Healthy Banana Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
These are the best healthy banana muffins! Vegan, gluten-free, made with oat flour, and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar ā they’re soft, fluffy, moist, and ready in 25 minutes!
Since my healthy banana bread is one of my most popular recipes, I knew I had to create a muffin version. The result? A perfectly soft, fluffy, and moist banana muffin you wonāt want to share (but you probably shouldā¦).
Featured Comment
After many different recipesā¦this is my favourite! Gf and vegan is not easy so thanks for this! First time to comment on any recipes!
– Marianne
I’ve made these muffins dozens of times. Recipes like these banana muffins and my chocolate chip banana bars are my go-to whenever Iām craving banana bread but want something quicker. And I almost always add dark chocolate chips and walnuts on top because, well, why not?
Why You’ll Love These Banana Muffins
All the flavors of banana bread, but in muffin form and ready in 20 minutes!
- Made with simple, wholesome ingredients
- Soft, moist, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious
- Made in one-bowl and ready in 25 minutes
- Jazz it up with walnuts, chocolate chips, pecans…the possibilities are endless!
What Makes These Banana Muffins Healthy?
What makes this banana muffin recipe healthier than others? Let’s take a look:
- Made with oat flour, a nutrient-dense whole-grain alternative to refined flours.
- Naturally sweetened with bananas, coconut sugar, and maple syrup to add natural sweetness without any refined sugars.
- No dairy or eggs. The mashed banana helps bind the ingredients together without the need for eggs.
Ingredients Needed
Scroll down to the recipe card to get the full recipe with measurements!
- Bananas: An essential! This recipe uses 3 bananas. The riper the bananas, the better. They act as the egg replacement and help bind the muffins together.
- Oat Flour: This recipe uses nutrient-dense oat flour instead of regular flour. You can buy oat flour, or, make your own by blending rolled oats or quick oats in a blender until it turns into a flour. For gluten allergies be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
- Coconut Sugar: This natural sweetener adds extra sweetness and a subtle caramel flavor that pairs so well with the bananas.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Reacts with the leavening agents to give the muffins height and fluffiness.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: To help the muffins rise. It can be tricky to get vegan and gluten-free breads to rise, so we have to use a bit more leavening agent to assist.
- Vanilla Extract: An essential for added flavor.
- Non-Dairy Milk: I prefer unsweetened soy milk, but any dairy-free milk will work in this recipe, such as almond milk or oat milk.
- Coconut Oil: Melted coconut oil adds the perfect amount of moisture. Make sure to use refined coconut oil to avoid any strong coconut flavor.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Optional, but I love adding a handful of dark chocolate chips to my banana muffins for extra sweetness and richness! Make sure to use vegan chocolate chips to keep this recipe dairy-free.
- Walnuts: Optional, for crunch!
How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins
These vegan banana muffins are made in one-bowl for a fuss free clean-up.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375Ā°F and line or grease a muffin pan (I grease mine with refined coconut oil).
- Mix the ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth, then stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the muffin pan: Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cavity about Ā¾ of the way full. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and extra chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake the muffins: Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few crumbs).
- Let cool: Remove the muffins from the oven and let them sit in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Megan’s Tips
- Use ripe bananas. This is the secret to naturally sweet and flavorful muffins! The darker, mushier, and more speckled the bananas, the better.
- Cool completely. I know itās tempting to dig in right away, but patience is key! If you cut into the muffins too soon, they may be gummy inside. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely to get that perfect soft and fluffy texture!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need to use spotty/brown bananas?
The riper, the better! Dark, spotty, and mushy bananas add natural sweetness and moisture to the banana muffins.
Can I substitute the oat flour?
