High-Protein Brown Sugar Moong Muffins
Enjoy a nutritious spin on classic muffins with these Brown Sugar Moong Muffins — a flavorful, gluten-free treat made with protein-rich moong beans (also called mung beans). They’re perfect for breakfast, snacks on the go, or a wholesome afternoon treat.
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Moong beans are high in fiber, plant-based protein, potassium, and magnesium — making these muffins both delicious and nutritious.
These Brown Sugar Moong Muffins are a unique breakfast that is a family favorite. They are delicious with a hot cup of coffee or even soda. Inspired by the traditional Sri Lankan breakfast of boiled mung beans with coconut and sugar, these muffins bridge the gap between “healthy” and “indulgent.”
Whether you’re looking for a snack free of gluten or a quick meal for breakfast, this recipe delivers a dense, satisfying texture packed with the benefits of moong dal.
Why You’ll Love These Moong Dal Muffins
- Protein-Packed: Made with cooked mung beans (moong dal), these muffins provide a steady energy boost.
- Naturally Gluten-Free and Low-fat: We use coconut flour and flax meal instead of refined wheat.
- Unique Flavors: A sweet spin on a legume usually reserved for savory curries and sautes.
- Great for Meal Prep: Bake a batch on Sunday and enjoy all week, perfect for grab-and-go quick breakfasts. These stay moist for days and freeze beautifully.
- Family Friendly: Sneaks in extra nutrition without sacrificing flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
For the Muffins:
- Cooked Moong Dal: Moong or mung beans can be found at most South Asian stores and some local grocery stores as they gain in popularity. They can also be found on Amazon.
- Almond Milk: I use almond milk. But oat milk, or any other milk of your choice could be used.
- Brown sugar or Raw Cane Sugar: For that deep, molasses-like sweetness.
- Flax Meal: Adds healthy fats and helps the structure.
- Baking Powder: For a bit of lift in a dense batter.
- Egg: Adds more protein and is also a binder.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Or a mix of 1/2 a tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger could be used.
- Coconut Flour: To keep it gluten-free.
- Salt: To elevate all the flavors and sweetness.
- Greek Yogurt: Adds moisture and protein without the extra oil.
For the Topping:
Oats, Brown Sugar, and Coconut Oil: For that perfect crunchy muffin top.
Instructions — Step-by-Step
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Blend: In a blender, blend cooked moong beans with almond milk until semi-smooth. I like the texture of the moong beans to shine through; the result will be a less smooth batter. Alternatively, you can blend this until the moong beans are smooth, ensuring the consistency of the batter is also smooth.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the moong mixture, egg, and Greek yogurt.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Fold in coconut flour, brown sugar/raw cane sugar, salt, flax meal, baking powder, and pumpkin spice.
- Prepare Muffin Tin: Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone or paper liners. Divide batter evenly among cups.
- Make the Topping: Warm coconut oil in a skillet set over a stove top set to medium heat. Add oats, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice, then sprinkle over each muffin.
- Bake: Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven and bake 23–25 minutes until tops are golden.
- Cool & Serve: Let muffins cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
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Where to Find Ingredients
If you are looking for the best organic moong dal or spices in Atlanta, I highly recommend checking out local farmers’ markets, such as The DeKalb Farmers Market and Buford Highway Farmers Market. South Asian stores like Cherians also have several different brands of mung/moong next to the lentils.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t Over-blend: Keep some texture in the moong dal if you prefer a heartier bite.
- Serving Suggestions: These are incredible, topped with a smear of almond butter or a dollop of Greek yogurt and honey. They are also tasty with some Georgia peach jam!
- Dietary Tweaks: To make these dairy-free, use a vegan yogurt sub or apple sauce. To add more nutrients, add 2 tbsp of shredded carrots.
- Sweetness: Adjust brown sugar to taste — a bit more brings out deeper caramel notes.
- Sweetness: Adjust brown sugar to taste — a bit more brings out deeper caramel notes.
Nutrition Highlights
These muffins balance plant protein from moong beans with fiber and wholesome ingredients. They make a smart choice for a low-fat, gluten-free breakfast or snack that’s satisfying and sweet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are moong bean muffins healthy?
Yes! Moong beans are rich in fiber, potassium, and magnesium, making these muffins much more nutritious than a standard flour-based muffin.
Can I use lentils instead?
Cooked green mung beans work best in this recipe. However, if you don’t have any, then cooked yellow split peas or lentils could be used as well. Do keep in mind that the texture and taste will differ.
What’s the best way to store these mung muffins?
These muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin.
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Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1 cup cooked (boiled) moong beans {To cook the mung: place 1/2 cup of dry mung beans (also called moong beans, mung dal) in a pan with 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 35 minutes until moong beans are tender.)}
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or raw cane sugar
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (Or 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger powders combined)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt (I used Vanilla flavored Greel yogurt)
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Topping
- 3 tbsp. Rolled oats
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar or raw cane sugar
- 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Add moon beans and almond milk to a blender. Pulse the mixture until both ingredients are blended but the moong beans are not completely smooth (for texture). Alternatively, you can blend this until the moong beans are smooth
- Pour this mix into a bowl and add the egg, and Greek yogurt into it and stir.
- Fold in coconut flour, brown sugar/raw cane sugar, salt, flax meal, baking powder, and pumpkin spice.
- Add muffin liners to a muffin pan, then divide the moong muffin batter among the muffin cups.
- Make the topping by heating the coconut oil in a pan. Add the oats, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice to the pan and stir well. Then sprinkle over each muffin.
- Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven and bake 23–25 minutes until tops are golden.
- Let muffins cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
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What could I substitute for the Greek yogurt? My son is dairy free and gluten free so I can’t use yogurt. Would coconut cream work?
