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.
This post contains affiliate links to Amazon, which means I’ll earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for your support!
I discovered your blog while attempting to find a new healthier banana muffin recipe on line. I loved the ingredient list so I doubled it without even trying it first and added little chocolate morsels and crasins that I had on hand. It was truly a no fail, one bowl recipe that puts all others to shame. Friends loved them and I’ve frozen what I have left to defrost the nigh before for breakfasts. Thank you ( from a first time commenter
Susan, thank you so much for your note! Delighted to hear that these muffins turned out so well for you.
These are so tasty. I added brewers yeast and flaxseed to help boost milk supply while breastfeeding
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Hey Kate & Cookie,
I made these tonight and they turned out delicious! I added some blueberries and white chocolate chips as well, so moist & yummy :)
Thanks for the recipe!
Maddy from Australia
Thank you, Maddy! Your muffins sound great!
Hi! I saw this and imediatly wanted to make them, they look so good! However, I do have a question. If I used a jumbo muffin tin instead of a regular cupcake tin, would I have to change anything about the cooking time?
Hey Sarah! Yes, I believe they would need to stay in the oven longer, but I’m not sure how long to tell you. They should be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Excellent! I was out of wheat flour so I used oat flour. Also changed the milk out for whey. This is my new go to recipe!
Awesome, glad to know that oat flour turned out well! Thanks, Ali!
Thanks so much for this incredible recipe! I am always on the lookout for naturally sweetened treats, and this was a huge hit! Honestly, I was expecting dry and dull and for my kids not to eat them. Well that wasn’t the case… we ALL gobbled them up, and they were very moist and flavorful! Winner!
Hooray!!! Thanks, Stephanie! :)
I just made these and OMG! The mos delicious muffins I’ve ever had. I used Wholemeal Spelt flour, soy milk and honey. My new favourite thing! Thank you!
Hooray! Thanks, Erin!
I really like this recipe, thank you for posting it! On my 2nd batch I cut the sweetener from 1/2 to 1/3 cup (half maple syrup and half honey). Also I am crazy for spice with banana baked goods so I used 1 full tsp cinnamon and added 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Tossed the topping oats with cinnamon too. Yum!
Thanks, Sarah!
Hi there…I made these muffins today and I used maple syrup and threw in about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and they were delish!!! My question is do you know a rough estimate calorie count on these muffins because I log my food intake and track calories? Thanks!!
Hey Alicia! I don’t, but here’s info from another commenter that might help: I actually calculated based on my variation of the recipe. I used 2 bananas and added 2 spoonfuls of peanut butter, and chose olive oil, whole cow’s milk, and maple syrup. The totals I got were 2562 calories and 58 grams of protein. Divide that by however many muffins you made :)
So I never leave comments…but I have to tell you, I just finished making these, and this is my new go-to banana muffin/bread recipe! They’re perfect! Thank you :)
Yay! Thank you, Karen!
Made these tonight: incredible! They are so moist and full of flavour yet also light and crumbly (I expected them to possibly be dense but they weren’t at all). I didn’t use any add-ins. This recipe is perfection and I’m looking forward to experimenting with different flavours. Thank you Kate :)
Thank you, Angela! :)
I made these last night. I used honey for sweetener and I added flax seeds and chopped apple (’tis the season here in Michigan!). My family loved them! I can’t wait to try the pumpkin muffins!!!!
Thanks, Holly! Glad you enjoyed them!
Wow these are great.. and super moist..
I hid some from my kids to freeze, I took one out this morning and I am enjoying it at work with a cup of tea.. what a treat!!
I used part coconut flour and added pepitas and walnuts.
SUPER YUM!!
thanks for a wonderful recipe and a great blog!!
Monica
Thank you, Monica! :)
Just made this recipe (with added toasted pecans and unsweetened coconut flakes). I had my first muffin (and a half) a few minutes ago. It was delicious! The muffin broke a bit when i took it out of the tin, but I think that is only because they weren’t fully cooled (I couldn’t help myself). My fiancé also loved them. We love how the muffins are healthy and wholesome, yet moist and delicious. They were so easy to make, too.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! :)
Thanks, Dawn! Glad you enjoyed these! They are a little delicate when they’re still warm, but I don’t blame you for breaking into them right away! :)
Made these today – delicious!! I was looking for a healthy banana muffin recipe. I have to eat gluten free for medical reasons – so I simply substituted a GF flour mix that I had on hand – used the olive oil, honey options, 1whole tsp of cinnamon (I love cinnamon!) with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top – they turned out great! Made mini muffins, cooked for 12-15 minutes, made 44 mini muffins – yum! Great recipe – thanks! :)
Thanks, Jessica! Glad you enjoyed the muffins! I have a pumpkin version that you might like, too. :)
Hey Kate I just made these and they are super delicious and moist!
