Rise and shine with this hearty morning glory bread recipe! Perfect as a vegan option for breakfast or as an afternoon treat with a hot cup of tea. This vegan loaf cake is loaded up with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, grated carrot and apple, raisins, walnuts, ground flax seed, maple syrup, orange juice, and shredded coconut. Similar to my vegan carrot muffins, every bite is moist, tender, just sweet enough, and extra flavorful with warm hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Once you grate your carrot and apple, mix your wet and dry ingredients together, and then bake in the oven, you’re good to go!
My curiosity over developing a morning glory quick bread started over a year ago! A reader emailed me for advice on taking my carrot muffin recipe and turning that into a morning glory loaf. I had a few suggestions and sent them their way. They reported back on their progress and I kept thinking about testing a dedicated recipe for the blog. I am so pleased with the results that took root in that initial conversation!
This recipe is inspired by the legendary muffin invented by Pam McKinstry while operating The Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket in the 70’s. While the original recipe contained 100% all-purpose flour, cane sugar, and pecans (I use a portion of whole wheat flour, maple syrup and walnuts), the flavor profile with this loaf is pretty faithful. Here’s a link where you can read more about Chef Pam McKinstry and the history of this treat.
My favorite muffins and loaves veer towards the wholesome side. Vegan zucchini bread, spelt banana bread, anything with bran, whole grains, or hidden fruits/vegetables. This morning glory quick bread has it all. Grated carrots and apples, whole wheat and all-purpose flour, and a boat load of crunchy and sweet add-ins like raisins, walnuts, and coconut. A slice of this is quite filling! I ruined my lunch a couple times when I was testing this one hehe.
Some tips for making this morning glory loaf:
- I prefer soy milk in my baking because it generally performs similarly to dairy milk. Having said that, I’m about 90% confident that other alternative milks would work fine here.
- I have made this loaf with avocado oil in place of the sunflower and it was great! I just prefer the ultra neutral taste of sunflower oil for a loaf cake like this.
- You can change up the add-ins if you want (different chopped nuts/seeds/dried fruit). You’ll need a scant cup total. I would avoid doing all dried fruit though–it will make the loaf too moist and crumbly.
- Working with the included gram amounts will be the most accurate and will yield the best results. If you’re using cups, I recommend the spoon and level measuring method for the flour. Also for those using cups: do not “pack” the grated carrots, apples, or raisins.
This breakfast bread is naturally egg-free! Replacing eggs is always my first concern when working on quick breads. There’s a lot of moist ingredients in the classic morning glory mixture, so I wasn’t too keen to go in with apple sauce or anything like that. Working with the ratio of flours to soy milk and adding a hint more leavening from baking powder does the trick!
Hope you love this one! It really is a special treat.
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Tender Morning Glory Bread (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 medium carrot, grated (¾ cup/65 grams grated carrot total)
- 1 medium apple, grated (¾ cup/85 grams grated apple total)
- ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened soy milk
- ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup
- ½ cup (120 ml) sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (113 grams) whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (98 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup (50 grams) raisins
- ⅓ cup (38 grams) walnuts chopped
- ¼ cup (13 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons (12 grams) ground flax seed
Notes
- I prefer soy milk in my baking because it generally performs similarly to dairy milk. Having said that, I’m about 90% confident that other alternative milks would work fine here.
- I have made this loaf with avocado oil in place of the sunflower and it was great! I just prefer the ultra neutral taste of sunflower oil for a loaf cake like this.
- You can change up the add-ins if you want (different chopped nuts/seeds/dried fruit). You’ll need a scant cup total. I would avoid doing all dried fruit though–it will make the loaf too moist and crumbly.
- Working from the included gram amounts will be the most accurate and will yield the best results. If you’re using cups, I recommend the spoon and level measuring method for the flour. Also for those using cups: do not “pack” the grated carrots, apples, or raisins.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and position a rack in the middle. Grease an 8×4 loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the grated carrot, grated apple, soy milk, maple syrup, sunflower oil, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
- In another large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, raisins, walnuts, coconut, and ground flax. Stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold them together using a spatula. Be careful not to over mix! Once you have a unified batter (A few dry spots is fine), transfer it to the prepared loaf pan.
- Smooth out the top of the batter and garnish with extra chopped walnuts, raisins, and coconut if you like.
