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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Fantastic muffins! I added a handful of raisins too. Delicious
I tried your recipe with a few variations. I used applesauce, honey, oat flour and added dried cranberries, baked in a loaf pan and it came out delicious .
Thanks for the recipe. I definitely will be using your recipes again.
That’s great to hear, BJ! Thank you for your review.
Amazing muffins so moist and delicious! I used almond flour and almond milk and also threw in some walnuts and currants….these are so moist …. Can’t wait to make these again!
I’m glad you loved it, Mel! Thank you for your review.
Made these for my toddler and the whole family loved them. This will definitely be my regular recipe from now on!
I’m glad you loved it, Kate! Thank you for your review.
So delicious and easy! I made them half w.wheat/ half white flour and added walnuts. They came out perfect and are loved by all! I love following all your recipes…Thank you!
You’re welcome, Keri! Thank you for your review.
I love this recipe and make it for breakfast! Do you think you could make this as a loaf I would Love to know?
Hi Elsie! I would recommend my Healthy Banana Bread!
These are in the oven now! I used almond extract instead of vanilla as I didn’t realize I was out. If these taste half as good as they smell baking, I will be okay with that! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I’ve been making these muffins and freezing them to have on hand. I subbed unsweetened applesauce for the oil and added some mini choc chips and they turned out great! Love this recipe.
Great to hear, Jessica! I appreciate your review.
Okay these are SO yummy!
Changes I made:
I used 1/4 c honey and 1/4c maple syrup, olive oil, whole milk, and coconut sugar on the top.
I also used your scone glaze topping linked in your post. That definitely took them up a notch! I made that recipe as is but used powdered maple sugar to replace the powdered sugar. My toddler also loves them. He eats the ones without the glaze. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing how you made it, Heather! I appreciate your review.
I made these muffins following the recipe using, coconut oil, honey, whole wheat flour and added chocolate chips. They came out moist and delicious. My husband loved them so much he called them magic muffins. I made another batch and froze them so we could enjoy them for days. He said “I hope you saved the recipe, these are the best muffins”. We are trying to eat more whole grains, and have been tryng to use up honey we have stored for years. These are perfect.
I made these and they are delicious! I did use butter as i did not have coconut oil but I will make woth coconut oil the next time.I like that they have no refined sugar in them. I did have to cook them a little longer probably due to my oven, but that was no problem! I will definitely make these again!
– Lisa from Nova Scotia
Wonderful to hear, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Hi…my muffins came out dry… any suggestions? I followed the recipe to a T
Hi! How did you measure the flour? It may have had too much or been baked too long.
These muffins are sweet without extra sugar. I used regular white flour and added raisins and walnuts. I’m making them this morning.
This is my favourite banana muffin recipe of all time. I have tried multiple variations and found this one works best for a gluten-free diet: I switched the flour to Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1Baking Flour but only used 3/4 cup. Used One Degree Organic Sprouted Gluten-Free Oats but used 1 1/3 cup. Used 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Used 1/4 cup plain oat milk. Used 1/3 cup maple syrup. Used three bananas. The rest of the ingredients remained the same. These are perfect every time… and of course, never any leftovers! :)
Thank you for sharing how you made these muffins, Deb!
Eating these muffins now! They are delicious. I just did less flour and added some vanilla protein powder and they are great!
Love these!! We make the often-vegan with chocolate chips. We add extra bananas and omit oil. They are gone too quickly!!!
Wow, these are great! I will definitely make these again. Followed the recipe but didn’t have whole wheat flour on hand and used all purpose instead. I love the add in option and added hemp seed, unsweetened coconut and chocolate chips! Delish! Thanks for the recipe!
Great to hear, May! I appreciate your review.
Perfect muffins the way they are but the second time around I experimented by adding maple syrup and honey together (cause I didn’t have enough of either one), and increase cinnamon to a TABLESPOON cause one can never add/have enough cinnamon, lol. It’s a North American thing I suppose.
Thanks for the recipe!!
Wow, these turned out amazing. I’m in love!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us!! You’re wonderful!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review.
Hey anyone know the nutritional info on these? Like sugar per serving and calorie count?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Brittany! The nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
If you, like me, can’t read a recipe and accidentally add as much milk as flour this recipe makes wonderful pancakes.
The only other alteration I made was to grind up the oats.
Absolutely delicious…. Extra cinnamon for me let them cool for 10mins and went down a treat with a dollop of pure honey on the side
I have made these often exactly as described and sometimes with chocolate chips. Always a winner. However, if I don’t have old-fashioned oats, can I use instant? Plus the consistency with old-fashioned oats is a little more difficult for the youngest of my grand kids. I thought the instant might be easier.
Hi, I know if it will work as I haven’t tried it. You would likely need less, if you tried it.
I make this recipe all the time and I love it! Last time I didn’t have whole Oats and I used instant. It worked perfectly.
I was wondering if I could use oat flour instead of the whole wheat flour?
Hi Emme! See my How to Make Oat Flour as a guide. But it works well!
Just made these delicious banana muffins. I added walnuts to up the protein but followed the recipe for everything else. Delicious!!! I’ve been looking for a healthier banana muffin recipe and yours is finally it.
Thank you and I’m excited for you that you have a new kitchen to work in!
Hi Kate
Absolutely love this recipe thanks for sharing. I use this because I’m on a weight loss journey and these muffins do the trick to fight the treat cravings! Do you know roughly how many calories there is per muffin?
