Maple-Sweetened Banana Muffins
These whole wheat, maple-sweetened banana muffins are the best! So fluffy and moist, I bet no one can guess they're healthy muffins. Easy to make, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
Meet the banana muffins of my dreams. They’re fluffy, whole grain, naturally sweetened, totally delicious banana muffins. They’re also about as healthy as muffins can be. The recipe calls for basic ingredients and you can mix them all together in one bowl. Too much to be true? Nope.
These muffins are a derivative of my super popular banana bread and pumpkin muffin recipes. If you love these, you certainly don’t miss the blueberry muffins in my cookbook.
Muffins aside, can I tell you what else is exciting? I got a new camera! Can you tell? Bueller? Bueller? Well, that’s ok. I can, and I’m thrilled about it. I bought my old camera during my last year of college and it was the best investment I ever made. Eight years and 88,000 (that’s eighty-eight thousand) photographs later, it was time to upgrade.
My new camera and I are still getting acquainted. I haven’t found the best settings or figured out all the fancy-pants features just yet (anyone want video?). We’ll get there. Photographing these banana muffins was a learning experience. A very tasty learning experience.
The Best Banana Muffins
Here are a few reasons to love this banana muffin recipe (which happens to be more nutritionally redeeming than most):
- These muffins are easy to make with basic ingredients. Only one bowl required!
- They’re made with 100% whole grains, yet they’re fluffy and delicious. No one will know the difference.
- They’re also naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey, rather than loaded with refined sugar. The maple syrup (or honey) offers a touch of extra flavor, which I love.
- A touch of cinnamon offers some warming spice flavor. These muffins will make your house smell amazing!
- These muffins freeze well, too. Just defrost individual muffins in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, or until gently warmed through. You don’t want to overdo it.
Please let me know how your muffins turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you, and hope these banana muffins are your new favorite.
Craving more wholesome banana treats? Don’t miss my banana oat pancakes, vegan banana scones, healthy banana bread and banana cake with cream cheese frosting.
Watch How to Make Banana Muffins
Maple-Sweetened Banana Muffins
These whole wheat, maple-sweetened banana muffins are so fluffy and moist, I bet no one can guess they’re healthy muffins. They’re easy to make, too, with basic ingredients and only one mixing bowl! Feel free to add mix-ins of your choice, like chocolate chips or toasted nuts. Recipe yields 12 muffins.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
- 1 cup packed mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
- ¼ cup milk of choice or water (I used almond milk)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats (optional), plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 teaspoon turbinado (raw) sugar or other granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
- In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil and maple syrup together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.
- Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins**, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats (about 1 tablespoon in total), followed by a light sprinkling of sugar (about 1 teaspoon in total). Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).
Notes
Recipe adapted from my healthy pumpkin muffins.
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (although, I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
**Change it up: You could really go crazy with add-ins here. Fold in up to ¾ cup chocolate chips, chopped dried cranberries or crystallized ginger and/or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. With add-ins, your muffins might require the full 25 minutes in the oven. Another idea? You could top your muffins with my maple glaze from my pumpkin scones recipe to make them more decadent.
Serving suggestions: These muffins are great on their own, with a pat of butter, or spread with almond butter. They would also be fantastic with homemade pecan butter or coconut butter.
Make it egg free: Substitute flax eggs for the regular eggs.
Make it vegan: Substitute flax eggs for regular eggs, use dairy-free milk like almond milk and use maple syrup instead of honey.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend works well instead of the whole wheat flour.
Make it nut free: Use a nut-free milk.
Make it oat free: Simply omit the oats.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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I wish the nutritional information was here. When I click on it there is nothing accept a warning that ita just an approximate. Otherwise blank space.
Hi Shelly! Make sure you have cookies enabled as it’s a plug-in and your settings could be blocking it. Let me know if that doesn’t work! It’s working for me currently.
Great muffins! I made them vegan and substituted the eggs for apple cider vinegar and baking soda. :)
Made these today and everyone in the house loves them! Heat them up with a little butter and YUM! Def gonna make these again!
I’m happy to hear it, Heala!
