Naturally, I get a lot of requests for date sweetened desserts here, but sometimes it can be tricky to get right consistency when using dates in baking. These date muffins however, are super moist and have huge bakery-style muffin tops!
After many tests, I ended up using a little maple syrup to help boost the sweetness and lighten the batter to become nice and fluffy.
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📖 Recipe Overview
- Quick & Easy To Make - These simple muffins are ready to eat in under 45 minutes. I love to enjoy them warm around 10 minutes after taking them out of the oven - so good!
- Moist & Fluffy - Even though dates are quite dense, these muffins are soft, light and bouncy thanks to a careful combination of ingredients.
- Versatile - Perfect for breakfast on the go or as an afternoon snack with your cup of tea or coffee. But hey, there also delicious enough to be dessert!
- Caramelized Flavor - Not only do dates add so much flavor, they also work as the sweetener along with maple syrup keeping these muffins refined-sugar-free. They're also nut free!
If you're looking for more ways to use dates in desserts, try my vegan recipes for date walnut cake, sticky toffee pudding, date brownies, date snickers, and date caramel next!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Here's everything you need to make this easy muffin recipe from scratch:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Medjool Dates - Try and go for good quality, soft juicy dates. Zaytoun is my favorite brand. Sukkari dates or any ripe fresh dates are great too. For dates that are on the dry side, you may want to soak them in boiling water for 30 minutes before blending them.
- Pure Maple Syrup - I found using solely dates to sweeten these muffins left them a little too dense and drier. The maple adds sweetness without needing too many dates, which can weigh down the batter for the same level of sweetness.
- Olive Oil - This is my go-to in baking, the slightly floral flavor compliments the dates. If you don't like olive oil, you can use sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil.
- Vegan Yogurt - Thick Greek-style yogurt such as Alpro works best. You can also use vegan sour cream, vegan skyr, or coconut yogurt. This creates a beautifully moist muffin.
- Vegan Buttermilk - This is a homemade mixture of soy milk and apple cider vinegar. It adds a fluffy tender texture to vegan baking. You can also use oat milk or almond milk and lemon juice.
- Flavorings - To enhance the flavor of the dates, I use a combination of pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and a touch of sea salt.
🥣 How To Make Date Muffins
As mentioned, you're just a few easy steps away from enjoying these fluffy muffins. Remember, the detailed printable recipe card is at the end of this page, but here are the step-by-images that you can use as a guide:
Step 1: Add all the wet ingredients (pitted dates, maple syrup, olive oil, yogurt, vegan buttermilk, and vanilla extract) to a high-speed blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. A few small chunks of dates are fine. Transfer the date mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: To a separate large bowl, sift the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, raising agents, salt, and cinnamon). Then use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until almost mixed.
Step 3: Add the remaining flour mixture and chopped dates and fold until evenly mixed.
Step 4: Fill half of the muffin cavities with paper liners. Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to distribute the muffin batter into the muffin wells. Fill them about a centimeter over the top (the batter here is thick enough for this).
Step 5: Bake at a high temperature for 5 minutes and then reduce the temp for the remaining bake time (full details in the recipe card below). Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Then carefully lift them out of the muffin tin and onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
🌴 Variations
While I don't recommend switching the ingredients in this recipe unless specified in the ingredients notes section, these date muffins make the perfect base for adding flavors and textures. Here are some ideas:
- Banana Date Muffins - Swap the non-dairy yogurt for mashed bananas in full or in part.
- Date Walnut Muffins - Add up to 90g (¾ cup) of chopped walnuts to the batter. Fold these in while adding the chopped dates and dry ingredients. You can also add any other crunchy nuts such as pistachios or pecans.
- Orange Date Muffins - Add a tablespoon of freshly grated orange zest to the batter. The same goes for lemon zest!
- Chocolate Chip - Add 100g (½ cup) of dairy-free chocolate chips to the muffin batter while adding the second part of the dry ingredients.
- Dried Fruit - Feel free to add a sprinkle of dried cherries, raisins, sultanas, prunes, or even crystallized ginger to the batter.
💡Recipe Tips
Make sure you remove the date pits. This is important, especially since the dates are going into your blender, they can damage the blades. I always double check that the pits are removed before blending.
Rest the muffin batter. This is optional, but resting the batter relaxes the gluten and I found it to increase the height of the muffins significantly.
Space out your muffins. Always be sure to fill every second well in your muffin pan. This helps the hot air to circulate the muffins more evenly and gives them space to rise - rather than fighting for space with the other muffins. 😊
Fill them over the top. These date muffins have a very thick batter, so I like to fill them a little over the surface of the muffin tin to promote high tops. Unlike some other muffin recipes which should only be filled level with the muffin pan as the batter is thinner.
Bake on high heat, then reduce it down. The initial high temperature (fan 190°C/375°F or conventional 210°C/410°F) will give the raising agents a boost and give you impressive muffin tops. Then, make sure you reduce the temperature (170°C/340°F or conventional 190°C/375°F) for the remaining bake time so that they don't over-bake and dry out.
💬 FAQs
Place the muffins in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
I suggest you let them sit at room temperature for an hour before serving if stored in the fridge.
I have not tried this recipe with GF flour. If you decide to give them a go, I would suggest an all-purpose GF flour that contains xanthan gum. Please do let me know in the comments how it goes!
Yes, you can freeze them in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to a month. Take them out of the freezer to defrost them for a few hours before serving.
🥧 More Vegan Muffins
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment as well, thanks!
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Description
Equipment
Ingredients
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 200 g (1 ⅓ cups) medjool dates, pitted, *see note 1
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) pure maple syrup
- 100 ml olive oil, *see note 2
- 140 g (½ cup + 4 teaspoons) vegan Greek-style yogurt, *see note 3
- 1 batch (1 cup / 240 ml) vegan buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 75 g (½ cup) medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped, optional
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan-forced 190°C/375°F or conventional 210°C/410°F.Line half of the cavities in the muffin tray with muffin liners - I recommend only filling every second cavity as this promotes high muffin tops! The recipe will make 8 large muffins - so if you only have one muffin pan I recommend baking them in 2 batches.
- Sift the dry ingredients: To a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Blend wet ingredients: Add the pitted dates, maple syrup, olive oil, vegan yogurt, vegan buttermilk, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth - a few small chunks of dates throughout the mixture are fine.Transfer to a separate large mixing bowl.
- Make the muffin batter: Add half the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold until almost mixed.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and the chopped dates and fold again until there are no pockets or streaks of flour. Do not be tempted to over mix! Optional: Rest the batter for 30 minutes for super high muffin tops *see note 4
- Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, distribute the batter amongst the muffin liners. Pile the batter around 1cm above the surface of the muffin pan.
- Bake at fan-forced 190°C/375°F or conventional 210°C/410°F for the first 5 mins. Then turn down the temperature to 170°C/340°F or conventional 190°C/375°F and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.Check they are done by piercing them with a toothpick or a knife, the knife should come out almost clean- a few crumbs are fine. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully lift them out of the tray and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool further for 30 minutes.
- Storage: Place the muffins in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to a week. Let them sit at room temperature for an hour before serving if stored in the fridge. You can freeze them in an airtight container and defrost them for a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
- Medjool dates: Select good quality soft dates. You can also use Sukkari dates. If on the drier side, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes before blending.
- Olive Oil: You can sub this for a more neutral oil like sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.
- Vegan Greek-style yogurt: I use Alpro, you can sub with vegan sour cream or thick coconut yogurt.
- Rest the batter: For super high muffin tops, cover the muffin batter in the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour before baking.
Nutrition
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