Feijoa Muffins
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 03/29/2023 - Last updated on 09/20/2023
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
These Feijoa Muffins are simple healthy muffins full sweet and tangy flavors from feijoa fruits.
If you don’t know what to do with lots of feijoas this autumn, this feijoa recipe is the one you need.
The first tree we planted as we moved to New Zealand was a feijoa tree.
I had never heard of feijoas before moving overseas, but here in New Zealand, people love them in Autumn.
They grow so well, but often all the feijoa ripen simultaneously. It means we end up with too many fruits that we can’t all eat as fast as we should each year.
So this feijoa muffin recipe became very handy to use all these ripe feijoa and enjoy lovely baked goods.
What Are Feijoas?
Feijoa is a small green fruit, the size of a chicken egg, also called pineapple guava.
It’s native to Southern Brazil and was imported to New Zealand in 1920, where new feijoa varieties started growing.
What Do Feijoas Taste Like?
A Feijoa taste is between sweet and sour, like a mix of strawberry, pineapple, and apple. The first time I tried it, I found that it tasted like bubblegum.
How Can I Eat Feijoa?
To eat feijoa, cut it in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. The flesh should be creamy, white, to light brown.
You can also scoop out the flesh and cook it to make feijoa puree, or use it in muffins, crumble, and more.
How To Make Feijoa Muffins
It took me 10 years living in New Zealand to finally make a delicious feijoa recipe.
Ingredients
Here’s how I make my feijoa muffin recipe, you will need:
- Ripe Feijoa – Freshly fallen from the feijoa tree.
- All-Purpose Flour or white spelt flour
- Soft Brown Sugar
- Desiccated Coconut – This brings out the tropical flavors of the fruit.
- Cinnamon
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Avocado Oil – That’s much healthier than melted butter and makes the muffins ultra fluffy.
- Milk – I used almond milk.
- Large Egg – I know eggs are expensive and hard to find in store in New Zealand, so read below for egg-free options.
- Lime Juice – This add a tangy flavor that goes so well with feijoa.
- Vanilla Extract or vanilla essence.
Making Muffin Batter
First, cut each feijoa fruit in half, scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon, and place it on a chopping board.
Using a long sharp knife, chop the flesh roughly. It will release a bit of juice, keep all for the recipe.
Pack the chopped feijoa in a measuring cup and measure 1 cup of feijoa flesh for this recipe.
Discard the feijoa skin in the compost bin.
In a large bowl, add the chopped feijoa and juice it released, egg, milk, lime juice, avocado oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to beat in the egg and form a consistent mixture. Set aside.
In another mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, coconut, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine.
Baking Feijoa Muffins
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine and form a thick muffin batter.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases and lightly oil them with cooking spray.
Fill each muffin case evenly with the feijoa muffin batter.
Bake the muffins on the center rack of the oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F).
Keep baking for 13 to 16 minutes until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Cool down for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature.
Storage Instructions
Store the feijoa muffins in a sealed cake box in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days.
You can freeze the muffins in freezer bags or sealed containers and thaw them at room temperature the day before serving.
Serving
Feijoa muffins are the best morning tea, kids’ lunchbox filler, or side to your morning tea or coffee.
They are good plain or with a dollop of butter or nut butter.
Extra Flavoring Ideas
Feijoa goes well with any spices that pair with apples or pineapple.
For example, you can adapt this recipe by adding some of the ingredients below for more flavors:
- 1 teaspoon of fresh finely-grated ginger.
- 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spices or allspice.
- 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
Allergy Swaps
If you are allergic or intolerant to any of the ingredients, try some of the substitution suggestions below.
- Egg-Free – Replace the egg with one tablespoon of cornstarch mixed in 3 tablespoons of water. You can also use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened apple sauce or a flax egg. Stir one tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside for 10 minutes until thick and use as an egg.
- Dairy-Free – Use any non-dairy milk you love.
- Nut-Free – Swap almond milk for milk, soy milk, or oat milk.
- Lime-Free – Lemon juice or orange juice tastes great as well. Alternatively, you can replace it with more milk for citrus allergies.
- Coconut-Free – You can skip the coconut and use ground almonds or rolled oats to make healthy feijoa breakfast muffins.
- Brown Sugar Swap – You can use white sugar, but they come out crispier, less moist, and fluffy.
- Low-Sugar – You can decrease the sugar to 1/2 cup or use natural sugar-free sweeteners like a Monk fruit blend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find below the answers to your most common questions about this recipe.
You can make feijoa bread out of this recipe. To make the bread a bit firmer, add an extra 1/4 cup of flour.
Bake in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in total or until a pick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
The feijoa skin is not edible, but you don’t need to peel the skin.
The best way to eat feijoa is to cut them in half crosswise and use a spoon to remove the flesh and eat.
You can eat feijoa fruits raw or bake them to create muffins, crumbles, or sweet bread.
Try to make feijoa puree, feijoa muffins, like this recipe, or feijoa crumble.
More Muffin Recipes
If you like muffins, you’ll love these other muffin recipes.
Have you tried this feijoa muffin recipe? Share a comment or review below to connect with me!
Did You Like This Recipe?
Leave a comment below or head to our Facebook page for tips, our Instagram page for inspiration, our Pinterest for saving recipes, and Flipboard to get all the new ones!
Feijoa Muffins
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
- ⅔ cup Brown Sugar (note 1)
- ½ cup Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut (note 2)
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Wet ingredients
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil (note 3)
- 2 tablespoons Milk
- 1 large Egg (note 4)
- 1 cup Feijoa ripe, flesh only, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases and lightly oil it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Cut the feijoa fruits in half and, using a teaspoon, scrape down the flesh. Discard the feijoa skin in the compost bin.
- Roughly chop the feijoa flesh and pack in a measuring cup – you need 1 full cup, you can keep the juice released when you chop the fruits.
- Place the chopped feijoa in a large mixing bowl with the remaining liquid ingredients: egg, lime juice, milk, vanilla extract, and oil.
- Whisk to combine all wet ingredients together. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, brown sugar, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine evenly.
- Pour the dry ingredients onto the wet ingredients and stir to form a smooth muffin batter.
- Fill the muffin paper cases evenly with the batter and bake in the center rack of the oven for 5 minutes at 200°C (400°F).
- Reduce the oven to 180°C (350°F) and keep baking for 13-16 minutes until golden brown and a pick inserted in the middle of the feijoa muffins comes out clean.
- Cool down for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then release on a wire rack to cool completely at room temperature.
Want My Kitchen Equipment?
About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only. The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
Share this post!
If you enjoyed this post, share it with your close ones!
Leave a comment
Really enjoyed the texture of these muffins and will make again. I used lemon juice but think the lime would be preferable with the feijoa. I used 110 gms of brown sugar but would reduce that slightly more next time. I also used the flaxmeal/water egg substitue. I was really impressed with the muffin it was light, moist, cripsy on the top and while mine lacked a little flavour, I think that could easily be adjusted with using lime juice and some fresh ginger.