Home » Recipes » muffins, breads & scones

Healthy No Sugar Added Blueberry Muffins

Name: Healthy No Sugar Added Blueberry Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup pitted dates, chopped (10-12 dates); 1/2 cup water boiling; 1 cup of all purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats; 2 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 large eggs; 1 cup unsweetened almond milk; 1 1/2 cups of blueberries

Published: Oct 28, 2018 · Last Updated: Feb 6, 2023 · Post by Madison Wetherill

Jump to Recipe

Healthy no sugar added blueberry muffins are the perfect treat. These muffins are sweetened naturally with dates and can be quickly thrown together using just your blender!

2 muffins in a linen lined basket with the remaining muffins still in their tin in the background.

This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links support A Joyfully Mad Kitchen at no additional cost to you. I receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase through these links.

Table of Contents

Refined Sugar Free Baking

When my first son was old enough to have solids, he started like any other kid.

He had an interest in food but didn't care much if he was eating the same thing as me or something totally different.

Then around the time he was 8 or 9 months old, he started to notice whenever I was eating something that he wasn't.

Muffins cooling in the tin with 2 muffins stack in a basket in the far right background.

This presented a problem for me when it came to baked goods.

We had decided not to give him any refined sugar until he was much older, but baked goods are always chocked full of added sugar.

So I started experimenting with refined sugar free baking and it turns out that you really can have baked goods without all of the added sugar.

These Healthy No Sugar Added Blueberry Muffins were the first recipe I made without added sugar and as someone who's grown up on store-bought, sugar-filled muffins, I was skeptical.

But these sugar free blueberry muffins are so good and you don't even notice there isn't added sugar in them!

Healthy no sugar added blueberry muffins are the perfect treat. These muffins are sweetened naturally with dates and can be quickly thrown together using just your blender!

How do you make muffins without sugar?

There are a few ways to bake without sugar.

You can use applesauce, honey, maple syrup, or dates to sweeten baked goods without sugar, using naturally found sweeteners.

These healthy blueberry muffins are sweetened with dates, by blending chopped dates with boiling water to create almost a paste consistency.

A close up of a muffin turned slightly towards the camera and still in the tin. The other muffins around are shown slightly out of focus.

I love that these no sugar added blueberry muffins are perfect for toddlers. I've made these handfuls of times for play dates or just an after nap snack.

These muffins are a treat that the whole family can shamelessly indulge in!

My husband actually took them to work and only told people that they were refined sugar free after they commented about how good they were.

What makes these blueberry muffins healthy?

There are a few aspects of these blueberry muffins that make them healthier than your average store-bought muffin:

No refined sugar, simply sweetened with dates.
Oats are one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat!
Fresh blueberries add sweetness and also tons of health benefits.

Another one of my favorite healthy blueberry muffin recipes is this Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin recipe made with coconut sugar!

A shot from above of the muffins in the tin. 3 muffins are tipped slightly on their side. The tin is at a 45 degree angle to the frame.

How do you make muffins in a blender?

Making muffins in a blender is almost as easy and pouring all of the ingredients into the blender and turning it on!

A collage of 4 photos showing the process of making the blueberry muffins

You'll want to put the solid ingredients like flour, baking powder and spices on the bottom and pour the liquid on top.

Add in fresh fruit after blending the batter completely by folding fruit into the batter.

What can you use instead of a blender for these muffins?

If you don't have a blender, you can use a food processor instead! You really do need one of these two things to be able to puree up the dates.

If you don't have either, you can try this Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe instead, which is still refined sugar-free, but sweetened with coconut sugar instead of dates.

What kind of flour do you need for Healthy Blueberry Muffins?

You can pretty safely alternate between any kind of flour for this recipe:

all purpose
whole wheat flour
bread flour
pastry flour
1-1 gluten free flour.

You can also do all oats instead of oats and flour, if you prefer.

Each one may have a slightly different texture but won't affect the overall quality of the muffins.

What kind of milk should you use for Healthy Blueberry Muffins?

You can use any kind of milk, whole milk or 2% milk or nut milk like unsweetened almond milk.

I like to use unsweetened almond milk because I often make these for toddler playdates and have some friends who are dairy-free.

Can you use frozen blueberries in blueberry muffins?

Yes, you can use frozen blueberries in place of fresh blueberries in a blueberry recipe. Do not thaw the frozen blueberries.

How do you make Healthy No Sugar Added Blueberry Muffins? Step by step process:

Step by step instructions, photo and video of how to make healthy no sugar added blueberry muffins.

Preheat oven to 350º degrees.
Chop dates and add them to your blender. I like to use kitchen sheers to cut pitted dates in half and throw them right into the blender.
Add ½ cup of boiling water to the dates and blend until smooth. There will be small pieces of the dates in the mixture, that's okay.
Add the rest of the remaining ingredients, starting with the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Then add the liquids, vanilla extract, eggs, and almond milk.
Blend until mixture is well combined.
Pour in fresh blueberries and fold into the batter with a flexible silicone spatula.
Bake in a muffin tin for 18-22 minutes, until muffins are nicely browned and bounce back when gently touched.

Depending on how soon you plan to eat your muffins, you will want to store them at room temperature or freeze them. Check out my tips for storing and freezing muffins.

What to pair with these No Sugar Added Healthy Blueberry Muffins for brunch:

Choose an "entree" for a brunch, like an egg casserole or Bacon Roasted Broccolini Gruyere Quiche.

Choose a few side dishes, like Orange Juice Fresh Fruit Salad or Bacon Roasted Potatoes.

This Baked Breakfast Egg Casserole is the perfect breakfast for large groups or to meal prep for the week ahead! It's made with potatoes, peppers, eggs and milk and is so hearty! It has such simple ingredients but packs a ton of nutrition and taste into every serving. Make this ahead of time and have a hot breakfast ready to go all week or make this for a crowd- either way, you're sure to love it!? — Egg Casserole

Orange Juice Fresh Fruit Salad is a twist on a classic fruit salad. It's perfect for serving for brunch, showers, or just as a healthy side dish for dinner! Perfect to customize with whatever fruit you have on hand, too!? — Egg Casserole

Choose some brunch mocktails and cocktails to bring it all together, like Strawberry Ginger Punch or Irish Whipped Cream Coffee.

Make a batch of greek yogurt smoothies for a complete breakfast.

Recommended Tools:

Muffin Tin
Wire Cooling Rack
Flexible Silicone Spatula
Aluminum Free Baking Powder
Glass Liquid Measuring Cup
Vanilla Extract
All Purpose Flour
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

Pin this recipe to make it later!

Pinnable graphic with recipe name and close up image of a muffin nestled in linen

As always, if you make this recipe, I'd love to know how they turn out! Leave a comment with a rating on this recipe to share your thoughts.