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.
This post contains affiliate links to Amazon, which means I’ll earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for your support!
Delicious! I used olive oil and maple syrup. I decreased flour to 1 1/2 cups and increased oats to 1/2 cup. I mixed in walnuts and dried cherries. So moist! I can’t taste the olive oil at all. I used a small muffin tin, so I was able to make 24 muffins and only baked for 20 minutes. I will definitely make this again! Thanks
Thank you for sharing, Katy!
You did what I was going to try—thanks for the tips!
By far the best, super nutritious and delicious banana muffins I have ever made and tasted. They only lasted one day in my house. Will definitely be making them again & again, thanks Kate :) X
That’s great to hear, Eillis!
I’ve made this recipe many times with slight variations, and it never fails. Substituting whole wheat for white flour is no problem, increasing the proportion of oats to flour works well, using honey, maple syrup, or even agave syrup works, and any oil you have on hand (other than a strongly flavored olive or sesame oil) will do the job. Pro tip on the bananas: if you have some starting to turn overripe you can freeze them and thaw and use them for this recipe. Thank you for this versatile and delicious muffin recipe!
This is just what I was looking for…3 ripe banana that need to be used and far too ripe for me to enjoy eating. I LOVE your cookbook! I’m vegan (17 years). A friend (not veg) found your blog and bought 2 of your books…one was a gift to me : ) As a ‘seasoned’ vegan I’m very comfortable in the kitchen with vegetables as a main. Your book changed everything for my friend…at last conversation she was making at least 3 veg meals a week! Thanks so much for making vegetarianism/vegan cooking so simple and delicious!
Good morning. I made this recipe as muffins. The flavor is good however, they are very dense and not moist. Maybe I missed something? They would be my go too if they were a bit more moist. Would love to know your thoughts on this.
Thank you for sharing your recipes :-)
Hi Cindi, I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like there may have been too much flour. Be sure to spoon and level your flour.
Made these twice using butter instead of oil and they were fantastic. They’re so good, I don’t feel guilty giving these to my kids for snack knowing I used whole wheat flour and there is no refined sugar in it Thanks
I just made these to bring in to the office tomorrow. We have so many meetings happening in the morning and I want to bring in mostly healthy stuff for everyone to munch on. I made these using regular all purpose flour because I didn’t have any wheat. But, I followed the rest of the ingredients in your recipe exactly. I baked them for 18 minutes at 350. They turned out so light and delicious! Thank you!
That’s so kind of you! I’m glad they turned out well, Darcy. I hope everyone loved them.
Oh, these are delicious! I’m eating one right now and even though I only used one egg, because that’s all I had, they came out nice and Light not too sweet like so many muffins are. Thank you Kate
Great recipe follow directions to the tea. I added Chia seeds and flaxseeds to mine came out very moist. I will definitely make them again thank you
Sooo delicious! I had some fresh blueberries so I threw in a handful, otherwise I made the recipe exactly as written. I will be making this again!
That’s great to hear, Niki! I appreciate your review.
Oven temp?
Hi Gloria, please see step 1. I hope you enjoy them!
OK, This is my new go-to recipe! I just moved into a new place and needed to test my oven. I made 2 batches: one with applesauce in place of eggs + added 1/2 cup walnuts. One batch with butter instead of oil, date syrup in place of regular (since I was now out) and added chocolate chips and cocoa nibs. I did 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup oats as one reader did. The second batch I also baked at 350 since the first batch took longer. Point being, it seems the recipe is foolproof since no matter what you add or replace, they still come out great! I actually sent a link to the recipe in my weekly email just now. I hope all my friends make them to see for themselves how yummy they are!
Hooray! I appreciate your review, Carri.
I cannot bake! I made these and substituted Bob’ Red Mill Gluten Free flour and added dates. They came out FANTASTIC! I have made them 3x already!
We all love it thank you
You’re welcome, Merril!
Absolutely delicious!!!!!!!! My son said these are the best muffins he has ever had!!!
Just finished making these muffins only change I made was I used butter as I didn’t have coconut oil. Turned out great thanks for your recipe I’ll try it next time with coconut oil to see the difference. Thanks again
You’re welcome, Hugh!
I have made this recipe multiple times for my picky toddlers and my 3 year old especially will just devour them! He won’t eat much and doesn’t like all muffins but these are his favourite :) I enjoy them also. Very tasty .
That’s great, Jess! Thank you for your review.
