Looking for a healthy muffins recipe? These easy Apple Cinnamon Muffins contain no added sugar, are flour free, and use no butter or oil. They are sweetened with dates and taste amazing! Your family will enjoy the baked goods and you will enjoy serving a healthy breakfast treat.
Healthy Muffins for Quick Breakfasts
It is back to school time after break! I’m not sure what goes on at your house, but my mornings have been full of “lovely” children who just want to stay in bed and a mom who just wants to drink coffee in peace.
I’m not going to lie, sometimes the moment the bus pulls away from the stop is one of the best moments I have before 8 a.m.
Serving a breakfast treat is one way to make morning a bit less dramatic and less stressful for everyone. I can usually coax little people out of bed with promises of baked goods and, if all else fails, I can stick a muffin in their hand as they head for the bus stop.
No Sugar Apple Cinnamon Healthy Muffins
Our family is full of sugar-coated carb-lovers. My kids love breakfasts full of cinnamon rolls, donuts, or coffee cake. I enjoy being the mom that thrills and delights with the occasional sweet treat for breakfast, but I also want to make sure that everyone has a healthy meal to start the day.
This easy Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe will please both sides. It contains no sugar, no flour, and no oil but still tastes sweet. It’s a win-win, your family will enjoy the baked treat and you will enjoy serving a healthier breakfast option.
No Sugar or Artificial Sweetener
These muffins contain no sugar or artificial sweetener but still have loads of sweet yummy apple cinnamon flavor. The secret? They are sweetened with pureed dates!
Dates are cousins to raisin and prunes with a milder, sweeter flavor. The taste is sometimes compared to caramel, which makes them an excellent addition to baked goods and the perfect companion to apples. (Hello caramel apples!)
Easy Preparation & Clean-up
The healthy muffins are made in your blender or food processor so you don’t have a lot of bowls and utensils to wash. They take 10 minutes to prepare and even less time to clean up. Just measure, blend and pour.
There is another plus to using the blender, it turns the whole oats into oat flour so you get a delicious baked good that has great muffin consistency without using wheat flour!
MORE HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY
1 – Healthy Oatmeal Muffins – My original no flour, no sugar, no oil recipe. This basic recipe is sweetened with bananas and is easy to customize.
2 – Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins – My kids’ all-time favorite healthy oatmeal muffins recipe. Lots of CHOCOLATE flavor.
3 – Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe – Pumpkin, maple syrup, and spices give the muffins classic pumpkin pie flavor. Enjoy a fall favorite with no guilt!
4 – Healthy Zucchini Muffins Recipe – Zucchini and spices give the muffins classic zucchini bread flavor. Enjoy a fall favorite with no guilt!
No Sugar Apple Cinnamon Blender Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy Apple Cinnamon Muffin recipe contains no sugar, is flour free, and has no butter or oil. It is sweetened with dates and tastes amazing! Your family will enjoy the muffins and you will enjoy serving a healthy treat.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (plus 1/4 cup for garnish if desired)
- 1 cup dried dates (chopped)
- 1/2 cup water (boiling)
- 1 1/4 cup apple (diced, about 1 large apple)
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp real vanilla
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Place diced dates into blender and pour boiling water over. Allow to sit for 5 minutes then blend until smooth.
- Add diced apples and milk to the blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients and puree until oats are well ground, scraping down sides of blender as needed.
- Line muffin tin with muffin papers and fill 2/3 full with batter, approximately 1/4 cup per muffin.
- Sprinkle each muffin with 1/2 tsp old-fashioned oats, if desired.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes, a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin should come out clean.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Use parchment baking cups. Healthy muffins have a habit of sticking to the baking cups and muffin tins. Parchment baking cups will prevent them from sticking. If you do not have parchment baking cups try spraying or brushing the muffins wrappers with a small amount of oil before baking.
