Healthy Banana Muffins are a simple, yummy treat! Easy to make with only 10 ingredients – these banana bread muffins are great for breakfast or a snack! Refined sugar free and made with whole grains in one bowl- you’ll love these!
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These are seriously the best healthy banana bread muffins. I know that’s a bold statement but it’s TRUE.
Our Healthy Banana Bread and Banana Protein Muffins have been wildly popular on the site for years, with hundreds of 5 star reviews.
We know you’ll love these healthy banana muffins just as much!
Are banana muffins healthy?
- Easy to make:Â These muffins are made with 10 ingredients you probably already have in your pantry/fridge. Nothing fancy here!
- Delicious: Probably the most important factor. These muffins taste like a ‘real deal’ banana muffin, but they’re made with better ingredients!
- Whole wheat flour:Â I used whole wheat flour in this recipe instead of bleached white flour. Whole wheat flour is a great source of whole grains and much better for you than regular white flour! This is the whole wheat flour I like.
- Low in sugar: This recipe is sweetened only by ripe bananas and a touch of honey (and some chocolate chips for good measure) Many banana muffins recipes are loaded with sugar, but this recipe has only 9g of natural sugar per muffin.
- Heart healthy fats:Â Instead of using butter or canola oil, this recipe uses coconut oil to keep it moist, and it also has some walnuts in it for healthy fats!
Recipe Ingredients
To make these healthy banana muffins you’ll need:
- bananas – make sure they’re ripe – brown bananas are the best!
- coconut oil
- honey or maple syrup
- an egg
- whole wheat flour – we have options for other flours below
- cinnamon
- baking powder and baking soda
- ground nutmeg, ground ginger
- chocolate chips, and walnuts are all optional!
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box. Â
How To Make Healthy Banana Muffins
Making these low sugar muffins are SO easy. First, gather all your ingredients.
- Mash your bananas. (tips on mashing bananas below!) Whisk in your wet ingredients until smooth: (honey, egg + coconut oil.)
- Add in your dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Add in chocolate chips or walnuts (the best part!!) You can omit walnuts if you have a nut allergy or don’t like them. Pecans also work.
- Pour batter in a lined muffin tin.
- Bake per instructions.
Recipe Substitutions
There are a bunch of different substitutions for this healthy banana muffin recipe. Work with whatever you have in your pantry/fridge!
Can this banana muffin recipe be made gluten free? To make these banana muffins gluten free replace whole wheat flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour or Gluten Free Oat Flour
To make vegan: Replace 1 egg white with 1 flax egg. Sub honey with maple syrup.
Honey : You can substitute honey with maple syrup. I haven’t tried using brown sugar or other types of sugar, so I’m not sure how that would work. Feel free to try and let me know!
Wheat Flour: You can replace whole wheat flour with white flour but your muffins might be a little more dense. I would not recommend almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour. You can not substitute these flours 1:1 with whole wheat flour.
Baking powder/Baking soda: You can’t substitute baking soda or baking powder in this recipe.
Spices: You can omit the ground ginger and nutmeg if you don’t have any. Add a little bit more cinnamon to compensate! (It adds a lot of flavor!)
Nuts: You can add 3/4 chopped pecans or walnuts
Healthy Banana Bread: Use this recipe for our favorite Healthy Banana Bread instead.
Blueberries: You can add in a 1/2 cup of blueberries to this batter for a fun twist or try these Dairy Free Blueberry Muffins!
Adding protein: if you want to up the protein content, try this Protein Muffin Recipe. There are a few tweaks to help them not dry out while adding protein powder
Mini Muffins:Â You can make these mini by cutting the bake time in half.Â
Frozen Bananas:Â You can use frozen bananas in this recipe. Defrost them in the microwave until they are warm before mashing them. If you have extra bananas, use them in these Banana Oatmeal Pancakes.
Applesauce: If you’re short on bananas, you can substitute the difference with unsweetened applesauce.
Liz’s Expert Tips:
These muffins are pretty foolproof to make, but here are some tips that might be helpful for you when making them!
- Use muffin tin liners: These reusable silicone muffin liners are great, or these disposable muffin liners.
- If you’re not using muffin liners: I typically grease my muffin tin liberally with coconut oil. You can also run a butter knife along the edges of the pan to help loosen the bread before taking it out.
