These healthy banana muffins are moist, fluffy, and flavorful! Made with whole wheat flour and maple syrup, they're a delicious breakfast or snack.
I’ve been making this banana muffin recipe on repeat lately! Adapted from my healthy banana bread, it’s made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. But even though these muffins are healthy, they’re super moist, fluffy, and full of sweet banana flavor. Kids and adults (well, at least Ollie, Jack, and me) can’t get enough of them.
I love these healthy banana muffins for breakfast or as a snack. We’ve been going through them pretty quickly in our house (I’ve made them 3 times this month already!), but if you have more restraint than we do, they’re great for meal prep. Bake them on the weekend and store them at room temperature for a couple of days, or freeze them for months. You’ll love being able to grab them on busy weekday mornings.
This recipe is easy to make with basic equipment and simple ingredients. If you have ripe bananas on hand, let’s get baking!
Healthy Banana Muffins Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this healthy banana muffin recipe:
- Ripe bananas, of course! Like my banana bread, these muffins are packed with banana. The recipe uses 2 cups mashed, about 4 large bananas. If you’re a little short, you can top off the measurement with whole milk Greek yogurt to keep the muffins moist.
- All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour – I like using a mix of these two flours in healthy baked goods. You get some of the benefits of whole grains (more fiber, more protein), without the muffins coming out dry or dense.
- Baking soda and eggs – They help the muffins puff up as they bake. The eggs add protein too.
- Pure maple syrup – It sweetens the muffins naturally.
- Melted coconut oil – For moisture and richness. A neutral oil like vegetable oil, or even olive oil, would work here too.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract – For warm, spiced depth of flavor.
- Walnuts – For crunch.
- Whole rolled oats – For sprinkling on top of the muffins. They become lightly crisp and toasty in the oven!
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Banana Muffins
This banana muffin recipe is easy to make in about 30 minutes! Here’s how it goes:
Start by making the batter. Mix together the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl and the wet ingredients in another.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts.
Evenly divide the batter into a 12-cup muffin pan that’s lined with muffin liners or lightly oiled. Sprinkle with the oats.
Bake at 350°F until the tops spring back to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely (or devouring them warm!).
Recipe Tips
- The riper the bananas, the better. Brown, spotty bananas will give these muffins the sweetest banana flavor.
- Spoon and level your flour. One of the most common baking mistakes I see people make is accidentally using too much flour. Because flour can easily become compacted, this happens when you scoop it up directly with your measuring cup. To measure accurately, fluff up the flour in its canister or bag, then gently spoon it into your measuring cup and level the top with a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stirring the batter too much will start to develop the gluten in the flour, making the muffins chewy and dense. For the best fluffy texture, mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined.
Recipe Variations
- Change up the mix-ins. Replace the walnuts with another type of nuts, like pecans, or swap them out for dried fruit like raisins. Of course, chocolate chips would be great too!
- Make vegan banana bread muffins. These muffins are naturally dairy-free. For a vegan option, see my vegan banana muffins recipe.
- Turn them into quick bread. See my healthy banana bread recipe!
How to Store and Freeze
These healthy banana muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
To freeze: These muffins freeze well. Allow them to cool to room temperature before sealing them in an airtight container or bag and storing them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw: Let frozen muffins sit on the counter for about an hour to thaw, or defrost one in about 30 seconds in the microwave!
More Muffin Recipes to Try
If you love these healthy banana muffins, try one of these muffin recipes next:
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Or any of these 11 Healthy Muffin Recipes!
Healthy Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed very ripe banana, about 4 large
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, plus more for the pan
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons whole rolled oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line it with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole wheat flours, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. Fold in the walnuts.
- Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, adding about a heaping ⅓ cup to each one. Top with the oats.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops spring back to the touch. A toothpick inserted should come out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Love this recipe. What is the nutritional data on this muffin? Thanks very much
Is there a substitute for ACV?
Hi Victoria, lemon juice would work!
My partner and I loved these. I used sugar free maple syrup and it worked perfectly, still tasted nice and sweet without the sugar.
So glad you enjoyed them, Tash!
I made your Healthy Gluten Free Banana Nut
Bread for my daughter. She really liked it! Then I made me some of your Healthy Banana Nut Muffins. They are wonderful! These are keepers for sure.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes!!!
I will definitely be tying more of your recipes.
Hi Sheri, I’m so glad you loved the muffins and the bread! I hope you continue to enjoy other recipes too 🙂
Hi , I made these exactly apart from using gluten free flour as that’s what I had and they are still uncooked inside after 30 minutes in the oven and have dropped significantly. Is there any reason that could be?
Hi Rachel, we haven’t tried these with GF flour so I’m not sure – they aren’t always a 1:1 swap even though that’s how the packages are marketed.
I had the same issue (I used almond flour). They rose and were looking good and all the sudden sunk and they never really cooked through.
Wow these are delicious!! I did them with eggs and they turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Hi Deb, I’m so glad you loved them!
Hi Deb, how many eggs did you use?
Love the taste and very easy to make. My only problem is that the muffins stuck to the liners and a good amount of the deliciousness was lost.
Hi Natalie, I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins! Next time, you could try greasing the liners to help prevent sticking. Hope this helps!
Delicious! The only change I made was to use 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of oil.
I’m so glad you loved them!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times in the last month! So good, thank you!
I’m so glad you’ve loved them!
I’ve made them with milk and eggs and they are deliciouuuus !
Hi Yana, so glad you love the muffins!
Making these AGAIN! Very yummy. Doesn’t have an overwhelming banana flavor (which I like). I use applesauce instead of oil. This recipe makes a dozen good sized muffins. I sprinkle the top with oats just because I like the way it looks and the slight texture it adds.
Yummy like all the others! Thank you! I added blueberries to these and subbed half of the flour for oat flour and they turned out super moist and delicious. My 4 year old loves them too! I always feel good feeding her your healthy recipes. Love. ❤️
I’m so glad you all loved them!
What are the nutritional values ?
I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutrition facts but you can plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
Hi, it looks to me in the photos that this recipe would have oats in it? If I wanted to add oats, what would you recommend?
I’d love to hear your recommendations on adding brewers yeast, if you have any suggestions for me.
(I’m a nursing Mom, trying to find a healthier lactation muffin recipe 🙂 )
Thanks!
Hi,
I am wondering if the flaxseed to water ratio is correct? In previous vegan recipes it is suggested to use 1 T. flaxmeal and 3 T. water for 1 egg eqivalent so I am wondering if your recipe should be 2 T. flaxmeal and 6 T. water to get the 2 egg equivalent?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Theresa, we use the ratio listed here. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for letting me know!!
These muffins are amazing!! They came out with a perfect taste and texture! I subbed the oil for applesauce (1:1). I definitely recommend making these!
Hi Ainsley, so glad you loved them!
These came out great! I added some dark chocolate and used regular milk / eggs since that is what I had on hand. Would love to try with almond milk next time.
So glad you loved the muffins!
These were great! I doubled the recipe and substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil. The the whole family loved them! Thanks for the keeper! 🙂
Hi Kristen, I’m so glad the recipe was a hit!
These are amazing! I love how dense they are and the balance of flavors. I added chocolate chips and walnuts.
Hi! I’m so excited to make these. Could I swap the baking powder for a little more baking soda at the recommended swap amount? Thanks for this recipe!!