How to store the muffins. Keep the muffins for 3-4 days in a sealed container on the counter, 7-10 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator, or for several months well wrapped in the freezer (defrost in the fridge overnight).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 72
- Sugar: 2.7
- Sodium: 127.3
- Fat: 0.6
- Carbohydrates: 12.4
- Protein: 2.8
- Cholesterol: 23.5
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Tara
Thank you for this fabulous recipe! It’s a great option for my husband who is diabetic, and yummy for the rest of the family, too! I like to make multiple batches at once and then freeze some for the following week, but I have been using a Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus and can only do one batch at a time. I wondered if you or other followers have tried the Prep 14 or have a favorite blender than can accommodate double or even triple batches? Thanks again!
Rosemary L.
I was wondering if you could also include the carb count for all your baked goods as they might be very healthy choices for Diabetics like myself. Thank you for all your recipes.
Bren
Rosemary, I updated the recipe! I’ll work on the others!
Melissa
Amazing recipe. I didn’t have dates so substituted with raisins and still came out brilliantly. My toddler and I love them.
S Healy
It’s me again.
I just tried these with strawberries instead of apple (same quantity) and they were delicious. I think I prefer then over the apple. Point to note: My strawberries were super ripe and sweet so maybe that made a difference.
S Healy
I’ve made these loads of time and love them. I use 24 dates and one decent size apple and they always turn out great. I couldn’t be bothered measuring the dates and apple every time so this is what they roughly equate too.
Love these for school snacks.
Deb
These are delicious! I have made them 3 times now. The only dilemma I have is that the batter is so thick and sticky, it becomes quite a chore scooping it out of the blender jug and it won’t drop off the spoon into the muffin cups.
I feel like I need to add more water to the dates to make the batter more manageable but I don’t want to comprise the final product. Any ideas 💡
Bren
Deb, I would not add more water because that will make the muffins too moist. You can grind the oats alone in the blender then dump them in a bowl with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Blend the remaining “wet” ingredients in the blender (dates, water, apple, milk, eggs, vanilla). Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, stir, and scoop into the muffin tins. Hope this helps! Bren
Jenny Dunshea
These are absolutely perfect thank you so much! I whizzed the oats first and put them in a bowl with all the dry ingredients as my blender is a little small for the entire batch. Added wet to dry and hand mixed it up. I used about 1 1/2 cups apple and added a small handful of walnuts to hopefully offset the extra moisture and was very pleased with the result. The entire family really love them. Thanks again!
Kamala
Hi if I want to use honey/maple syrup or brown sugar how much should I use? Do
Not have dates on hand.
Bren
I have not made them without dates. I would try raisins or check out this muffin recipe that uses maple syrup or honey.
Rebecca
A bit late, but I just made these without dates (had none). I used an extra cup of apples blended instead (ended up using 2 large apples total), and used appropriately 1/4 cup brown sugar. Turned out so amazing. Could add more sugar if so inclined. Also added 1/3 cup penancs chopped. Great recipe! I love all Bren did muffins, a weekly staple.
Bren
Thanks for rating the recipe, Rebecca! I’m so glad it turned out weel for you!
Rebecca
Wondering if I could substitute dates with honey and applesauce. Just trying to lower glycemic index.
Bren
I would check out my healthy oatmeal muffin recipe. it uses honey or maple syrup.
Rebecca
So very happy to have found your recipes!!! This is the second muffin recipe I have tried of yours, and it’s just as good as the first (banana muffins). I have looked for years for a good just oat muffin recipe that wasn’t too heavy or dense and these are it. Can’t wait to try them all. Well done chef.
Megan Chang
Hi,
Do you leave the hot water in with the dates when blending or remove the water?
Bren
I leave the water in with the dates.
Maram
Can I use flax eggs?
Molly
I just made them with flax eggs! I usually half the recipe, so I did 1 TBSP flax to 3 TBSP water for just 1 egg. They did not come out as pretty as with the egg, but they taste awesome.
