Applesauce Banana Muffins are naturally sweetened and made easy in one bowl. Moist and delicious healthy banana muffins your family will love for breakfast or snack.
Other favorite banana muffins include these almond flour banana muffins and kodiak banana muffins.
When it comes to baked goods, simplicity is key. These healthy banana muffins with applesauce, whole wheat flour and no refined sugar win every-single-time. Along with applesauce banana bread, they are our family favorite and I can guarantee they will be yours too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Low fat: Banana applesauce muffins do not need much oil or butter thanks to applesauce.
- Low sugar: Naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and a touch of maple syrup, these healthy muffins contain only 10 grams of sugar.
- Whole grain: Using 100% whole wheat flour or spelt flour adds both fiber and nutrients you don’t get with white flour.
- Easy recipe: Made in one bowl, with simple ingredients.
- Light and fluffy: Both adults and kids love these banana muffins with applesauce!
Reader’s Review
These are so good! I used maple syrup (not honey) and sprinkled them with chopped honey roasted pecans and a cinnamon and sugar mix before baking. They are so moist and delicious!!
Traci Marschalk
Ingredients for Applesauce Banana Muffins
- Bananas: Choose very ripe bananas that are yellow with many brown spots to brown patches. Here is a quick tutorial how to ripen bananas faster if your bananas are not quite there yet. Previously frozen bananas are OK too, just make sure to thaw them first.
- Flour: I have tested this recipe with whole wheat flour and spelt flour. You should be OK with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour in same amount.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup, honey, agave or any other liquid sweetener works.
- Applesauce: Either sweetened or I like to use unsweetened applesauce, it adds moisture and sweetness. You can substitute it with 2% and higher fat Greek yogurt but keep in mind your banana muffins will be less sweet. Add a touch more sweetener or just make my Greek yogurt banana muffins.
- Egg: For lift and binding. You may try to replace it with a flax egg or chia egg.
- Oil: Avocado oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil works. Coconut oil is great too although it has to be melted first and then measured. A little bit of oil is necessary to avoid rubbery texture.
- Baking staples: Baking soda and baking powder for leavening, and salt for taste.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract for extra flavor. You can also add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for warmth.
How to Make Banana Applesauce Muffins
This healthy banana muffin recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes.
- Combine wet ingredients and leavening agents: In a large bowl, lightly whisk an egg. Add bananas and mash well with a potato masher. Add applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, baking powder and soda and salt, then whisk to combine or I use the same masher to “whisk”.
- Add flour and gently stir until well incorporated. Give the muffin batter a few stirs and let it sit for a few seconds. Then stir in a different direction again. Try to stir from the very bottom to avoid patches of flour in the muffins.
- Bake the muffins: Using a trigger cookie dough scoop, fill each muffin pan opening with batter almost full. Bake banana muffins for 22 minutes in preheated 375 F degrees oven.
- Cool the muffins: After baking, let banana muffins cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool off completely.
Tips for Best Results
- Follow the recipe: Dry to wet ingredients ratio has to be maintained. Do not use dry sweetener like brown sugar or white granulated sugar, please.
- Other flours: If you want to use all-purpose flour, I recommend 1 3/4 cups. Do not use coconut flour because all flours act differently. For gluten free versions, check out my almond flour banana muffins and oat flour banana muffins.
- Do not over mix the batter: Vigorous mixing will result in gluten development in the flour. Banana applesauce muffins will come out rubbery and tough.
- Muffin tin liners: Be sure to use parchment paper liners and not just paper liners to prevent sticking. If using no liners, be sure to spray your muffin tin well and make sure it is truly non-stick one.
- To avoid sinking in the center muffins: Measure 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana, use fresh baking powder and next time add a tad more flour, if you had collapsed centers.
Variations
You can add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of these add-ins without any other changes to the recipe.
- Nuts: Chopped or in pieces walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pistachios.
- Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips would go a long way and you will have to use less of them.
- Blueberries: Fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries work great. You might love my healthy blueberry banana muffins too!
- Dried fruit: Raisins or dried cranberries.
- To make mini banana muffins: Bake mini banana muffins for 15 minutes and do a toothpick test. If it comes out with muffin batter on it, bake longer, if necessary.