- Spotty bananas are the best – The browner/more spotty the banana is, the sweeter it will be and more delicious your muffins will be!
- Allow the muffins to cool completely for about 15 minutes before taking them out of the pan.Â
Recipe FAQs
It’s difficult to make muffins rise more, but you can try mixing together your dry ingredients very well before adding your wet ingredients. This evenly distributes any baking powder or baking soda which can help make your muffins rise.
The secret to moist muffins is a source of fat or a substitute for it. Most muffins have butter, sour cream, or yogurt. These items are high in fat which results in a moist muffin.
Banana muffins can get rubbery when you over mix the batter. Try to only mix the batter as much as you need to until it’s combined.
Banana muffins normally have 300-500 calories per muffin. These healthy banana muffins have less than 160 calories!
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly
Even if your bananas aren’t ripe, you can make this recipe! For best results, bananas should be brown like in the photos. As bananas ripen they get sweeter and softer, making them perfect for banana bread muffins! I had those bananas in my freezer which is why they look a little ‘frosty’.
However, as long as your bananas aren’t green, you can make this muffin recipe. Yellow bananas will work just fine. I recommend microwaving them for about 20-30 seconds so they are easier to mash!
To ripen bananas quickly place them in a brown paper bag with an apple for 24-48 hours.
How do you mash bananas?
I have two tips for how to mash bananas: one: warm them up and two: use your mixer!
I usually put bananas in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before ‘mashing’ them. Then, I use a regular beater/paddle attachment on my stand mixer to mash bananas (so easy!).
If you don’t have a mixer, just use a fork or a whisk! Just make sure you’re measuring them after mashing so you have the right amount of bananas.
Storage / Freezing
Storing: You can store these banana muffins covered on your counter for a few days at room temperature, but I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator for freshness! The muffin will last up to a week in the refrigerator – but will lose their freshness after about 3 days on the counter.
How to freeze Muffins: I like to freeze muffins in a reusable ziploc bag or an air-tight container. It’s best not to stack them on one another when freezing because they may stick together. When you’re ready to serve – pop in the microwave or the toaster oven until they’re warmed through.
Do these healthy muffins freeze well? Yes, these banana muffins freeze very well. Pop them in the microwave or toaster and you will never know they have been frozen!
Other healthy muffin recipes:
We love healthy muffins! Check out this list of Healthy Muffin Recipes, or some of our favorites:
Healthy Banana Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups ripe bananas, mashed (about 3-4 bananas)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted + cooled to room temp
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped – optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a lined or greased muffin pans
- In a bowl, mash bananas with a fork until slightly clumpy. You can microwave them for 20 seconds prior to mashing to make it easier.
- Stir in honey, egg, and oil to banana mixture.
- Add in whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour 1/4 cup batter into a greased or lined muffin tin. Optional: sprinkle with a handful of chips and walnuts on top. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out completely clean when inserted in the center of the muffins.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
Video
Notes
- To make gluten free: replace whole wheat flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour
- To make vegan: replace 1 egg white with 1 flax egg. Sub honey with maple syrup
- Honey : You can substitute honey with maple syrup.
- Flour: You can replace whole wheat flour with white flour but your muffins might be a little more dense. I would not recommend almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour. You can not substitute these flours 1:1 with whole wheat flour.
- Spices: You can omit the ground ginger and nutmeg if you don’t have any. Add a little bit more cinnamon to compensate!
- Nuts: You can add pecans or walnuts
- Healthy Banana Bread: Use this recipe for our favorite Healthy Banana Bread instead
- Blueberries: You can add in a 1/2 cup of blueberries to this batter for a fun twist!
- Adding protein: if you want to up the protein content, try these Healthy Banana Protein Muffins. There are a few tweaks to help them not dry out while adding protein powder
- Mini Muffins:Â You can make these into mini muffins by cutting the bake time in half.Â
- Frozen Bananas:Â You can use frozen bananas in this recipe. Defrost them in the microwave until they are warm before mashing them.
- Applesauce: If you’re short on bananas, you can substitute the difference with applesauce
Connie says
Recently had to overhaul my eating habits drastically because I was diagnosed with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. I loved making banana bread but my recipe wasn’t liver-friendly. I found this recipe this morning and I now have my healthy alternative! They were easy to make and taste great. I substituted maple syrup for the honey, added chocolate chips, a small amount of pecans and slivered almonds. I’ll try adding blueberries sometime. They will be great for breakfast and snack. Thanks for the great recipe!