Deb
The flavor of these is great but mine flattened out during cooling. I followed the directions exactly. They were fully cooked, cake tester came out clean. They were raised above the top of the muffin pan when I took them out and 30 minutes later they were cooled but only halfway up the side of the muffin pan. Is this typical?
Bren
They should not flatten, Deb. It could be one of two issues: 1) the muffins have been underbaked or 2) your leavening agent was old. If they looked good in the oven then flattened, it is most likely underbaking. It can be a bit difficult to assess the “doneness” of these since they are very moist. I like to cut one in half to see if the middle smashes together (not done) or stays springy (done). You can also push gently on the top and see if you finger leaves and imprint, if so they need more time. Try adding an extra 5 minutes to your baking time and see how that goes. 🙂 Bren
Sunny
These look great 🙂 Can you sub almond flour for oats?
Bren
I have never subbed almond flour for the oats so I am not sure it would work.
Kate
Could I substitute raisins for the dates?
Bren
I’ve never made the recipe with raisins. Let me know if you try!
Molly
I do them subbed with raisins and they’re super good. I do them the same way, soaking in hot water first.
Madonna Weaver
Thank you for the blender apple cinnamon muffins. I am going to cook them soon and will take them to an event others will share. As I thought there may be diabetics this is a great recipe. I will put a comment on another time of the cooking outcome. Regards Madonna
Bren
Thanks, Madonna!
Kristin
Do you bother peeling the apple?
Bren
I do peel it to make the muffin batter more smooth. It should work peeled or unpeeled.
Mary
I made these and they were excellent. I have a question though…for the dates is the one cup before or after chopping?
Bren
After chopping.
Sophie-Anne
Made these with a store bought date purée ( no sugar added), unsweetened Apple sauce and fresh raspberries. Baked them 30 minutes in silicone baking cups. Added a few chocolate chips on top to entice my kids. They are delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Bren
Yum, chocolate raspberry sounds delicious!
Shawnel
Love this recipe. We have cut out added sugar and artificial sweetners in our home. This recipe was a hit with the whole family. Thanks
Bren
Thanks, Shawnel! I’ve got 8 other no sugar muffins recipes you might enjoy. Find them here: https://brendid.com/category/recipes/muffins/
Rhian
I made these today and despite baking for 45 minutes they were uncooked under their lovely browned exterior. I followed the recipe to the tee 🙁
Bren
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work for you, Rhian. Have you checked you oven temperature or are you baking at a high altitude?
Melinda Wilcox
the 2 main culprits here are usually expired or insufficient leavening or too moist a batter. I also bake my gf muffins at 375 degrees for the first 10 m to enhance the action of the leavening.
Diana
thank you so much for your recipes! I want to bake these, and have a quick question – which dates do you prefer to use for this recipe? Regular or Medjool?
Bren
I use pitted deglet noor dates, but either would work.
Amar
Dear Bren the healthy cinnamon muffins turned out lovely but got stuck to the paper cases which is slightly annoying did this happen to you ?
Bren
Amar, I use parchment baking cups to prevent the muffins from sticking or spray the liners with a bit of oil before baking. You can also leave the muffins overnight and the natural moisture will allow the paper to release.
Jenny
I made half a batch of these subbing whole milk yoghurt for milk and adding orange peel and cardamom. They where a hit with the 1 year old who tasted her first “donut” 🙂 baked in mini donut pans these took 20 min from start to finish with only 12 minutes needed in the oven. Thanks for a non banana muffin recipe! I hate baking but these I will make for my clients again!
Bren
Love the donut idea! Thanks for sharing.
Jasmine
Me and my family really love this recipe. The only thing i did was added more cinnamon because I’m obsessed with it. Funny story, while i was making the batter for the muffins i had mistakenly forgotten the vanilla that i measured out, and you know what? i didn’t even need it! it was perfectly sweet to us. Thanks so much Bren!
Bren
Thanks for the review, Jasmine. I love cinnamon too!
LILY
Hello Bren,
Thank you for the recipe. Can I substitute the old-fashioned oats with the porridge oats?
