July is cherry season, and we're doing our best to take advantage of it! At one point Washington cherries were 99 cents a pound, so I've made our favorite cherry pie twice, tried putting fresh cherries in cobbler (good, but not as good as cherry pie) and tested a new recipe for vegan cherry muffins.
I wish I'd tried these sooner because they are some of the best muffins I've ever made. Amazingly, the muffins hold together without any eggs, and the interiors are moist and tender thanks to the vegan yogurt. Here's a picture.
They taste like cherry pie in muffin form, and while the amount of almond extract might seem high, two teaspoons is just right. I admit, I didn't even add the almonds, but between the almond extract and almond milk the muffins have plenty of flavor.
The recipe is a spin-off of the Cherry-Almond Muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance, and I've changed it slightly by using almond milk and coconut oil. I still can't believe what a great texture these have and will make them again for sure -- hopefully with almonds (though I think I'd put them only on the top).
Recipe
Vegan Cherry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups 270 grams all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup 70 grams granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup almond milk
- 6 oz container soy or coconut yogurt
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1 cup sliced almonds optional
- ¾ to 1 cup fresh cherries pitted and halved
- More sugar -- granulated or coarse for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffins cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the oil, almond milk, yogurt and extract.
- With a heavy duty scraper, fold everything together until fully blended. Carefully fold in the cherries and nuts (if using).
- Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups and sprinkle tops with sugar.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.
Sara says
These are sooooo delicious!!! I don’t use almond extract very often but I will now!! These muffins are so moist and fluffy. Perfect breakfast food.
Anna says
Thanks for the review, Sara!
Sara says
We loved these muffins!! I didn’t have any yogurt on hand so I used vegan sour cream and that worked just fine. Thank you!!
Mona says
We made these because I had cherries that were about to spoil and we were out of eggs. We substituted a 6oz container of regulat vanilla yogurt, whole milk, and vanilla extract because that's what we had (obviously we aren't vegan) and it worked perfectly!
beth says
mmmm! looks good!
Anna says
Thanks for the feedback, Debbi! I'm glad you liked them and hope you try the almond extract version soon. It makes them taste like cherry pie or cherry flavored Pop Tarts!
Debbi Morrell says
Just made them swapping out the almond milk for cashew milk, and the cherries for blackberries. I added the almonds because I didn't have any extract. Oh, and I used SoDeliicious vanilla coconut yogurt. I really liked them, but I know the extract would have packed a little more flavor into them. Next time, because I know I will make them again!
d says
Thanks for this yummy looking dairy free recipe! I can't wait to try it!
T. Martin says
Did you use a flavored yogurt or plain?
T. Martin says
Going cherry picking on Saturday so this recipe is perfect timing.
Anna says
Sure! Just drain them really well and pat dry.
Stephanie says
Do you think Trader Joe's Morello cherries work here?
Katrina says
My favorite go-to banana muffin recipe has no eggs either. So I just always make it vegan now with almond milk instead of buttermilk. I let it sit a few minutes with a splash of vinegar.
Jennifer Codispot says
This is probably the first muffin recipe in a long while that has piqued my interest. They look amazing!
Anna says
Hi Sue,
Yes, there are a few! Here's a good list.
https://www.peta.org/living/food/get-cultured-with-these-vegan-yogurt-brands/
Sue says
I love that you post about things I've never heard of. Like vegan yogurt. I didn't know it existed. The muffins sound so good!!