Chocolate & Beetroot Muffins
Easy to make, soft and delicious with no added sugar.
A Veggie-Packed Dessert Your Little One Will Love
Our Chocolate & Beetroot Muffins are a much loved favourite in our nurseries - soft, rich, naturally sweet, and full of hidden beetroot that blends beautifully with the chocolate. They’re a lovely way to introduce new flavours while still feeling like a treat, perfect for snack time or a cosy bit of home baking together.
(Makes 12 muffins)
Ingredients
½ cup cooked beetroots (80 g)
1 cup chopped dates (160 g)
3 tbsp sunflower oil (40 g)
Just under ½ cup soya drink (100 g)
½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
1⅓ cups self-raising flour (170 g)
1½ teaspoons baking powder (7 g)
⅓ cup fat-reduced cocoa powder (30 g)
Nutritional Snapshot (per serving)
Energy:
257 kcal
257 kcal
Fat:
7.9g
(Saturates: 1.3g)
7.9g
(Saturates: 1.3g)
Carbohydrates:
40g
(Sugars: 18g)
40g
(Sugars: 18g)
Fibre:
2.2g
2.2g
Protein:
5.6g
5.6g
Salt:
0.63g
0.63g
How to Make Chocolate & Beetroot Muffins
- Soak the chopped dates in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
- Drain the dates, then blend them with beetroot, soya drink, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
- Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined - avoid overmixing.
- Spoon the batter into the cases, filling each one about three quarters full.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Tip: Soya drink can be substituted with oat drink if needed (allergen information should be updated accordingly).
How to Get Your Child Involved
- Watching the bright beetroot being blended
- Smelling ingredients like vanilla of cocoa
- Exploring the textures of safe ingredients with supervision (e.g., feeling a whole beetroot)
With close adult support, they can:
- Help put muffin cases into the tray
- Tip pre-measured ingredients into the bowl
- Stir the dry ingredients
- Watch and talk about the colour changes in the mixture
- Count the muffin cases together - a great early maths moment
As confidence grows, they can:
- Help mix the batter gently
- Spoon mixture into the cases using two small spoons
- Help tidy up - wiping surfaces or putting cases in the bin
- Talk about the ingredients (e.g., "Beetroot is a vegetable! What colour is it?")
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