I havenāt tested this recipe with a different flour, so I’m not sure it will work! Oat flour has a unique texture and absorbency, so swapping it may affect the structure and texture. But if you donāt have oat flour on hand, you can easily make your own! Just blend rolled oats or quick oats in a blender or food processor until it turns into a flour. And if you have a gluten allergy, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
got more ripe bananas? You’ll Love These Recipes
Find all of my banana recipes here and more healthy snack recipes here.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ā ā ā ā ā star rating below. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Healthy Banana Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas, = 1 Ā½ cups mashed banana
- ā cup coconut sugar
- Ā¼ cup maple syrup
- Ā¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour, use certified gf oats if needed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- Ā½ tsp nutmeg
- Ā½ tsp salt
- ā cup vegan chocolate chips, plus more for topping, optional
- Ā¼ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the ovenĀ to 375Ā°F and line or grease a muffin pan (I grease mine with refined coconut oil).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, coconut sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar until combined.
- Mix in the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vegan chocolate chips (if using) until just combined.
- Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cavity about Ā¾ of the way full. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and extra chocolate chips (if desired)
- Bake forĀ 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (or with a few crumbs).
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them sit in the pan forĀ 10 minutesĀ before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Equipment
Video
Notes
- Use ripe bananas! This is the secret to naturally sweet and flavorful muffins. The darker, mushier, and more speckled the bananas, the better.
- Make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats or quick oats in a blender or food processor until it turns into a fine flour.Ā
- Use certified gluten-free oatsĀ if needed.
- Let them cool completely! I know itās tempting to dig in right away, but patience is key! If you cut into the muffins too soon, they may turn gummy inside. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely to get that soft and fluffy texture!
Made them for the fourth time! So good! Thank you for the recipe
Soo happy to hear you keep making these banana muffins, Courtney! Thanks for sharing š
I made the muffins yesterday as a breakfast option for my family. Most of the time they don’t like healthy muffins with oats, but these are so moist en tasteful. Thank you so much!
Awe that’s great, I’m so happy your family enjoyed these muffins! Thanks for sharing, Sofie š
Delicious! My favorite muffins recipe š¤
So happy to hear that š thanks for sharing, Elisabeth!
After many different recipesā¦this is my favourite ! Gf and vegan is not easy so thanks for this!
First time to comment on any recipes!
Marianne
Aww, I’m so happy you found a winner! Thanks so much for sharing, Marianne, I hope you’ll try more of my recipes!
Great muffins all the family enjoyed themĀ
Yay I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing š
Loved the muffins and the texture. I only changed it and put 1 cup oat, 1 cup cocnut flour. They turned out great! Definitely will do them again š
I’m so happy you loved them, Lorena! It’s great to hear it worked with that substitution too – thank you for sharing š
This banana muffin looks so delicious!
Do you think I can use greek yogurt or coconut yoghurt instead of milk? Let me know!
Hi Lisa! I haven’t tried swapping the milk for yogurt ā it might make the muffins slightly more dense, so you may need to add a little extra liquid to get the right batter consistency. Let me know if you try it ā Iād love to hear how they turn out!
These could be my favorite – healthy option!
So glad you like them!
I LOVED your healthy banana bread recipe so I had to try these too…they are SO good!!! And taste just like the banana bread but in muffin shape!! Thank you!!
Awww I’m so happy to hear that you loved these muffins just as much as the banana bread! Thank you for sharing š
Hi Megan! I made these today and they were hands-down some of the most tasty muffins my family has ever eaten. They turned out super moist and fluffy, just like you said. My husband gobbled his up! And thanks for tip about the apple cider vinegar; I didnāt know they were the secret ingredient that turned baked goods extra fluffy. The only change I made was leaving out the coconut sugar as the sweetness from the bananas and the maple sugar was sufficient for us since we usually prefer a lower sugar content than most people. That said, all of your recipes Iāve tried so far have come out super tastyākudos to you. You obviously are very good at your craft.Ā
Aww, Khurty, I’m so happy these muffins were a hit with your family, and I’m glad to hear that they were still delicious without the coconut sugar! It brought such a smile to my face reading your comment, so thank you š I hope you’ll continue making them!