Healthy Banana Muffins are the perfect way to up any ripe bananas you have sitting on the counter. They bake up light and fluffy, so you’d never know they are made with healthier ingredients!
Inspired by my famous Oat Flour Banana Bread, they have the perfect amount of banana flavor, with a touch of warming cinnamon. Serve a muffin with a glass of almond milk, for the perfect after-school snack, or an easy breakfast on the go.
Need a vegan recipe? Be sure to check out my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, which are also made with oat flour. You can swap the pumpkin puree for mashed bananas, instead!
Why You’ll Love Them
Here are a few reasons why you’ll love this delicious banana muffin recipe.
- They’re made with oat flour, so they’re naturally gluten-free and a good source of fiber. Did you know you can make homemade oat flour? All you have to do is grind rolled oats in a blender– it takes about 60 seconds!
- They’re naturally sweetened with coconut sugar. The granulated sugar gives these muffins a better texture than using honey or maple syrup, in my opinion, but be sure to check out the substitution suggestions below if you need to.
- They’re nut-free. That means you can send them to school as a healthy snack!
- They freeze well. If you can’t eat the whole batch this week, save some for later in your freezer. You can thaw them in the fridge overnight when you need something easy to grab in the morning.
- All you need is one bowl to make them, using simple ingredients! It takes less than 10 minutes to stir this batter together.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s inside?
- Ripe bananas
- Oat flour
- Eggs
- Coconut sugar
- Olive oil
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Salt
Be sure to use bananas with lots of brown spots on their skin, for the best results. The riper the bananas are, the sweeter the muffins will turn out, without having to add too much extra sweetness from added sugar.
If you only have frozen bananas on hand, you can use those, too. Just make sure to thaw the bananas first, and include the liquid that releases from them as they thaw.
How to Make Healthy Banana Muffins
1. Mix.
Peel the ripe bananas and add them to a large bowl. Mash the bananas with a fork until they are relatively smooth, then add in the oat flour, coconut sugar, eggs, olive oil, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir well, until the batter is thicken and looks relatively uniform.
2. Bake.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a muffin tin by lining it with paper liners (or silicone liners), for easy removal later. Divide the batter between the muffins cups, then sprinkle on any extra toppings you like, such as chopped nuts, sliced almonds, or chocolate chips. (This is totally optional! You can also fold these into the batter, if you’d like to.)
Bake until the muffins rise in the center, about 22 to 24 minutes. You can also test the middles with a toothpick, to make sure it comes out clean.
3. Enjoy!
Let the muffins cool for at least 30 minutes, then they are ready to eat. Enjoy one warm with a pat of butter on top, or try spreading it with some peanut butter, for a snack with extra protein.
Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, or you can store them in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also store muffins in the freezer for up to 3 months, as long as they are tightly sealed.
Substitutions
Need to make a swap? Below you’ll find my best guess when it comes to making substitutions.
Can I use a different flour? If you would rather use whole wheat flour or all purpose flour, I would start with slightly less than this recipe calls for, since those two options are more dense. I’d probably start with just 1 cup and see how they turn out.
Can I leave out the eggs? Eggs are key to the structure of these muffins, so I don’t think flax eggs would give you a similar result. I’d recommend starting with one of my vegan muffin recipes, like carrot cake muffins, so you have a little more guidance.
Can I use baking soda? If you don’t have baking powder on hand, you can use 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda instead. In that case, I recommend also adding 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the recipe, to make sure no baking soda flavor remains in the final baked muffins.
Can I use a different oil? If you’d like to use something other than olive oil, melted butter or coconut oil should also work similarly. Keep in mind that they will change the texture of the muffins slightly when they are cool, since coconut oil and butter are both solid fats. For a softer muffin, use a vegetable oil like olive oil or avocado oil.
Can I make them oil-free? Typically, you can swap the oil in a recipe for applesauce or Greek yogurt, with slightly different results. (Oat flour is slightly gummier in the middle, when you skip the oil.)
