Banana Date Muffins

Author: Katie

These banana date muffins are naturally sweetened with just ripe bananas and dates- no refined sugar needed. They’re soft, wholesome, and made with just 8 simple ingredients.

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 37

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Middle-Eastern Inspired

Servings: 12 small muffins

Equipment

1 blender (preferably high speed or immersion)
1 muffin tin + liners
1 mixing bowl + spatula

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

1 ¼ cup (190 g) white, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

2 eggs *see notes for a vegan version
⅓ cup (75 g) vegetable oil *I used rapeseed
¼ cup (60 g) milk of choice *I used oat milk
¾ cup (215 g) mashed banana

Other

1 heaped cup (8 oz) (225 g) dates (+ more as topping) *see notes
handful of chopped walnuts

You can find detailed step-by step-photos above the recipe card.

Instructions

Soak the dates. Start by placing your pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with the boiling water. Let them soak for about 10 minutes to soften up.
1 heaped cup (8 oz) dates (+ more as topping)
Make the date paste. In a (high speed) blender, quickly blitz together the eggs, oil, and milk just until combined. Then add your soaked dates (drained!) and blend everything into a smooth, sweet paste. If the paste is too thick you might need to use a tamper to push it down towards the blades or add a tiny bit of milk (1 tablespoon at a time).
2 eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil , ¼ cup milk of choice
Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
1 ¼ cup white, all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt
Mash the bananas. In a separate bowl, mash your ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with just a few chunks left.
Combine wet and dry. Now add the banana mash and date paste into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently fold everything together until just combined- don’t overmix!
Add extras (optional). If you’re adding walnuts (I highly recommend it) or chocolate chips, fold them in now. I also added some chopped dates as a topping.
Bake. Spoon the batter into a lined muffin tin (fill each cup about ¾ full). Bake at 330℉ (165°C) for around 22-25 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Video

Notes

Dates: You can use either Deglet Noor or Medjool dates- just make sure to stick to 8 oz either way; Medjool are naturally sweeter and a bit softer but usually also more expensive.
Oil: I used rapeseed oil, but any mild vegetable oil like sunflower or avocado works just as well- olive oil is also an option, though it does add a more distinct flavour.
Ripe bananas: For optimal sweetness, make sure to use ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots.
Gluten-Free: I haven't tried making them gluten-free but I would think that you could use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend like Bob’s Red Mill.
Vegan: To make it vegan, increase the oil to ½ cup and use ¾ cup plant milk instead of ¼. Omit the eggs.

Nutrition

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.

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