Thanks xx
Hi Megan! The recipe nutrition is below the notes of the recipe.
My kids loved the muffins. I used grape seed oil and added pieces of walnuts. I added the oatmeal inside but decided to add sesame seeds and raw sugar crystals on top, super delicious. I baked them for 23 minutes and left them inside the off oven for an additional 3 minutes. I was concerned they would be on the dry side because the batter looked thick, but not all, moist and delicious was the outcome!
That’s great, Ivonne! I’m happy to hear it.
I made these today and just added choc chips at the top and a sprinkle of coconut. They are delicious, thank you!
Hi. Going to make these healthy banana muffins. Can’t wait! Can I use the muffin liners?
Thanks.
Hi! Sure, you can use liners. I hope you enjoy it, Carol.
Hi ya! Great recipe, I use 1 cup rolled oats and 1 cut flour. Also find I need to adjust temperature to 350. On the east coast.
Hello I love your banana bread and really want to try these. Are these in American cups? Do you have the metric measurements?
Hi! Yes, this is US measurement. I don’t provide metric conversions at this time.
Hey, I make this muffins regularly and think they are fantastic! I make them gluten free and put non sugar chocolate chips in them and freeze straight after cooking. Grab one for the kids each day. Just wondering if I could add more Oats to make them more filling and more nutritious?? Thoughts?
Great to hear! I love adding peanut butter or another nut butter to these to add more to them. Let me know what you think!
Delicious & love the nutritional value of these! Ran out of honey & maple syrup, so I used date syrup – worked great!
Hello Kate,
I love most of your muffin recipes, except the raspberry one. The disintegrated berries made a total mess inside the muffins.
On to my question: I am never able to maintain the nicely shape dome. After they come out of the oven, the tops collapse a bit.
I use organic Einkorn flour, keep ingredients on the counter for a while so they are not cold and follow your recipe completely.
Do you or anyone have any advise?
Thank you!
Hi Ute, it could be Ute flour, but I’m not sure as I haven’t used it before. It has a higher protein content that could be impacting the end results.
These are super dense and heavy. They aren’t sweet enough and a hair away from being too salty. Definitely won’t be making again!
Hi Nikki, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have good results. It sounds like you may have had too much flour. Did you spoon and level it?
My family loved this recipe. It’s simple and delicious, satisfying the muffin craving while still feeling healthy. Yum :)
Can you recommend the best conversion from cups to grams? I used frozen bananas and the mix was quite liquidy…
Hi Jodie, I don’t provide conversions. But I know others have found this conversion table helpful.
This recipe is wonderful! I changed a couple of ingredients based on what I had on hand. I used Almond flour vs Wheat, Agave syrup instead of Maple, however I think the maple would have been better. I used Olive oil.
I added pecans and chocolate chips.
Moist and fluffy…..delicious.
Eating healthy can be great
Can not stop eating them! So moist,
So delicious and so easy to make! I used 3.75 super ripe bananas, 1/3c honey, and I added in coconut instead of oats and chopped pistachios, almonds and chocolate chips! Will definitely make again!
I’m excited you enjoy them! Thank you for your review.
These are wonderful! I made with avocado oil, honey and unbleached white flour and baked in my jumbo muffin pan! Delicious!
Lovely recipe! Perfectly sweet (for my taste) and moist. I only had 2 bananas on hand so I added some mashed sweet potato and they turned out great. Would make again.
I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Sarah!
Excellent muffins! I used whole wheat pastry flour and made 30 mini muffins. Would be good with chocolate chips. Added dried cranberries to part of the batch. Did not too with sugar or extra oatmeal. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Terry! Thank you for your review.
Hi can I use quick 1 minute whole grain rolled oats instead of old fashioned oats?
Will that change the texture too much or be mushy? Thanks!
Hi! This recipe works best as written. Changing the oat type will impact your results, sorry!
Hi Kate!
I made your Banana Muffin Recipe and it is truly amazing! I had to improvise a bit as I did not have plain Maple Syrup or Oats available that day. I used MCT Oil and Bourbon Maple syrup and substituted in a packet of Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal for the 1/3 cup of Oats and top sprinkle. I did not add any raw sugar. They turned out amazing and so delicious and my house smells so good!
Made these with honey and Greek yogurt since I didn’t have any milk. Added chocolate and they came out great!
That’s great, Julia! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I’m not into whole wheat, would the flour measurement be the same for regular flour? Would it turn out?
Signed,
The worst baker ever.
Hi! It should work, but I haven’t tired it myself. Let me know what you think!
Just made these. I’m never shy about leaving negative feedback on recipes when it’s warranted. It’s not warranted here! Quite nice, actually, and will definitely make again. I used avocado oil and honey that I don’t really care for by themselves, but they made a great team in this recipe. I also used a full cup of oats. It was definitely not too much. May try even more next time.
Great to hear, Matt! I appreciate your review.
Easy and absolutely delicious!!! The cinnamon is subtle so if you like more of a cinnamon flavor, you may wish to add. I added some dried coconut flakes. I made 6 large muffins and they were perfect at 25 minutes.
Thank you for this great recipe!
You’re welcome, Heidi! I’m glad you loved it.
I make these ALL the time with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. I omit the oats, and they are always perfect!
How do I use almond flour instead of other flours with this recipe? Has anyone tried?
Thanks
Hi CF, I wouldn’t recommend almond flour as a 1:1 replacement. Instead, you should try my Gluten-Free Banana Bread (Made with Almond Flour)