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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Hi Kate
I made these muffins this afternoon for the kids school lunches. I just had to try one. They’re amazing!! Thank you for your recipe. I don’t think they’re going to last long!
I absolutely love this recipe. I used gluten free 1:1 baking flour and unsweetened apple sauce instead of oil. I added chopped walnuts and a few chopped up chocolate chips and boy, it was delicious! Thanks so much!
Just made these- Used olive oil, maple syrup, white flour. BOTH of my picky toddlers are eating them. :) yay!
Could I sub the maple syrup for coconut sugar?
Hey Caitlin, those two sweeteners are not interchangeable because one contains liquid (maple syrup) and the other doesn’t. Sorry!
Turned out great!! Tasty and moist.
Great recipe, very easy and taste was amazing. Added blueberries to the mix and it turned out well!
Would you happen to have the nutrition facts for these muffins?
Hi Kayla! Click on the “nutrition information” label before the recipe, and you should see the full nutrition details. :)
Thanks! Mom is looking for banana nut muffins with less sugar than in the package. I think your muffins are just what she’s looking for.
Hi I tried more than one recipe of yours and all was delicious and perfect yummy thanx a lot
Made these today substituting gluten free flour (1/2c of each sorghum, tapioca, chickpea and 1/4c almond flour) and they turned out great! So fluffy and soft. Saving this recipe.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes! You are our go-to blog when it comes to lunchbox fillers. We’ve made these several times and they always turn out great. Rachael, Australia.
Amazing muffins..perfect as they are! A great little snack or quick breakfast for my kids. I love that they’re healthier and taste amazing.
OMGOSH! These muffins were amazing! So glad I tried this recipe! I didn’t have any wheat flour but wanted to stick with the healthy theme so I made oat flour instead! A little more texture but they were DELICIOUS! Followed everything else about the recipe and added a few chocolate chips! Amazing!
Hi… I would like to try out this recipe… I have all ingredients with me except the maple syrup/honey. I do not get maple syrup where I live and I have run out of honey. Can I use br sugar or white sugar instead? If so how much. Thank you for your help- god bless ! Your urgent reply would be appreciated! Thanku
Hi Maria, I’m sorry, this recipe relies on the moisture of the honey/maple syrup. If you substitute a dry sweetener like sugar, I’m afraid your muffins will turn out dry.
Would frozen blueberries work as an add in? Thanks!
Sure, I think so! Use up to 1 cup.
I would actually recommend my blueberry muffin recipe instead: https://asset-boost.pro/healthy-blueberry-muffins/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Not as nice as the banana bread recipe. I have taken to just using the banana bread recipe to make the muffins and following the baking instructions. Very disappointed.
I’m sorry you don’t love this one, Rachel. I appreciate your feedback.
These are delicious. I did recipe as written and added some dark choc chips. They were loved by everyone including my 15 month old! I’ll always use this receipt when I have ripe bananas now. Thanks so much for another and recipe!
Hi Kate,
Yikes, help, LOL! I followed your recipe but used Coconut flour instead of wheat flour and my batter came very thick, so I added some organic applesauce & a bit more almond milk. I am not a baker at all! Thanks for the recipe!
These muffins are beautiful. Thanks to Cookie & Kate for making a nutritious recipe that I can feel good about eating in the morning!
I added toasted walnuts, shredded coconut and raw cacao nibs for added sustenance. Yum!
YUM. we have made these probably 6 or 7 times now and they are one of our favorite recipes. We like to mix in coconut flakes and chocolate chips. They make an easy breakfast for my whole family (we make them with maple syrup so the baby can have some since he’s too young for honey).
Hi Ann, I’m sorry you feel that way. I appreciate your feedback.
I made these today. I’m stuck at home (like most of us) and 5 months pregnant. These are a great hearty muffin, just what i needed. As I have a love of crunch and a craving for sweets I did add chocolate chips and walnuts to this and it was great :) Thank you for this recipe!
Happy with easiness of recipe, followed exactly with no add ins. Great taste, whole family enjoyed including husband who isn’t a big fan of banana in baking. Will make again!
These muffins turned out wonderfully! I used the coconut oil, halved AP Flour and Whole Wheat Flour, and for the liquid I used chai concentrate.
I was looking to make these muffins tonight and saw that I don’t have whole wheat flour. If I use AP flour, are the measurements the same?
Hi Michelle, I haven’t tried it , but I believe others have tried it. It works well with gluten free all purpose blend.
Absolutely love this recipe. Follow it exactly and my kids love it. It comes out perfectly each time. We add walnuts and chocolate chips. We over ripe our bananas just to make these muffins
I think that’s a great idea! Plan your bananas for this recipe. Thanks for your comment and review, Smitha!
