Moist and fluffy Vegan Banana Muffins sweetened with ripe bananas. Ready in just over 30 minutes, they make a delicious healthy breakfast or grab-and-go snack.
If you have extra bananas try these almond flour banana muffins, applesauce banana muffins and oat flour banana muffins.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
These vegan banana muffins are truly one of my go-to healthy muffin recipes that are super easy to make.
Healthy: Dairy-free, egg-free, and sugar-free. This vegan banana muffin recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup and ripe bananas, uses whole wheat flour, and a splash of non-dairy milk.
Easy to make: You won’t be spending all day baking, this simple one bowl recipe is ready in 30ish minutes. If you have a few overripe bananas, make this light and fluffy banana snack and I bet they don’t last the week!
Versatile: I have always loved chopped walnuts and banana together, but there are many other great add-ins you can try. Vegan chocolate chips or berries would make a delicious sweet treat.
Ingredients for Vegan Banana Muffins
You need a short list of wholesome ingredients and everyday baking staples to make vegan banana muffins.
- Bananas: Overripe bananas with many brown spots or patches are best. You can use frozen bananas that have been thawed or follow this quick tutorial on how to ripen bananas faster.
- Light oil: Keeps these healthy muffins moist. I used avocado oil, you can use whatever light olive oil you have on hand.
- Maple Syrup: I prefer the taste of maple syrup, but any liquid sweetener like honey (not vegan) or agave are good too.
- Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk, you can use any dairy free milk such as soy milk.
- Baking essentials: Pure vanilla extract, baking powder, baking salt, and salt.
- Cinnamon: Adds a hint of sweet and spicy to vegan banana muffins.
- Whole wheat flour: Regular whole wheat flour is great with its extra nutrients and fiber. White flour works too but you will need more of it, check recipe card below.
- Walnuts: For crunch and flavor.
- Cooking spray: To spray muffin liners, I used Misto.
How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins
Here’s how to make healthy vegan banana muffins using one bowl. Full recipe card with measurements is located below.
For prep, start by preheating your oven to 375 F, add muffin liners to your muffin tin and spray them with cooking spray.
- Mash bananas: Mash ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl. You can use a fork or potato masher.
- Make muffin batter: Add oil, maple syrup, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in with the mashed banana. Whisk well until batter is smooth with no visible lumps. Next you’ll add in the flour and gently stir without overmixing, then fold in the walnuts.
- Bake muffins: Divide batter between opening. Using a regular ice cream scoop is an easy way to keep them even. Place in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center, once it comes out clean your muffins are ready.
- Cool: Remove from the oven and let them cool in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Tips for Best Results
These are the tricks and tips I follow that make this vegan banana muffin recipe the best!
- Over ripen bananas are the best: They will give your muffins the sweetest banana flavor. Here’s how to ripen bananas faster or freeze bananas if you have lots.
- Don’t overmix the batter: You want to mix until just combined for tender, fluffy muffins. If batter is overmixed they will be tough.
- To avoid dry muffins: Don’t overbake. Make sure you remove them from the oven as soon as the toothpick comes out clean or has a few moist crumbs on it.
- Add other mix-ins: These vegan banana muffins are delicious and make a nice base for fun add-ins. Use your favorite nuts like pecans or almonds. Make them sweeter with dried cranberries, fresh berries or frozen berries. A teaspoon of nutmeg would also add more spice. Or make vegan chocolate chips banana muffins by adding in some dark chocolate chips.
What to Serve Vegan Banana Muffins with?
Why do we love muffins? They make the perfect breakfast, snack, and dessert!
Start your day with a vegan banana muffin and a side of fruit salad, spread with vegan butter or nut butter for a post workout protein snack, or treat yourself and add a big scoop of creamy vegan vanilla ice cream.
How to Store
Store: It’s best to store fresh, moist muffins at room temperature for the first 2 days keeping them loosely covered on the kitchen counter. After that you can place them in the refrigerator for a couple more days.
Freeze: Vegan banana muffins in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, set them on a counter for a few hours or overnight.
Storage Tip
Check out my post how to store muffins and how to freeze muffins for more tips and tricks.
FAQs
Most likely you over mixed the batter or did not measure the flour correctly. Be sure to follow the recipe, spoon flour into the measuring cup, then level off with the back of a knife. After gently mix just enough to combine.
There could be a few reasons. Under baked muffins, flour not measured correctly, bananas too large and not measured after mashing. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas which works out to 3-4 medium to large bananas. This is important when making muffins without flax eggs.
No because muffin batter consistency will be off. In order to keep dry to wet ingredients ratio, you must use a liquid sweetener.
I have not tried and I know that all purpose gluten-free flour is more dry than regular flour. I would use the amount this recipe calls for whole wheat flour and maybe add a splash of milk. But I haven’t tried.
Yes. Warming them up in the microwave makes them taste fresh out of the oven, or toss a frozen one in your lunch bag and it will be ready to eat by lunch time.
I would recommend to try half applesauce, half oil. Using all applesauce would make muffins gummy and they will stick to the paper liners.
More Banana Muffin Recipes to Try
- Healthy banana oatmeal muffins
- Healthy zucchini banana muffins
- Protein banana muffins
- Pumpkin banana muffins
- Healthy banana chocolate chip muffins
- Healthy blueberry banana muffins
- Carrot banana muffins
Vegan Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 3-4 large overripe bananas 1 1/2 cups mashed
- 1/3 cup any light oil I use avocado oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup milk I use unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour or 2 cups 3 tablespoons white flour
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, line 12 muffin tin with muffin liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher. Add oil, maple syrup, milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk well to combine until there are no visible lumps.
- Add flour and gently stir until well incorporated. Do not over mix otherwise muffins will be tough. Now add walnuts and give batter a few stirs.
- Using regular ice cream scoop, divide batter between openings evenly and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove vegan banana muffins from the oven, let them cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool off more. Enjoy warm or cold.
Notes
- Store: Loosely covered on a counter for 2 days. Muffins are moist, so do not seal them tight. After they can last in the fridge for a couple more days.
- 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.
- Liquid sweetener: No dry sweetener like sugar please. You have to keep dry to wet ingredients ratio.
