candy that takes seconds to make.
- Or any of my low calorie recipes
I made these and the first batch didn’t rise very well, although I only half filled the patty papers. The second batch (made all of the same mixture) rose better, but they’re all stuck to the patty papers. I swapped out eggs for flax seed mix. Would that have made them stick to the paper?
Hi Taylah- it could be it. I did test these for an eggless option, and replaced the eggs with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Flax eggs shouldn’t make them stick to the paper- it could be the brand of liners your using? I’ve found that some cheaper brands (or any brand in general) can claim to be non-stick, but even heavily greasing them causes them to still stick!
Hi, Armand! Could you pls. advise how much of each of the following sweeteners to substitute (in different batches!) for the allulose? 1) Granulated sugar, 2) light or dark brown sugar, 3) pure maple syrup, and 4) raw honey. Ty so much!
Hi Cynthia- Absolutely! Granulated sugar would be the same amount, light/dark brown sugar I’d omit 1 tablespoon (it’s a little concentrated). For maple syrup/honey, I’d do 5 tablespoons (so one tablespoon less than 1/3 cup) as it is more concentrated. If you do maple/honey, you may need to bake them a tiny bit longer. Let me know how you go!
My friend and I are prediabetic and have enjoyed many of your keto sugar free dessert recipes! We’re now hoping to find a good recipe for a low carb sugar free bran muffin!
Do you have a recipe for such a muffin?
Thank you!
Love that, Judilan! We’re actually working on a bran muffin right now. Once I’ve perfected it, I’ll shoot you an email with the recipe 🙂
Wow that’s great, Arman! Looking forward to it!
An I replace flour with almond flour to reduce carbs?
Hi Vivian- that should work, but the calories will be significantly higher. If that is something you don’t mind, then go for it!
Can I use honey instead of sugar
Hi Carmen, you definitely can. You probably won’t need quite as much honey (maybe start 1/4 cup) and it will add to the calorie count a little but should still be fine for baking.
Could I replace the 2 tablespoons of oil with applesauce?
I tested that, and it didn’t turn out as good as classic muffins. It will work, though
Great low-cal muffin recipe. I used 1/2 cup stevia in the raw, and it was the perfect sweetness for me. I added a diced green apple and a rounded Tbsp. cinnamon for the mix ins. Will make again!
Love to hear that, Melissa- those additions sound so good- love apple cinnamon. Thanks for the lovely review and rating!
Made these yesterday, Great with blueberry jam and dried blueberries as filling, not too sweet just how i like it 🙂
Love to hear that, J.V- thanks for taking the time to leave a lovely review and star rating!
Do you have a 100 calorie bran muffin recipe?
We’re working on one, Frances! 🙂 I’ll email you just before it’s live!
I made these today…the batter was super thick like dough…I scooped it into muffin tin and pushed berries on top before baking. They turned out ok..but dense and a bit bland..I’ve double checked ingredients anf followed recipe to a tea..is the batter supposed to be super thick?
Hi Debbie- it shouldn’t be- especially since you pushed the berries in versus folding it into the batter. Did you change any of the ingredients?
Why are these kept in refrigerator?
For longer storage 🙂 Room temp is good if you plan to enjoy them within about 2 days.
I tried to make it but it was very dry maybe I need more liquid or more eggs no?
Sorry to hear that, Mario- it sounds like perhaps you added too many mix-ins? The batter should be thick and smooth.
I made a choc chip version and they were delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Love to hear that, Sian- thanks for taking the time to leave a lovely comment and star rating!
Okay tomorrow I am doing this. Just I dont know where can I find allulose or what it is.
Any sweetener works, but allulose just bakes the best.
I still cannot allulose in my city. You think Eritrit would be the same?
I didn’t like erythritol, but if you enjoy the taste, then go for it!
This recipe is easy to make and very tasty. It was an instant hit both at home and in the office!
Love to her that, AM- thanks for taking the time to leave a lovely review and star rating!