If you're a fan of banana desserts, then let me introduce you to the most moist & fluffy Vegan Banana Nut Muffins. These vegan muffins are completely dairy-free & made without eggs for a truly delicious breakfast muffin. This small batch recipe makes 6 muffins, requires only one banana, and only takes 30 minutes!
I truly have been loving eating these banana muffins for breakfast. The inspiration behind these fluffy muffins comes from a mix of my Vegan Tahini Banana Bread and my Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake. I truly love the moist texture baking with bananas gives these muffins and fell in love with the crunch of the walnuts from my carrot cake recipe.
While this small batch recipe makes 6 muffins, it can easily be cut in half or doubled to make as many muffins as you want!
How to make vegan banana muffins
Preheat the oven & prep the muffin tin
First things first, preheat the oven to 350F.
Then, fill the muffin tin with cupcake liners and set it aside. For reference, I love using If you Care muffin liners because they are compostable, not bleached, and hold up really well.
Mash the banana:
The very first step to making vegan banana muffins is to mash the bananas. I like to use a fork and do this by hand, but you'll want the banana to be pretty mashed and not too clumpy when you are done mashing it.
By the way, if you're wondering, the absolute BEST bananas for banana bread are very brown or overly spotty bananas. As bananas ripen they become sweeter and that helps to naturally sweeten these muffins.
Next, mix all the ingredients in one bowl
After that, all the ingredients go in!
I like to add in my wet ingredients first just so I can mix them well. This includes maple syrup, coconut sugar, plant-based milk, ground flax, oil, and vanilla.
After that I add in the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Then, mix until a thick muffin batter forms. Unlike cupcakes, muffin batter will be pretty thick, so don't be alarmed by this. If it's too dry, you may have added in too much flour, so just add in 1 extra Tbsp of milk to thin the batter out slightly. See pictures above for the ideal batter texture.
As a final step, chop up the walnut and gently fold them into the batter. It's really important to chop up the walnuts so they are distributed evenly throughout the muffins. I also like to set a few to the side so I can add them to the top of my muffins right before baking.
Fill the muffin tins
Now that the banana nut muffin batter is ready, fill the muffin tin with the batter.
Want to know my secret to really fluffy muffins? After I add the banana muffin batter to the muffin tins, I actually let it rest for 5 minutes before baking. This allows the baking powder and baking soda to fully react and, ultimately, rise more in the oven. Don't skip this step if you want super fluffy banana muffins!
Bake the muffins!
Before baking, I sprinkle any walnuts I set aside on top of the muffins. I like to do this because it makes the muffins look even better and adds a nice crunch on top. While I didn't do this, you can also sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on top if you want a crystalized sugar on your muffins. I recommend adding about 1 tsp sugar on top of each muffin for a caramelized brown sugar top.
Then, add the banana nut muffins to the oven and bake for 18-22 min.
Remove, let cool on a wire rack, and then enjoy immediately!
FAQ & Substitutions:
Yes, just expect them to be slightly less moist.
Since we're only using 1 Tbsp of oil in the whole recipe, it can be replaced with 1 Tbsp plant-based milk or applesauce. I tried to keep this recipe oil-free, but I just loved the texture so much better with a tiny bit of oil added in.
Yes, but it may lead to less fluffy muffins. Using brown sugar (an acidic ingredient) helps the baking soda react and produce more gas bubbles.
It can be replaced 1:1 with coconut sugar or maple sugar (or any preferred granulated sugar) but brown sugar truly is best. If you do use coconut sugar, try adding 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar to the recipe to add in more acid and help the muffins rise!
Yes-Just omit the walnuts and make sure to use nut-free plant-based milk.
I used oat milk in this recipe already which is naturally gluten-free and nut-free. However, any other milk works including soy milk, rice milk, or any seed milk you can think of. I have even replaced the walnuts with chocolate chips in this recipe and they are SO GOOD.
A 1:1 GF flour mix will work. However, subbing in almond flour, quinoa flour, coconut flour, or any other GF flour 1:1 will not work in this recipe.
These homemade muffins will actually keep at room temperature on a counter for around 2-3 days. Just make sure to store them in a closed container or wrapped in tin foil so they don't dry out.
Alternatively, muffins will also keep in the fridge for 5 days. If you do refrigerate them, they are best after being warmed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Muffins can also be stored in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month
I truly hope you love these super moist, fluffy, & simple Vegan Banana Nut Muffins! This small-batch homemade muffin recipe truly makes the best quick breakfast or a healthier dessert to satisfy that sweet tooth. Enjoy!
-TSG
More sweet vegan breakfast recipes you will love:
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Vegan Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 banana mashed
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons oat milk
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup walnuts crushed
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin pan with 6 cupcake/muffin liners.
- Then, add the banana to the mixing bowl and mash it until no large clumps remain. Next, add in the wet ingredients including the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla extract, oat milk, ground flax, and oil and gently whisk together. Once mixed, add in the dry ingredients including the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, Whisk together just until a thick batter forms (try not to overmix).
- Once a batter forms, gently fold in the walnuts. I like to set aside 3-4 chopped walnut pieces per muffin to add to the top right before baking.Then, add the batter to the 6 muffin tins in equal amounts until each tin is ¾ cup full with batter. At this point, place any walnuts you set aside on the top of each muffin.
- Next, let the batter rest for 5 minutes. Letting it rest helps the baking soda & baking powder fully react and leads to fluffier muffins. After this rest period, add the muffins to the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes until cooked throughout and lightly browned on top.
- Remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make refined sugar free coconut sugar can be subbed for brown sugar 1:1. The muffins may not rise as much, so 1 tsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar can be added to the batter to help them rise.
- Muffins will keep at room temperature in a closed container or wrapped in tin foil on a counter for 2-3 days.
- They can also also be stored in a closed container in the fridge up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you do refrigerate them, they are best after being warmed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If frozen, let defrost on the counter and either eat at room temperature or reheat in the microwave until warm.
Janice says
Hi Megan, can I use the banana in place of both the same amount of oil and the maple syrup. Thank you from Hong Kong.
Megan says
The oil and maple syrup are a very different texture than bananas and add fat to the muffins which is crucial for the right texture, so substituting them with bananas is not something I would recommend. However, I've never tried it so if you do let me know!
Diane says
These muffins are truly fluffy. I love this recipe. I doubled the recipe-but I didn’t have enough grams of banana so I made up the difference with peanut butter 🙂 then added chocolate chips. Really yummy!
Megan says
Sounds delicious! I'll have to try them with peanut butter next time 🙂
Katherine says
These muffins are going to be one of my go-to snacks from now on! They are so easy to make and (even more importantly) are absolutely delicious.
Alex says
These were SO good! The perfect breakfast treat without being too sweet – you won’t feel guilty eating more than 1 of these a day because they aren’t loaded with sugar. They were also super easy to make, and will definitely make them again.
Alex says
These were SO good! The perfect breakfast treat without being too sweet – you won’t feel guilty eating more than 1 of these a day because they aren’t loaded with sugar. They were also super easy to make, and will definitely make them again.
Megan Horowitch says
So glad you liked them! 🙂
illy says
Hi, have you tried adding some cinnamon or nutmeg to the batter? If I add some should i change the amount of any of the ingredients?
ShortGirlTallOrder says
Hi there- cinnamon and nutmeg would be great in this recipe! I'd add about 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp total of spices and it won't affect any other ingredient amounts- will only add more flavor :).