Coconut oil made a fragrant smell in home love it , opted for honey as I had it in my pantry
Amazing texture ,very please with the recipe.
Thank you
You’re welcome Michelle! Thanks for the review.
These are the best banana muffins i’ve ever had!! i can’t believe they are healthy. would definitely make again!!
Thanks for sharing, Julianna! I’m so glad you loved them.
This is the best banana muffins I have ever had. Yummy.
Great to hear! Thanks for the review, Simona!
I would really like to try these. I live in Calgary,Alberta, Canada. Any idea where I can find white whole wheat flour?
You should be able to find it at Whole Foods! :)
Hi Jane, I believe any grocery store carries whole wheat flour by Robin Hood! I use to get it from the co-op in Airdrie
I love these muffins! I use avocado oil instead of coconut & plain Greek yogurt instead of milk and they are delicious & satisfying! I also add dark chocolate chips & walnuts. This recipe is a keeper!
I used Bob’s 1 to 1 gf baking flour and added pecans. They are perfect! Not too sweet and fantastic texture. I ended up needing 30 minutes for bake time and it was worth it. Thank you so much for a wonderful muffin without refined sugar. My family loves all of your recipes! Can I request a pineapple cake with no refined sugar?
I’m happy it worked so well gluten free! I will add your suggestion to my list, Hillary.
These taste wholesome and are enjoyable to eat, knowing that they are healthy, but I wish I had made them sweeter. It’s probably not the recipe’s fault though, it could be that my honey wasn’t as fresh, or that I added a bit of flax meal (and dried cranberries) to the batter and some extra almond milk with it, but didn’t add any additional sweetener to balance it out. But I will give these another go in the future, tasting the batter more carefully for sweetness, because the texture and overall flavor is there. I can still see my husband having these as a healthy breakfast snack, perhaps served with some butter or maple syrup. By the way, I had just a little bit of leftover batter and made a pancake with it, it cooked beautifully!
can you use normal flour?
What do you mean by normal flour? Non-wheat?
These were so delicious, just made for my husband who doesn’t eat refined sugar and my little boy. They’re a hit!
Great to hear, Hannah!
I’ve been making these muffins for a couple years now and my kids love it. I actually replace the flower with oatmeal flour and it still tastes great!
I’m happy the oatmeal flour works, Sanaz! Thank you for your review.
Delicious! Made them yesterday, vegan and added about a cup of chopped pecans. It made 18 muffins!
Thank you for sharing, Bernice!
Made this yesterday and all though I was skeptical about the olive oil, I did use it and didn’t even notice it. I skipped the milk/water (more like I forgot) and I was worried they would not turn soft but they turned soft as your recipe said they would! I also added grated walnuts and they add so much flavor. Keeping this recipe, thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Tabitha!
Our family is obsessed with this recipe (and many of your other sugar-free muffin recipes). We make them weekly. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Alex!
These are delicious! Surprisingly moist! Used olive oil. Will be our go to banana muffin recipe!
Love that this will be a go-to, Diane! Thank you for sharing.
These muffins are perfect. I was short a banana, so made it up with some fresh pineapple, topped with shredded coconut rather than sugar. So good!
Great to hear, Aisha!
Love love love these muffins!!!! Thank you. Well done:)
Thank you, Karen!
I am a huge fan of ground flax. I’m concerned it will make the muffins too dry. Has anyone had success adding flax? Also, I plan to add pecans. I’m kind of a nutty gal! Really looking forward to trying this recipe.
Hi Cindy! I haven’t tried it, but I know others have. I suggest searching the comments to see reader recommendations.
Hi Kate, I have used this recipe many times and I am wondering if you or anyone else has used avocado oil instead of olive or coconut?
Thank you
I suggest you search the comments as I believe other readers have used avocado oil. Thanks, Andre!
yum! subbed ginger for the cinnamon :)
Thank for sharing, Audra!
I used grapeseed oil and added walnuts; these were delicious! Took 15 minutes to cook in my convection steam oven. Doubled the recipe and it made a perfect 24 muffins. We started eating them as soon as they came out of the oven. :) Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Kristen!
