Made entirely in the blender, these pumpkin muffins are quick, easy, and delicious. Loved my children and adults alike, they’re naturally sweetened with dates, are oil-free, and completely vegan. Line your muffin tin, grab your blender, and whip these up for a cozy fall breakfast.
Everyone loves muffins! They’re like having cake for breakfast, right? No one can resist that moist crumb, sweet flavor, and satisfying feeling that only a warm carb can provide. I was inspired by my girls to make these amazing little breakfast cakes. I needed something easy, because even on the weekends breakfast can be a bit chaotic. But I also wanted to sneak some vegetables into the mix. Because, who doesn’t love tricking their kids this close to Halloween!
What I came up with was an amazingly moist, yet completely oil-free, muffin. They’re fluffy, slightly sweet, and 100% delicious. Oh, and of course, vegan. Ok, but you might be wondering just how I got a moist crumb without the oil. I’ll let you in on my secret (because we’re friends).
Pumpkin & Applesauce
At first glance you’re probably thinking these two have absolutely nothing in common. One is a bland vegetable and the other is a mushy fruit. That’s where you’re wrong my friend (yes, we’re still friends even though you initially thought these things). What these two have in common is much more important than their differences. They’re both mild, slightly sweet, and amazingly MOIST! That’s right! THIS is where we get the moisture. Thanks to the pumpkin puree and applesauce we don’t have to add oil to get a moist muffin.
Now, I’m not against oil. But sometimes adding oil to a baked good can give it an overly greasy flavor. Not super appealing. And I know that there are many readers out there who prefer not to consume oil simply because they’re on more of a whole food diet. So these oil-free blender pumpkin muffins are perfect for everyone in between.
Dates
Not only are these blender pumpkin muffins oil-free, but they are also sweetened with dates. Just a few things about using fresh dates
- First, make sure that your fresh dates are VERY fresh. You want them super soft and moist. If they have dried out a bit, simply let them sit in boiling hot water for about 10 minutes. Once they’ve softened up, be sure to squeeze out all the excess water.
- Secondly, when using dates in this recipe be sure to pulse them in the blender alone. You want to blend them until they form a paste. This will make working them into the other ingredients much easier.
Blender
This recipe is meant to be made entirely in your blender. There is no need to dirty other bowls or kitchen appliances. Isn’t that awesome?! Because, who wants to sink full of dirty dishes first thing in the morning? Not me! If, however, you do not have a blender you can definitely use a food processor. Just make sure that it’s large enough to handle the volume of the ingredients.
Add-Ins
If you would like to jazz up this recipe even more here are a few ideas to make these blender pumpkin muffins uniquely yours. Add in or top your muffins with: dried raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, walnuts, or, like I did, pumpkin seeds.
Ingredient Health Benefits
Apple- vitamin C, soluble and insoluble fiber
Flax- Omega-3 fats, soluble and insoluble fiber
Pumpkin- fiber, potassium, selenium, vitamin A
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Blender Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seeeds + 6 tbsp water)
- 8 fresh dates
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ¾ cup flaxmilk
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1½ cups whole-wheat flour sub gluten-free flour if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a muffin tin by lining with cupcake liners or spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare flax eggs by combining flaxseed meal and water. Whisk to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Remove pits from dates and pulse in blender until they form a paste. Add wet ingredients (including prepared flax egg) then dry ingredients except flour. Blend until combined.
- Add in whole-wheat flour ½ cup at a time pulsing until combined and scraping down the sides between addition of flour. If using exrtas such as raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds, fold them into the batter now. Batter will be thick.
- Evenly pour batter into prepared muffin pan. Bang tin on the counter a few times to work out any air bubbles in the batter. Top with pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, or walnuts.
- Bake muffins for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely before removing cupcake liner.