Can I leave out the cinnamon? Sure! This recipe is easy to customize, so you could swap the cinnamon for a teaspoon of vanilla extract instead. Or add in some chopped walnuts or pecans, for a different variation. I like to add a few nuts on top, once the batter is in the muffin pan, for a little added crunch.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (made with coconut flour)
- Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Almond Flour Muffins
- Spinach Muffins (made in a blender!)
- Apple Spice Paleo Muffins
Healthy Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana (2 medium ripe bananas)
- 1 1/4 cups oat flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, oat flour, eggs, coconut sugar, olive oil, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well, until the batter looks relatively smooth.
- Use a 1/4 cup measure to pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Top each muffin with a few chopped walnuts, if desired. (Or omit for a nut-free recipe.) Bake the muffins at 350ºF for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins feel firm in the center.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then they are ready to serve. You can store leftover muffins at room temperature for up to 2 days, or they will last longer in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to 1 week. You can also freeze leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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Notes
Nutrition
If you try this healthy banana muffin recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!
This recipe is everyTHING. So delicious, moist, and sweet without being too sweet. I was craving a sweet treat from Starbucks, so I knew I had to find and bake a healthier version to kick the sugar cravings. The recipe was easy to follow and scrumptious!
The whole family loved this recipe! This will be my go-to-recipe when I have brown bananas in the house 🙂
Amazing!!! I love all of your recipes, I have a sweet tooth and I’m so excited to try healthy and delicious recipes, like yours! ♥️
Thank you so much!
These are the best healthy banana muffins! The texture is perfect. This is going to replace my old banana bread recipe, because I like the portions and flavor better!
Delicious muffins with a great texture. I added 1/2 cup of dairy/-free dark chocolate chips instead of walnuts for a school safe option for my daughter. Will definitely make again!
Delicious recipe. Made for the first time last weekend. Very good and not too sweet. I added more walnuts in the batter along with on top. Very filing too. Easy to make and I will definitely be making again.
I can’t wait to try this. Is there a substitute for the coconut sugar? Thank you ☺️
Is there a substitute for the coconut sugar? Thank you.
Any other granulated sugar (like white or brown sugar) should work similarly, but I’m not sure how you would swap it for a liquid sweetener yet. The ratios would definitely change quite a bit if you used something like maple syrup or honey, and the texture might turn out gummy in the middle with that sort of substitution.
I was out of coconut sugar today (oops!), so I used 1/2 cup of date sugar instead. The muffins turned out great! No other changes necessary.
Excellent muffins. I used raw cane sugar as that’s what I had. My husband took a bite and really liked them.
These look delicious, but is there an egg-free vegan version?Would it work as well with a flax replacement?
Absolutely delicious! Great flavor and texture. The only question is: how many will I eat before my husband and children see them?
I used the approved baking powder substitute of 3/4 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vinegar. Muffins rose beautifully.
I made these the other day, and everyone gobbled them up so quickly that I made a second batch the next day! These are seriously some of the best healthy/gluten-free banana muffins I’ve ever had!
Delicious! I love the cinnamon and banana together – great way to use up leftover bananas.
Brilliant recipe. Lovely texture and taste deeeelicious. Thanks for the metric option, really appreciated.
Can I swap almond flour for coconut flour?
I love this so much and it is so moist & fluffy. It is the best oat flour banana muffin ever.
These have a great texture. Only thing I did differently was swap out the coconut sugar for erythritol. Would make again!
I’ve tried ALL your muffin recipes and this one is definitely in my top 3. The texture is the closest to non-gluten-free recipes that I’ve found and the flavor is so good!! Thank you for always turning out such reliable, high quality recipes!
This recipe is amazing and loved by everyone who tried them! I add enjoy life chocolate chips for my kids and they always ask for more muffins. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes with us.
So delicious.
Best muffin recipe I’ve tried yet!! I’ve tried a million and this one gives the best, fluffiest results. I used half the amount of coconut sugar and avocado oil instead of olive and WOW! I usually find that oat flour recipes are gummy but this one was not! Highly recommend.