Healthy English Muffins Recipe

These healthy English muffins are perfect for breakfast!

I do love a good English Muffin. When I have one, I always feel like I should be at a fancy tea party somewhere, sipping tea with my pinky finger sticking straight up in the air as I tip my cup.

Clean Eating English Muffins

But the sad truth is, English Muffins bought in most stores are anything but clean. It’s amazing what most companies will add to these very simple muffins!

Thankfully, while they do take a little time, they are actually quite easy to make yourself! They make great burger buns too!

Healthy English Muffins Recipe Supplies

  • 2 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
  • An oil sprayer/mister is very helpful
  • A non-stick pan or a heavy-duty pan such as cast iron

Healthy English Muffins Recipe Ingredients

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (+ 1 cup on reserve) – If you can’t get your hands on 5 cups of whole wheat pastry flour, you can substitute white whole wheat flour. It’s still whole grain, it’s just a different type of wheat. It’s more readily available at the grocery store.

1 tsp. salt – I use pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever salt you normally use in the kitchen.

1 tbsp. oil – Any oil you feel is healthy will work here. I used olive oil.

2 cups milk – Any type. I used unsweetened almond milk. The only milk I would avoid is full fat coconut milk. Light coconut milk is fine. (Canned, not in the carton)

¾ oz. packet active dry yeast

¼ cup brown rice flour (or cornmeal) – This will give your English muffins that telltale gritty texture on the outside.

How To Make Healthy English Muffins

Warm the milk (I did this in the glass measuring cup), and pour in the yeast. Set aside and allow to foam a bit before using.

In a large mixing bowl, blend the 4 cups of flour and salt. Add the oil, but don’t bother stirring until you are ready add the milk.

When you have a nice bit of foam on top of the milk, pour the milk and foam into the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too thick to stir.

Knead.

The goal with this dough is to get a, “just-barely” sticky dough that is smooth and soft in texture. Your dough will still be pretty sticky at this point. Add that extra 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup at a time, kneading after every addition. DO NOT dump in the entire cup because you may not need it all (though you most likely will). Plus, doing a 1/4 cup at a time allows for the necessary amount of kneading.

When you have a nice, soft ball of dough, cover it with a nice, thin coat of olive oil to keep it from drying out while it rises.

Put it back in the mixing bowl, cover with a towel and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour. (I put mine in my stove – heat OFF)

Punch the dough down and give it another brief kneading. Just a few flops of the dough are fine.

Sprinkle the rice flour or cornmeal lightly over your work surface. Put your dough on the work surface and roll with a rolling pin until it’s about ½ inch thick.

Cut out the muffins. I used one of Mini Chef’s plastic cups, but you can also buy cutters that do this.

Place the cut out muffins on a cookie sheet, spray them with a very light coat of olive oil, sprinkle tops with a light dusting of rice flour or cornmeal, cover with a towel and allow to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm area.

Using an UNgreased pan, place as many muffins as you can comfortably fit, in the pan.

IMPORTANT: These cook on your STOVE TOP on LOW heat for a long time. Do NOT raise the heat to try and cook them faster. All you will get are burnt outsides and raw insides. Time is key. I cooked mine for about 15-20 minutes on each side. Test yours to adjust cooking time as needed.

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Healthy English Muffins Recipe

Copyright Information For The Gracious Pantry
English Muffins piled up on a cutting board.

Healthy English Muffins

A wonderful, clean alternative to the usual, white-flour English muffins!
4.56 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, English
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rising Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 24 muffins
Calories: 94kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (+ 1 cup on reserve)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups milk (any type – I used almond milk) – warmed to between 105-115 degrees F.
  • ¾ oz. packet active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup brown rice flour (or cornmeal)