- Would you like a banana bread? Check out my banana bread with applesauce.
How to Store
Store: To prevent banana muffins from drying out, place in a resealable bag or airtight container and store muffins on a counter for 3 days. Afterwards if any left (never happens to us), refrigerate for another 3 days.
Freeze: Bake and cool the muffins and freeze the same day to ensure freshness. Freeze muffins for up to 3 months. To thaw just remove banana muffins from the freezer and let defrost in a bag for a few hours or overnight on a counter.
More Banana Muffin Recipes to Try
- Greek yogurt banana muffins
- Banana carrot muffins
- Healthy banana oatmeal muffins
- Banana protein muffins
- Pumpkin banana muffins
- Healthy banana chocolate chip muffins
Applesauce Banana Muffins
These Banana Muffins with Applesauce are naturally sweetened and made easy in one bowl. Moist and delicious healthy banana muffin recipe!
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 3 large very ripe bananas, 1 1/2 cups mashed
- 1/2 cup applesauce, sweetened or unsweetened
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, or honey
- 3 tablespoons mild oil, I use avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
- Cooking spray, I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray non-stick 12 muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the egg. Add bananas and mash well. Add applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, baking powder and soda and salt; whisk to combine.
- Add flour and gently stir until well incorporated. Do not over mix otherwise muffins will be tough.
- Fill each opening almost full with batter (I used regular ice cream scoop) and bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Let muffins cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool off completely.
🎉 Last step! If you made this recipe, please leave a review and let us know what you think!
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: In an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours or overnight.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 107kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 179mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!
These are very moist and a delicious healthy alternative to normal muffins! Thank you so much!
You are very welcome!
Delicious! I sprinkled chopped walnuts on top, and doubled the amount of applesauce for an extra moist muffin. I also like to run the flour through a sifter if I’m using whole wheat flour, so the texture is a bit more fine and the muffins can be fluffy, rather than dense (as baked goods sometimes get with the whole wheat). So delicious! I
That’s awesome! So when you sift your whole wheat flour, what do you do with the bran? If discard then that’s a lot of nutrition out. Or do you add it back in the dough? Just curious but of course it’s your call.:)
Just so you know-applesauce is included in the ingredients but in the instructions it does not say to add the applesauce.
I figured it out when the batter seemed pretty dry.
The muffins were good! Thank you.
Thank you for letting me know!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It has become my go-to for my kids… they absolutely love them!
You are welcome!:)
So happy to find this healthy recipe. My husband is not too crazy about banana bread or banana muffins but he really like these. I just get one out of the freezer and reheat when he ask for one. For the flour I used 1 c. of whole wheat pastry and 1/3 c. spelt. Then added a pinch of cinnamon, 1/2 chopped English Walnuts in the batter and a few nuts on top. This is a filling snack for him. Thanks for sharing. Weighing my pastry flour (accordingly to the weight conversion chart) helps me get the perfect texture, consistently.
I used all purpose flour and forgot the applesauce completely. I did add an extra banana as the recipe narrative suggested. In any case, I baked for 18 minutes and they were perfect. So delicious and the perfect texture!
Thanks for the healthy yummy recipe! Just read, pinned and made these! They look yummy. I added 1 big pure chocolate chip on each and added some cinnamon in the batter. The whole house smelled heavenly! I did need a longer baking time, about 15 minutes but that’s okay. I couldn’t wait to open and taste one. I baked then in silicone cupcake moulds so they popped out pretty easy. I was a bit disappointed to see they were too gooey. The taste was awesome though. Maybe they’ll toughnen up by the morning let’s see…yeah its midnight here I’m off to bed…
Hm. That seems like such a long baking time and still gooey?! Did you use exactly same ingredients as me? Cinnamon and chocolate chips don’t matter. They will firm up by the morning more for sure.
These were a huge hit with my kids. Next time I will double the recipe and try to freeze lol.
Is it ok to use regular all purpose flour with this recipe instead of the whole wheat flour?
Not really because you will need less of it but how much I don’t know unless you are willing to experiment with bringing batter to a muffin like consistency.:)
Thank you, these are great and so easy to make! My kids love them!