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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These are my go to banana muffin recipe. I usually use honey but this time I used the maple syrup and added sultanas. My batter was runnier than the video batter and I filled the pans up really full. I will post a pic on Instagram when they come out of the oven.
These are delicious! I didn’t make any substitutions, although I had a little extra banana so I dumped it in and ended up with 12 muffins.
What’s the nutritional value?
Hi Amy! The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
Easy and turned out beautifully. So delicious, my kids were instant fans. I followed the recipe with whole wheat flour, generic olive oil and maple syrup. Added a handful of chopped walnuts. Mixed cinnamon in my sugar topper. Yummmm! Thank you! (Also, I’m baking at 8,800 feet and didn’t change the recipe except to decrease baking time.)
Wonderful to hear, Rachel!
I have come back to this recipe and the banana bread loaf recipe many many times! Something ive been loving to do it add about a 1/2 c cacao powder plus chocolate chips to make them double chocolate banana bread muffins of loaves! So so good. I also make mine with almond flour and they come out great. So moist!
These muffins are AMAZING!!!! I don’t know how many calories are in these (would love to know) but they taste light and healthy and so delicious!!
Great to hear, Barbara! I appreciate your review. The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
Delicious! About how many calories using canola oil?
Hi Anne, I don’t provide individual calorie information. More information about my Nutrition Disclaimer.
These were delicious, I added blueberries and walnuts. This recipe will be added to my regular rotation.
Great to hear, Susan!
I was wondering if it would be possible to replace the banana with pure pumpkin without disrupting the consistency of the batter?
Hi Jill, they have different water content and texture. I would recommend my Healthy Pumpkin Muffins instead!
My first time to make these muffins. I used honey and they didn’t taste sweet enough. Next time I will try using maple syrup. Any other suggestions?
These muffins were amazing. I used olive oil, reduced honey to 1/3 cup, everything else as listed. I didn’t measure my bananas — just used 3. Added chopped walnuts. Did not put oats or sugar on top. Baked 22 min. Using a non- stick muffin pan, which I buttered anyway ‘cause sometimes my muffins stick. These came out beautifully. They puffed up really nicely and tasted great. Thanks.
Perfect every time!
I’m glad you love them, Clem!
If using all purpose flour, is the measurement the same? Thanks!
Hi Laura, Yes all purpose flour should work with the same measurements. Let me know what you think!
Sooooooooo yummy, you are my go too for all my muffin cravings, thanks again Kate!… I think I will do another batch tomorrow LOL!
This will be my first ever recipe review but this recipe deserves praise.
I have made these muffins countless times & they always turn out to be delicious. I use steel cut outs & add 1/4 cup of slivered almonds. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Thank you for taking the time to review, Lauren. I appreciate it!
awsome cos it used whole wheat flour cos it simples.my Family Love it very much
I’m excited to make these after making the blueberry muffins, which were a huge hit! Can you please share the nutrition information?
Hi Laura, The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
These turned out perfect with coconut oil and almond milk, half spelt flour and half Italian soft wheat flour.
I could write a lengthy review if this recipe but I don’t see the need really. I think that these are by far the best banana muffins ever and I’ve made a LOT of muffins in my life. So…. My suggestion is follow the recipe using maple syrup and you will not be disappointed. Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you, Kim! I’m glad you enjoyed these muffins.
Just made these and omg so moist and delicious!!
The BEST muffin recipe ever!!! So good, so easy and so healthy! Thank you so much for this. Made it for my 18 month old and myself both of us loved it!!!
Delicious! Made it several times already. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Lydia!
I have already given these 5 stars! So yummy. I have made this recipe a lot and have always used honey. I know you can use either one, but wondered if they would be sweeter or is the texture different with maple syrup? Thanks!
I made these… yum! I used thawed frozen bananas so there was some extra liquid- I added some additional oats until the batter texture seemed right. I also added chopped walnuts and dark chocolate. The first 5 minutes of baking were at 400 and then I turned the heat to 325 for 18 minutes. They were perfect and delicious. A big hit for the whole family.
Super yummy and easy to make! These are like mini banana bread bites—perfect for healthy snacking. I thought the whole wheat flour taste would take over but it doesn’t :) Only note it that they don’t rise too much, so I’m definitely adding more batter than 2/3 to each muffin next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Will be keeping this recipe! Perfect for breakfast on the go and not too sweet. I used honey & olive oil and even added some frozen berries & protein powder. Yum!