Great recipe! Quick question…Can I make these with other mashed fruit like berries? I know you made them using pumpkin puree- just curious. Thanks
Thanks, Michelle! I’ve never tried substituting mashed berries for pumpkin or banana. That just might work. Please let me know if you try!
P.s. Yogurt would probably work great in place of the banana, if you’d like a more neutral-flavored muffin, and you could just mix in berries.
Kate it worked out great! And they tasted yummy! I used 1 cup mashed raspberries/blackberries. The only thing is that the muffins turned out to be a purple ish brown color! Perfect for This time of year though! I have not tried the yogurt suggestion yet.
Glad to hear it, thanks Michelle!
Abby, Made these muffins yesterday and they are extremely easy and delicious. Since I used coconut oil, I used coconut milk and some walnuts, blueberries and a bit of shredded coconut as added mix-ins and sprinkled some coconut on top along with the oats and sugar. I put some parchment and the muffins in a tin and they screamed “gift me”. These will be my go to muffins in the future. Thanks
I’ve been doing a ton of Fall baking and realized that I needed to come up with some healthier options for the kids. These muffins are in the oven now and smell AMAZING! Thanks – so glad I found your blog!
Thank you, Grace!
Thank you for this great recipe! They were easy to make & my kids loved them. They were even better the next day when the banana flavor really came out.
Hooray, thanks Christy!
Can’t wait to try these! Can you use quick-cook oats or must they be old-fashioned?
Hi Amy! I haven’t tried with quick-cooking oats. They might disappear into the batter, but I think they’d work fine!
Hi Kate,
Loved your recipe. I had to scour the internet to find a recipe that used only whole wheat flour. I did use an Indian roti flour (whole wheat, brand ashirvaad) and added 1/2 cup chopped pecans. It yielded about 12 medium sized muffins.
I also took the liberty to calculate the nutritional value for it.Here is the link for it: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/234227831377277
Thanks Again!
Glad you enjoyed the muffins, Parimala! Thank you so much for sharing your link. I really wish My Fitness Pal’s links worked the way they should—I can’t click on the recipe and get your details. I’ve even emailed them about it. :(
That’s terrible :( It’s about 228 Calories per serving (total servings size 12 muffins) I could email you a snapshot of the recipe with the nutrition breakdown if you’d like. Thanks again :)
Googled “healthy banana muffin recipes” and yours was the first hit! They turned out amazing. I cut back on the maple syrup to just under 1/3 of a cup (because I ran out, ha, ha), and they still were sweet enough for us! I got 14 tasty muffins out of your recipe. My 28 month-old son gives them two big thumbs up! Thanks for sharing! :)
Thanks, Lisa!
Whoa. These are excellent. My variation, based on what I had and my preferences:
-1/4 cup more oats
-1/3ish cup chopped walnuts
-honey (rather than maple)
-1 flax egg, one regular egg
They’re moist, and especially good warm of course. :) Happy to be bringing them to a potluck this weekend.
Thanks, Kelli!
Eating a warm muffin now, and they are amazing! I used honey, 1 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and ended up adding 1/4 cup more flour (didn’t measure bananas…just mashed 3 and am thinking they were on the big side). I will absolutely be making these again. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you, Jules!
I usually don’t write any comments, but I have to take my time and do it for this recipe…Best banana muffins ever. I have made so many different recipes but this one is my top one. Thanks for sharing it…I’m looking forward to look at your page and try other recipes.
Thank you so much, Yordanka!
I was in search of a new banana muffin recipe that was healthy but that didn’t require yogurt. And this one was perfect. I love the addition of oats to the batter. I made mine into mini muffins for lunch boxes and they are so cute! I’ll be exploring your other recipes too!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I bet you’d enjoy my pumpkin muffins, too!
