I was inspired to make these muffins because I wanted my son to have something nut-free that he could pack in his school lunchbox. I didn’t want to send him off with something too sugary, so I relied on fruit as the sweetener in these muffins, and blended them together with rolled oats, pumpkin puree, and eggs for filling fiber and protein.
Date-Sweetened Muffins
As you may know, I’m in love with using dates in my baked goods because I think they are the healthiest sweetener on the planet. You can read more about why I think they are so good for you in my post on how to make date paste. And if you’re worried about the sugar in fruit, I hope you’ll check out my post on why I don’t limit my fruit intake.
My 5-year-old is my ultimate “picky eater” right now, so trust that if he thinks these muffins are good… they’re good. Not just good for being a healthy treat, but good because they are delicious. I hope you’ll love them, too!
Optional Muffin Toppings & Add-Ins
I like to add some pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries into these muffins when serving them to adults, as they add a nice contrast of textures and flavors, but my kids won’t touch them that way, so I usually only sprinkle these additions on top. If you have more adventurous eaters, fold them into the batter– or just leave them out for a simple pumpkin muffin. This recipe makes 7 full-size muffins, or 20 mini muffins. Feel free to double the recipe if you want to fill a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
I like to make these in a mini muffin tin for my kids, since they don’t eat huge portions as it is, so I’ve included the baking time for that in the recipe notes below. Recipe Notes:
I haven’t tested a vegan version of this recipe yet, but you might be able to use a flax or chia egg instead of the real egg. Please leave a comment below if you try it! If you don’t have enough dates to make this recipe, you can use some banana in their place, but that will change the flavor a bit. As always, if you experiment, please leave a comment below letting us all know what worked for you!
— Reader Feedback: Do you have any nut-free recipes to share for school lunches? Please share in the comments below!
