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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Hey! This is my go to banana muffin recipe and I LOVE IT! It’s my toddler’s birthday this weekend and I’d love to double this recipe and make it into a cake. I don’t have 2 loaf pans, but I have a:
– 9×9 square pan
– 9×13 rectangle pan
– 9” circular cake pan (springform)
– 9.5” Bundt pan
– 7.5” Bundt pan (6 cup)
What would you suggest and how should I adjust the temp & bake time?
Also, do you have any suggestions for a vegan frosting that would pair well with this?
Thanks so much!
Hi Katie! I would recommend my Favorite Banana Cake recipe and guide. I don’t have a great vegan frosting option, sorry!
I made this frosting recipe with palm shortening, Pamelas GF flour, and Ripple milk. It came out beautifully!
I make these,every week.very forgiving , I throw in chocolate chipps, Orange peel chia seeds, canned pumpkin, and use whole grain spelt flour.
My son and I baked these – so delicious! We used 1/3c maple syrup and added choco chips + walnuts as add ins.
SO yummy! Thank you for this recipe!
Very good,easy to follow
I just pulled these out of the oven, they smell wonderful!! I had to bake them for an extra 3 minutes, probably because I used 4 bananas. Otherwise, I followed the directions. I used olive oil, put in some mini chocolate chips. Gonna taste one now… still hot, but yummy!!
Made these today added chopped walnuts and dries apricot, really tasty.
These are incredible and so moist! Thank you!
I used extra virgin olive oil because I’m not a fan of coconut, maple syrup, I added in dried cranberries and topped them with chia seeds as well as the oats and also substituted the 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour with almond flour just to test it out.
They turned out AMAZING :) So happy with the results. The cranberries add a punch of sweetness that sometimes feels like it’s missing in “healthier” baking recipes.
Thanks for the recipe. This was a great way to use up ripe bananas and dried cranberries I had around.
Made these tonight. Deeelish!
S has become my go to banana recipe. I love it!
Homemade muffins have been my go-to breakfasts for a few months now. Wanted to treat my coworkers to home baked goodness and so happy I chose this recipe! Absolutely delicious! My coworkers enjoyed them!
I made it exactly as written. So easy to make. The oats and raw sugar are excellent additions! Love that sweet crunch when you bite in to the muffin!
I have the recipe saved to my favorites, and will definitely make again and experiment with additions like nuts or a honey glaze. Thank you for this recipe I will be back for more recipes for sure!!!
Has anyone added blueberries to this recipe? I use small wild Maine frozen blueberries and rinse them to avoid the brown/purple color when I use them in muffins or scones. Not sure if I would need to adjust the maple syrup amount?
Well, I’ve only got reg white KA flour, so won’t be as healthy, but I’ve gotta do something with those almost dead bananas!
Everytime I make these it seems like the baking soda ruins them for me. They have a bit of a tang. I even put less than a teaspoon
Hi Nikky, I’m sorry you don’t love this one. Are you using fresh baking soda?
It makes a huge difference if you dissolve the baking soda in the milk before adding it in. You won’t taste it at all
I can’t want to make these! I’ve loved every recipe of yours that I’ve tried. I only have instant oats on hand – can I use them instead of old fashioned oats?
Hi Sarah, instant oats won’t likely work the same. I can’t say fo sure without trying.
Just made these muffins for the second time. This time added dark chocolate chip and they came out better than my first attempt. Love this recipe ❤️
I’m happy to hear that, Maria! Thank you for your review.
Love these, thank you! I use different add ins. Sometimes fresh Blueberries, golden raisins, a few chocolate chips, or dried cranberries. I always sneak in a few very finely chopped walnuts and a heaping tablespoon of chia/ flax seeds. My adult son has no idea he’s eating them!!
You’re welcome, Nana! I appreciate your review.
Love love love this recipe! It is my go to when I have old bananas lying around! I even add some non fat Greek yogurt for protein and flax seed for added fiber with chocolate chips and pecans and they are always a favorite of coworkers and even my two nephews!
