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 I just wanted to ask if I can use some sweetener in this recipe?
Hi, maple syrup or honey works per the instructions. I hope you enjoy them!
Delicious! Thank you, for sharing!
Just made these with oat milk, added in walnuts and chocolate chips. Very tasty! Thank you!
Made these today and added blueberries and dried cranberries. Cooling now before we bite into them. Can’t wait to try them!!
I hope you love them!
I just made these and they are really tasty. I used 2% milk and added raisins……these are the only changes I made.
I’m glad they turned out, Ann!
These were delicious and moist! Definitely keeping this recipe!
Made this recipe twice. First with honey then with maple syrup. Both were so good!! I love honey so that one was my favorite. I might have been a little heavy handed on the sugar sprinkled on top. ;) Delish!!! Looking forward to trying other recipes from this site
I just made these using regular whole wheat flour and half maple syrup and half honey with toasted walnuts in the mix. AMAZING 10/10 I love that they are not too sweet, even with the sugar sprinkled on too
I made these and the men loved them in their lunch boxes. Didn’t really rise but never baked with whole wheat before.
What am just wondering what can I replace the eggs with for egg allergy?
Hi Kate, I love this recipe… made it a few times. It’s always a hit. Can I substitute almond flour and or coconut flour? Trying this low carb thing….
Risha
Hi Risha, sorry to disappoint, but those flours aren’t great 1:1 substitutes.
My family asks me to make these weekly, I try to double the recipe because we devour them!! The best best recipe, so grateful for a delicious healthy nutritious treat to make, thanks Kate! Been making these for years. I like to use an immersion blender then add the oats and chocolate chips. And soy milk gives an extra boost of protein :)
Hi there,
I just wanted to ask if it’s possible to bake these in a mini muffin tray and if so how long they would take?
Hi! They should work. You would need to decrease the time by at least half, but keep an eye on them just me be sure.
I made this muffin recipe into mini muffins and they were delicious! I baked them for 16 minutes and they came out perfectly cooked. I didn’t use any mix ins. Thanks, Kate!!
You’re welcome, Laura! Thank you for your review.
Made these with maple flavoured agave syrup, delicious
I made these for my wife. She really liked them. I tweaked it a tad. I added an extra banana since they were medium to small. Instead of whole wheat flour, I used oat flour. I didn’t think it made a big difference. I was a little worried the olive oil taste would come through but it was fine. Good, easy recipe for this dad cook. Peace out
New favorite banana muffin recipe!!!! I used coconut oil and honey.
Wonderful to hear, Willow! Thank you for sharing.
So good and moist! Used maple syrup and added in blueberries. Will definitely make again.
That’s great to hear, Annje! Thank you for your review.
I have made these many times — they are popular in our house! Some variations I’ve tried are adding blueberries or walnuts, and substituting honey for the maple syrup. I also add a bit more oats than called for, because I like the chewier texture. No matter what, they always turn out great.
Hi Kate ..
Absolutely loved your recepie. Couldn’t believe whole wheat flour muffins could turn out so soft and spongey.
I added some choco chips and my boys wolfed it down!!
Thank you for this awesome recepie
Bindu
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for your review, Bindu.
We have made this recipe now at least 3 times as we love it!
My kids make this as their homeschooling ‘maths’ investigation so they can learn about fractions.
Secretly i love it because it also means we get yummy banana muffins to eat :)
Perfect for lunchbox snacks.
Just made these as a double batch using apple sauce. Made 12 regular size and 48 mini. My house smells amazing!!!! Can’t wait to try them. I was going to use coconut oil but the saturated fat is SO HIGH. Even compared to vegetable oil. But I think the Apple sauce will give more of a fall flavor. Yummy. Thanks
Wonderful, Lindsey!
In love with all of your muffin recipes! This one is my go to banana muffin recipe, and the only change I made was 1 tsp of cinnamon & a pinch of all spice. Because I have a toddler, I made mini muffins with a cook time of 10-13 minutes at 325. Phenomenal! In the past I’ve made this recipe vegan, gluten free, or just dairy free.
Best recipe ever! I have made over the years many times different banana bread and muffins recipe to use up my ripe bananas these are the best by far . And with whole wheat flour! Very moist and holds up nicely now all crumbly like some recipes I have tried . Thank you for sharing this is a keeper .
Thank you, Evelyne! I appreciate your review.
Delicious! And so moist! I’m going to add shredded coconut next time for a little more sweetness.
Delicious! I made these with almond flour instead of whole wheat flour and added Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips. Could I substitute the honey or maple syrup for monkfruit sweetener next time?
Hi Kristi, I haven’t tried it with this recipe. Changing the type of sugar would impact results.
I make banana muffins on a regular bases. Decided to try to find a recipe that was healthy. These are delicious! So moist! I added blueberries. I used honey but want to try the maple syrup.I will definitely use this recipe again with lots of variety.
Hi Kate! Do you know if you can substitute some of the flour out with protein powder without messing up the recipe?
I haven’t tried it with protein powder, but I would suggest not replacing the flour as you need the flour to help the muffins rise correctly.
Hi Mikayla, I’ve tried substituting the rolled oats with a scoop of vanilla whey protein and it works just fine! Could try that out :)
Made these for the… 100th? time this morning! My toddler is obsessed, and so am I!
I love it! Thank you, Sarah.
