Healthy Banana Muffins
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Published Mar 08, 2024, Updated Nov 04, 2024
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These healthy banana muffins are made with whole wheat flour, greek yogurt and maple syrup. They’re moist, fluffy and ready in under 30 minutes!
Want more healthy muffin recipes? Try my yogurt blueberry muffins, healthy chocolate muffins or these banana oatmeal muffins.
Why I Love These Muffins
- Nutrient-Rich – Made with whole grains, ripe bananas, and Greek yogurt, each muffin is a bite of healthful nutrients.
- Portable – These muffins are easy to eat with your hands on the go. Bonus, silicone muffin cups double as a baking, storage and transportation vessel.
- Naturally sweetened – The entire batch is made with ½ cup maple syrup, which is way less sugar than a bakery-style muffin.
Ingredients Needed
- whole wheat pastry flour – for a tender crumb and a boost of whole grains.
- baking powder & baking soda – the leavening agents that give these muffins their rise.
- cinnamon – adds a warm spice that complements the banana flavor beautifully.
- sea salt – just a pinch to enhance all the flavors.
- ripe bananas – the star of the show, providing natural sweetness and moisture.
- eggs – help to bind everything together for the perfect muffin texture.
- maple syrup – for natural sweetness without refined sugars.
- full fat Greek yogurt – adds richness and ensures the muffins are moist.
- avocado oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil – any of these work to add moisture and help create a tender muffin.
- vanilla – a splash to round out the sweetness and add depth of flavor.
- chopped walnuts or chocolate chips – for a bit of texture and extra flavor, plus more for topping if you like.
How to Make Healthy Banana Muffins
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, mash the bananas well before mixing in the eggs, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla until everything is well combined.
Step 3: Gently combine the wet and dry mixtures. Be careful not to overmix. Then mix in your walnuts.
Step 4: Distribute the batter evenly into the muffin cups, adding a few extra nuts on top if desired. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean. Allow them to cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tip
Use bananas that are very ripe for the best natural sweetness and moisture. The more brown spots, the better!
Storing Banana Muffins
- At Room Temperature: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To keep them fresh, you can add a sheet of paper towel on the bottom of the container to absorb excess moisture.
- In the Refrigerator: For a longer storage option, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. This helps preserve their freshness and prevents spoilage.
- Freezing: Freeze muffins by wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and placing them in a freezer bag. They can be stored for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or gently reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, feel free to mix in other fruits like blueberries or diced apples for a different flavor profile. Just be mindful of adding extra moisture to the batter.
Over-baking is a common reason for dry muffins. Make sure to check them a few minutes before the suggested baking time and remove them from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out clean.
Yes, if you’re allergic to nuts or simply not a fan, you can leave them out or replace them with an equal amount of another add-in like chocolate chips or dried fruit.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Coconut Flour Muffins
- Protein Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
Be sure to check out all of the muffin recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large or 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 ½ cups)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup full fat Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, or olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with silicone or paper liners. If using paper liners I recommend spraying the liners with cooking spray to prevent them from sticking.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, maple syrup, greek yogurt, oil and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. There may be a few lumps, that’s totally fine. Just don’t over mix!
- Gently stir in the walnuts or chocolate chips if using.
- Divide the batter evenly between muffin cups and top with additional walnuts or chocolate chips if using. Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove from the muffin tin and to cool completely on a wire rack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could I use almond flour instead?
Hi Emily – I wouldn’t sub in almond flour as the recipe won’t turn out the same since it was originally developed to be made with whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose flour would also work). If you’re looking for a banana muffin recipe with almond flour I’d suggest making my banana blender muffins or my oatmeal banana muffins instead.
Fantastic recipe!
I omitted the oil and maple syrup, added a scoop of vanilla protein powder and did 1 c almond flour + .5 c regular flour and it turned out incredible!!! Have made it several times since.
YAY! This is so great to hear! Glad you are loving these muffins and they turned out great for you, Georgie. Thanks for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Hello,
can you use coconut yogurt instead of Greek?
Hi Karen! I haven’t tested this recipe with coconut yogurt, but I bet it would work. Let me know if you give it a try and how it turns out for you!
Can I use 1:1 gluten free flour instead of the whole wheat pastry flour?
Love all your recipes!!!
Hi Carrie! I haven’t tested this recipe with GF flour, but I bet it would work just fine. Let me know if you give it a try and how it turns out for you!
Made these over the weekend. They are absolutely delicious. Give them a try if you haven’t already.
YUM! I am so glad you are loving these muffins, Debby. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
So good as a snack or breakfast. I used plain fat free Greek yogurt ad it worked just fine.
I made these muffins today and used coconut palm sugar instead of maple syrup and added frozen blueberries. They are delicious and very light and fluffy.
YAY! I am SO glad you are loving this recipe and they turned out great for you, Pastora. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!