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Healthy Banana Bread Muffins are the perfect healthy on-the-go breakfast or snack! They are made from healthy whole wheat flour, honey, and ingredients found in your pantry!
I’ve recently been buying so many bananas with the intention of baking up some crafty banana baked goods, but I always end up turning to my typical banana bread recipe. I spent some time on Pinterest last week trying to find new overripe banana recipes, and ultimately decided that it was time to make some healthy muffins with a dash of chocolate.
If you have a lot of overripe bananas after making these muffins, you can also make my Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread afterwards.
Ingredients needed to make banana bread muffins
This recipe calls for simple, easy ingredients. You probably already have most of these in your pantry and refrigerator!
- Whole wheat flour
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Coconut oil
- Honey
- Eggs
- Bananas
- Milk of choice
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
Kitchen tools required to make healthy muffins
These muffins require typical baking tools. To prepare these delicious treats, you’ll need a muffin tin, muffin liners (or grease/oil), 2 mixing bowls, a whisk, and a mixing spatula or spoon.
Healthy banana bread that everyone will enjoy
Last weekend, my usual bananas were ready to be transformed into something magical, so I chose to turn them into muffins. Something about muffins just makes me so happy.
I kept two for myself and ate one straight out of the oven, drizzled with melted peanut butter. The rest of the batch came with me to work (I’m always looking to pawn off goodies), and my co-workers ate them all within an hour of putting them out. Someone even left me a note that said they were delicious!
My coworkers were shocked to learn that these banana bread muffins were made with healthier ingredients. I love being able to show people that baking with healthier ingredients doesn’t have to be tasteless. Everyone loved them, which was a great sign!
A healthier muffin option
To make these banana bread muffins a bit healthier than what you’d typically find, I used a few special ingredients.
- Whole wheat flour: Whole wheat flour is a great option to use in place of all-purpose. It provides more fiber and nutrients without altering the taste!
- Coconut oil: I prefer using coconut oil over other oils and fats, as it contains more nutrients and is better for cholesterol, blood sugar, and more.
- Honey: Honey is an all-natural sweetener that tastes amazing. It’s worlds healthier than granulated sugar, making it my go-to sweetener option!
How to make easy banana bread
These are seriously the easiest muffins ever. They only require about 35 minutes, and they taste fantastic!
To start making these muffins, preheat the oven to 325F and prepare the muffin tin by greasing or lining.
Then, mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the oil and honey together.
Add in the whisked eggs and stir. Then, add in the mashed bananas, milk, and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine. Additionally, you can add chocolate chips.
Divide the batter into greased or lined muffin tins and bake for 23-25 minutes. You can use a toothpick to test.
Finally, enjoy!
Tip: Drizzle warm peanut butter on top for an extra delicious banana muffin!
Tips for achieving the perfect healthy banana bread muffins
Here are some little tricks for making the best muffins ever!
Preheat the oven
Make sure your oven is fully heated before putting the batter in the oven. If it’s not, it may cause the muffins to cook poorly as it heats up. If you’re like me you’re probably often tempted to throw the batter in as soon as it’s ready. However, it pays to hold off!
Measure the ingredients
Be sure that you measure out your ingredients closely, as too much or too little of something can completely change the end result. If you use too much liquid, for example, your muffins may wind up feeling dense and “heavy.”
Avoid over mixing
Be sure your muffin batter is mixed just enough, but not too much. As long as everything is incorporated, they’ll turn out just fine. Over mixing can result in hard muffins.
Storing muffins
These muffins can be stored in an airtight container and kept at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. Similarly, they can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Optional substitutions
Here are some commonly used ingredient swaps. Feel free to customize this recipe to make it your own!
- Whole wheat flour: Use one cup of all purpose flour for every 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour.
- Coconut oil: You can use any oil that you’d like, including canola, olive, or vegetable. Each oil will have a slightly different taste.
- Almond milk: You can use the milk of your choice, including cow, coconut, oat, etc.
- Chocolate chips: Feel free to use dark or white chocolate, fruit, dried cranberries, or whatever you’d like!
How to make vegan banana bread muffins
As long as you use a plant-based milk, the only non-vegan ingredient in these muffins are the eggs. As an egg substitute, you could try a number of things. Here are some ideas:
- Applesauce: You can use 1/4 cup of applesauce in place of each egg. You’ll need 1/2 cup for this recipe. As a bonus, applesauce adds a dash of sweetness that tastes great.
