I’ve often been asked on how to substitute stevia in recipes calling for honey, and vice versa. I prefer to use honey because I’m trying to increase my carbs in order to raise my body temperature.
But I understand my readers all follow different dietary restrictions, and I try to cater to as many people as possible on my blog. So, here is a delicious sugar AND grain free muffin recipe!
Using Stevia in Grain Free Baking
Honey (or sugar, if you do it) adds bulk and moisture to baked goods. When you remove it, you often end up with a dry and dense result. Because stevia only adds sweetness, I only use it in products that have another element of moisture or bulk–in this case, zucchini.
Also, the baking soda and vinegar combination adds lift to these muffins. No dense hockey-puck muffins here!
Secret to Fluffy Zucchini Muffins from a Pro
Finally, a tip from my Grandma’s neighbor, who is a professional wedding cake baker (how fun!): “Use the smallest side of your grater to grate the zucchini. The finer the shred of the zucchini, the lighter the cake.” I use this tip for carrot muffins/carrot cake, too!
Coconut Flour + Stevia Zucchini Muffins
6 Tbs. coconut flour
4 eggs
3 Tbs. liquified pastured lard, coconut oil, or ghee
1 cup grated zucchini
30 drops stevia (I highly recommend NuNaturals)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg)
1 tsp. vanilla extract, optional
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 8 muffin cups with liners. Mix together the eggs and coconut flour until smooth, then mix in the remaining ingredients.
Divide batter between muffin cups and bake until raised but not dry, 20-25 minutes.
Makes 8 muffins, and they freeze well.
Eat well and heal™!
shared at: Homestead Barn Hop, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Whole Food Wednesday, Healthy 2day
Thank you for this recipe! I looked at the stevia NuNaturals and one of ingredients was natural flavors. I am hoping that didn’t mean msg or any other bad stuff. The description says “plant based natural flavors” Do you know what that means? I also have dried stevia leaves. Do you ever use those in baking?
Hey Kristie! You are so right to be cautious about the term “natural flavors”!!! I trust NuNaturals, and I believe the “natural flavors” is only vanilla because I linked to their Vanilla Flavored Stevia.
Dried stevia leaves would work perfectly in this recipe. Use an amount equal to about 1/4 cup of sugar–perhaps a generous 1/4 tsp.
these muffins look great. I just made my own stevia liquid from home-grown stevia leaves that I dried and pulverized into powder and then into liquid (not flavored). Can’t wait to try the muffins with my stevia.
Homemade stevia?? That is so awesome! I want to try that now!
I want to try homemade stevia too!!! ahh I got to find a stevia plant. I had one 2 years ago but it died. Now the question is where to find a healthy plant in minnesota now that it is winter temps..
Hey Lauren! Yummy recipe. I used to use stevia a lot but now I don’t really use it at all anymore. Heather from the Mommypotamus told me that the powdered or liquid stuff sold today is thousands times sweeter then the actual leaf. The actual leaf was used way back when to treat women and men to become sterile (not fertile!) I know we don’t have to worry about that quite yet, but I just wanted all your readers to know too. I don’t like using it anyways, now that I heard about that! I think I will have to look into the powdered green stuff (the ground up leaf) or use the “processed” stevia sparingly! Go with your gut and use honey!
Wow… that is scary about stevia being used to induce sterility. Thank your for sharing that! I’m definitely going to do more research on it now!
I think the research is iffy on that but let’s keep in touch about it. I spoke w/ someone at Wisdom Naturals and I think he has done a TON of research on that. I can shoot him an email about it.
I would certainly be interested in hearing what the person at Wisdom Naturals has to say. It seems like just my brief internet research has brought up a lot of conflicting information, and I’m not sure what exactly to believe! I think stevia is super convenient, so I would be happy to know if it is safe.
I know that Dr. Campbell-Mcbride (GAPS author) thinks that stevia shouldn’t be used because we don’t know enough about it yet. And Dr. Gottschall who wrote Breaking the Vicious Cycle doesn’t recommend it because the molecular structure resembles a steroid molecule. Isn’t that interesting? But I don’t think that fact alone makes stevia dangerous.
These are great! My daughter is allergic to eggs, so I may make these with chia seeds. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hi Gaby! I’m sorry, but these will not work with chia eggs.
