A few years ago in early December, my mom’s birthday landed on a Saturday, so my dad and I treated her to an afternoon and evening of fun. We let her pick out the activities she wanted to do, which led us to the neighboring town.
We started by walking around “the house with a bazillion lights” (as my brother and I called it during our childhood!), one of the most impressively decorated houses during the holidays in our area. Afterward, we drove downtown for birthday dessert.
A couple of weeks earlier, I had walked past a little French patisserie a few doors down from the movie theater, and after browsing through their menu online, I suggested it to Mom. I know how much she loves Paris and thought it’d be the perfect dessert place for her!
Once inside, we took our time looking through their glass display cases full of sweets, strolling back and forth at least three times before picking out some treats. We settled on five small desserts to split between the three of us, and after paying at the register, we carried our plates over to one of the dainty white tables and chairs to enjoy.
As two big chocoholics, Mom and I both selected a really rich and chocolaty treat, and Dad actually did the same too. We also purchased two others with fruit and caramel flavors, and none of us could pick a favorite between all five. They all tasted amazing… And made us want to take another Paris vacation!
Because I moved to Southern California last year, I won’t be able to simply drop by for my mom’s birthday this year, but I still wanted to do something sweet in honor her. So I turned her favorite holiday flavor into a special birthday dessert…
These Healthy Eggnog Cupcakes! They’re really moist and tender, and they taste just like the holidays with lots of sweet eggnog and warm spice flavors. Yet unlike traditional cupcakes, these contain no refined flour or added sugar and just 130 calories!
I think that would make Mom really happy!
(And don’t worry! I actually planned ahead and gave her an early birthday card and present when my family visited for Thanksgiving. ?)
So let’s go over how to make these healthy eggnog cupcakes!
To make the batter, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour and two spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s nearly impossible to make eggnog-flavored treats without nutmeg, and Mom always sprinkles a bit into each small glass she drinks during the holidays. Such a perfect pair!
And yes, white whole wheat flour actually exists… And it’s not simply a combination of white (aka “all-purpose”) flour and regular whole wheat flour! Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… Which lets the moist and tender texture of your healthy eggnog cupcakes truly shine!
Unlike traditional recipes that call for ½ cup (or more!) of butter or oil, your healthy eggnog cupcakes only require ½ tablespoon. That shaves off over 760 calories—hooray! That small amount of butter really helps keep these healthy eggnog cupcakes low calorie and low fat.
Then they get the rest of their moist and tender texture from one of my favorite baking ingredients! If you’ve browsed through my recipes before, then you probably know what it is…
Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture to your cupcake batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it also gives your healthy eggnog cupcakes protein boost. I call that a win-win!
Time to sweeten the batter! You’ll actually use a combination of two sweeteners: liquid stevia and granulated erythritol.
Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated. You just need 4 teaspoons for these cupcakes! This is the kind I use because I don’t notice any strange aftertaste, and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Just like stevia, erythritol is also a sweetener that comes from plants. It generally sweetens cup-for-cup like granulated sugar, so you’ll add more than the concentrated liquid stevia. This is the one I use!
I try really hard to only use one sweetener in my recipes to keep things simple, but I found that using just liquid stevia didn’t work. Even when I added more than 4 teaspoons, I couldn’t get the cupcakes to taste sweet enough, but using the erythritol completely solved that issue. Instead of tasting like muffins, these healthy eggnog cupcakes definitely taste like sweet bakery-style cupcakes!
So pretty pretty please… Use both sweeteners!
Of course, it’d be impossible to make these without another key ingredient… The eggnog! I actually prefer almond milk “eggnog” (like this one!) compared to traditional eggnog. It has the same iconic flavors but far fewer calories! (And if you still feel a bit weird about drinking eggs like me, it doesn’t actually contain any eggs—just almond milk!)
One last tip about these healthy eggnog cupcakes before we move on to the frosting! Because low fat batters like this one tend to stick to cupcake liners like superglue, you must coat your cupcake liners with cooking spray. This little trick allows the liners to peel away much more easily! Pretty nifty, right?
