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 was already a fan of the whole wheat pumpkin muffins, but today I tried this recipe for a change. Wow! They are absolutely as delicious as the pumpkin muffins! I used dark chocolate chips and walnuts as add-ins and the combination worked perfectly. These muffins will definitely become a regular go-to for me and my family.
Wonderful, Karen!
These were so delish! I added some pumpkin pie spice + extra cinnamon for a fall twist and they were to die for! I finished the whole batch in less than a week – oops! These were perfect with my (first) morning coffee and kept me tied over until I ate a full breakfast. Would highly recommend!
I love it! Thank you for your review, Jess.
Love these muffins!!
I wish I could like whole wheat flour (white or otherwise) but I find it has an unpalatable texture. That said, I made these muffins per recipe, and yes, I don’t care for the texture. I forgot to add my chocolate, which actually was a good thing — I got to taste the muffin in its unedited form. These muffins had a great flavor, were mildly sweet, and they had good height and fluffiness. I This is a definite keeper, but I will do a mix of flours the next time I make these (and add some tasty tidbits like nuts, cranberries, or chocolate chips).
Thanks for sharing, Mindy!
Wow ,this is the first time tried your recipes, absolutely love it , the muffins is so yummy, thank you.
You’re welcome!
Thank you for posting this recipe. Best healthy muffin I have baked and will pass on to family and friends. I did omit the sugar on top, not necessary. They are perfect without it. I used maple syrup.
These banana muffins are ridiculously delicious!! They are sweet and moist. Such a healthy treat that I will be making again and again. I added an extra banana, walnuts and raisins to the mix. All I can say is, Kate. . .you did it again!!
Hey Kate!
I haven’t made these yet, but I will very soon. They’re for my mum who is pre diabetic. This will help her sweet tooth cravings, I’m sure :)
Quick question, is it possible to use muffin liners in the muffin tray instead of just spraying? The tin my mum has is super old and even spraying doesn’t work. It’s that old! Haha
Hope you’re well xx
Sure! You can do that. Just make sure you prep them accordingly as I feel they can still stick sometimes.
Made these now for breakfast all the way down in South Africa. My husband and three girls loved them, but I loved them the most! I added a bit of seed mix in and it turned out well. My babies enjoyed helping and the fact that it was all in one bowl kept me sane. I’ve had my fair share of spills in the past thanks to my helpers.
I hid some away for my girls’ daycare snacks.
Thanks so much.
Hooray! That’s great, Tammy. I appreciate your review.
I’ve made these numerous times before. I always use Walden Farms sugar free pancake syrup and they have been delicious low sugar muffins.
Today, I baked them but I was out of baking soda. I used 3 tsp baking powder instead and oh my god it made them SO much better. This tweak made this already amazing recipe a 10/10 no doubt
Hi Erin,
That’s what I’ve been wondering. I always use baking powder not baking soda whenever I bake, and I bake alot. Sometimes, a recipe asks for both. So, do you recommend leaving out the baking soda and adding the baking powder instead? I haven’t tried the recipe yet.
Thanks!
Hi Barbara! I test my recipes a lot, before they make it to the blog to ensure they taste delicious and work. Sometimes it can be varying preferences/tastes or even ingredients that slightly differ. Baking powder and baking soda are two different ingredients that will give different results. I hope this helps!
Hi Kate,
I absolutely love your recipes! They turn out great everytime but being from Europe it’s such a pain having to google all the measurements. Could you maybe post your recipe in grams and ml as well?
That would be such a help :)
Hi Dora! Thanks for your comment and review. Unfortunately, I don’t have plans at this time to post metric measurements.
Love the recipe! Also put apples and pecans in. Used almond milk and honey.
Some of the recipe tips include information regarding eggs, but I dont see any eggs in the original recipe nor in the short video clip. Could you please clarify?
I tried these and they turned out well. I replaced oats with some more whole wheat flour and added some walnuts and cashews.
Thanks for the yummy recipe… Best way to eat overripe bananas!
I use 1 cup of almond butter instead of flour, only one egg and no milk. I make these beauts like twice per month. Sooooo delish! I also use the roasted nuts from your strawberry-kale-crouton recipe and throw those in there for an added delight! I love LOVE your recipes!
