Savoury Vegan Muffins with Pesto

These pesto muffins are simply brilliant as a party snack, light lunch, or grab-and-go savoury breakfast. Sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives add a flavourful kick to this healthy recipe.

Savoury Vegan Muffins with Pesto

Info

Nutrition per serving
NutrientAmountRDA
Net Carbs29.2 g10.6%
of which Sugars5.4 g6%
Fibers6.1 g22%
Fats16.6 g25.6%
of which Saturates2 g9.8%
of which Omega 31 g90.1%
Proteins8.4 g18.2%
Calcium165 mg16.5%
Vitamin A27 mcg3.9%
Vitamin C6 mg8.6%
Iron5.4 mg36.6%
Potassium437 mg12.5%
Sodium202 mg8.8%
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Kcal300 15%
Macro split
  • net carbs 48%
  • sugars 9%
  • fats 28%
  • saturates 3%
  • proteins 14%
  • fibers 10%
*RDA based on a 2000 kcal diet;
**Nutritional data sources: USDA, food labels.
KCAL
300 per serving
TIME
30m
HEALTH

If you are throwing a party, or you like to have a snack at hand, savoury muffins are a great little bake. They are quick and easy to prepare and can be eaten both cold or re-heated.

There are many recipes of these kind of muffins out there, mostly using cheese or ham. Below, we'll show you how to make vegan savoury muffins with homemade spinach pesto, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. No eggs or dairy used.

We used a little secret ingredient to make our vegan muffins even tastier: nutritional yeast. If you have never tried it, think of it as a parmesan cheese vegan replacement. We made it optional in the recipe, but it works wonders. Give it a try!

By the way, you can use any pesto you fancy. We are making spinach pesto with pecans from scratch, but feel free to use store-bought basil pesto or create your own. For example, you could use walnuts or pistachios, with either basil, spinach, or arugula.

The muffins are quite filling, so we think you should have one per serving. One of them will give you more than 25% RDI for both proteins and fibres — solid. With less than 10% of your daily allowance of saturated fats, these savoury muffins are much more diet-friendly than those made with eggs, cheese, or ham.

They are ready in just about 30 minutes. Check out the tips at the bottom of the recipe for more help. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Adjustments
Serves
Measuring System
Muffins
Wholemeal Flour280 g
Starch (Potato or Corn)20 g
Baking Powder2 tsp
Soy Yogurt180 g
Almond Milk150 mL
Extra Virgin Olive Oil70 mL
Pitted Kalamata Olives60 g
Dry Sun-dried Tomatoes40 g
Nutritional Yeast25 g
Pesto
Baby Spinach40 g
Pecans (or Walnuts)40 g
Water3 tbsp
Garlic Powder1/2 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 tbsp

Step 1

Rehydrate the dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. If you're using sun-dried tomatoes in oil instead, there's no need to soak them, only make sure to drain them well to remove excess oil.

Meanwhile, let's prepare the pesto.

Add baby spinach to a food processor followed by pecans, water, garlic powder, olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt.

Blitz the ingredients into a smooth, creamy pesto.

vegan pesto with spinach and pecans

Step 2

In a mixing bowl, combine wholemeal flour, sifted starch, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

Mix well to evenly distribute the baking powder.

savoury muffins dry ingredients

Step 3

Now, add the prepared spinach pesto, soy yogurt, almond milk, nutritional yeast, and oil.

Drain the tomatoes, finely chop them together with the black Kalamata olives, and add them to the muffin mixture.

savoury vegan muffins batter ingredients

Step 4

Work the ingredients with a hand mixer or a spoon until they come together into a smooth batter.

Then, divide the mixture among muffins cases or greased muffins cups, filling them to the top.

savoury vegan muffins with pesto in a muffin tin

Step 5

Bake the pesto muffins at for 20-25 minutes at 200°C (390°F) for static ovens or 180°C (355°F) for fan ovens.

The muffins are ready if a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and wait a few minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool down completely.

baked savoury muffins on a tray

Tips

Allow the muffins to cool down completely and then store them away in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for 3-4 days.