You could add: 1 tbsp almond milk, so you will have 1 cup + 1 tbsp almond milk or 2 tbsp apple sauce instead.
The yogurt made these a bit richer.
Any ideas what to substitute for the greek yogurt? I love the idea of using mung beans (we call them monggos where I live) but my kiddo can’t have dairy.
Mari please do forgive me for the late reply – I use Greek Yogurt to sub in for butter (cut a few calories) so if you’d like, you could use vegan butter – I haven’t tried it so I cannot vouch for it but just a suggestion – thank you for stopping by 🙂
Wow, I love the idea of sneaking moong beans in muffins – so creative lady and I love the added health benefits too 🙂
Thanks dear – I so do love tricking people into eating healthier 🙂
I am learning about so many new ingredients from you! These muffins look delicious!
I’ve never cooked with moong beans and you have intriqued me with this recipe, Shashi! Sometimes muffins are just a waste of carbs and I try to avoid them. However, these muffins looks delicious and they’re also healthy! Nice post!
Ha! I love recipes like this where you “sneak” something in …. I do that all the time when I cook for my mom : ) This muffins look great! I need to make some – I haven’t had muffins in far too long!
What a creative dish! I’ve had moong beans in spicy dishes and liked them, but never in muffins. Really good stuff — thanks so much.
Such an interesting recipe! Would love to try them.
Healthy and delicious!
I’ve never even heard of moong beans…but after seeing these muffins, I think I need to hear more about them! These look amazing…thanks for sharing. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever had moong beans! So I can’t say whether or not I have an aversion to them. But I think I can safely predict that I would love them in these muffins. What a fun way to sneak in some nutrients!
Great gluten free and delicious muffins. Actually here in Hong Kong, mung beans are used quite often in a sweet bean dessert soup and they also make ice lollies from them as well. I know it sounds kind of strange but it is really good so I know your muffins would be out of the this world.
Haha, Shashi! After your final comment I did actually wonder whether these were an April Fool, but they look so delicious that I was quickly convinced that they aren’t!! Such a surprising ‘star of the show’ ingredient, but they look amazing!
MOONG BEANS?!?!?! Whattt! I have NEVER heard of these things before – I swear there are so many foods in this world I have never ever heard of!
Haha interesting recipe!
Thanks Matt!
I love moong beans on their own. Am I weird? Haha. Looks super good in this muffin though!!
Thanks bunches P!
No – you are not weird at all – my mom loves them plain too!
you come up with the most interesting flavors. I love it! i must find moong
Coming from you, that’s a mighty fine compliment! Thanks Lindsay!
These sound so delicious! I didn’t know what moong was at first but then I realised it was mung beans. We use them a lot in Chinese desserts! 🙂
Thanks Lorraine!
I am going to have to google Chinese desserts with mung beans now….
I don’t even know what moong is but I’m thinking if you don’t really like it then I probably won’t!!!
We are lame – no April Fool’s stuff. I should get creative and do something before the boys get home from school but truthfully I probably won’t – I’m lame like that!
Kim, I didn’t prank my daughter or anyone else either – but I got pranked!
These muffins look so inviting and so original! Please send leftovers!!
Hahaha – I have 1 – there might be carnage at the Platter-talk abode over dividing one! Only one way to settle this – gulp…no leftovers now! 🙂
Thanks Dan
Love that you made a muffin healthier with the mung beans. I actually have some in my pantry that I need to use…
Thank you so much!
We both have bean recipes up today — love it! 😀 I don’t think I’ve ever had mung beans before, but I wouldn’t mind being introduced to them in the form of muffins! I love how creative you are with your recipes, Shashi. Maybe it my mom had been more sneaky about the beans and veggies, I would have been more willing to eat them 😆 And I think I managed to avoid getting pranked so far — hopefully it stays that way!
Great minds think alike eh? 😉
Gah – I got pranked big time today! A friend at work told me security had informed him that there was a car that matched mine with a flat rear tire… 😆
i have a bag of mung bean staring at me..lovely use here.
Thanks friend 🙂
Interesting! I think this is a bean I could honestly embrace…anything in a muffin is yummy, right??!!-Ashley
Hahaha – You got that right Ashley – anything in muffin form or with chocolate is fabulous 😉
Not sure which version of moong beans you’ve used. Over here we get quite a few types. Guess whichever does not matter. These muffins are awesome; healthy, moist and loads of nutrients.
I didn’t know there was a variety of moong! The store I shopped at had only the green unsprouted moong beans- btw, thank you 🙂
I’ve never even heard of moong beans before. Where do you find them at? I’ll have to check vitacost or something because this recipe sounds delicious. I wonder how they’d taste subbing the cane sugar for coconut sugar? I’d imagine just as delicious.
Jessie, I picked mine up at a South Asian store called Cherian’s here in Atlanta, did you try Whole Foods?
I confess, I have never tried coconut sugar – thanks lady – now I know coconut sugar exists 🙂
OK, I never had Mung beans in a muffin. That’s so clever.
So what was your daughter’s reaction? She liked them? I really hope so…
Btw happy April fools’ day Shashi 🙂
Thanks Mike! Yes, she did like them – all recipes I post are daughter tested and approved 😉
I made some savory ones too to give to my mom who is diabetic and my daughter raided that package too – ended up taking my mom 4 instead of the 8 I had intended to!
Hope you were not pranked too badly today!
Moong beans in a muffin? That’s impressive. You know, I like everything that makes sweets more nutritious. this recipe is health conscious food for sweet lovers like me (who loves all things green as well)!
From one sweet lover to another – Thank you so much Daniela! 🙂