I’ve partnered with Graze to bring y’all these refined sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free AND taste-full Date and Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs. As always, all opinions are mine alone. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that keep this Srilankan Runnin!
#grazesnacks #Sponsored
Dates make this refined sugar free journey of mine so sweet! Just to clarify, I am talking about that super-wrinkly, superfood – the humble date fruit! My love affair with dates began when I was a teen living in Abu Dhabi where they were plentiful. Back then my parents would bring home fresh dates from the local “Souq” or open air market, and I used to eat them by the bowlful – much like I eat popcorn now! And yes – that was an example of my rebellious phase with bad portion control!
However, the passing years have (somewhat) taught me moderation and introduced me to the many forms of dates like date syrup, date puree and date sugar. And, during this second journey through refined-sugar-free-land, dates have been my saving grace. Straight up, or with a spoon of nut butter, dates have helped me quell my preposterous sweet tooth! And, add the right touch of sweet to baked treats like these Date And Banana Muffins!
I must admit, these Date And Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs and a Date and Coconut Glaze made me proud as even my I-only-eat-bakery-muffins friend and my suga-is-ma-life daughter ate these without even questioning the lack of sugar in them! Other than dates and an extremely overripe banana, these muffins are completely refined sugar free. I also used buckwheat flour in these muffins which makes them gluten free and jacks up their fiber content as well. I topped these muffins with some Cacao nibs I received from Graze and smeared them with a glaze I made with homemade date syrup and coconut oil and voila – deliciousness delivered to ma taste-buds!
Graze cacao nibs come from Colombian cacao beans, which are dried out in the heat of the tropical sun before being cracked into chunky nibs. They have a rich chocolate taste, a smooth crunchy texture, are high in fiber and are an excellent source of iron which can help with tiredness and fatigue!
And – now, you can get a FREE box of Graze ~ check out @Grazeusa on Instagram for details on how!
[Tweet “Date And Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs @grazeusa #glutenfree #sugarfree”]
Oh – guess what? I whipped these muffins up in a blender! One blender, one muffin pan and one oven – talk about easy prep eh?
If you are looking to cut down your sugar intake, I so hope you give these muffins a try.

Date And Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs (Refined Sugar-Free and Gluten-free)
These Date And Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs and a Date and Coconut Glaze are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy free and delightfully delicious!
Ingredients
For the muffins
- 3 eggs
- 1 banana
- 10 dates
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 2/3 cup buckwheat flour
- 3 tablespoons Graze Cacao Nibs
For the Glaze (optional)
- 2 tablespoons date syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
Instructions
For the muffins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Add eggs, banana, dates, coconut oil, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and buckwheat flour to a blender and pulse till dates are brown up and all ingredients are well blended.
- Spoon into lined muffin cups, top with cacao nibs and bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and let cool.
For the glaze (optional)
- Mix the coconut oil and date syrup well and smear onto cooled muffins

I’d love to know if you happen to make this recipe (or any other on here) so pretty please tag me @RunninSrilankan and #RunninSrilankan on Instagram, Twitter &/or Facebook. And, if you haven’t yet, then please make sure to subscribe to my email list to have all sorts of eats and treats delivered to your inbox and check me out on Pinterest!
Kylie
Sunday 7th of October 2018
Enjoyed this and glad they weren’t too sweet. Cacao nibs were a lovely crunch
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Emma
Sunday 17th of June 2018
Yum! I just made a batch of these and they’re fab! I used all purpose flour as it’s all I had. They sank when I took them out of the oven.....would that because of using all purpose flour? Despite sinking we all loved them! I added a squeeze of agave syrup and a handful of raisins and shredded coconut instead of cacao nibs (again didn’t have any!) We will definitely make these again! Thank you
Tara @ Sweat like a Pig
Saturday 5th of November 2016
Oh man, ever since I went to Morocco, I've been addicted to dates. I always have a packet on hand! I would love to whip these bad boys up right now... if only I had an oven haha