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These healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins are gluten-free and naturally sweetened with a touch of maple syrup. They’re the perfect (kid-friendly) grab-and-go snack or protein-packed breakfast.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins - nourished by nutrition

Peanut butter and jelly is a classic flavor combination (and also something I’ve been craving during my pregnancy!). Maybe it’s the nostalgia of a childhood classic or simply because the sweet and salty combo is delicious. Either way, you’re going to love these healthy peanut butter and jelly muffins. They have intense peanut butter flavor and a delicious swirl of jelly throughout the muffin top, making for the perfect PB&J ratio in each bite.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins

These muffins are gluten-free from the oat flour and only lightly sweetened with a touch a maple syrup. Using applesauce (or banana) gives these muffins additional sweetness without needing to use sugar. These muffins are oil-free but still incredibly soft and tender, thanks to the peanut butter. The peanut butter also provides protein and the intense peanut butter flavor.

The combination of oat flour, applesauce, peanut butter, eggs and just a hint of maple syrup make these muffins a healthy snack or breakfast option. Each muffin has 5 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and 7 grams of healthy fats. This is a perfectly balanced combination protein, healthy fat and fiber to help keep you full and satisfied and your blood sugar stable.

Tips for making these PB&J Muffins:

Applesauce vs. banana

I’ve made a batch of these peanut butter and jelly muffins with applesauce and banana. While both work perfectly in the recipe are delicious, the batch made with banana has a slightly more distinct flavor. I preferred the applesauce version because of its more neutral flavor. But if you only have bananas, your muffins will still be delicious.

Ingredients

For the jam, I like Trader Joe’s fruit-sweetened raspberry jam. Feel free to use your favorite jam or even homemade chia jam. I recommend organic peanut butter with only peanuts and sea salt. If you have a peanut allergy or need these to be lunchbox friendly, feel free to use almond butter, sunflower butter or another nut/seed butter or your choice.

I typically buy oat flour since it ensures it’s finely ground. However, you can make your own oat flour in the blender. Blend rolled oats on high for 1-2 minutes until the oats are finely ground into a flour. One heaping cup of rolled oats makes one cup of oat flour. That being said, I highly recommend weighing your flour. For reference, 1/3 cup of oat flour weighs 30 grams. That means for this recipe you’ll need about 145 grams of oat flour.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins - nourished by nutrition

Nourished by Nutrition Facts

Peanut butter

Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, healthy fats and a variety of vitamins and minerals. It’s a good source of B vitamins, folate, vitamin E, copper, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. Peanut butter is comprised of about 25% protein, with 8 grams per two tablespoons. This makes it an excellent plant-based protein source.

It’s important to note that peanuts (and therefore, peanut butter) are more susceptible to molds and fungus, especially one aflatoxin. This mold can potentially grow on peanuts and is considered a carcinogen by the FDA. The USDA monitors the amounts of aflatoxins in peanuts and other food to make sure that they don’t go over recommended limits. It’s also been shown that processing peanuts into peanut butter reduce the levels of aflatoxins by 89%.

This is why I recommend organic, high-quality roasted peanuts and peanut butter, and opting for another nut over raw peanuts.

Healthy Fat

Important to healthy skin, hair and nails, hormone regulation and so much more. These muffins are full of healthy monounsaturated fats. Oleic acid, the main type of monosaturated fat in peanut butter, has been linked to several health benefits, such as improved insulin sensitivity. While these muffins contain about 7g of fat, it’s important not to fear the fat, especially from quality sources. Healthy fats help keep you full, feeling satisfied and keep your blood sugar levels stable.

Low Sugar

These muffins have 8 grams of sugar with the majority of it coming from applesauce and a touch of maple syrup. The 3 grams of fiber, protein, and healthy fats balance out the sugar. This is key for reducing the blood sugar spike that can come from eating simple carbohydrates and sugar. In general, it’s best to reduce your overall sugar intake. This can help retrain your tastebuds to enjoy less sweet items and reduce cravings for sugar.

When opting for sweeteners, I recommend opting for using the whole fruits like bananas, apples, and dates a sweetener if possible. If it’s not possible flavor or texture-wise, then I recommend opting for natural sweeteners like date syrup, maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins - nourished by nutrition
Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins - nourished by nutrition

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Peanut Butter & Jelly Muffins

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4.5 from 15 reviews

These healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins are gluten-free and naturally sweetened with a touch of maple syrup. Feel free to substitute almond butter, sunflower butter or another nut/seed butter of your choice.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup applesauce (or mashed banana)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups oat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup naturally sweetened jam or homemade chia jam

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners. Spray the inside of the liners lightly with avocado oil spray to prevent muffins from sticking to liners.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the applesauce, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract until smooth.

To the bowl, add in the oat flour, baking powder and salt. Combine until just incorporated. Careful not to overmix. Scoop the batter into muffin liners. Add 1 teaspoon of naturally sweetened jam or chia jam on top of each muffin. Use the back of a spoon or a butter knife to swirl the strawberry fruit spread into the top layer of the batter.

Bake for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Let cool for 3-5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for three months.

Notes

These muffins were inspired by Ambitious Kitchen’s Strawberry Almond Butter Muffins.

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I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #nourishedbynutriton.