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 favorites with no guilt!
4 – Healthy Zucchini Muffins Recipe – Zucchini and spices give the muffins classic zucchini bread flavor. Enjoy a fall favorites with no guilt!
- 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
- 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!
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felicia says
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 says
I just added for you, Felicia. Thanks for asking. Hope you enjoy the muffins.
Sarah says
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 says
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!
Josephine says
Can I use something other than dates. Husband does not like them
Bren says
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.
Colette Lefebvre says
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 says
It’s just old-fashioned oats are another name for regular rolled oats. 🙂
Jen says
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 says
Thanks, Jen! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Chantelle says
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 says
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.
Tricia says
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 says
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!
Mabel says
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 says
Yes, you can use oat flour.
Teresa says
How much oat flour in plase of roled please?
Bren says
I’ve only made them with old fashioned oats so I’m not sure how much oat flour to use, sorry!
Gabi says
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 says
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.
Jenny says
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 says
Thanks Jenny! I’m happy to hear that you both enjoyed the recipe!
Teri says
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 says
Yes, you can substitute almond milk for regular milk just use an equal amount.
Jamiee says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Thanks, H.
char says
Hi can you use flax eggs with this recipe?
Bren says
Yes, flax seed eggs will work.
Jen says
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 says
I’m so glad you family enjoyed the recipe, Jen! The diced apples sound delicious.
Ella says
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 says
Ella, did you use the same temperature (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and muffins tin size? Those can both affect the baking time.
Lisa says
Can you use quick cooking oats instead of old fashioned oats?
Bren says
Yes, quick coooking oats work. (Not instant!)
Blythe says
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 says
I’m glad the muffins are a hit, Blythe! Thanks for the kind words!
Mel says
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 says
Thanks for commenting, Mel. I’m thrilled that the kids love the muffins!
Megan says
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 says
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!
Sonya says
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 says
They freeze great, Sonya. Make sure to wrap them well so they don’t get freeze burn.
LILY says
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 says
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.
Jasmine says
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 says
Thanks for the review, Jasmine. I love cinnamon too!
Jenny says
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 says
Love the donut idea! Thanks for sharing.