Gabby says
Found my new go to healthy banana muffin recipe after trying a ton of others! They’re moist, perfect level of sweetness and such simple ingredients. I used maple syrup instead of honey because thats what i had and i cannot stop eating them. Thanks for the recipe Liz!
Haley says
Soooo good!!! And easy to make!
Mary says
These are excellent! I followed the easy recipe as shown, and they baked nicely. They are moist, taste delicious, and easy to remove from cupcake liners once cooled. Will make them again many times! Also, I think my young granddaughter will enjoy helping me make them!
Super Sarah says
My son and I have been making serious efforts to be more mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and trying to eat healthier. By following your recipes together like these stellar muffins they not only help us to eat healthier they also give us the perfect opportunity for a mother and son to touch base and bond. Which if you’ve ever had a teenage boy you know it’s damn near possible!
Thank you guys for all you do!
Anne Jones says
Simple and delicious. Will make them again!!!
Maria says
Excellent flavor and quick to make. I use Agave instead of honey since my husband is diabetic, and they taste wonderful.
Rose Latham says
I come back to this recipe again and again. Simple, tasty and healthier than some others. I sometimes substitute the honey for maple syrup, the chocolate I swap for raisins. Delicious!
Mary says
These are delicious! I’m usually Leary about using all whole wheat but these definitely changed my thoughts on this. And the spices and chocolate go together very well.
Autumn says
Absolutely delish! I didn’t have honey, so I skipped it, but the banana is plenty sweet enough with the chocolate chips. I also put in some almond milk to make them more cakey. I’ll never use sugar or butter in banana muffs again.
Kris says
Forgot to hit the stars!
Kris says
This was the first banana muffin recipe I came across that listed coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. I only had two overripe bananas and didn’t see to sub applesauce until after they were baking. They still turned out just fine, all the other ingredients being the same measurements. It made 8 muffins instead of 12. I added chia, flax and hemp seeds, omitted the chocolate chips because the kiddo didn’t want them (weird kid, right?) and added a pinch of salt since I didn’t see salt listed anywhere in the ingredients. These came out perfectly cooked and fluffy after 20 minutes. Topped with cream cheese as a protein to keep us fuller, longer these are very yummy! Will definitely make again the next time we have old bananas.
Kurt says
Lovely and moist. Would substitute the coconut oil for applesauce or a heart healthy alternative. Although you’ll find articles out there that indicate coconut oil to be healthy, it is in fact high in saturated fat and is not good for your heart. From a registered dietician who specializes in heart healthy diets.
Joan G says
So good that meet my muffin craving without the guilt! For my own self I cut the honey amount in half and they turned out amazing. I added the Lily’s chips no nuts!
Can’t wait to have with coffee In the morning!
JLM says
These are quite yummy along with being healthier. My three-year-old grandson likes these
Sherrie Clendenin says
I have tried a lot of healthy recipes and these have got to be one of the best muffin recipes I have tried.
Delicious!
Guinevere says
I make these at least twice a week for my husband. I use 1/2 cup melted butter instead of coconut oil because it’s what I had on hand the first time I made them , so I stuck with it. I also use Lily’s salted caramel’ stevia chocolate chips and they’re perfection.
These are the best muffins and so easy to make, I just use my immersion blender on all the wet ingredients for an even quicker prep. 10/10 would recommend!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them!
Alexis says
Loved this recipe. Simple, healthy, delicious! I will definitely be making these again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them, Alexis!
Cheryl says
Holy WOW these are spectacular! I made these exactly how it is lined out, no substitutions. The walnuts and chocolate chips are a MUST add! I made everything with organic ingredients for the healthiest muffins possible! My husband had 5 in one sitting he couldn’t get enough! Will be making these again to bring to a friends party this weekend! Get the ingredients and make these ASAP! (:
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked them, Cheryl! Thank you!
Rob says
These are great Banana muffins! The calories you indicate – is that without walnuts or chocolate chips?
Going to try your Protein version next. Thanks!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Rob – the calories include chocolate chips. The nutrition facts are an estimate, and if you use different ingredients you will have different macros so if you’re counting calories I would recommend adding the recipe to my fitness pal using your own ingredients.