These were wonderful! I made these vegan with flax egg, maple syrup and almond milk for my family and they came out wonderfully. Super moist and not too sweet. I only had 2 bananas and they were still full of that wonderful ‘nana flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome, Hannah! Thank you for your review.
Could I use yogurt in place of the milk?
Hi Nicole, You can use milk or water here.
Hi,
This recipe sounds great. I don’t have whole wheat flour at the moment. Can I use plain all purpose flour instead and the same amount? I can’t wait to try it.
Hi Joelle, I believe others have used it without issue and the same amount should work. I hope you love them!
Just baked a batch and they turned out perfect!
That’s great, KK! I appreciate your review.
The muffins are delicious love the maple favor and cinnamon Will make again.
Thanks for sharing
Lora
You’re welcome, Lora!
For this recipe, I used the honey option and omitted the oats and turbinado sugar topping. I also used canola oil instead of extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil because it is milder in taste (than olive oil) and much lower in saturated fat (than coconut oil). I also used 1 cup of regular white flour and 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour to yield a more tender, less dry product. It came out PERFECT and was a big hit with the family.
Wow – thank-you so much for this recipe with all of those wonderful options. I just found out my son is allergic to cow’s milk and my other son is gluten sensitive. Thank-you Thank-you You have no idea how happy this recipe makes me – I can finally bake my favorite muffins and EVERYONE can enjoy them! (And the bonus….now I can also feel good about serving-up something healthy and nutritious)
:)
I’m glad these work for your son! I appreciate your review, Maria.
These look so delicious!! I can’t wait to try them! Do you think I can substitute maple syrup/honey with golden syrup?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, sorry!
Excellent recipe, muffins are perfect every time. Also love that it uses healthier ingredients (honey, coconut oil and whole-wheat flour) Do you know if this recipe would also work in a loaf tin?
HI Trici, I would recommend my Healthy Banana Bread!.
Can I substitute apple sauce for the coconut oil?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. I would suggest checking the comments to see if others have tried it.
Yes. Very delicious and guilt free muffins. I replaced the oils with equal measure of apple sauce. No problem. Maybe even better. Not sure. Thanks. Appreciate your website.
Hi
Can I use butter instead of coconut oil or olive oil?
Sometimes it can work as a substitute, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
I made these banana muffins and they are wonderful! Healthy and also help my sweet tooth craving. I used honey and put mini semi sweet chocolate in mine and it tastes amazing. Will be looking into more recipes!
This is an awesome recipe. Very easy. I added some pre-sweetened cranberries and walnuts and didn’t use any sugar at all except for the maple syrup and it came out perfect. Thank you for posting the recipe
Hi I love these but just wondered if they can be frozen ? Thanks
Hi! Yes, most of my muffins recipes do freeze well. Thank you for your review!
The best ever banana muffin without doubt! Followed the recipe exactly using maple syrup and normal milk but added sultanas (my husbands favourite)
Even the cooking time was exact which is something I normally struggle with.
Thank you Kate, today was a shining light in our journey here in Melbourne Australia, just what I needed
I’m glad you loved them, Gill!
Thank you for this recipe! I made them gluten and dairy free (Almond milk, and gf flour) as well as DF/GF chocolate chips! And they turned out amazing!
You’re welcome, Tiffany! I’m happy you can enjoy these.
I loved these muffins!! We are trying to watch our sugars and these were so good!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Your’e welcome, Haley!
I made these today with bob’s 1-1 gf flour and I added dried cranberries and flax seed meal and they were delicious! My husband couldn’t believe they were gluten-free. Thanks for such a delicious and easy recipe. This one will be in the rotation for sure.
That’s great, Brenda! I appreciate your review.
I love this recipe. can i use oat or almond flour?
Hi! Unfortunately almond flour isn’t a great 1:1 substitute. It requires more adjustments. You can try my Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour). I hope you try it and love it!
Thank you!! I’m a huge fan of your recipes :)
You’re kind, Galit! I’m glad you are loving them.
My daughter had some over ripe bananas so I made your delicious recipe today. A double batch I might add. I didn’t have enough maple syrup so I used one quantity of maple and one of brown sugar. They still turned out beautiful. Thank you for this great recipe I’m sure to make it again.
Edwina
(Melbourne, Australia)
I dont have baking soda, can I use baking powder?
It won’t work the same, sorry!
I am always looking for healthy recipes to test. Especially for my very picky six year old. These are delicious. I cannot wait to try them again with some add-ins. My son gave them a thumbs up. Also, I replaced 1/2 cup of of the flour with almond flour. I just had to bake them for a couple of minutes longer than suggested. Again, they were delicious.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Kate! Thank you for sharing.
This recipe looks amazing so I’m definitely trying it tomorrow but Could I substitute the whole wheat flour for all purpose flour or would it change the flavor?
Hi! I recommend whole wheat, but it should be ok with all purpose.
Hi Kate,
How do I print the recipe from your site? Am I just missing the print recipe button?
Rachael
Hi Rachel, it wasn’t working. Now it’s fixed! It’s at the top in the recipe card.
Perfect. I see the print option now. Thank you.
Just made the muffins! I used King Arthur gluten free flour. They came out great. I used an extra tablespoon of bananas. Added walnuts and cranberries. Thank you
These are amazing! I made them as mini muffins for my toddler today and they’re a hit! They only took about 13 minutes in a mini muffin tin. Yum!!