Banana-Date-Carrot Muffin Recipe {Gluten free- No Sugar Added)
Today’s post is a guest post from my web buddy, Kristen. We met last year when she asked Super Healthy Kids to become a contributor to her app, The Daily Mom and we’ve found common ground in our quest to feed our families well. I think you’ll like what she has to say today.
I’ve always seen food as fuel. I’m a former Division I athlete, so I suppose my perspective on food comes from seeing my body as a vehicle for activity. During my most competitive years I was under the guidance of a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a swing coach, and a sports psychologist, so it became really natural to view my body as a machine that reacts to how I treat it.
Today, I’m a wife and a mom of four children ages 9 and younger. I’m by no stretch a competitive athlete anymore, but I still love to go hard from sun up to sundown! Most of the time that “going hard” means shuttling kids to and from school, mediating sibling squabbles, and making meal after meal (after meal!). I bet you can relate!
Feeding my family well is something I really take joy in, and my earlier years as an athlete really helped shape my cooking style. Following is a little bit of what I learned then – and how I apply it now.
1. Our kids are going to get plenty of junk food outside the house, so do the best you can to feed them well at home.
most
some
2. If it makes them whine, makes them beg, or causes them to act like circus clowns, don’t buy it.
3. Would you eat it on its own?
4. Keep it easy.
way
Dinner
5. Brace yourself for 4pm!
smoothies
Banana-Date-Carrot Muffin {Gluten free- No Sugar Added}
Ingredients
- 12 standard cupcake liners
- 2 cup flour, almond
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cloves, ground
- 10 medium dates, Medjool
- 3 medium banana
- 3 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vinegar, cider
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cup chopped carrot
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- Peel and chop carrot.
- Using a food processor (or hand blender), combine the dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar, oil, and carrots. Puree.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients.
- Spoon mixture into paper lined muffin tins.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done. Best when refrigerated.
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
This Banana-Date-Carrot Muffin Recipe is easy to make. Simply combine wet and dry ingredients, spoon mixture into paper lined muffin tins, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.(see full recipe below)
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
Learn More about Natalie
Is there a way to replace oil with say pumpkin purée? We have a family member who has issues of digesting fat and we have to make everything low fat, dairy free
Hey Amy! Loved the article! I have a question about your blog. Would you mind shooting me an email when you get a chance? Thanks!!
I would say try it Inessa! Let us know how they turn out.
These sounds great!
If I was to make with regular flour, would I need to increase wantatities of anything?
Hi! I was really excited to try these muffins so I made them today. The muffins came out cooked but really wet in the middle. They tasted great but my kids I and I both had a hard time getting past the wet texture. Any suggestions on fixing this (maybe more almond flour?) thanks so much!!
Hi! I was really excited to try these muffins so I made them today. The muffins came out cooked but really wet in the middle. They tasted great but my kids I and I both had a hard time getting past the wet texture. Any suggestions on fixing this (maybe more almond flour?) thanks so much!!
I was wondering if I sub almond flour for whole wheat?
Hi Carly! I think you could probably sub white flour equally, but you might like the almond (assuming no allergy!). It’s a great way to get a ton of NUTrition (pardon the pun!) into your diet. Wheat flour would work, too. Good luck!
Did you get an answer about the texture? Really want to try these for my picky gluten, diary, corn allergic (just to name a few) granddaughter but really tired of cooking something I have to trash!
Mandy & Debora, great questions. Mandy – I had the same problem the first time I baked these muffins. My cooking time varies every time I make them; sometimes, it’s up to 35+ minutes. Watch the tops for crispiness (they’re already brown, so watching for browning won’t help!). You can also insert a toothpick to test doneness, much like you would a cake.
Deborah, my son is allergic to milk, and that’s how I started making these muffins! There isn’t any corn, and you should be good with the gluten since it calls for almond flour. Good luck!
Hi Deboarh! I replied to your questions in my response to Mandy, above. Thanks!
Hi Heather! My guess? Yes. I’ve never tried it, since I liked the idea of getting extra protein and nutrition into the muffins, but I think they’d taste fine. Have you tried almond flour? It’s made of 100% blanched almonds, and while it’s expensive, it’s a neat way to add different nutrients into your family’s diet (unless of course, they have an almond allergy). Good luck! Let us know how they turn out.
It is $13 for a small bag, maybe 4cups. I’d love to try almond flour sometime, but haven’t yet because of the sticker price. I like to keep wholesome muffins on hand for a healthier snack vs. other options when you need a bit more than just veggies. So maybe I’ll try them w/ww and see how they turn out. Otherwise, w/af, they may just be for special occasions! 😉 they sound delish!
You are my inhalation, I have few web logs and rarely run out from post degbaecdfafe
Can you use oat flour instead of almond? My son is allergic to nuts and we’re currently cutting gluten out as well.
Thanks!
Can you use oat flour instead of almond? My son is allergic to nuts and we’re currently cutting gluten out as well.
Thanks!
Hi Rhonda! I think oat flour would work just fine. One of our kiddo’s has a milk allergy, so I know just what it’s like trying to find safe, yummy substitutions for the things found in standard recipes. Good luck – and let us know how it goes! (Oh – one thought – use a toothpick to test for done-ness when baking. Not sure if times might vary with change in flour.)
Do you think I could use applesauce instead of coconut oil? My sons are allergic to coconut 🙁 TIA! Would the amount be the same?