Yum, I’m eating these warm out of the oven! I did 1/2 Ap flour and 1/2 WW flour, added 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 c. Chopped pecans. I sprinkled the tops with a tiny bit of oats and coconut sugar.
Amazing! Made these today and added chocolate chips. Easy to do and so flavorful. A new breakfast favorite. Thanks for always sharing wonderful recipes.
So damn delicious!
These are wonderful! Light, but substantial. Definitely recommend.
Thank you for your review, Sara!
These came out great! I made them for my little one to take to daycare (with fruit) for breakfast. I used olive oil and can’t detect any herbal taste, likely because of the cinnamon. I left off the oats and turbinado sugar as well- mostly because I forgot but they are perfect. I have already shared the recipe with my sister. Thanks for posting Sunday night inspiration!
If I wanted to make these into mini muffins, how long would I bake for? Thanks!
Hi! Typically, you cut the time in half and then watch to see if you need to adjust.
I love your recipes! Easy to make, healthy ingredients and delicious tasting.
Thank you for sharing the Wholesomeness!!❤️
I have made these so many times now and being dairy and soy free it is great to have a tasty, easy to adapt recipe for myself and my toddler. They are filling too! Easy enough to adapt to being made in a thermomix as well.
I’m happy you are able to make these work for you!
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times now and it is always a win. I use a olive oil and maple syrup combo and use chopped walnuts as add-ins. I skip the sugar, but love the added touch of a few oats sprinkled on top. Bonus, it only requires one mixing bowl! Healthy and delicious.
Made my first batch — and already planning for my second because these were gobbled up fast. Great for breakfast, after school snack or quick boost on the go. We are trying to be vegan, refined sugar free so I used flax egg and almond milk, vegan chocolate chips, the maple syrup and didn’t put any sugar on top. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be trying more of your recipes.
Love these! Have made as written, with dark chocolate chunks and walnuts, for a more decadent treat, and also a healthier/lower fat version substituting applesauce in place of oil, cutting maple syrup to 1/3 cup, and adding shredded carrot and/or chopped dried figs. These are great with a little peanut butter for an on-the-go breakfast or a mid-morning snack. The full-fat version with 3 tbsp. chopped dark chocolate and 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts are around 9 WW points for one muffin; the lower-fat applesauce version with 3 tbsp. chocolate chunks and no nuts still hit the spot at 4 WW points! My son likes these too :) I love how quickly I can whip up a batch for the week.
I made these banana muffins this morning as I had 3 very ripe bananas to use up. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I used my silicone muffin pan which is fairly new and only used one other time with less than stellar results and had to throw away those muffins. I need new muffin pans so thought I’d try the silicone again. I baked for the full 25 minutes (after 22 there was still minimal batter on the toothpick). These banana muffins are delicious! Unfortunately I just don’t care for my silicone pan and had to pry them out with a small knife – totally a pan issue and not the recipe. The bottoms of most look a bit mangled but the taste is yummy! I had two and my 2 year old granddaughter had one. I didn’t add anything to them this time but I might add walnuts and/or chocolate chips next time.
Thank you Kate for this very easy and tasty banana muffin recipe!❤️
Hey! I’m really interested in making these muffins, I’m going through an eating disorder but I’m trying to fix that up and bake things on my own. I’m just very anxious about the calories of these muffins..Would you have an estimate at all? I’m going to try substituting the oil with apple sauce!
Just made these muffins and they’re delicious! I doubled the recipe and used 3/4 the amount of sweetener (mixture of maple syrup and honey). I put in dark chocolate chunks. The sweetness was perfect! Excellent recipe, will definitely make these again.
I made them into minis and added dark chocolate chips. They were EXCELLENT. Love that I didn’t have to add gobs of white sugar to make them tasty. New favorite! Thank you!
I’ve tried several of your recipes, including these, and they are all so well- developed. No tinkering or adjusting needed – perfection as they are. Several are now in regular rotation, as family favorites. Even though they’re loaded with heavy whole grains, which normally make baked goods dense and tough, yours are ALWAYS light and fluffy, with pancakes coming out thick and soft, and tall peaks on every muffin. Your recipes make me look like a good cook! And I appreciate that it’s all in one bowl, for easy clean-up. Thanks for the work you do!
I’m happy to hear that! Thanks so much for commenting, Megan.