That is our conundrum as well. My son is deathly allergic to eggs so grain free baking is very hard …..
That does sound tough! My coconut flour cookies are egg, grain, and nut free and if your son can have nuts then the Gut and Psychology Diet book has some egg-free baked good recipes made with almond flour and gelatin. Jennifer has a good recipe for egg, grain, and nut free banana bites.
Wow, I just gained a wealth of info from your comments! I too have done a good deal of research regarding the ‘natural flavors’ ingredient. I have a serious sensitivity to anything with MSG and have tried the NuNaturals, only to experience a reaction similar to what I get with MSG. This is a video of brain surgeon, Dr. Russell Blaylock, speaking about MSG and its detrimental effects (if you have time to kill)…http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=8c501468ca914abee2d9395667d5f200
Your recipe looks great by the way!
I currently use Whole Foods 365 brand, as the only extra ingredient is alcohol. I definitely noticed that NuNaturals tasted better, but you have to wonder why? Let me know your thoughts Lauren!
I love when we get a good discussion going in the comments because I learn so much, too! That is so interesting that you have a reaction to NuNaturals… it makes me apprehensive to use it. I definitely agree that NuNaturals tastes much better than regular stevia–it has virtually no bittersweet aftertaste! I have no idea why, though. It makes me wonder if if goes through some extra processing steps (which I wouldn’t be too happy about–I think the less processed, the better). I’ve never bought Whole Food’s stevia before, and I’m glad to hear that you like it and that it only contains alcohol and stevia.
Thank you for linking the video about MSG. I also avoid MSG like the plague, and I’ll certainly check it out.
I tested stevia and have to say I’m not a fan as the taste is too bitter but maybe it isn’t all bad? In Germany and the UK Stevia is very new to us, only was legally allowed in our countries dec 2011 so we’re being quite cautious about it. Plus there is only one powdered brand type at the moment and no liquid form unless we import it from America. the recipe though looks delicious. We can’t get coconut flour here either but am hoping to find some soon then I can try out this recipe! Will probably use honey though instead of powdered stevia/maltodextrin.
) thanks for sharing! Am reading a book called “going against the grain” atm and its so interesting so this recipe goes right along with that as the author talks of the paleo diet and going without grains completely. 
)
http://pudding-girl.de/about-stevia/
I agree that stevia has a bitter taste. Using it in conjunction with honey or fruit puree in recipes helps mask the bitter flavor so it just acts as a “sweetness booster.” This recipe would work with powdered stevia, too. I had no idea that stevia was only recently allowed in Germany–that is interesting! I hope you can get your hands on coconut flour where you live, too–it is delicious stuff!
Hi there… I am very interested in trying this recipe with shredded apple instead of zucchini (I happen to have several apples that are about to be past their prime). Any thoughts on how that might change the outcome, or require adjustments of the other ingredients? Thanks!
That is a great idea! I don’t think it would change the texture at all. You may wish to decrease the stevia slightly (try 15-20 drops) because the apples are sweeter than zucchini. Hope you enjoy!
I only have the stevia packets…how much equivalent do you think it would go for?
Also, can i use too much stevia? I like tea and ould easily add a pack of stevia to eat mug a few times a day if I let myself.
Hi Rach! I’m not sure as far as the stevia packets go. Is there a conversion chart on the box? Use what would be equal to 1/4-1/3 cup sugar.
I actually do not eat stevia anymore myself, after doing more research on it. I don’t recommend it as a sweetener (but I have many readers who use it who wanted a recipe for it). I suggest sticking to what is closest to nature–raw, local honey and 100% pure maple syrup. This also supports your local farmers. I have muffin recipes, like my Paleo Cornbread Muffins or Pumpkin Muffins, which use honey.
How much honey would i use if i wanted to substitute it for the stevia?
2 or 3 tablespoons would probably work. I’ve stopped baking with stevia so I plan on re-making this recipe sweetened with honey.
Hi there,
I’m wondering if I could roast then puree the the zucchini then add it in? I think it would work better for my toddler but don’t want it to be too mushy or wet – do you think this would work?
Also, because we’ll be using the honey, should we increase the amount of coconut flour? thanks so much for the help and I love all your recipes…they work wonderfully for my picky little man!