Raspberry and white chocolate is one of the most iconic flavour combinations, and this recipe for gluten-free, vegan raspberry and white chocolate muffins won’t disappoint!
During Veganuary I found a gold mine of vegan products at Aldi, and one of them was vegan white chocolate. I bought one bar out of curiosity, brought it home, had a single square, and my mind was blown! Moser Roth had produced one the best vegan triumphs of the decade, affordable, incredibly creamy vegan white chocolate that you’d be hard-pressed to know was dairy-free!
Ever since this discovery I’ve been desperate to make a recipe for vegan raspberry and white chocolate muffins. I hit a few roadblocks along the way, which included the disappearance of this incredible white chocolate from Aldi’s shelves (it’s back now!) and an uphill battle to find non-toxic muffin trays (more about this in the notes).
But you’ll be relieved to know that all hurdles have been overcome, and I’m ready to present you with the recipe for these incredibly decadent gluten-free, vegan raspberry and white chocolate muffins!
Raspberry and white chocolate is one of the most iconic flavour combinations. The dance your tastebuds do when they encounter the tart freshness of a pink berry with the uber sweetness of creamy white chocolate is unbeatable. These muffins are super tender and studded with bursts of sharp raspberries and gooey white chocolate. They are an absolute must-make!
What do you need to know before you make this recipe?
First off these are vegan and gluten-free so you’ll need gluten-free flour and xanthan gum. I am breaking the gluten-free, vegan baking rules slightly and baking these at 180C instead of 160C. The higher bake temp. gives these muffins a gorgeous golden hue and makes up for the drop in batter temp from using frozen raspberries. As mentioned I used the Moser Roth Vegan Blonde chocolate, but I’ve included other vegan white chocolate options in the notes.
I’ve included all the additional notes for this vegan raspberry and white chocolate muffins recipe at the bottom of the page with the hope of improving your experience here at blue border. If you found this useful, I’d love your support on Instagram, click here to follow.
ingredients
- 300g / 10.58oz non-dairy milk
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 300g / 10.58oz gluten-free flour, all-purpose
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt
- ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
- 125g / 4.4oz white chocolate, roughly chopped and divided
- 75g / 2.65oz neutral vegetable oil
- 185g / 6.53oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 150g / 5.29oz frozen raspberries
process
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line two muffin trays with muffin cases or small squares of parchment paper.
Combine the milk and apple cider vinegar and set to one side.
Into a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.
Add 100g of the white chocolate to the flour and mix briefly to combine.
Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the milk and mix briefly before pouring into the dry ingredients. Gently mix the wet ingredients through the dry ingredients until you achieve a smooth batter.
Set a small handful of the raspberries to one side and fold the remaining raspberries into the batter. Divide the batter between the muffin cases and top each muffin with the remaining raspberries and white chocolate.
Bake the muffins for 30-35mins or until a skewer sent through the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
NOTES: Gluten-free Vegan Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins
Recipe Questions
What gluten-free flour do you use?
I use Dove’s Farm gluten-free all-purpose flour to make these raspberry and white chocolate muffins and I love the way it performs. It’s important to keep in mind that all-purpose gluten-free flour is made from a blend of gluten-free flours (potato starch, corn starch, brown rice flour, white rice flour etc.), each of which will absorb moisture to a different extent.
If you use a different brand of flour you may need to adjust the recipe slightly. The batter should be a little thicker than ordinary cake batter.
What is xanthan gum and do I have to use it?
Xanthan gum is a binder made through the process of fermenting simple sugars. In this recipe, xanthan gum helps hold the muffins together in the absence of natural binders like eggs and gluten.
I have only tested the recipe with xanthan gum, and my instincts are that this recipe needs, especially since it has a lot of additions (raspberries and white chocolate).
If you’re opposed to using xanthan gum and want to try the recipe without it, you could try using a flax egg instead. If you do make these muffins with a flax egg and it works, I would love to know! Leave me a comment below.
What vegan white chocolate did you use?
As mentioned in the intro, I used the Moser Roth Vegan Blonde chocolate from Aldi. If you’re in the UK but can’t find the chocolate I used, try the Vegan Kind Supermarket, which stocks several vegan white chocolate options or the White Vanilla Chocolate from iChoc. If you’re in Australia, you should be able to find iChoc or look out for Loving Earth.
Gluten-free Cake Baking Questions & Troubleshooting
Why do you use baking powder and baking soda?
Gluten-free bakes always need a little more help. Both raising agents together have a greater leavening ability and gives gluten-free cakes an extra boost. This is especially important in a recipe like this when using additions like chocolate and fruit.
Why is my gluten-free cake falling apart?
If you did decide to leave out the xanthan gum and your muffins are crumbling, that’s probably why. As mentioned, xanthan gum is an excellent stand-in for gluten and eggs, and without it, GF bakes tend to crumble and fall apart.
OR
You didn’t let the muffins cool completely before handling them. Gluten-free cakes are more fragile than cakes made with wheat flour. Allowing your muffins to cool completely before eating allows the crumb structure to fully set. If you skip this step, you may find the muffins fall apart easily.
Why does my cake have a gritty texture?
Rice flour is to blame for a gritty texture in gluten-free bakes. Try using a different all-purpose gluten-free flour or make your own mix. I like this recipe for gluten-free flour by Minimalist Baker, and even better make it with superfine brown and white rice flour.
For more help with gluten-free, vegan baking check out –
A little note on non-toxic bakeware
I recently watched Dark Waters and honestly, it scared the s**t out of me. Dark Waters tells the story of the legal case made against DuPont and how the production of Teflon affected a town in West Virginia. Teflon is incredibly toxic and has had a severe impact on people and the planet since its inception in 1938.
For this reason, I’m making an active effort to cook without it. There is an immense amount of information out there on non-toxic vs non-stick bakeware, but that’s a whole post in itself.
So for the sake of keeping it simple, I just wanted to mention that I used a set of stainless steel muffin trays lined with If You Care baking paper. Not perfect but the closest I could get! For more info, you can read the New York Times Article that inspired Dark Waters here, or watch the movie on Prime.