Will the texture be different?
Thank you
Bren
Lily, I have made the recipe with old fashioned oats (sometimes called rolled oats) and quick cooking oats. I have never made them with steel cut or porridge oats.
Sonya
How well do these freeze? I have several apples to use up … Since this recipe uses about 1 … I’ll have to make several batches … And … Freeze them?
Bren
They freeze great, Sonya. Make sure to wrap them well so they don’t get freeze burn.
Megan
I made these today but they didn’t cook through and sank heaps in the middle. Flavour was great though. Any ideas What could I have done wrong?
Bren
Megan, it sounds like they were underbaked. The muffins are very dense because they are gluten free. I like to cut one in half to test for doneness. Good luck!
Mel
Thanks for this amazing recipe!!! My three fussy kids nailed them! I’m happy that there’s no sugar for my youngest as she’s only 9 months. I used quick oats and omitted the salt (because of the baby). I cooked at 180 degrees Celsius and divided the mixture amongst mini muffin trays. They were done in about 20 mins and it made 24 plus 3 regular size muffins. Thanks again ☺️
Bren
Thanks for commenting, Mel. I’m thrilled that the kids love the muffins!
Eileen
I am so grateful for this healthy muffin recipe! I didn’t puree the apple—I diced it fairly small (without peeling) and was happy with the resulting texture. I also added a couple of tablespoons of chopped walnuts. These are moist and delicious.
Blythe
Love these!!!! I’ve made them at least 5 times with my 2 year old! I’ve tried a bunch of different healthy muffin recipes and this is by far my favorite!
Thank you!
Bren
I’m glad the muffins are a hit, Blythe! Thanks for the kind words!
Lisa
Can you use quick cooking oats instead of old fashioned oats?
Bren
Yes, quick coooking oats work. (Not instant!)
Ella
These muffins were delicious but timing in the oven was completely wrong for me! Mine were done in under 20 minutes, what did I do?
Bren
Ella, did you use the same temperature (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and muffins tin size? Those can both affect the baking time.
Jen
Thanks for this recipe.
Made it today and it was s big hit.. even with my picky eaters.
I ldid mix a few small clubbed apples for added texture. It’s was Super yummy.
Bren
I’m so glad you family enjoyed the recipe, Jen! The diced apples sound delicious.
char
Hi can you use flax eggs with this recipe?
Bren
Yes, flax seed eggs will work.
Jamiee
Hi Bren
I’ve just had a go at these and they rose lovely to start with (i had a peek through the glass oven door) but by the time i came to take them out they had completely sunk. I wonder if you could help me figure out why. I’m UK based and did the following differently:
– used metal measuring jugs to measure out ‘cups’
– converted oven temp to celsius but then dropped it down a bit as i use a fan oven
– used lactose free milk
– took them out at 30 mins as they were sunk and looking well done
If you help me work out why i’d be so grateful. I’m on a gluten, sugar and dairy free diet so these recipes of yours are a god send! Thank you! Jamiee 🙂
Bren
I’m sorry you had a problem with the rise, Jamiee! I think it could be a few issues: 1) the baking powder is old 2) the batter needed to sit a bit longer before baking or 3) the temperature change. Hopefully they still taste lovely even if they are a bit dented! You can also try stirring the baking powder in at the end instead of blending it.
Jamiee
Thank you so much for replying! I’ll get new baking powder ready for the next attempt then and try leaving the batter to sit a bit before baking. With the oven, I can set it to standard mode i.e. no fan, so i’ll try that in case i’ve messed it up that way. I always use fan oven so am used to just dropping the temperature. I’m an avid baker but have only recently started my new eating plan so i’m busy exploring the internet for wonderful recipes to try… that I am actually allowed to eat. And this was the first i’ve attempted. The flavour was still awesome! Just not a great texture. I’ll try again soon. Thanks again for responding!
H
U.K. cups and US cups are not the same measurement. Neither are tsp/tbsp, pints, or many other things. So check the proportions or use weights.