These were so delicious. I used honey instead of maple syrup and sunflower oil because that’s what I had on hand. They turned out so fluffy. I slathered on some peanut butter before I ate them. I mistakenly used baking powder instead of baking soda and didn’t have a problem
I’m glad they still turned out, Xiao. I appreciate your review!
Delicious recipe that can really be doctored up or used exactly as is! I decided to use the various flours in my pantry ( 1 cup whole wheat, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour, and 1/4 cup flax meal) and added chocolate chips and walnuts to the mix. I baked them for 24ish minutes. These muffins came out great!
These are so delicious! Subbed the egg with chia seed ‘egg’! Worked beautifully! Oh yeah, and added some vegan chocolate chips and walnuts! Yummy!
It was perfect. I love the fact: the recipe uses whole wheat flour and Honey (or Maple syrup).
Its healthy and my toddler enjoyed it better the chocolate cup cake. :)
I’m glad you love it, May!
Just stopping by to say, my family does a happy dance every time I make these muffins! We’ve been making them for years, and now my daughter is old enough to participate. The only thing I change is adding more oats and cutting back the flour, and they are perfect every time. Thank you for your recipes, they are always a hit. :)
I love that! Thank you for taking the time to review.
These were delicious!! I’m about to make for the second time :-) Gonna try with avocado oil because I happen to have… Thanks Katy!
So yummy! My kids love these. We used Olive Oil & Honey. Added CChips and sprinkled some Flaxmeal and A bit of coconut sugar on top. Very tasty!
Just found your website today and am soo excited.
Question on this recipe: what size muffin pan are you using .. the smaller cupcake size or the larger muffin size? My muffin size pan only has 8 muffins while the cupcake size is for 12.
Hi! It’s a standard muffin pan with 12.
Yummy! I made these vegan subbing with flax eggs and oat milk (Oatly). I also used coconut oil and subbed the whole wheat flour with spelt flour and added Enjoy Life mini choco chips and upped the cinnamon. These are light and tasty, perfect for breakfast and they’ll be a welcome treat in the little’s lunches.
Just made these with my 4-year old son for his bday Kindergarten breakfast tomorrow morning.
We used sunflower oil as I wasn’t sure about the olive oil for little kids (taste-wise). We also added a handful fresh blueberries and used a mix of normal and spelt flour plus a little more oats. They turned out perfect!
Luckily we had a couple more so we all got to taste one right away…yum!
Highly recommened and exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you so much! (and greetings from Berlin, Germany!)
Love these. I have made lots of scratch and boxed and these are the best. I make them weekly! I make 1/2 recipe and get 7. I use 2 small hand full of choc chips and choose 1/2 syrup 1/2 honey for flavor & I mix in a different order tho to use 1 bowl. Mash my banana, melt oil on low then add the rest & yes stir slow not beat it. I struggled getting them done on 325-350. I learned a new trick in baking @ 425 for 5 min then down to 375 for 18 min and they are great in a toaster oven.Makes a little dome. I sprinkle smidge of sugar in the raw on top not oats. Thank you for this goodness. I use King Arthur measure for measure GF flour. Now I need a good Red Velvet.please!
This is the most delicious banana muffin I have made to date! I added some mini chocolate chips & toasted pecans. They are light & flavourful & gone! Lol, next time double batch!! Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
I’m glad you love it, Adrianna!
A delicious muffin, we all enjoyed it! It was moist and fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet. The recipe instruction, to put oats and raw sugar on top was great, too! I also upped the oats and slightly decreased the flour quantity.
NOTE: perhaps my muffin tin is slightly larger, but this recipe only made 10 muffins.
Very good. Wanted a first thing in the morning with coffee muffin using my three overripe bananas and this fit the bill perfectly. I used olive oil and a finely diced apple for moisture and added some wheat bran. Also added some chopped pecans I had left over from another recipe. Otherwise, made recipe as written. Just what I was looking for. Thanks! I also have some wonderful crystallized ginger that I think I’ll throw in next time. Maybe that will keep me from eating it all up right out of the bag. LOL!
Just made this recipe. In fact they are still cooling, minus one that I already ate. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out fantastic! I had liquid coconut oil (?) so I didn’t have to melt it. I’ll have to try them again with some of the add-ins although they are not needed to make a delicious muffin!