- Flax seeds: To use flax seeds, you’ll need to mix them with water until they’ve absorbed all or most of it. Mix 1 tbsp of seeds with 3 tbsp of water for each egg.
- Chia seeds: These seeds work the same way as flax seeds. Mix 1 tbsp of chia seeds with 3 tbsp of water for each egg, and stir until the seeds fully absorb the water. You may need to let them sit for a few minutes.
Try these muffin recipes from Erin Lives Whole!
Everyone loves a great muffin recipe. That being said, I thought I’d include some more ideas below. Enjoy!
- Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Banana Blender Muffins Four Ways
- Healthy Strawberry Banana Muffins
- Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Healthy Banana Bread Muffins
Healthy Banana Bread Muffins are the perfect healthy on-the-go breakfast or snack! They are made from healthy whole wheat flour, honey, and ingredients found in your pantry!
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/3 cup melted + cooled coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and prepare muffin tin.
- In a large bowl mix flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix oil and honey together.
- Add in whisked eggs and stir.
- Add in mashed bananas, milk, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine.
- If desired, add in chocolate chips.
- Divide into greased or lined muffin tins and bake for 23-25 min or use toothpick to test.
- Enjoy!
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Lee A Cleveland says
So delicious! Just made a batch. I added a combination of dark chocolate chips, unsweetened dark chocolate chunks and chopped walnuts to total 1/2 cup of add-ins. Used leftover whey from my recent batch of homemade Greek yogurt as the โmilk.โ While they were still slightly warm, I cut one in 1/2. Put butter on one 1/2 and peanut butter on the other. These will definitely be on repeat! ๐
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lee, so glad you loved them and made them your own! ๐
Mallory says
Hi Erin! Do you think normal whole wheat flour would work ok?
Erin says
Hi Mallory, it will be more dense and dry with whole wheat flour but try using less! Let me know how they come out!
Laura says
So easy to make on Sunday and grab during the week!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, so happy you loved them! ๐
Andrea Coan says
These are so good and so easy to make. I have made them many times and they never disappoint. Honestly every recipe from ELW is fabulous!
Erin says
Hi Andrea, so glad you enjoyed them! ๐
Maggie says
Delicious muffins perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Maggie, so glad you loved them!!
Eliza gray says
So good! I swapped for oat flour and worked great. Muffins are delicious, great texture and you can really taste the honey. Will make these again!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Eliza, so glad you loved them and made them your own!!
Megan J says
I made these tonight for the kiddos ! They loved them! I didnโt have honey so I used coconut sugar instead hoping I wouldnโt screw them up and they tasted great! So delicious and so easy! <3
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Megan, so glad you all loved them and made them your own!!
Kaitlin B says
Just made these and they did not disappoint! I used oat flour instead of whole wheat and I made Somme with chocolate chips and some with chopped walnuts. Both were delicious!! Thanks for always delivering great recipes!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kaitlin, so happy you loved them so much!! ๐
Taylor says
I love making these for breakfast! They are easy to make and filling! I freeze half of the batch and eat them for a few weeks! Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Taylor, so glad you enjoyed them!!
Megan says
Just made these with my almost 4yo daughter while newborn slept, so you know the recipe is quick and easy to come together! Used flax and applesauce to make dairy free for mama right now and these turned out amazing!! Entire family approved. Just make themโฆ.NOW!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Megan, so happy you both loved them!
Danielle says
I made it into a banana bread and cooked it for 1 hour instead. It came out really good! Thank you for the recipe!
Erin says
Hi Danielle, I am so happy you loved it and made it your own!!
Lauren says
Just made these with oat milk (what I had on hand) that I steeped two bags of chai tea in for some spice chai banana bread muffins. So good! Great consistency, perfect bake – mine baked for 20 minutes in my oven. I will say, if you choose to copy what I did and use chai milk, I’d recommend considering swapping out the honey for maple syrup! I think it’d complement the flavor better. I wish I had done that. Otherwise — another great recipe, Erin!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Lauren, so glad you loved them and great idea!! ๐
Laura says
These were delicious! I decided to try these with my gf cup for cup substitution flour and they came out perfect!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Laura, so glad you enjoyed them and made them your own!!