I have tried so many healthy banana bread/muffins recipes and this one is by far the yummiest and most efficient to bake! Just the perfect ratio of ingredients, I did add the same amount of ground ginger and nutmeg as cinnamon though :)
I’ve made this recipe countless times, and it’s definitely a family favorite. Love that it’s an easy, customizable, one bowl recipe. I use coconut oil, add 2tbsp chia seeds, and 2cups frozen blueberries (thawed before adding). I also give them a blast at 425 for the first 5 minutes for a nice, round muffin top. I’m lucky if they last the day in our house! Thanks so much for this and all of your awesome recipes – your talents are appreciated!!
Thanks for sharing your variation, Natalia! I’m happy it worked so well.
I did 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Omg these were heavenly with chocolate chips (and this is coming from a teenager)
I have been making banana muffins for 30 years I tried all different recipes and have enjoyed most, this recipe so far is a standout and extremely moist the only small twist I made to this was a bit of over ripened mango puree in it creating a bit of a tropical taste…. fantastic thank you so much.. this will be my banana muffin recipe from now on
I’m glad this one stands out, Juli! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
Made these with almond flour and noticed the batter was very wet. After baking, flavor was good but they were flat on top and inside was a little mushy. Not sure what went wrong
I’m sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, almond flour isn’t a great substitute. My assumption is that is what happened.
thank you for this wonderful banana muffin recipe! I don’t “bake” so this recipe was easy and so tasteful! I loved the softness of the bananas with the warmth of the cinnamon and I added dried cranberries ’cause, well, it’s the season. Merry Christmas to you!!
Hi! It was so hard to only taste test one :) Thank you for an amazing recipe. I followed your recipe exactly (including the almond milk) except I used a mini muffin tin.
I was just curious how you store them?
You’re welcome, Kelly! Thank you for your review.
I had a wonderful time making these muffins with my four-year-old son. Thank you!
Any chance we could substitute whole wheat flour for almond flour?
Hi Isa! Almond flour isn’t typically a great 1:1 substitute. If you are looking to make these gluten-free, Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1:1 typically works well.
Sounds great! Thank you!!
Wonderful recipe! Used half the maple syrup as indicated, added also 2 table spoons of minced coconut, a bit of dry ginger powder and some all spice and a bit of salt. Used whole spelt flower instead of whole flower. For the topping mixed old fasion oats with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, a bit of maple, a bit of coconut oil and some ground nutmeg, which created crunchy fun top. Came out delicious. A great morning snack for the kids.
Thanks for sharing how you changed this! I’m glad it worked for you.
I love you’re recipes. Do you have a cookbook by a chance to purchase?
Hi Jesse! You can find where to purchase my cookbook here:https://asset-boost.pro/love-real-food-cookbook/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I just make it ！I loved this recipe! It so easy and delicious！Thanks for sharing ！
You’re welcome, Lydia!
These muffins were just what I hoped they would be. I had kefir instead of milk, so that’s what we used, and they were very moist and delicious with the oats and sugar sprinkled on top. Thank you Kate!
I made it without eggs(accidentally!)and used greek yogurt. They turned out marvellous still. Cant wait to try it again,with eggs, soon.
Awesome! Didn’t have the ingredients on hand for flax-egg so just omitted egg altogether.
They still held together?
Love love love! I made these using a 24 mini muffin tray for easy handling and size for my son (and used less maple syrup). This recipe was so easy and quick and the muffins came out delicious and oh so moist. Thank You for sharing
I have made this recipe a number of times with variations on the add-ins and once just plain. Today is the first time I am making them with honey rather than maple syrup (and our fave chopped walnuts). Never fails to be moist and flavourful. Thanks for another topnotch recipe!
These muffins were fabulous-I made them on this winter morning, they totally hit the spot-Even my husband who doesn’t like banana anything really liked them-I used honey to sweeten and 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1 cup white whole wheat and sprinkled coconut sugar on top before I baked them-These will be made many times1
Thank you for sharing, Ann! I’m happy you enjoyed this one.
Made these last night and my 9 year old daughter loved them as well as my husband! Is there an estimate of calories per muffin available?
Hi Barb! The nutrition information is below the recipe notes. I hope this helps!
Hi!I want to ask in your Recipe1cup is equal to 200ml or250ml？Thanks!
Hi! Sorry, I don’t provide metric conversions. I know others have used allrecipes.com or myrecipes.com in the past for conversions.