Hi Kate! I just tried your recipe, for my mixin’s I added 1/2 cup scant shredded coconut, 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 c. walnuts, and it turned out delicious! I used honey and extra virgin olive oil, and while you can taste neither specifically, it made a moist and light muffin. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Nikaht!
This recipe is excellent. It made delicious mini muffins, which cooked for 15-16 mins and perfect muffins. No alterations needed.
Thanks for sharing, Renye!
I’ve got these in my oven right now! My only concern is the fact that maple syrup is packed with sugar (obviously!) and I bought some pure maple syrup that has 53 grams of sugar per serving which is only 1/4 of a cup :-0 Any suggestions to cut down on the sugar or a good substitute?
Hey Shauna, The maple syrup is used for both sweetness and moisture content. I’ve heard that applesauce works well, which still has a decent sugar content, naturally. You could even try yogurt instead, just keep in mind that the bread will be less sweet.
Hi Kate and Shauna
I whisked a mashed banana in with the oil and egg instead of the syrup, and then added the three bananas and milk as the recipe called for. It was super tasty and moist.
Yum!!
Just made these with extra light olive oil, 1/2 cup flax seed replacing half a cup flour, whey replacing milk (our friend makes yoghurt and the whey keeps coming!) and 1/2 cup of carob chips at the end. So freaking tasty and easy! One bowl clean up. Whats not to love?
I love that! Thank you, Rachael.
Hi I’m loving your muffins been making many of them. Was wondering if you can replace coconut oil with a none oil substitute like apple sauce or almond milk? Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but I believe some may have tried applesauce with luck. I would suggest searching through the comments to see what others have had luck with!
Love this recipe! Made it twice now. Excited to see there is an apple version, that will be my next cooking adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Julia
You’re welcome! Let me know what you think next time, too. :)
Great recipe! Easy,healthy, delicious and not overly sweet. I tried your blueberry muffins recipe too, but this is my favorite.
Thank you!
Thank you, Ivone! This is so good, I agree.
Quick, easy, wholesome, and yummy!
Thank you, Dana!
I don’t even know why I decided to make muffins from another website. It was a disaster. Always come back to your recipes! They are the best!
I added a cup of frozen blueberries and lemon zest, increased baking to 35 min total. Amazing!
I’m glad you keep coming back and work so well for you, Madina! Thank you for your review
I made these today, made them vegan, used maple syrup, flax eggs and almond milk, tastes amazing.
I’m glad you loved them vegan, too! Thanks for the review, Pascale.
Yum, these are tasty! I will probably add another banana next time as I only used two this time (my kids distracted me and I found #3 on the counter after throwing the muffins in the oven!) Nice and moist and not too dense despite using 100% whole wheat flour. I used the olive oil because I didn’t have coconut oil in the pantry, and didn’t think it affected the flavor one way or the other.
These muffins are the bomb! I make them for work ,when I have bananas that I need to use up, and they go fast!
Great to hear, Heidi!
These are absolutely delicious! Has anyone tried using Almond flour instead of recommended flours?
Thanks for your review, Angela!
This is the best banana muffin recipe I’ve made. They are super moist and so delicious. My family loved them! I’ve already made two batches in a week.
Thank you!
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Angela!
These muffins are amazing!! Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome, LuAnn!
Made these tonight with chocolate chips, yum!! My new favorite recipe.
Great to hear, Meg! Thanks for sharing.
You are right – these made the flat smell amazing. I filled the cup to 2.3 full and had batter left over to make another three – so for me it is a 15 muffin recipe, which is great. Cold they are a bit greasy, have a napkin handy. They taste great and are my new 3:00 tea time go to. I also made them with gluten free baking mix and they worked great. Will try the apple muffins next! The only confusion with the recipe was how much oats to put on each muffin top. I just played around with it and discovered I like a teaspoon in each.
I’m glad it turned out! Sorry for the confusion, Tracy!
Just made a gluten free version of these. For the 1 3/4 cups of flour I subbed in 1/2c oat flour, 1/2c Bob’s red mill gf flour blend and 3/4c almond flour and got 12 fluffy muffins with lots of lift. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Amanda!