So now that your healthy eggnog cupcakes are in the oven, it’s time to make the healthy cinnamon frosting! Yup, cinnamon. Because eggnog cupcakes + spiced frosting = YUM.
And you’ll start with… More Greek yogurt! Protein-packed frosting is one of my favorite things. ? Then you’ll mix the Greek yogurt with cinnamon, more liquid stevia, and instant pudding mix.
Yes, I know. Instant pudding mix sounds so strange for frosting. But it’s a great little trick! The instant pudding mix thickens the Greek yogurt, so after chilling your frosting for two hours, it’s the same pipe-able consistency as regular buttercream frosting. But without using any butter or powdered sugar. How cool is that??
Now all that’s left to do is transfer your creamy cinnamon Greek yogurt frosting to a bag, pipe those gorgeous swirls on top of your healthy eggnog cupcakes…
And try to stop after eating just one! (If you can figure out how, let me know… I always seem to reach for seconds!) ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ????) I’d love to see your healthy eggnog cupcakes!
| Healthy Eggnog Cupcakes | | Print |
- for the cupcakes
- 2 ½ cups (300g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tsp liquid stevia
- 6 tbsp (90g) granulated erythritol
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 ¼ cups (300mL) light eggnog or vegan eggnog (see Notes!)
- for the frosting
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free instant vanilla pudding mix (see Notes!)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅝ tsp liquid stevia, or adjusted to taste
- To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the granulated erythritol. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Stir in ½ cup of eggnog. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the remaining eggnog, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 20-24 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. Add the Greek yogurt, instant pudding, cinnamon, and liquid stevia to a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the cinnamon frosting on top just before serving.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. I do not recommend substituting for it in the cupcake batter. If you do, you’ll need to reduce the amount of eggnog to compensate, and your cupcakes won’t taste like eggnog as a result. If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia in the frosting, then substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of this powdered stevia OR ¼ cup of granulated sugar.
I buy my erythritol online here. If you prefer not to use erythritol in the cupcakes, substitute 6 tablespoons (72g) of granulated, brown, or coconut sugar.
I actually prefer using vegan almond milk nog in these cookies! This is the one I found at Target, and it tastes just like regular eggnog. Both vegan eggnog and light eggnog work equally well, so use whatever you prefer!
This is the instant pudding mix I use. You just need the dry instant pudding mix—don’t prepare it according to the package directions! You may omit it, but you’ll need to increase the liquid stevia. Without the instant pudding mix, the frosting will no longer be stiff enough to pipe, so you’ll need to spread it on the cupcakes instead.
{gluten-free, low fat, lower sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Eggnog Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Eggnog Sugar Cookies
♡ Healthy Eggnog Snickerdoodles
♡ Healthy Eggnog Scones
♡ Healthy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
♡ Healthier Eggnog Fudge
Is there an organic instant pudding that would work. I won’t use anything with aspartame.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Mary! I haven’t tried any organic instant pudding mixes before, but I did provide an alternative that omits the instant pudding mix in the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions. I know it can be easy to miss that part! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cupcakes if you try them!
Wow! These cupcakes are stunning, Amy!! & the perfect birthday treat for your mom! Hope she has a wonderful day!! 🙂
You’re the sweetest Megan!! Thank you!! ♡
Perfect ode to your mom and the Christmas season!
Thanks so much Liz!! 🙂
Not healthy cupcakes at all, the pudding mix is full of chemicals.Otherwise the cupcakes look yummy;
Have tried lots of your recipes i make a few changes now and then and they’re a winner
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Wanda! If you look at the Notes section, I’ve actually included an option for the frosting that doesn’t use the instant pudding mix. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cupcakes!
Hey Amy, thanks for sharing the blog. It is really very amazing. I will try to make these cupcakes at my home and will send you the review. Keep sharing!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cupcakes Alyssa!
I don’t have any liquid stevia! Can I leave out and just add more sugar/erythritol?
I’m honored that you’d like to try making this recipe of mine, Melissa! I’ve actually covered this in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 Were you planning on making these cupcakes with eggnog, as in the original recipe? Or were you going to substitute regular milk and just make spiced cupcakes instead?