They are in the oven now. The dough tastes yummy ( I know I know) hoping the muffins are even better. Organic bananas that really taste like bananas give a great flavor
Great basic recipe. I put have ground flax and half oats and added half cup of Lillys sugar free chocolate chips. Everyone says they are great- I only had a bite as I am keto- :( These are moist and smell so good.
Posted a pic on your instagram.
My first time using this recipe and they were absolutely delicious, I love how the maple syrup gives just enough sweetness and I suggest adding the oats for a bit more texture. Very fluffy and the cinammon adds some added flavour!
These muffins were absolutely amazing. I’m so glad I tried them!
I’m glad you did too, Valery! Thank you for your review.
Could this also be made as a banana loaf? Have made this a couple of times substituting the oil for apple sauce because we are on a gallstone diet and they are even the kids love them!
Looking forward to making these– with GF flour due to a severe wheat allergy. Do you have a suggested baking time for using the little mini muffin pan?
Hi! You will want to cut the time in half. I hope you love them!
I made both the blueberry and the pumpkin muffins. I took them to my daughter in law and son. She had just come home from having their first baby. I thought the muffins would make great quick, healthy snacks when they were too busy with the baby. That’s exactly what they were! My daughter in law and son LOVED THEM! Thank you! Lourdes
You’re welcome! I’m glad they were a hit.
I make these with my 4 year old son and we put them into mini donut pans. They come out so good and he loves them!
That’s great to hear, Jennifer!
These have become my go to muffins when I’ve got brown bananas; the whole family LOVES them. The recipe is crazily adaptable – when I only have two bananas, I make up the difference with applesauce and maybe a little Greek yogurt. I’ve also reduced the flour by just a bit and dumped in some protein powder to up the protein level, and I usually add chia seeds when I remember to increase the protein and fiber a little more. And obvs I add chocolate chips – mini when I have them. They’re delicious and moist and I like that the kids get a decent shot of protein when they have them before school!
I’m glad they still turned out, Rachel! I appreciate your comment and review.
Delicious. Made with canola oil and honey.Add in some chopped pecans.. flavorful…..
I was searching for a healthy banana bread recipe, and THIS.IS.IT. I was hesitant at first that the coconut oil would make the muffins taste like coconut, but not at all! I added walnuts to mine, and it added the perfect amount of crunchiness. I’m honestly glad I didn’t add chocolate chips like I normally would, because it was the perfect texture and taste without them. The sprinkle of sugar on top was JUST RIGHT. Toddler and husband approved!
I’m glad you think so! Thank you for your review, Emily.
These were delectable! I used regular white flour. Will double the cinnamon next time for fun. Mine baked perfectly in 20 minutes.
These turned out so good! I used honey and regular vegetable oil, and did whole wheat flour mixed with a little all purpose. I added chopped walnuts, chia seeds and mini chocolate chips as mix-ins. Its a good thing i have a lot of ripe bananas so i can make more soon, I made these to share at work but I don’t know if I’ll be able to part with them!
Hi noticed in ingredient list it calls for milk however it is left out of directions. I left it out and I also used oat flour instead of wheat. I also mixed in blueberries approx 1/2 cup and walnuts 1/2 cup. The muffins turned out great very yummy. I will definitely make these again. These were a great sugar-free gluten-free recipe.
Hi Michelle, see step 2. I hope this helps!
I made this recipe using some coffee-infused maple syrup, and they taste amazing! Such a simple, yet delicious way to use up some looked-over bananas!
Deeeeelicious !!!!
These are my favourite muffins to make, and my family loves them too! I sub with all the vegan options and add lots of dark and white chocolate chips, yum :) I am currently trying this recipe out with bob’s gluten free flour. Can’t wait to eat them! Thank you so much for this recipe.
You’re welcome, Dijana!
Delicious! I doubled the recipe. I changed it a bit, used spelt flour and swapped oil out for unsalted butter and they turned out perfect. Thanks for great recipe! It will be my go to from now on.
I made these a few times and they are wonderful!! I’d like to make them as a banana bread in a standard 9×5 bread loaf pan. What would you recommend the cooking time be on that?
Hi Libby, I would recommend my Healthy Banana Bread!
Omg these are so good!! I used maple syrup and did the same adjustment as others with adding more oats and less flour. I used regular whole wheat flour since my jar of white wheat flour was empty. I also added two handfuls of dried currants. This is already printed out and added to my book of favorites. Thank you for sharing this, these are truly amazing!
Thank you for sharing how you made these, Melly!