Instructions

  • Warm the milk (I did this in the glass measuring cup), and pour in the yeast. Set aside and allow to foam a bit before using.
  • In a large mixing bowl, blend the 4 cups of flour and salt. Add the oil, but don’t bother stirring until you are ready add the milk.
  • When you have a nice bit of foam on top of the milk, pour the milk and foam into the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too thick to stir.
  • Knead.
  • The goal with this dough is to get a, "just-barely" sticky dough that is smooth and soft in texture. Your dough will still be pretty sticky at this point. Add that extra 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup at a time, kneading after every addition. DO NOT dump in the entire cup because you may not need it all (though you most likely will). Plus, doing a 1/4 cup at a time allows for the necessary amount of kneading.
  • When you have a nice, soft ball of dough, cover it with a nice, thin coat of olive oil to keep it from drying out while it rises.
  • Put it back in the mixing bowl, cover with a towel and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour. (I put mine in my stove – heat OFF)
  • Punch the dough down and give it another brief kneading. Just a few flops of the dough are fine.
  • Sprinkle the rice flour or cornmeal lightly over your work surface. Put your dough on the work surface and roll with a rolling pin until it's about ½ inch thick.
  • Cut out the muffins. I used one of Mini Chef’s plastic cups, but you can also buy cutters that do this.
  • Place the cut out muffins on a cookie sheet, spray them with a very light coat of olive oil, sprinkle tops with a light dusting of rice flour or cornmeal, cover with a towel and allow to rise for another 30 minutes in a warm area.
  • Using an UNgreased pan, place as many muffins as you can comfortably fit, in the pan.
  • IMPORTANT: These cook on your STOVE TOP on LOW heat for a long time. Do NOT raise the heat to try and cook them faster. All you will get are burnt outsides and raw insides. Time is key. I cooked mine for about 15-20 minutes on each side. Test yours to adjust cooking time as needed.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 94kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.8mg

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76 Comments

  1. I tried this recipe out tonight. I used the same ingredients (almond milk) but my muffins came out dense and deflated. Any advice?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      What flour did you use?

  2. Hi! I just made these English muffins but mine did not rise very well, I followed the recipe exactly so not sure what happened, any suggestions so they turn out better next time? Thanks

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Tiffanie – It could be a number of things. If that was the ONLY thing wrong with them, then check to be sure your yeast isn’t too old and that you proofed it well enough.

  3. I added blueberries and some nutella and it tastes delicious !!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      David – Fabulous! (Nutella is one of my favorite recipes. But I have to avoid it or I overeat.)

  4. Can I use regular whole wheat flour?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Ashley – You can, but the texture will be a bit more coarse and dense.

  5. Anna Marie says:

    I’ll have to try these. I love English Muffins for eggs benedict. I usually just get the Trader Joe’s ones or Ezekiel ones, which seem pretty clean, but I’m sure these are much more cost effective.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Anna – Let me know how you like them! 🙂

  6. Anna Marie says:

    And most things are usually better homemade. 🙂

  7. These are so yummy! I just made a batch (using flaxmeal instead of cornmeal, regular w/w flour and a coconut/almond milk blend). I used half of the batch to make on-the-go breakfast sandwiches and froze the rest plain (but I did have to eat the one I cut open to ensure it was cooked through!)

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Jessamyn – Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

  8. I am looking forward to trying this recipe, but I did not see a temperature to cook the muffins at.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Amy – Read the bottom of the recipe labeled, “Important”. These are made on the stove top.

  9. can you grind brown rice uncooked and make your own flour?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lauren – If you have the correct blender, yes.

  10. Grandma Honey says:

    I am going to chop apple (small pieces) and fold them into the dough with some cinnamon, hoping they taste a bit like the apple flavored muffins I love from the grocery. I am now to clean cooking so hoping it is a success…

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Grandma Honey – Let me know how they turn out! 😀

  11. Mary Weir says:

    Mine were not done in the middle even cooking them on low so I put them in the oven and baked them. Turned out wonderful!
    If I feel like I’m not going to make it till the next day without something sweet, LOL, I split one and toast it until it’s dark brown and spread with coconut oil and sprinkle on some cinnamon and stevia for a treat or dessert! Big Yummy!

    Thanks for the great recipe!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Mary – My pleasure! Odd that they didn’t cook, but I’m glad it all worked out! 😀

  12. Kathleen McKenzie says:

    Loved making this recipe! Have you figured the nutritional value up for it by chance?

  13. Lindsey Cady says:

    When you are cooking the muffins on the stove top in a pan, does the pan need to have a lid?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lindsey – Nope! 🙂

  14. SAMANTHA MCNAIR says:

    I cooked these exactly how the instructions stated. I’m still having a hard time getting the center done. I’ve even popped them in the oven at 195 degrees for over 20 minutes and still no luck. Any suggestions?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Samantha – It could be a difference in altitude or even in the flour used. Your best bet is to cut them in half and finish baking them that way. Are they just slightly moist, or really, really raw?

  15. 5 stars
    I’m going to take a chance and see if the dough can be made in my bread machine. Wish me luck. I’ll post a picture if I’m successful.

  16. Katherine M Mansoor says:

    About what size should I cut them into? Is it the size of a normal English muffin?

    1. Katherine – Technically, you can cut them any size you like. I used a cup or jar. Just a reasonable size similar to a store-bought English muffin.