Refined-Sugar-Free Banana Blueberry Spinach Muffins

Skip the Refined Sugar and Bake These Super Sweet Banana Blueberry (Spinach!) Muffins

17 March 2021 by Jenny Sugar

If you're trying to eat healthier but you still want dessert, bake a batch of these banana blueberry muffins. They're made without refined sugar and sweetened naturally with ripe banana, applesauce, blueberries, and dates. They're also a delicious way to eat more greens because spinach is pureed into the batter.

If you're vegan, gluten-free, and avoiding oil, this recipe checks off all those boxes. But the best part is their super soft, moist, and hearty texture, and the juicy blueberries bursting with every bite. Honestly, these taste so sweet thanks to the unique caramel flavour of the dates — you'll never miss the white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or whatever sweetener you usually bake with.

The only thing you'll need is a high-speed blender to make the homemade oat flour (don't worry; it's super easy!) and to puree the banana with the applesauce, spinach, and dates. The batter for this recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes, and after 30 minutes in the oven, you'll have a healthy breakfast, snack, or after-dinner treat to enjoy. This recipe is also great for meal prepping since these muffins freeze well. You've got to try this recipe!

Banana Blueberry Spinach Muffins

from Jenny Sugar

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (or substitute 2 cups oat, white whole wheat, or spelt flour)
2 tablespoons flaxmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 ripe bananas
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pitted dates (12 medjool or 18 deglet)
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (I used fresh)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cups or spray with a little oil.
Add the oats to a high-speed blender and process to make a coarse oat flour. Don't process until very fine, as this will yield a gummy muffin texture.
Pour the oat flour into a medium-sized bowl and add the flaxmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Set aside.
Add the bananas, spinach, applesauce, vanilla, and dates to your blender and process until smooth.

Pour the banana spinach mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
Add two-thirds of the cup of blueberries to the batter and stir just enough to combine.
Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups and top with remaining blueberries.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Store uneaten muffins in an airtight container.