Sweet No-Added-Sugar Muffins (and no non-nutritive sweeteners)

Many people (like me!) have a sweet tooth and find it difficult to give up treats like baked goods, sodas, or cereal. However, there are nutritious ways to satisfy the sweet cravings without any added sugar or non-nutritive sweeteners. Stay with me here…

In an effort to reduce added sugar in the diet, a shift towards fruit is a reasonable adjustment. Eating berries, fried bananas, and prunes are great for dessert or a mid-day snack nutritionally. However, we all still crave a cookie or brownie once in awhile! For baked goods, think dates, bananas, and apples as natural sweeteners.

Sweetening Muffins with Fruit

Below is a recipe that uses only fruit to sweeten muffins- and they are plenty sweet! I have had muffins without sugar that are okay, but are a little dry or bland. These muffins are different. Moist, flavorful, and as sweet as a muffin you’d get at a traditional bakery, you’d never guess that there’s no sugar in them.

Dates, nature’s candy, can be used very effectively to sweeten foods like muffins. This recipe uses both liquified dates and chunks of them to sweeten the muffins. Walnuts and bananas are added in as well, but nuts, fruits, and other add-ins like coconut can be customized according to your preferences.

Why Sweeten Muffins with Dates?

Sugar adds calories and can cause cavities without any nutrition. Low or no calorie sweeteners lack nutrition, but may also have side effects. Read more here.

Dates can provide sweetness and nutrition! One serving is about three dates. According to the USDA, one serving of dates contains 5.25 grams of fiber (20% of the RDA) and the recommended daily amount of:

• Copper: 30%

• Magnesium: 11%

• Manganese: 11%

• Potassium: 17%

• Vitamin B6: 13%

Dates have also been studied for their effects on pregnancy and evidence suggests eating them in the final month of pregnancy can reduce labor time and pain! (1,2)

Dates are a powerhouse of nutrition.

What about the glycemic index of dates?

The glycemic index of a food represents how much blood sugars rise after eating it.

However, a better measurement of the effect food has on blood sugars is glycemic load.

Glycemic load tells how quickly the food makes glucose enter the bloodstream and how much glucose per serving it can deliver. In other words, it takes into consideration real world application including the serving size and how it’s usually eaten.

Further, the glycemic load of two foods eaten together can be added together to get a total glycemic load (think burger + bun). This isn’t possible with glycemic index.

For one serving of a food:

• 10 or less is considered a low glycemic load,

• 11-19 is medium, and

• 20+ is considered high.

There are different varieties of dates, each with slightly different glycemic indices and loads. Medjool dates’ average glycemic index is 55.3 bordering low-medium, and glycemic load is 17 according to a study published in 2016. The study was based on eating 3 medium-sized Medjools.

For individuals concerned about blood sugar spikes, eating a serving of dates is safe and nutritious. The study demonstrated that eating three dates did not cause significant fluctuations in the glycemic response or a rapid elevation in blood glucose concentrations in healthy individuals. 

*People with diabetes need to test their blood sugars after eating to know how much of a specific food will raise glucose levels out of acceptable range.

Long story short, a serving of dates contributes towards required fiber, B6, and micronutrients with minimal impact on blood sugars. They are nutritive sweeteners (as opposed to non-nutritive sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, or stevia.)

Sweet No-Added-Sugar Muffins

Below is a recipe for sweet no-added-sugar muffins. This recipe is for Banana Nut Muffins sweetened with dates (and banana).

Substitutions

If you’re not a banana fan, you can remove the banana, but the muffins may not be as moist. Try a cup of unsweetened applesauce (blend apple and water) or add in lots of berries or mango instead. In the absence of banana or applesauce, the muffins will be drier, so reduce the baking time by 4 minutes.

If you can tolerate nuts, pecans or macadamias are great substitutes!

Allergens of No-Added-Sugar Muffins

These muffins are gluten-free.

If you have a nut allergy- simply leave the nuts out and use a baking mix that is nut-free.

The Pamela's Pancake & Baking Mix that I used contains nuts and milk.

If you have a milk allergy, use a baking mix that is milk-free (most are) and use a plant-based milk alternative.

These muffins contain egg. It hasn't been tested yet, but if needed, try replacing the egg by increasing the chia seeds, flax seeds, or using 1/4 avocado. Read how to use these substitutes here.

Banana Nut Muffins contain no soy, fish, shellfish, wheat, peanut, or sesame.

Banana Nut Muffins with No Added Sugar

Yield: 10 muffins

Prep Time: 15 mins.

Cook Time: 22 mins.

Total Time: 37 mins.

Liquid Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas

• 1 egg

• ¼ cup milk (or plant-based milk)

• 4-6 dates + ¼ cup water blended (or 1/3 cup of date syrup)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp gluten-free baking mix (I used Pamela’s Pancake & Baking Mix, but another mix with flour, baking soda, baking powder, xantham gum, and salt will work)

• 1 Tbsp chia seeds

• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional for extra protein)

Mix-ins:

• 1/3 cup or about 3-4 dates chopped

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F and grease or line a muffin tray with 10 muffin cups.

2. Mash banana in a large bowl with a pastry blender or a fork.

3. Blend 4 to 6 pitted dates in a blender with water to create a date syrup. You want 1/3 cup of syrup. Add to bowl with banana.

4. Add remaining wet ingredients and whisk until well combined.

5. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

6. Chop remaining dates and nuts and fold into the batter.

7. Pour batter into each muffin cup and bake for 22 minutes. Let cool before removing from the tray to prevent the muffins from falling apart.

Note: If not using banana or applesauce, the muffins will be drier. Reduce baking time to 18 minutes. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean.