These Healthy Banana Muffins are sweetened with only banana and are made in just one bowl! They’re great for an easy meal prep breakfast or afternoon snack that won’t make your kids crazy!
You guys, I’ve made about a million batches of this Healthy Banana Muffin Recipe lately and I never get sick of it! I played around with the recipe a little bit, adding coconut sugar and maple syrup but in the end I decided that it was sweet enough for me with just the sweetness of the bananas, no added sugar.
My toddler has somewhat of a sugar addiction so I’m always trying to come up with muffin recipes that he will enjoy but aren’t loaded with sugar. Needless to say, he gobbled these Healthy Banana Muffins right up 🙂 They are very kid friendly muffins and perfect for little toddlers!
How To Make These One Bowl Healthy Banana Muffins
I’m the queen of dirtying every single dish in the kitchen when cooking a simple recipe, so I decided to make this easy banana muffin recipe into a one bowl baking recipe and it worked great!
- Start by pre-heating the oven and preparing your muffin tin. You can use paper or silicone liners, or just make sure to grease your muffin tin well.
- Add your bananas to a large bowl and mash with a fork. You want the bananas to be really well mashed so you have a banana flavored muffin rather than a muffin with banana chunks in it. This is another reason it is important to use bananas that are very ripe and easy to mash.
- Next, add in the vegan egg substitute, coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla and almond extracts. Mix everything together well.
- Then, add in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well. If you are adding any additions, like chocolate chips or nuts, add in them now and gently fold them into the muffin batter.
- I like to use a 1/4 cup scoop to scoop my muffin batter into the muffin tin because it ensures all the muffins are the same size and it’s less messy than spooning the batter in. Put the muffins in the oven and bake until firm to the touch and cooked through.
- I like to let my muffins sit until completely cooled so they’re easy for the kids to eat and they firm up a bit more when you let them cool fully.
What Makes These Healthy Banana Muffins?
Healthy is such a relative term and I always feel a bit nervous using it to describe a recipe because what’s healthy to me might not be considered healthy to someone else. But, here are a few reasons I’m calling these Healthy Banana Muffins:
- They’re made with a mixture of white and whole wheat flour. You could also just use all whole wheat if you like to make them even healthier.
- There is absolutely no added sugar besides the bananas! I used 3 extra large bananas, or 4 regular sized bananas, and I truly feel like it gave these muffins all the sweetness they needed. If you like yours a bit sweeter you could always add 1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar.
- I don’t believe that eggs are unhealthy but I did make these muffins vegan by adding a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with water). The flax adds good omega 3 fats and fiber as well as helping to lower cholesterol and blood pressure (so I have read).
- I used coconut oil instead of vegetable based oil. You can read more about why coconut oil is healthier than vegetable oil here.
I usually just make these plain but there are so many ways to jazz them up if you get bored of jus the banana flavor!
OPTIONAL FLAVOR ADD INS FOR YOUR BANANA MUFFINS:
- Chocolate chips
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Peanut butter/almond butter
- Grated zucchini
- Chopped nuts
RECIPE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Can I use a real egg? Yes, you can use an egg instead of the flax “egg”
- Can I add some sweetener if I want? If you like your muffins a little sweeter feel free to add 1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar.
- How ripe do the bananas need to be? The riper your bananas are, the sweeter the muffins will be.
- What kind of coconut oil should I use? If you don’t want any coconut taste in your muffins you need to use refined coconut oil. I personally like to use un-refined coconut oil for this recipe because I love how the flavor goes with the bananas!
- Can I substitute anything for the oil? Applesauce can be substituted for the coconut oil if you like.
- What kind of flour should I use? I used half all purpose and half whole wheat flour for this recipe but you can use entirely all purpose or whole wheat if you like.
- Can I use gluten free flour? I have not tested this recipe using an alternative gluten free flour but I’m guessing that a gluten free all purpose flour (with xantham gum) would work great.
Have a question that I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
CHECK OUT EXACTLY HOW I MAKE THESE HEALTHY BANANA MUFFINS BELOW!
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Healthy Banana Muffins (One Bowl)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Healthy Banana Muffins are sweetened with only banana and are made in just one bowl! Perfect for kids!
Ingredients
- 3 extra large bananas or 4 regular sized, mashed
- 1 regular egg or 1 flax egg (1 heaping tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 2 minutes)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, optional but so good!
- 1 cup almond milk, or non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 cups flour, I used 1 cup all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Add the bananas to a large bowl and mash with a fork. Next, add the flax egg, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla extract and almond extract. Whisk until combined.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until everything is mixed together and batter is formed.
- Use a 1/4 cup scoop to scoop the batter into a greased 12 cup muffin tin and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or muffins feel firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Leave the muffins in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Muffins can be frozen in a freezer friendly airtight container for up to 6 months.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Any chance I can use almond flour as a substitute? Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Kathi! I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t say for sure but if it works as a 1:1 ratio to regular flour then yes!
Very good! Only change I made is I always bake my muffins at 425 for the first five minute, then bring it down. Gives muffins the crunchy bakery-type dome that I love!!
Great tip! So glad you liked them!
They turn out a bit dense, not fluffy. I used wheat flour, coconut oil and oat milk. Would they be more fluffy if I used butter instead of coconut oil?
most likely
can we use 2 cups of any flour like wheat flours
i have spelt flour and wheat flours ?
That should work!
I found this recipe via Feeding Littles’ Breakfast Toolkit. My toddler and I made the muffins together. I just took them out of the oven and they are delicious! I used a chicken egg and cow’s milk because we had those on hand. I also added 1/4 cup maple syrup because my bananas weren’t overripe and so I thought the muffins might need a little extra sweetness. Thank you!
That’s so nice to hear!! I love when kids help out with the baking 🙂
My family loves these. This is my fourth time making them since the COVID 19 quarintine. I’m a horrible baker, but these were simple to make and turned out delish. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that! We’ve been baking a lot lately too 🙂
I just made the muffins and the only thing I changed was the flour. I used an all purpose gluten-free flour and they were delish! (I also used a real egg ? instead of a flax “egg”) I had 3 VERY ripe bananas ? to use so I’m glad they didn’t go to waste. They’re so moist—love that it called for coconut ? oil ???
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Hi! Has anyone tried this with a gluten free flour? If so, which one is recommended or works best? Thank you!
great recipe! Very easy and very delicious. Put in some walnuts and dark chocolate for extra crunch and extra sweetness.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Just made these muffins they were very moist. I personally liked them as I’m trying to eat healthier however the boys thought they were bland and they couldn’t taste sugar. I guess chocolate chips in their batch next time.
Haha! You could also add 1/4-1/3 cup of brown sugar or maple syrup 🙂
Definitely thought this recipe was easy to follow and tasty, but will definitely have to add chocolate chips and/or sugar next time. I am glad this is a no-sugar added recipe and knew that before-hand, however, everyone in my family said they tasted bland. Will definitely add honey or actual sugar next time, as I thought they needed a touch of sweetness. I used butter instead of coconut oil and they were very moist!
I do add some coconut sugar or maple syrup every now and then but my kids don’t seem to mind the lack of sweetness 🙂
Love this recipe! I have made it twice using applesauce, and both times have turned out great. The first time I added walnuts and frozen blueberries, which was delicious but somehow they ended up going bad on the counter after only a few days, I think because of the moisture with the added ingredients and applesauce. The second time I used all whole wheat flour and added only walnuts and also delicious! Storing in the fridge this time so hopefully that will make it last longer (if they all aren’t eaten already!!!)
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Followed almost exactly, swapped nondairy out for normal milk, and folded in blueberries and walnuts. I looooooove it!!!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. The blueberry adds a little burst of sweetness every few bites but the muffin itself is delicious and good with so many things!
So glad to hear it!!
Hoping these turn out…I did sub the applesauce for oil, and used water with skim milk powder instead of the nut milk, as I don’t have any. I’ve baked them for 35 minutes and some of them are still raw inside. Put them in for another 15 and hoping they aren’t overdone! They smell amazing…
I hope they worked out for you!
Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! I’m making my second batch in 4 days as we speak! My favourite bake so far! Simple, one bowl and delicious! I add chocolate chips! Thank you so much! A recipe I will use for life!
So nice too hear!!
Yikes. These taste so bland and I can only taste the flour. The banana doesn’t even come through! I followed the recipe exactly.
Were your bananas super ripe? Also, it’s a no added sugar recipe so it’s not supposed to be super sweet…
Do you know how to prevent the banana from sinking to the bottom? These were great and I didn’t do any add ins. Just the basic recipe. It was doughy at the top and a bit drier banana bread at the bottom. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
Hmm, I’ve never had that issue before, maybe mix the mashed banana with a little bit of flour fist?
Could I use chickpea flour for the two cups of flour?
I haven’t experimented with chickpea flour so I’m not sure if it works as a 1:1 substitute
Can I replace the oil with applesauce?
I haven’t tested that out myself, but applesauce is supposed to be a good oil substitute in baking so I think it would work!
I always use applesauce and it makes my baked goods more fluffy instead of so dense. Made these with the egg substitute for an infant with egg white sensitivity. He loved them!
Awesome!!
These are genius! I And this is from someone who is just testing the waters with trying to eat healthier for the first time ever… I used applesauce instead of the oil, and the real egg, added nuts, and they were awesome. Then I tried that, AND used chickpea flour–still awesome! Thank you thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! And glad to know that chickpea flours works well! 🙂
This turned out AWESOME! I substituted gluten-free flour because that’s what I had on hand and I was afraid I wouldn’t like it but it was fabulous! Even my husband and son loved it! I don’t do a lot of cooking or baking so I was so happy this was an easy recipe and that it turned out so well! I added chocolate chips and used the maple syrup and the coconut oil along with oat milk. Delicious!
That is so nice to hear!!
Can it be made without salt and how did you estimate each banana to be 16.6 carbohydrates grams?
Yes, you can make without salt. I use a nutrition calculator so I’m not sure how they do it, but if carbs are a big concern for you, I would recommend calculating yourself 🙂
Hi. Can plain yogurt be used instead of milk?
I would add a little bit of water to it to make it more like the consistency of milk.