Date-Sweetened Banana Muffins

These healthy banana muffins are so sweet and moist. You won’t believe that they are sweetened only with dates and bananas. And you won’t miss refined sugar in this one. Start your morning tasty and wholesome!

Healthy Banana Muffins

Anyone who loves baking knows how important sugar is to baking. How it contributes to the texture and taste. So, baking with other sweeteners often meets with less than satisfying results.

But these date-sweetened banana muffins solve an important problem. How to satisfy the sweet tooth, without depending heavily on refined sugar! An absolute must try for anyone who loves sweet mornings and baking.

I was amazed with the results. The banana muffins rise nicely, are moist and have a great texture. You really can’t tell there is no refined sugar in these muffins. So easy to make too.

Nourish your body while pleasing your senses, with these healthy banana date muffins.

Recipe Ingredients

• Flour: Use all purpose flour or whole wheat flour .
• Oats: Rolled oats give a wholesome texture.
• Bananas: Choose very ripe bananas. You can freeze over-ripe bananas and use as needed. If they are not ripe enough, bake them at 350 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes until the skin darkens.
• Oil: Use any oil that does not have a strong flavor. You can’t skimp on the oil though, or the muffins will be dry. 
• Dates: Choose soft and plump medjool dates as they are easy to work with. 
• If dates are too dry, then place in saucepan, add small amount of water (as needed), heat at medium high and when bubbles appear, lower the heat and simmer. Cook it until soft, turn off the heat and allow to cool.
• Ready-Made Date Paste: This is available at middle eastern stores or online, but make sure to remove any pits or fragments. Use 300 grams (about 10 ounces) for this recipe. The date paste can be sticky, so work with it using food prep gloves or oiled palms.
• Dark Chocolate Chips: These add some bursts of sweetness. Use raisins as a substitute.
• Walnuts: Toast nuts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, cool and chop them coarsely.
• Flavors: I use cinnamon and vanilla. Adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of freshly ground green cardamom is also nice. A few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg may be good too.
• Milk:  Whole, reduced fat or low-fat dairy or non-dairy milk will work.
• Other Ingredients: Egg, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt.

How to Make It

Brief overview below. *Full recipe for healthy banana muffins at the end of blog post. 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Dry Ingredients: In a food processor, pulse walnuts into big pieces. Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats and pulse. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Wet Ingredients:  Process dates with milk into a paste. Add oil and pulse. Then add egg, vanilla and pulse. Add bananas and pulse until smooth.
4. Combine: Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips if using.
5. Bake: Spoon batter into muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees F. 

Top Tips

Use Ripe Bananas: This is an absolute must. Ripe bananas are sweeter and more flavorful.

Thick Batter: The batter consistency should be in between that of cake and drop cookies. Thick enough to mound. Adjust with flour if needed.

Domed Muffins: Don't hesitate to fill the muffins pans, for nice domed muffin tops.

Hot Oven: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and then lower it to 350 degrees F before baking. This will help the muffins rise better.

Raisins, other dried fruits and dark chocolate chips are some ways to adjust sweetness in muffins.

Variations

Below are some suggestions, but I have not tried some of these.

Gluten-Free: Be sure to use certified gluten free oats and substitute all purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour.

Nut-Free: Skip walnuts or use pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes.

Dairy-Free: Instead of dairy milk, use nut based milk, soy milk and such.

Egg-Free: Use flax or chia eggs in place of regular eggs. Combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Vegan: Try flax or chia eggs, use non-dairy milk and vegan chocolate chips.

Other Sweeteners: You can try using about ¾ cup of maple syrup or honey instead of the dates. Another option is to try our oatmeal banana muffins.

Make Ahead

Combine dry ingredients and have them ready. Make the date  paste ahead.

Storage

Banana date muffins are best for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. They can be frozen in freezer safe bags or containers.

What to Serve Along

Enjoy these healthy banana muffins with milk, tea made with our homemade tea blend, hot chocolate or coffee.

Why Are These Healthy?

The muffins are made with the following ingredients.

Rolled Oats: Are whole grain and a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They have a lower glycemic load, releasing sugar slowly from the carbohydrates and keeping you satisfied longer.

Bananas: These sweeten the muffins. And are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and magnesium.

Dates: They are high in fiber, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and a good source of niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron and polyphenols. Therefore are a wholesome alternative to refined sugar.

Olive oil: It makes the muffins moist and is a great source of heart healthy monounsaturated fats.

Walnuts: A great source of omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of healthy fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, protein and antioxidants.

Dietary fiber, protein and fat, in the muffins are all nutrients that help moderate blood sugar levels.

Why Bake With Dates?

Compared to sugar, dates come with a lot of beneficial nutrients. One date provides almost 2 grams of fiber or 8% of the daily value. Plus they are also a source of nutrients that support good health and lower risk of diseases. 

The dietary fiber in dates can slow the absorption of carbs and therefore reduce blood sugar spikes. In fact, some research has shown that people with diabetes did not experience significant blood sugar spikes after consuming certain number of dates. 

Dates have a low glycemic index (foods with low GI cause less significant changes in blood sugar levels). However dates are also a rich source of carbohydrates and calories, so always moderation is recommended. 

And when we look at another measure, glycemic load, which considers the amount eaten, then 2 dates would be of medium glycemic load.

More Banana Recipes

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