I found this recipe and I have maple syrup in the fridge I haven’t used. I have been waiting a week until my bananas were extra ripe. The muffins are in the oven right now and smell heavenly! Your recipe was easy to follow and it actually yield 15 muffins for me! I used an almond/coconut milk blend. These muffins are kid approved!!! Thank you so much!
Thank you, Ada! Glad these were worth the wait!
These are great! I added chopped & lightly toasted raw recans & 60% cacao chocolate chips and my fiance loves them! He’s my biggest critic and i’m always trying to bake healthier options. We have had some cardboard muffins let me tell you.. But there are fabulous! I love the flavor from the maple syrup & coconut oil.
Thanks so much, Allison!
I am baking these now and they smell delicious!
Hope they turned out perfectly, Jess!
MADE THESE TODAY AND THEY TURNED OUT FANTASTIC!!
btw, calories per muffin are ~200. I used maple syrup and made 12 muffins.
Also, mixing the baking soda into the liquid muffins, never seen that before but it’s GENIUS. Thanks!!
Thank you, Quinn!
Love your Maple sweetened Banana Muffins. I’ve made them about 4 times already. I love doubling the recipe and making the muffins double the size. Then they’re great for a breakfast meal on the run or in my case I have one while I’m nursing my baby:)
Thank you, Chantelle! Glad to hear these are keeping you fueled.
These were fantastic! So many vegan recipes fall short of the ideal we grew up with, but not these. I used aquafaba (6 Tbs = 2 eggs), maple syrup and regular whole wheat flour. The texture and flavors were perfection. I can see using this as a guide and experimenting with other fruits, vegetables and spices. Thank you!
Thank you, Lisa! Glad to hear it! I have a pumpkin version of these that you might like, as well as banana bread and pumpkin bread.
Holy knock my socks off delicious! I have these in the oven now and if the batter is anything to go my, I might just have to make another batch tomorrow! Love the fact they are sugar free, perfect for a healthy snack for my little ones. I did substitute the eggs for chia seeds though as I didn’t have any fresh eggs on hand. My house smells incredible right now! Thanks for the great recipe, this has just made it to my regular rotation. :-)
Thank you, Alexis! Happy to hear it!
Just made these waffles now and I gotta say, they were beyond delicious! Topped them with peanut butter and a drizzle of agave syrup (that I also used in the recipe because I didn’t have maple syrup) and I sprinkled a few rolled oats over then I added banana slices. Heaven in a plate! If you have time ahead (cause they require a bit of time, of course), this is a perfect healthy breakfast in my opinion.
That’s so nice to hear. Thank you, Ariel!
Dear Kate, I had to write because I love these muffins. I baked them last week and had 2 each morning with bananas and maple syrup. They were yum. My only problem is that on both occasion when I baked them, even with the recipe followed to a T, the bottom is quite hollow compared to yours. Yours look nice and dense. I tried putting in more oats and it made a bit of a difference but not enough and also tried to shake the tray so it’s all evenly distributed. Can you help?
Hi Ella! I’m sorry your muffins aren’t turning out perfectly. I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean by hollow. Can you tell that the muffin batter reached the edges of your pan?
Excellent recipe, works for me every time! I’ve never baked a GF muffin that has such excellent texture, holds its shape perfectly (no deflating as it cools!), and reheats so well. I substitute quinoa flakes for the oats on top, adds a lovely flavour.
Thanks for your work!
Tess
Thanks, Tessa! Are you using a gluten-free flour blend for these?
I do, yes! Forgot to mention that in my comment :) I normally use Orgran’s Plain GF flour mix, or one from my local supermarket (I’m in Australia).
Thanks, Tessa!
What’s the nutritional info on these muffins? Calories per muffin, etc… :)
Hi Kristie, I’m sorry, I don’t offer nutritional details since they vary so much based on actual ingredients used. Feel free to run this one through a calorie counter like myfitnesspal.com.
Hi kate. What I mean when I say hollow is that when I take the case off, the bottom has holes inside the muffin. The batter definitely meets the edges of the tray. I think after baking them again, and finally being happy with how they turned out, that I must leave out the 1/4 cup milk you suggest. Thanks again! It’s all I’m having for breakfast at the moment. My husband called it a treat :)
Hi Ella, I’m glad you figured out how to make the muffins just the way you want them! Yay.