Just made these tonight with some way over-ripe bananas and they turned out great. I used canola oil and baking powder (instead of soda) because that’s what I had on hand. I also used agave syrup (which I had never used before) because that was the only liquid sweeter I had. It came out the perfect amount of sweetness for me (I don’t like banana bread type desserts to be too sweet). Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Kate,
I’ve made your banana bread recipe and my friends and colleagues all loved it!
I happened to run out of baking soda. Can I use baking powder instead? What difference will it ake?
Cheers,
Joyce
Hi Joyce, unfortunately they aren’t they same and won’t provide the same result. To get this just right, you really need the baking soda. I’m glad it was a hit though!
These are amazing! Very tasty and wonderful consistency/texture. My family loved them. We did not miss the refined sugar.
I made these muffins for breakfast, and they were delicious! I used 1 less banana because I only had two, and they still tasted incredible. I did half of the batter without adding anything, and then for the other half I used chocolate chips for my children. My two children are pretty picky, and they seemed to enjoy them. Highly recommend and really easy to make if you are on the go! Great for breakfast or snacks.
SO DELICIOUS! Just made these for the second time using a local cinnamon orange honey. Love them.
These are so good!!! I used half honey/half bourbon maple syrup.
Baked about 32 min and they turned out so soft and moist. No crumbles.
Kids and I love these.
Thank you!
Thank you for the recipe!
Muffins turned so good.
25 minutes is not enough for vegan version with flax egg. I took 35-40 minutes for me.
Has anyone successfully used this recipe to make a loaf instead of muffins?
You should try my banana bread!https://asset-boost.pro/healthy-banana-bread-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I have made this recipe several times and it is the best banana muffin recipe! I love the moistness of the muffins. This will be my go to recipe for banana muffins always!
Holy cow, these are amazing. I have been trying to bake healthier recipes for a few years now, but most 100% whole wheat recipes are not that good, even with King Arthur white wheat flour. This recipe is the exception! The only thing I changed was using avocado oil because my kids complain if they taste even a hint of coconut. This recipe is fantastic, and it immediately went into my recipe file for heavy rotation.
Would frozen bananas work for this?
The would need to be thawed, but it should work!
Not exaggerating, I have made this recipe for my family at least 50 or more times. It’s the best muffin recipe. Super moist and decadent.
Sometimes I mix in dark chocolate chips or frozen blueberries.
And I do make them with ground flax seed and almond milk. They turn out perfect every time.
Thank you!
You’re welcome, Angela! Thank you for your review.
Do you think I could use almond pulp in place of oats? I don’t have oats but just made batch of almond cow milk and have leftover pulp.
Hello Kerry! I’m not sure if that would work, sorry. Baking can be touchy and one small change can alter the recipe completely.
Guuuuuurl, these turned out great and I will be making them again. My only substitution was avocado oil for the olive/coconut oil. I also topped them off with sliced almonds. They smelled divine as they were baking and tasted warm and homey :)
Best banana cupcakes I’ve ever had!!! ❤️
I’ve made these twice and they were a hit both times! I used white flour and they turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Wendy!
I loved how the recipe came out with the changes I experimented with! I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup wheat bran, oat milk, 3 large bananas=1 1/2 cups smashed, 1 cup frozen blueberries. This made 8 large muffins.
I make these muffins on an irregular basis, but I’m tempted to make them every week. They’re so good!
I follow the recipe completely, except using 1cup of flour & 1 cup of oats. Still delicious and moist!
This recipe is a keeper!
hi! thanks for the beautiful recipe! I tried it and it tasted amazing. I’m wondering whether I can switch the solid coconut oil to the fractionated (liquid) form?
Hi Tara! I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it. Let me know if you do!
Wow these muffins taste so good… by far the best healthy muffin recipe I’ve ever done!!! Only thing I didn’t have that would make these better was the cinnamon but even without it they are SO good. Thanks Kate keep up the great recipes!!
Just made these now!!!!! Absolutely DELISH!!! thankyou for such an easy and delicious recipe!!
Thank you, Deb!
Hi Kate! Made these muffins for my family today. Unanimous high praise received Looks like I’ll be making them regularly from now on.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Kate (Cape Town, South Africa)
These turned out 100% perfect and amazing. Wish I would have doubled the recipe! I did coconut oil, whole wheat flour, and added maybe 3 tbsp of chopped walnuts in the mix with a little sprinkle of oats on top. LOVED THEM. Ate 1.5 immediately .
These came out SO moist and SO delicious! We are stuck at home under self-isolation so used olive oil and regular all-purpose flour since that’s all we had on hand, and they turned out beautifully. Otherwise, followed the recipe exactly. And so easy! Couldn’t resist eating one while they were still piping hot. Will be making these again 100% :) thank you!
Hi, can I use self raising flour instead? Thanks!
Hi Jane! I’m not sure without trying it. Sorry!