How many calories are in these muffins? I have reloaded the nutrional section but still shows nothing. Sooo great muffins too btw, especially with choc chips
I made this recipe today and we loved them! I bought the whole wheat flour at our local grocery (in case someone having hard time finding the white whole wheat flour. It worked great! I used half honey and half natural maple syrup, coconut oil, and a cup of walnuts. I had all of those ingredients on hand due to my healthy eating teenage daughter!
The nice thing about the fat in these muffins is that coconut oil is a heart healthy oil.
Thank you for this recipe!
Oops! forgot the other ). Ha!
Hooray! I’m glad you were able to find what you needed and loved them, Loretta.
My children, who can be picky eaters, LOVE these muffins. My two year old wakes up every morning asking for one and I’ll often pack one in my daughter’s school lunch. They are a huge hit with me and my husband, too. Thank you for such a great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing, Heather!
Checked liquid ingredients but the mixture was so runny I had to add another 1/2 cup or more flour. Just kept adding until the consistency resembled the mixture in the video. I had used the coconut oil and they turned out, just right and tasted great. Added walnuts and put nuts on top instead of oats and sugar. Oh! And I halved the maple syrup without any problem and for me they really are sweet enough with just the 1/4 cup.
Hi there what are flax eggs ? I’m based in the uk and haven’t heard of them before. I have made the regular banana muffins with eggs and love them so do my family, I have some vegan ones to make for the weekend so any help possible is much appreciated. Thanks
Hi! Flax eggs are essentially flax + water. They can act similarly to eggs in some cases.
In a previous post, mentioned that I’ve made these muffins at least 3 dozen times. I do iterations based on the person(s) that I make them for…. (allergies). I’m stumped with the garbanzo bean flour. The taste is excellent but it doesn’t rise. Any suggestions on adding more baking soda, or putting baking powder into the mix???
I haven’t experimented with garbanzo bean flour really and not sure its interactions during cooking. I wouldn’t really know without trying it. Sorry! What other iterations have you tried again?
These are the BEST banana muffins, hands down. And I don’t feel guilty eating them since they are decently healthy! Perfect addition to my eggs in the morning, as well as a great pre-run snack!
Thanks for sharing, Emily!
I made this recipe with Robin Hood gluten-free flour. It was as delicious as all of Kate’s recipes. :) I was pleasantly surprised that the muffins were not very sweet. Excellent texture, too! Thank you!
I’m glad it worked well gluten free! Thanks, Diana.
I’m so pleased I found this recipe. I run children’s cookery classes here in England, and am always looking for ways to add ‘healthy twists’. These fit the bill, and all 10 classes will be making them next week! Love the one bowl aspect… less washing up! Just got to translate into grams…… I’ll let you know how we did!
I’m pleased you found it too, Vanessa! Thank you for sharing.
I tried you healthy muffin recipe and added, walnuts and blueberries. The taste was simply amazing. Hat’s off to you. What I really love about this recipe is that you don’t miss the sugar. The honey, cinnamon, vanilla abstract more than makes up for the sugary taste normally found in a muffin recipe like this.
Do you have a gingerbread or ginger cookie healty recipe? 5 stars for sure.
Respectfully,
Hooray! I’m glad you loved them and didn’t miss traditional sugar. Here you go! https://aspect-lift.pro/healthy-gingerbread-cookies/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Great healthy recipe with lot’s a room for variations. Do you have a
a recipe for ginger cookies, ginger bread.
Thanks for your review, Ralph!
Great recipe!! The nutritional information does not appear for this recipe for some reason (it works for me on other ones so not sure if one is not provided for this?) thanks
It is working for me! Try refreshing your page and allowing a few more seconds for it to load. Sometimes it can take a little longer. Let me know if you have issues still!
We love these muffins! Would you be able to tell me approx how many calories per muffin? Thanks!
Hi Michelle! The nutrition information is below the recipe. It may take a second to load once you click. Also make sure you allow cookies in your browser as this is a plug-in feature.