Here’s a fan favorite recipe that we make weekly to this day: Healthy Banana Muffins with oatmeal! Years ago a reader asked us, “Could you create more healthy muffin recipes?” We set about to create a muffin that was easy to make, healthy, and irresistibly good, and it’s still a favorite to this day! Get this: all you have to do is toss ripe bananas, rolled oats, and a few other ingredients into a blender (no flour!). Throw them in the oven, and they come out fluffy and delicious every time! This recipe is a standby: we make it on the regular and hear so many rave reviews from family, friends and readers.
Why make this healthy banana muffins recipe
What’s so special about these muffins? It’s truly the perfect use for those bananas blackening on your countertop: in fact, we make it on the regular! It’s always in our son’s school lunch and often serves as a snack for our daughter (plus, we love them too!). There are loads of recipes all over the internet, but here’s why you should add this healthy banana muffins recipe to your arsenal:
They’re made with mostly Old Fashioned oats and bananas: no flour! That’s right, there’s no flour at all in these muffins! It’s basically like eating oatmeal and a banana. That makes this recipe naturally gluten-free. They’re lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Most muffins are like eating a cupcake for breakfast. Instead, this recipe is lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It’s quick and simple in a blender! If you haven’t made blender muffins before, it’s time to start! Somehow whizzing everything together in a blender makes for less mess than a normal muffins recipe. I can usually make these in about 10 minutes while the oven is preheating, since we also made the recipe quantities easy to remember (see below).
What people are saying
After trying this recipe out for us, the reader who requested these muffins loved them! In fact, she said,
“The healthy banana muffins were great and super easy to make. So easy that I’ve made them multiple times already! The entire family enjoyed the recipe: it’s a winner!” –Lisa
Tips for making healthy banana muffins
We make these healthy banana muffins all the time and our kids gobbles them up! Several of our family and friends do the same. We love serving them since it’s basically like eating oatmeal and a banana, with a few added seasonings. Here’s how to make banana muffins, our way (or jump to the recipe below):
In a blender, add all ingredients: 3 ripe bananas, 2 eggs, 2 cups Old Fashioned oats, ¼ cup each neutral oil and maple syrup, 1 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon salt. (You’ll notice the quantities are easy to memorize: that is intentional!) Blend on high for about 1 minute until the batter is smooth. Pour into 9 muffin cups. Bake: Bake 30 minutes at 350°F until fluffy and baked!
A few notes: this recipe is very forgiving! We’ve found that it even works with 2 ripe bananas. It’s not too touchy and it’s hard to mess up. Just make sure that you blend everything as much as possible since you’ll be grinding the oats into oat flour in the process. It’s the perfect go-to healthy snack or breakfast!
Variations on healthy banana muffins
There are lots of ways to mix up these healthy banana muffins with oatmeal! Here are a few ideas:
Allspice, ginger or cloves: If you’d like, add ½ teaspoon allspice to add even more flavor to this muffin. You can also add ½ ground ginger or ¼ teaspoon cloves for a bigger spice kick. Nuts: You can add up to ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts or nuts of your choice to this recipe. Blueberries: This recipe also works with blueberries: go to Healthy Blueberry Muffins.
Storage and freezing info
These healthy banana muffins store well. Place them in the refrigerator and store for up to 10 days. They’re best at room temperature, so allow them to fit for a few minutes before eating. These muffins also freeze well: place them in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Take out a few and pop them into the fridge for use in lunches throughout the week.
More healthy muffin recipes
Over the years, we’ve found readers love the healthy banana blender muffin concept. So of course we had to create a few variations on this recipe! Here are a few different flavors using the same blender muffin idea with rolled oats:
Add blueberries for Healthy Blueberry Muffins Use applesauce and oat for these Favorite Applesauce Muffins Try it with zucchini for Healthy Zucchini Muffins or Apple Zucchini Muffins Make Apple Gluten Free Muffins instead!
This healthy banana muffins recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free. For vegan and plant-based, substitute 2 flax eggs for the eggs. 5 from 26 reviews **If you’d like, add ½ teaspoon allspice to add even more flavor to this muffin. You can also add ½ ground ginger or ¼ teaspoon cloves for a bigger spice kick.