Thanks :)
Amazing moist healthy muffin recipe. I’ve made then twice already that’s how good they were! My whole family loved them and didn’t even notice that they weren’t sweetened with sugar. I’ve been trying to cut back on sugar and this is the perfect treat without as much guilt. Will make over and over!! Thank you!!!
Made these muffins last night and OMG! Soo good! It is moist, packed with deliciousness. I did increase banana from one cup to about 1.5 cups and used quick oats because I didn’t have rolled oats.
Excellent! I split whole wheat flour and almond meal, cut the maple syrup down. I added some pumpkin and blueberries, and a little longer on cook time. Super moist and tasty.
Delicious! Huge hit with the kiddos and hubby! I added walnuts and chocolate chips-they were all gone within an hour-next time I will double the recipe. Love how easy they are to make too.
That’s great to hear, Sybil. Thank you for your review!
Delicious and healthy and easy?! Check check check!!! Will be in my regular rotation, thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Leslie!
Tasted fantastic but a bit on the dry side. I’m sure it was my error (speed cooking). Will definitely make these again.
I was trying to find a healthier banana muffin receipe. Came across yours and thought I would give it a try. Had to go buy a few of the ingredients but it was worth it. I tripled the recipe and mine made 43. Well my husband and four kids loved them. At the end of the first night I only had 30 left. Lol. Thanks. They are amazing.
I used gluten free flour and I made them into mini muffins and they came out so delicious!
I’m happy they turned out so well, Janet!
These are great! I did use 1/2 c oil and 1/3 c syrup to reduce the sugar content but otherwise followed the recipe. Very moist and soft, great texture and flavor. Easy enough to put together with my 3 year old while holding a baby, which is a must for me these days!
Thank you for sharing how you made it, Kirsten!
Would it be possible to make this into a bread instead of muffins?
Thanks!!
Hi G! I recommend my Healthy Banana Bread!.
Your recipe was Ausome!
I will definitely be using this recipe again and again!
Thanks so much.
Caroline
Wonderful, Caroline!
These were good and will be a keeper! Two larger bananas = 1C for me. I used a nonstick mini-muffin pan (24) and had enough batter for 48. Baked 13 min in my older not-so-accurate oven and the oven thermometer registered b/w 325 and 350 for the two batches. I went slightly heavier on the sprinkle of turbinado sugar on the second batch because I like the little bit of top crunch.
Thank you for your review, Ceci!
Thank you for sharing this absolutely wonderful recipe! I’ve been making these once a week for months now — just perfect!
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Dawn!
I make these muffins weekly! I use two tablespoons of chia + 6 tablespoons of water (let sit for 5 minutes) instead of eggs, and sometimes use melted butter instead of oil depending on what I have on hand. The chia makes them more chewy and less bread-y. So easy and delicious!
Really delicious, plus so easy and quick.
Has anybody used this recipe to make mini muffins? Any bake time/temp recommendations?
Hi Kristi! You will want to keep the temperature the same, just cut the time in half and keep an eye on them. Enjoy!
Last night I made your minestrone soup, we loved it! So this morning when I went looking for a recipe for banana muffins so I could use the over ripe bananas when your name came up I went for it. So glad that I did! They are delicious. Moist without being dense. I followed the recipe except I used buttermilk that will go begging. I added pecans and blueberries topping with cinnamon, sugar and chopped peacan.
Thanks!
I’m happy to hear that, Lynda!
I just made these muffins and they are so yummy. True banana flavor! I omitted the oats and added some almond flour instead. My 2 yo just devoured one with some almond butter for breakfast. Thanks!
Every since I discovered your recipe, I’m making it very often and is a total success in my family. Sometimes I add blueberries, Sometimes walnuts. It’s amazing! Thank you
Really happy with this! I used half each of olive oil and applesauce, maple syrup, and oat milk, and added flax. I also added chocolate chips to one batch for a picky eater, who didn’t seem to notice that these were otherwise healthy ;) My only problem is now I have so many muffins… glad to know that they freeze well! Thanks, Kate :)
We made your pumpkin muffin recipe a couple weeks ago and they were soft and delicious–nothing like those dried-out numbers you get in cafes when you opt for the healthy option. My husband loved them, as well as my four year old son. Today we are making the banana variety. Your recipes always are solid. Thank you! :)
These are a staple at our house now. My husband will drop hints and let some bananas ripen when he’s wanting some. Haha!
I add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg. So yummy!
Delicious
I replaced the eggs with apple sauce, so moist.