These Banana Muffins with Applesauce are naturally sweetened and made easy in one bowl. Moist and delicious your family will love these healthy muffins for breakfast or snack.
Other favorite banana muffins include these almond flour banana muffins and vegan banana muffins.
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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!
Freeze bananas whenever you see them start getting many brown spots until you are ready to make some applesauce banana muffins, banana carrot muffins or healthy banana oatmeal muffins.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Low fat: By using applesauce these healthy muffins require minimum oil.
- Low sugar: Thanks to being sweetened naturally with ripe bananas and a touch of maple syrup, these muffins contain only 10 grams of natural sugar per muffin.
- 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 and easy directions.
- Light and fluffy: Both adults and kids love these muffins! Just see reviews and comments yourself.
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: The only flours I recommend to use are regular whole wheat flour and spelt flour.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup, honey, agave or any other liquid sweetener works.
- Applesauce: Either sweetened or I use unsweetened applesauce. It can be store-bought or homemade like Instant Pot applesauce.
- Egg: For lift and binding.
- Oil: Avocado oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil works. Coconut oil is great too although it has to be melted first and then measured.
- Baking staples: Baking soda and baking powder for leavening, and salt for taste.
How to Make Banana Applesauce Muffins
These healthy banana muffins come together in less than 30 minutes, perfect for a healthy breakfast.
- Combine liquid ingredients and leavening agents: In a large mixing 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: Fill each muffin pan opening almost full with batter. Bake for 22 minutes in preheated 375 F degrees oven.
Recipe Tip
Using an ice cream scoop makes your muffin batter easily scoopable and is the perfect amount for filling each cup in your muffins tin!
- 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
Here are my tips and tricks for the best banana applesauce muffins in the world!
- Do not over mix the batter: Vigorous mixing will result in gluten development in the flour. Banana 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.
- Flours you can use: Do not use all purpose flour or coconut flour because all flours act differently. You may be OK with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour. For gluten free versions, check out my almond flour banana muffins and oat flour banana muffins.
- Do not use sugar: Dry to wet ingredients ratio has to be maintained. Do not use dry sweetener like brown sugar or white granulated sugar, please.
- Applesauce substitute: You can substitute it with 2% and higher fat Greek yogurt but keep in mind your muffins will be less sweet.
- Vegan banana muffins: Use a flax egg or chia seed egg.
Variations
This recipe is for simple banana muffins. You can add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of these add ons 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, both work great. You might love to make healthy blueberry banana muffins!
- 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 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 for up to 3 months. I double the recipe for eating right away and triple if I want to freeze some for healthy snacks.
To thaw just remove banana muffins from the freezer and let defrost in a bag for a few hours or overnight on a counter.
Storage Tip
For more best muffin storage practices, be sure to check out my posts how to store muffins and how to freeze muffins.
FAQs
Your bananas were either too large (remember to use max 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana) or you used old baking powder.
You over mixed the batter. Mix only until all ingredients are combined and use a gentle hand when mixing.
More Banana Muffin Recipes to Try
- Banana protein muffins
- Pumpkin banana muffins
- Healthy banana chocolate chip muffins
- Healthy banana zucchini muffins
- Healthy blueberry banana muffins
Applesauce Banana Muffins
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 tbsp olive, avocado or coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp 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.
Video
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.
- Bananas: Choose very ripe bananas that are yellow with many brown spots to brown patches.
- Flour: Do not use all-purpose flour or coconut flour because all flours act differently. You may be OK with white whole wheat flour or wheat pastry flour.
- Liquid sweetener: No dry sweetener like sugar please. You have to keep dry to wet ingredients ratio.
- Sweetened or unsweetened applesauce: Either can be used. Can substitute with Greek yogurt 2% and higher fat content but muffins will be less sweet.
I made this with white flour, sorry didn’t have whole wheat, and they look beautiful. However, I used olive oil and feel like I can taste it. When I make them again, I will use coconut or canola oil. I wouldn’t recommend olive oil in them. I’ll probably add cinnamon as well.
I think using white flour could affect the olive oil taste since white flour has no bran. White flour baked goods taste different. Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kathy.
These are perfect! Easy to make, light, guilt-free, and not too sweet. I made the recipe using whole wheat pastry flour and added dark chocolate chips. Look forward to having one each day with my cup of tea in the evening as I wind down. Love your recipes 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Crystal! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I am so grateful to have found this site since, like almost everyone else on the planet, I am trying to eat healthier in 2020! I made these Healthy Banana Muffins today and they were excellent. Obviously not like CAKE or super sugary sweet but even my anti-healthy eating husband liked them! I am NOT a good cook and feel line most things I make don’t turn out right but these turned out perfect! Easy. Healthy.Tasty is a 5 STAR in my book!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Brenda! You will be surprised to learn that only 5% and maybe 10% total are trying to eat healthy in North America. The stats I learnt when I started this website. Unhealthy websites are rocking the #s way higher but…So, be proud of yourself and anyone can be a good cook!
Can I use almond flour instead?
Not in this recipe. Check out my almond flour banana muffins please.
Hi,
We love these muffins and I want to make some to freeze. If I freeze them individually, how do you recommend defrosting them to eat right away out of the freezer?
Thanks
Defrost in a microwave. Haven’t tried thawing in the oven, so can’t tell if they will dry out but you can experiment. I have a woodstove and put them on the griddle. But usually they take a few hours to defrost on a counter.
Would love to try making these !! They sound and look absolutley delicious. What would you recommend doing if I have sweetened applesauce ? Maybe using half the amount of maple syrop?
No, you can’t reduce amount of maple syrup because it will offset dry to wet ratio and muffins won’t work. It’s fine, just muffins will be a bit more sweet. Don’t add chocolate chips in case you were planning to.
I’ve made these at least half a dozen times. I love it best with honey, though with our little boy eating solids but not yet 1yo, we use the maple syrup option which is great too. I use olive oil for the oil, and switch between plain, with walnuts, or with chocolate chips. It’s good every way, just depends on my sweet tooth at the moment.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Super easy and the cleanup is easy too being one bowl 🙂
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe, Katie!
Why does the baking powder have to be aluminum free?
Just so you don’t eat aluminum.:) But recipe will work with any.
Love Love these muffins. Added one choc chip on each muffin and they were perfect.
Yay! So happy to hear! Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to let me know you enjoyed my recipe.
I love making these with dark chocolate chips in them. And I use the mini muffin baking sheets instead of normal muffin size. It only takes about 10 to 11 minutes using the mini muffin pans. These have become a staple in our family, everyone loves them! Especially the kids 🙂
That is so amazing to hear! Glad everyone enjoyed my recipe, Julie!