Bren
Thanks, H.
Teri
Hi Bren,
Would like to know if almond milk can be substituted for regular milk? And if so, would it be a different ratio? Looking forward to trying these,
Bren
Yes, you can substitute almond milk for regular milk just use an equal amount.
Jenny
Hey Bren…i just made your banana oatmeal muffins… N my kid loved them…. So did I…. Thank you for the healthy recipes…. Going to try the others too….
Bren
Thanks Jenny! I’m happy to hear that you both enjoyed the recipe!
Gabi
Hi there! I’m looking to make this recipe with fresh dates, do you still recommend to use as much water since they don’t need to absord any?
Thanks a lot
Bren
Hey Gabi! I’m sorry to say that I’ve never made the recipe with fresh dates so I’m not sure how much water you should use. If you try let me know.
Mabel
Hi, I ran out of rolled oats, and happen to have oat flour on hand. Do you think it will work? Can’t wait to try it! Thanks do much for sharing!
Bren
Yes, you can use oat flour.
Teresa
How much oat flour in plase of roled please?
Bren
I’ve only made them with old fashioned oats so I’m not sure how much oat flour to use, sorry!
Tricia
Very tasty, however my muffins sank when they came out of the oven. I did some research and found that over mixing can cause muffins and cupcakes to sink. Do you think the blender does that? This is my second blender muffin recipe to make and they both sank!! Thanks!
Bren
I’ve never had mine sink in the middle unless they are under baked. Did your centers get fully cooked? You could add the eggs and baking powder at the end if you are concerned about over mixing. Good luck!
Melanie J
I have made these a few times. The first time, I added all ingredients and blended and they turned out flat. The next time I blended first then added eggs, baking powder and soda. They rose much better. I followed the recipe the same both times and cooked for the same duration. Hope that helps 😊
Chantelle
I just made these and love the flavour and especially that you used dates as the sweetener… so much healthier and then my baby can enjoy them too (and she did)! The problem I faced is they really stuck to the paper liners I used… like half of each muffin gets stuck to the liner. Have you ever had this issue, and if so, do you have any suggestions? As long as I can find a way to get them not to stick, this will be a regular recipe in our house.
Bren
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Chantelle. You can spray the liners with a bit of oil, baked them in a grease tin, or just wait overnight… they are so moist that they tend to come out easily after they sit overnight.
Jen
I just made these last night. They came out great! I did everything according to the recipe and then added 1/2 cup of cubed/pealed apples and 1/2 cup of raisins before putting batter in muffin cups. I baked for 30 min and they were perfect. I’m going to try some of the other ones next. Thank you!
Bren
Thanks, Jen! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Colette Lefebvre
The first ingredient in this muffin recipe is: 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oat. Is that the oatmeal flour or just the regular rolled oats? Thank you!
Bren
It’s just old-fashioned oats are another name for regular rolled oats. 🙂
Josephine
Can I use something other than dates. Husband does not like them
Bren
You might be able to sub prunes but I can’t be 100% sure since I’ve never made them with anything other than dates. You should check out my Healthy Oatmeal Muffins for a date free recipe.
Sarah
Hi, I was wondering if I could use bananas in place of the apples and make banana muffins? I love that these are sweetened with only dates… Secondly in your other muffin recipes could I use dates instead of honey or wouldn’t that work…. and if so… how much would i use? Thank you so much for posting such yummy looking recipes… we look forward to making them.
Bren
Hi Sarah! Yes, you can use bananas in this recipe. Use 1 1/4 cups and increase the milk to one cup. I have not used the dates in the other recipes so I am not sure of the exchange rate. Good luck!
felicia
Hi Bren,
Thanks for a great recipe. Do you already have the nutrition info for these? I saw that there was for the chocolate muffins and hoped to find it for these apple muffins.
Thanks again
Bren
I just added for you, Felicia. Thanks for asking. Hope you enjoy the muffins.