- Bake the morning glory bread for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf emerges clean. Cool completely before slicing.
So, so good! I made french toast with it this morning – incredible!
Laura, thank you *so much* for including weight measurements — I’ve been hoping for those for years. Much appreciated! And I love that this is such a pleasantly/yummily “cluttered” recipe with all the delicious add-ins…I lean that way too, as well as toward the whole grains. Right up my street.
Whole family loved this loaf! Husband, 5 year old and 2 year old. As a dietitian I love the ingredients too. Thanks for sharing
Hi Laura…I absolutely love this recipe. The first time I made it, I used almond flour and substituted egg white for baking soda, dates for raisins, pumpkin seeds for the walnuts. Basically used what I had at home. Somewhat denser but absolutely wonderful with a sour cream topping. Second time, I made a mistake and used all wheat flour instead of adding in the white (got distracted). No problem. Still used the sunflower seeds but used a dried fruit mix (cranberries, white grapes, and cherries). No problem. Worked out fine for muffins as well. I especially appreciate that it doesn’t require eggs. Thanks so much!
Gorgeous! Thank you :)
Made this bread yesterday. Amazing flavor and texture! I used aquafaba instead of oil. I can’t wait to eat breakfast today. ;-)
Hi Julie,
I’m so glad to hear that aquafaba worked in place of the oil. I know that this note will help lots of folks looking to make this oil-free in the future! :)
-L
Equal measurement to oil? I’m going to try this, ty!
Yes, 1/2 cup of aquafaba.
Managed to forget the flax but still turned out beautifully (if a little more crumbly)! Better than many morning glory muffins I’ve bought at coffee shops.
I wanted to make gluten free muffins so I followed the rules from The Elements of Baking (The Loopy Whisk cookbook) to convert it to GF. I reduced the flour by 10% (so 189 grams) and used a gluten-free flour blend. Added 1 1/3 teaspoons xanthan gum. I made 8 muffins and they came out really well! Moist, fluffy, totally held together.
Alison,
I so appreciate your notes on converting to GF! I know that this comment will help a lot of folks. The Elements of Baking is SUCH a fantastic resource :)
-L
Wow! Amazing recipe. I did not have sunflower oil, so I used avocado oil. I also used half pecans and half walnuts for the nuts; the only oranges I had were blood oranges. The combo worked well, and the bread was moist and delicious. I will have to be very disciplined not to eat the whole thing in one day.
Beautiful recipe. I left out the coconut, didn’t have an orange, used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower, used light olive oil for the oil, added a hefty pinch of ground cardamom along with the cinnamon…but followed the rest to the letter. Really delicious, with a nice texture. Thanks!
This is delicious and has the perfect not-too-crumbly, not-too-moist texture. I love the flavour that comes through from the cinnamon, the different textures, and how it’s just the right amount of sweet. Feels both virtuous AND like a nice treat. I love how it’s different than a muffin, too (more “inside” and less “outside” texture, if that makes sense). For everybody asking about substitutions, I really encourage you to try the recipe as-is!
Oh my gosh. I’ve truly loved everyone of your recipes, but this has made my top five list. I’m making this every week from now on but boy, it’s going to be tough to use some portion control ❤️
Just ate my first slice – delicious! Used unsweetened vanilla almond milk because that’s what I had and it turned out great. Skipped the fruit because I didn’t have any. Will definitely make again. Yum!
Made this and turned out perfectly! Didn’t have wholewheat flour but had white rye flour and that seemed to substitute fine in case anyone is in the same boat.
This loaf is delicious. Not too sweet either. I’m not vegan so I used dairy milk. I also realized too late that I had no orange zest or juice. Just added an extra tablespoon of milk. I’ll make again.
Made this exactly as per the recipe and it’s so good! Nice having the weights to follow. Could you suggest any alternatives (if any) for the maple syrup? Hate to sound cheap but it’s a bit expensive and I like to save it for things that I can really taste the maple flavour. Will definitely be making this again.
Hi Lisa! You could probably replace the maple syrup with an equal amount of light brown sugar and just increase the soy milk by 2 tablespoons. I haven’t tried this myself yet, but if I was going about a maple substitution, this is how I would do it.
