Red Lentil Banana Muffins Vegan WFPB Oil-Free No Refined Sweeteners
Packed with fiber and protein-rich beany goodness, delicately flavored with cardamom, these muffins are sweetened exclusively with fruit. They do not contain added fats or refined sweeteners. Great as an afternoon pick me up or breakfast on the go.
Equipment
- blender or food processor
- Standard Muffin Pan
- 12 Paper Baking Cups, 2-1/2 inch
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Cake Spatula
Ingredients
- 1-¼ cup whole wheat flour
- 1-½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 cup cooked red lentils (start with a scant 1/2 cup dried lentils and cook in water to consistency of very thick oatmeal)
- 1-½ cups very ripe bananas, sliced (2 to 3 large ripe bananas)
- ¼ cup Deglet Noor dates, sliced (remove any stems or pits and slice into 1/4 inch cross sections before measuring)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened plant milk
- ½ cup apple sauce
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a standard muffin pan with twelve 2-1/2 inch paper baking cups and preheat oven to 350º
- In a large mixing bowl, use a cake spatula to combine whole wheat flour, baking, baking soda, salt, ground flaxseed and ground cardamom. Set aside.
- Place sliced bananas, chopped dates and unsweetened plant milk in a blender or food processor. A high speed blender is best. Food processors or conventional blenders also work but may take a bit longer. Process until mostly smooth and no large chunks of fruits are left. You will still see specs of dates.
- Add the processed banana, date and plant milk blend, apple sauce, cooked red lentils and vanilla extract to the whole wheat flour mix in the large mixing bowl. Using the cake spatula, form the muffin batter by folding until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups and bake at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and muffins look slightly golden around the edges.
- It's best to cool the muffins completely before serving as warm muffins stick to paper liners.
Tried this recipe? Let me know how it was!