Today I made a vegan version of these using aquafaba, oat milk and maple syrup (with added walnuts). Delicious!
I’ve been making your recipe as my base banana muffin go-to for a long time and just wanted to tell you thanks! I have it memorized so rarely have to look here but it’s bookmarked just in case. I always double the recipe and freeze half of the bunch individually for quick breakfasts. These are particularly awesome with a couple scoops of Ka’chava protein mix, some Kodiak high-protein oats, tons of chopped pecans, flaked coconut, chia seeds, flax seeds–all kinds of healthy stuff can be added in to make them a full breakfast that gets me through til lunch.
I love that you have it memorized, that’s great! Thank you for your review, Laura.
Delicious, healthy and not too sweet. My teen boy loved them! Added walnuts and semi sweet chocolate chips. Will definitely be making this again when I’ve got some overripe bananas around.
I love these muffins. I add flax seed and some almond flour as well. I use the olive oil instead of coconut and skim milk. Delicious and so healthy.
Amazing! Have been making these muffins every week for about a year! Thank you for a great recipe Kate!
You’re welcom, Luba! I appreciate your review.
Heyyy. Can they be frozen? X
These freeze GREAT! I make triple batches and freeze the majority since it’s just me and the hubs. You can pull them out to thaw overnight, but we normally just pop them from the freezer to the microwave for a quick warm up. All microwaves are different of course, but for ours it takes 30 seconds on defrost and 15-30 seconds to warm it (that’s for one muffin, and warm time depends on how hot you want it). Just be sure to wrap completely in a paper towel or else it could dry out. And of course just increase the defrost and warm times if doing more than one frozen muffin at a time (hubs always has two, and he does 45s defrost, 45s warm for piping hot muffins that melt his butter).
Sorry, but this for me was a bit bland. I think I should have added more cinnamon than what the recipe says.
Note: I also added walnuts , pecans, and chocolate chips
I’m sorry you didn’t love them, Jessica. I appreciate your feedback.
Super yummy recipe! Added some chocolate chips and an extra banana! Thanks for the recipe!
Wow – these are SO GOOD! My family loved them. I love that they are healthier, but they still taste like an indulgence! So moist and delicious. My new go-to muffin recipe. Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome, Grier!
This was a delicious recipe! I had whole wheat/whole grain flour, and some beautiful maple syrup I just received from a farm in Vermont. I used a light olive oil that was in my pantry and mixed them up in two bowls. I prefer to mix wet ingredients in one bowl and whisking all dry ingredients in another, adding to wet to combine. Either way you mix them, the muffins turned out moist and delicious. Thank you for a new way to use my older bananas, beside making banana bread!!
I’m late to this party, but these muffins are perfect. I followed the recipe exactly, but of course my add in was chocolate chips! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
These muffins turned out very good and moist. I added dark chocolate chips. Next time i would use less maple syrup. They are a bit sweet for me.
I’m sorry you didn’t find them perfect. Be careful of adjusting the maple syrup since it’s a liquid ingredient and baking can be tricky.
I loved the flavor, color and texture of this recipe, but the oats were tough (I used old fashioned). Another recipe that produced more tender oats said to soak the oats in milk first. I am concerned that if I did so with your delicious recipe the balance of “wet” and “dry” ingredients would be wrong. Any suggestions.
Hi Hank, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe as is.
Substituted coconut sugar and turned out great. Used up all 9 bananas at home with this recipe
I added in a tablespoon of chia seeds, half a cup of dried apricots, and a quarter cup of whole almonds. I also subbed some applesauce for one banana because I didn’t have enough bananas. Came out beautifully!