-L
This bread is a delightful combination of grated carrot and apple, enriched with the warm flavors of cinnamon and a hint of orange zest. The mix of raisins, walnuts, and shredded coconut adds a fantastic texture. Moist, flavorful, and naturally sweet, it’s a perfect snack. I will make on repeat. I followed exactly, weighting all the ingredient, except my bread was fully baked at 45 minutes. Ovens vary so I alway set for a shorter time and check. While not too sweet, I would like to try again and reduce the maple syrup to 1/4 cup. Would I need to increase the apple sauce or milk?
So yummy and not overly sweet. I like that I can add in any dried fruit, etc I had on hand
OMG! Outstanding quick bread recipe! I had given up on quick breads like zucchini bread and banana bread because they were inevitably undercooked once I cut into them (despite always baking longer than recommended). This bread was PERFECT and so delicious. I followed instructions exactly, using a scale. Baked for 55 minutes. I was unable to cool the loaf completely before helping myself to a slice. Thanks, Laura!
A diabetic nightmare blood sugar would elevate very high with all these sweet things
No one is forcing you to make it, Mariann :)
-L
Hi Laura,
This looks so good! Can it be made into muffins?
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you! Yes I think it will work. See my reply to Alison in the comments below! ♥️
-L
This turned out so yummy! I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins (because raisins are not my favorite) and accidentally forgot to add the cinnamon. It had so much flavor despite missing the cinnamon and when I make it again (because I will) I will have to decide if I want to add cinnamon or not.
Love that you used cranberries! Thanks for leaving this comment and review, Sydney!
-L
Is there a substitute for reducing the amount of oil? Looks amazing!
Hi Sarah,
I tried versions with apple sauce substituting for half of the oil and the resulting texture was not to my liking. Almost simultaneously gummy and mealy? I wasn’t a fan and it took away from the overall flavor in my opinion. I truly wish there was a simple way to make this recipe work for everyone, but it can be tough! It might be best to look to a dedicated oil-free and vegan baking/cooking blog for their expertise on recipes like this.
-L
Having a digital scale party over here! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Laura for going with grams. Honestly makes baking and cooking so much easier!
It really is so much easier! :)
-L
Thank you for this recipe, it looks so good.
Do you think whole wheat could be replaced by whole spelt flour?
And is there necessary to use all purpose flour?
Thanks
Hi Leila,
I have used whole spelt in place of the whole wheat with this morning glory loaf and it worked nicely! Using all whole grain flour will make for a much more dense loaf that may require additional moisture.
-L
This looks soo good! Think it could be made as muffins too?
Probably! I’m guessing you could get 9 regular-sized muffins out of the batter (maybe more!). I would start checking for done-ness at the 20 minute mark (same oven temp specified in the recipe).
-L
that looks delicious and i’m always looking for wholesome muffins/quick breads. I do have a couple of questions though. Did you peel the apple before grating? I can’t tell from the pictures. Also, that seems like a lot of sugar (maple syrup) to add in something that already has carrots and apples. I would typically only use 1/4 cup in a muffin recipe. So i was wondering if i could cut it down or even leave it out due to the carrots and apple. Or would that alter the texture too much? thanks.
Hi Jacquie,
I do not peel the apple before grating. You certainly can if the texture is an issue for you, just so long as you wind up with roughly 85 grams grated apple. As for the maple syrup, it’s tricky. The hardest part of developing a loaf like this is working without eggs. To have a final result that holds together and isn’t too crumbly/too moist, I had to use a certain ratio of flour to overall liquid. If you’re cutting the maple syrup in half, I would also subtract at least a tablespoon of flour. I have to mention that I have not tested the recipe with these adjustments and cannot guarantee that it will result in a loaf that holds together or looks like the one depicted here.
-L
thanks for the clarification on the apple. I do understand that modifying the recipe will be at my own risk :) Thanks for the suggestions on how i that might do to get it to work. Humm – if it is to replace the egg maybe i could add some applesauce. Will have to play around with this.
thanks again
This looks SO amazing and I’ve been looking for a breakfast recipe like this for a while! Any thoughts on if a GF flour would work instead?
Hi Emily,
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so can’t guarantee anything unfortunately. However, if I were to attempt it: definitely use a gluten-free all-purpose (1-to-1) style flour to replace both the whole wheat and white flours specified in the recipe. If your gluten-free flour mix does not contain xanthan gum, I would add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum with the dry ingredients. If you try it, let me know how your GF morning glory bread experiment goes! :)
-L