Hello everyone! i am a starter in the kitchen field, although i made it happen! They came up delicious! i added some crunberries and in some others walnuts. it was fun making them. i was afraid they won t be ready in 20-25 in the oven so i let them 15′ more. i shouldnt but they are still delicious. The only thing is that i count the kcal and is almost 140 each one of them. most kcal come from oil and flour. what can we do about it ?
Thanks, Alexandra! I’m glad these turned out well for you. 140 calories per muffin is really reasonable for a muffin. If you take out oil and flour, you’ll have to replace it with something with around those calories, anyway.
Hi! Do you have any idea how many calories are in each muffin?
Hi Sarah! I’m sorry, I don’t provide nutrition details since they’re really tricky to calculate for home cooking (like, what if you make 11 muffins instead of 12?). Please feel free to run the recipe through a nutrition calculator like myfitnesspal.com.
I just want to thank you for the recipe. It was so good I added some chocolate chips and the muffins were amazing
Thank you so much for saying so, Kia! :)
Kate, you are quickly becoming my “go-to” girl for recipes. Yesterday was gloomy and rainy and I felt like baking. So I searched your website first and found this recipe. This is my first attempt at baking with coconut oil, and I think I’ll be using it more often. These turned out fantastic. One commenter mentioned adding peanut butter and I think I’ll try that next time. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Beth, I tried today this recipe for the fifth times. During the last fourth times my muffins turned out a bit dry and today I did not use peanut butter and I made the bitter more runny by adding milk and I bake it just 23 min at 325 F. It came out very soft and spongy, I’m not sure if the peanut butter or less liquid that make it dry , anyway I’m so glad. Good luck!
Hi Beth! Thank you for your note. I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins! Happy holidays!
HiKate, I tried this recipe and it works good. I use unbleached paper cups to avoid the mixe touching the Aluminium or coated muffin pan, which is unhealthy especially is the recipe call for acidic ingredients like Lemon and butter milk…Thank you
Thanks, Michel! I use a silicon-coated pan and hope it’s truly as non-toxic as they say it is.
Hi Kate! I just stumbled across your website as I was looking for a healthy muffin recipe and I can’t believe I haven’t seen it sooner! This recipe is so easy and the ingredients were all in my pantry already. I added dried cranberries and rolled oats, and sprinkled the muffins with brown sugar and more oats like suggested. They looked wonderfully rustic and tasted delicious – not too sweet or overly banana-y. This will definitely be my new go to banana muffin recipe. Can’t wait to try more of your creations! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas :)
Thank you, Dee! I’m so glad you found my site and enjoyed the muffins. Happy New Year!
I made these muffins for my young nieces this morning. They were a hit with the adults and kids. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you, Alexa! I’m happy to hear that.
Hi Kate,
I’ve been making my healthier version of banana bread for a monastery where I cook. Thought I’d try your banana muffins this time. I tweaked your recipe just a tad by using 1/2 cup of King Arthur whole wheat stone grind flour. I also added a hint of nutmeg. Fingers crossed. They’re in the oven as I’m writing. Photos to come!
Thank you, Sharon! I hope your muffins turned out great!
They did! The second batch had 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt added. They rise a bit more and were moist. First batch won the taste test. I’ll be making them again. Thanks for sharing your healthy recipe.
Can I substitute all purpose flour? I have loads of I bleached ap flour from the holidays, but now whole wheat.
Yes, that should work well!
Hi Kate! I made these muffins today! Yummy! I was wondering if you have nutrition facts on your recipes? Calories, sugar etc? Thanks!
Dana
Hi Dana, I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins! I’m sorry, I don’t offer nutrition facts on my recipes. They just vary so much depending on the actual ingredients used, substitutions, etc.
I loved these muffins so much defiantly making these again. I’m actually making these tonight with the proper recipe. I didn’t have whole wheat flour but I had self raising flour with whole wheat and they tasted normal.
I have made these muffins twice a week (except summer months) since you posted the recipe! My kids think they are the *best* muffins ever and take them for school lunches and have them as an after school snack. I make them vegan by subbing 1/2 cup plain organic applesauce instead of the 2 eggs (no change in cooking time, haven’t tried flax eggs) and I use coconut milk since we are nut free. This recipe gives us 12 large muffins in our old stoneware muffin pan. Thank you for giving us a simple, quick, customizable muffin recipe that isn’t full of added sugar!
That makes me so happy. Thank you, Rhonda! I’m glad to know those substitutions work well for you.