Yes, you could make that substitution, but I would add a little oil just to hold it all together better. Perhaps grape seed oil?
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Thanks for finally writing about >Banana-Date-Carrot Muffins {Gluten free- No Sugar Added) |
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What can I use instead of dates
You Can use Raisins Soaked . Soak them in water a few minutes before making them works great .
Sandra, that’s a good question. I have never substituted anything for the dates; however, if it’s the taste that you’re looking to avoid, I’d encourage you to try the recipe as it’s written, because I would never eat a date plain, but in the recipe they provide a fantastic sweetness and a nice dose of nutrition!
I’m out of cider vinegar, can I use white or balsamic vinegar? What exactly does the vinegar do for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Janelle! If it were me, I’d be inclined to sub white vinegar as opposed to skipping it. That said, I am not a trained chef – just a collector of recipes that work – and this could quite possibly be terrible culinary advice! I wouldn’t use balsamic because of its intense flavor. I’m curious to learn what you did / do and how it turned out. Keep us posted!
Hi
I was wondering what you can substitute the eggs with?
Good question! The eggs are a fairly substantial part of the recipe, acting as a binding agent, a leavening agent, and providing a significant portion of protein. I did a little bit of research, and from what I’ve read, using egg substitute products for recipes that contain 3 or more eggs (which this does) typically doesn’t work. One of my children has a milk allergy, so I sure understand the challenges of cooking without a primary ingredient! I’m sorry I can’t make a good suggestion here, but perhaps another commenter will chime in with just the insight you’re looking for!
We just made these! I used brown rice flour instead of the almond flour. I also added 1/4 cup of coconut and 1/2 cup of raisins. Oh and also a pinch of nutmeg. They turned out amazing! Love that there’s no sugar :-
Gosh – raisins! I bet that was a delicious addition! Thanks for sharing!
Do you happen to have the nutritional info (calories, fat, etc.)?
Live this recipe. Should we use cooked carrot or raw?
I made a different kind of muffin last week that called for 3 eggs and I subbed with a “flax egg” since our son can’t Have egg (or wheat, dairy, sory, or peanuts). They turned out yummy! 3 tbsp water to 1 tbsp ground flax per egg. After you stir it together, put it In the fridge for 10-15 min.
Lindsay
You can calculate it using a tool such as nutritiondata.self.com
Raw carrots Lisa!
I’ve just made the muffins with gram flour as I didn’t have any almond flour. My 2 year old approves (except for the crunchy top). Just waiting for the three boys to finish school to try them!
Awesome recipe… thanks mate for this..
I just made these…I used whole wheat pastry flour so they were “nut free”. DELICIOUS!! Really hard to believe there is no sugar in them, they are SO sweet from the bananas and dates. It made 18 muffins for me and I baked about 20 minutes.
I used coconut flour instead of almond and no dates. This is my first g-free recipe and this mixture was really crumbly, like I didn’t have enough liquid. It wasn’t “flowy” at all. Suggestions?
Amy, it could be that almond flour has more moisture in it. I haven’t tried using coconut flour. Next time, try it with almond flour and let us know how it goes.
Hi Amy! What if I were to use butter instead of oil? How would i substitute that?
Yum! Going to make these today. I kept seeing lots of Almond Flour recipes so I bought some, but then promptly stopped seeing them… it’s been in my fridge since then – hopefully still good! I think i’m out of apple cider vinegar so I’ll try the white and report back
Does Kristines daily mom app still work. I couldn’t find it to download. Can’t wait to make the muffins thanks!
Oh no Lisa! It looks like you are right! I can’t find her app anywhere!
Could you sustitute olive oil for the coconut oil, or can you use the solid from of coconut oil?
These are really good! I was thinking about doubling the recipe and freezing the second half to enjoy on a different day. Would the batter freeze well?
The batter wouldn’t freeze well, but the muffins after you cook them will!
Wow! These are amazing! Love, love, love! My kids loved them! I love that these are ACTUALLY, REALLY without sugar! So many recipes out there say “healthy” or “sugarless” but have a bit of sugar, maple syrup, honey, stevia, name it. And most recipes that are actually sugarless are bland and not so great 🙂 Finally I found a great recipe to make for my family that they love!
Hi! I tried out the recipe last evening n a few things went wrong.. I substituted whole wheat flour for almond..that was the only change. But they turned out pretty hard to eat n the liners were getting stuck to the cupcakes! I’d also like it a tad bit sweeter what can I add? I love the healthy stuff going in to this, perfect way to get good stuff into my very fussy son.
I adore this recipe, thank you so much. I usually swop out the almond for brown bread flour and sometimes I Add a little shredded coconut.
This is yummy! As this weekend I am free and no plans to go somewhere will be preparing this amazing stuff at my home.
Best muffins without sugar
Thank you for the great recipe it is exactly what I needed!
This recipe turned out great. I used whole wheat flour instead of almond because that’s what I had on hand. Very delicious. Only cooked it for 25 minutes and the turned out great. 4-year-old, one-year-old, and mom approved!
Love love love these muffins ! I add a cup of chopped walnuts . Mmm ?
These are wonderful! When I went to make them a third time, I realized I had no carrots, but had lots of sweet potatoes. So I grated two raw sweet potatoes instead. Could hardly tell the difference; still wonderful!