GREAT recipe! Have made dozens of times. I always triple the batch for my husband and I because they freeze great and defrost/warm up perfectly. Some notes: I always use regular whole wheat flour and unsweetened almond milk and they turn out perfect. I also always use coconut oil but once resorted to avocado oil when was I was out of the coconut – it was a great, neutral flavored substitution and had no discernible effect on the flavor profile, so give that a whirl instead of EVOO. I’ve also used honey, maple syrup, and a combo of both and didn’t really notice a difference in flavor between the two natural sweeteners. These are great plain, but mixing in some dark chocolate chips makes these absolutely decadent while still being nutritious and healthy as far as muffins go.
The point of my comment, however, is to ask if anyone has tried a wet mix in and how that’s impacted the final product. I was considering chopping some fresh pineapple to add to the mix, but I’m afraid they won’t cook and set right. Has anyone tried a wet mix in? If so, did you drain/dry it before adding, reduce the milk, or both?
I love you have made this recipe so often, Jessica! Thank you for sharing your variations. I’m not sure about adding in addition fruit, but sounds interesting.
I LOVE these muffins, I make a batch every couple of weeks for easy kids breakfasts, they freeze really well too. A brilliant recipe!
What a great idea, Hannah! Thank you for sharing. I’m happy these are a regular for your family.
I had some very ripe bananas that needed to be used. I had made banana bread/muffins before but wanted a new recipe. This recipe is absolutely amazing. I followed the directions to a T. I did add dark chocolate chips. These muffins were so moist and delicious. I did a combination of regular muffins and mini muffins. I cooked the mini muffins for 13 minutes and they came out perfect. The kids love them as much as I do!
This recipe is amazing. It’s very easy to follow and my kids love the muffins as much as banana bread with refined sugar and flour. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome, Carolyn! Thank you for your review.
Best ever banana muffins – my preschooler loves making and eating them, too!
These muffins are delicious, and my 4 year old loves them! I’m not a huge banana fan, so I only use 2 and make up for it by adding some vanilla yogurt. I also added some chocolate chips because why not!
These are already a staple in our home. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these for the first time today. They are delicious and beautiful! I knew I was out of vanilla but decided to try it anyway and am so glad I did. I’m sure I will repeat this recipe often in the future.
These were so good!! We added 3 TBS of cocoa powder and it felt like a super treat!
I made this for the first time today as a goodbye morning tea for my son and his girlfriend as they left to relocate to Darwin. They were awesome. I also added a few chopped pecans to the batter. We all had two each and they took four with them. Thanks Kate, another sweet memory to tuck away. x
These muffins are just the best. I will try all your recipes and tell everyone about the muffins. Thank you
Th
Do you blend the oats into flour or keep in their natural form? Thanks!!
Hi! For these, you keep the oats in their natural form. Unless you are looking to use oat flour. I hope that helps!
Hello! if I use oat flour instead of wheat flour do you think it will drastically change the consistency?
Hi! It works great. Be sure to adjust your measurements. How to Make Oat Flour
Excellent muffin recipe!
I baked these for my toddler, and she loved them.
I’m so pleased with this recipe, especially with it being a healthier alternative to a classic favourite #ThankYou Kathryne
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Jennifer.
My consistent go to recipe when I have too many ripe bananas. So good! We add the chocolate chips and my super picky 4 year old is on his third muffin as I type…
Love them, easy to make.
delicious! me and my roommates loved these :’) will be making again
I have struggled to find a healthy recipe that also tastes good. And my search ends here. These muffins are delicious- so fluffy and tasty, that you will forget that they are 100%whole wheat and no added sugar. I made these for my toddler and he just gobbled them down.
These turned out great! I used sorghum, Einkorn and buckwheat four (split the total 1 3/4 between the three equally), added chocolate chips and pecans to half the muffins and raisins and walnuts to the other half. So good! Everything I make from your site always turns out awesome!
Thank you, Christine!
Hi Kate, in the banana maple flavored oatmeal muffin I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten free flour and they came out great I also used flaxseed eggs. The next time I made it
I subbed the Banana with 2 cups rhubarb poured it in a greased 9 inch cake pan it was the highlight of our first after Brunch. Thanks for the recipes and your hard work going into them. Dot