Whip up a quick batch of these lightly sweetened banana muffins for an easy and delicious breakfast perfect for busy mornings. Soft, moist, and fluffy, and made with simple ingredients, you’ll come back to this recipe again and again!
School season is a busy season of life and that usually means a triple or quadruple batch of Cinnamon Blender Oatmeal Waffles or Easy Almond Flour Pancakes or Oven-Roasted Breakfast Potatoes or Cinnamon Granola on Saturday morning so that we have enough leftovers for quick breakfasts during the week.
However, sometimes I like to surprise the kids with a fresh breakfast during the week. I’ve been making Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins, but I wanted to add another super quick muffin recipe to our list of quick and easy breakfasts.
So, I came up with this banana bread muffins easy recipe that contains ONLY 5 ingredients!
WHY MAKE BLENDER BANANA MUFFINS
Why should you make this blender banana muffins recipe? Oh goodness… why shouldn’t you?! They are a dream come true for the busy mom trying to get real food on the table:
- Make in the blender. No washing a bunch of dishes afterward.
- Just 5 ingredients. Need I say more?!
- Can use green, yellow, or brown bananas. You don’t have to shop for new bananas or wait for them to ripen.
- Naturally sweetened. No refined sugar in sight!
- Minimally sweetened. Just ¼ cup for the whole batch!
- Naturally gluten-free and incredibly delicious.
- Easy to double or triple, based on how many muffin tins and silicone muffin cups you have.
- Freezer-friendly. Hence the reason to double or triple!
If these aren’t reasons enough, these banana muffins taste JUST LIKE banana bread, except in the fun, convenient, and portable muffin size.
That means instead of reaching for a Pop-Tart or a store-bought granola bar when you’re already 10 minutes late getting out the door, reach for a couple of healthy banana muffins from the freezer and toss them to the kids in the back seat.
INGREDIENTS FOR HEALTHY BANANA MUFFINS
Have I mentioned yet that these healthy easy banana muffins only need 5 ingredients? I love that about them…
- Bananas
- Eggs
- Honey
- Rolled oats
- Baking soda
- Optional ingredients: cinnamon and salt
OAT FLOUR
Please don’t buy oat flour. Ever, ever, ever. It’s too expensive and it’s SO easy to make your own!
- Take any kind of rolled oats – old-fashioned or quick oats – and stick them in your blender. Give it a whiz for about a minute and BOOM…you have oat flour. If you need the official tutorial, here’s how to make oat flour.
- I have a Blendtec blender similar to this one and we use it every single day… but you can use a regular blender too if that’s what you have.
- If you’re making your own oat flour, do that step first. Dump the oat flour into a bowl, blend the bananas, eggs, and honey, and then add the oat flour with the baking soda at the end.
There are two catches when baking with oat flour:
- First, it’s naturally gluten-free so it doesn’t have the same rise factor as all-purpose or whole wheat flour. We’ll get a good rise thanks to baking soda, but just know that these muffins will be a bit denser than traditional muffins.
I actually think that’s for the better though. These banana bread healthy muffins feel more like a hearty breakfast that will actually hold you over until lunch, rather than some shallow, fluffy baked good that tricks you into feeling good for 5 minutes and hungry again in an hour. - Second, because oats absorb liquid really well (and really fast), you need to add them at the very, very end of the recipe. You want everything to be ready to go before you add the oats to the wet ingredients…oven pre-heated, silicone liners in the muffin tins…cookie scooper ready to portion the batter evenly into the muffin cups…all of it.
HONEY
- We’re using honey as our sweetener, but you can use maple syrup if you’d like. They can both work interchangeably as liquid sweeteners in most of my baked goods (like Pumpkin Donuts or Strawberry Lemonade Donuts or Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins).
- You can usually taste honey when you bake with it, but since we’re using just ¼ cup FOR THE WHOLE RECIPE, you can’t taste it at all.
(Did I mention that there’s just ¼ cup of sweetener in the whole recipe? That’s just 1.3 teaspoons of honey per muffin. How awesome is that…FOR A MUFFIN!!)
EGGS
If you’d like to make this recipe vegan, you can add flax eggs!
BANANAS
I love finding recipes that call for brown bananas. We usually use them up in smoothies or freeze them for later or even make a loaf of The Best Caramelized Banana Bread.
But sometimes I want to make something that’s still cheap and DOESN’T require brown bananas because I just don’t have any!
- Use whatever bananas you have for this banana bread recipe – green, yellow, or brown.
- Bananas get sweeter as they ripen, so a batch of these simple banana muffins made with large ripe bananas will be slightly sweeter than a batch made with green bananas. However, I tested it both ways and you’re not sacrificing flavor at all.
- The only tip I have for using non-brown bananas is to give them a whiz in your blender first since they aren’t as soft and don’t dissolve into a lovely banana puree as easily. So, it’s basically one more minute of prep (and it’s optional). Not too shabby!
BAKING SODA, CINNAMON, AND SALT
Baking soda is what helps the muffins rise, so don’t skip it! Otherwise, your banana muffin recipe will go from a bit dense to super chewy and flat. Not an appetizing breakfast!
I’ve made these muffins both with salt and cinnamon and without. Neither ingredient is necessary – they taste delicious with just the 5 ingredients! – but I personally prefer the taste of both. You can also add in additional yummy bits from the list of variations below!
Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)
EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING BANANA MUFFINS
These 5 ingredient banana muffins should be on your weekly make-ahead list. In fact, make a double or triple batch! You’re only limited by how many muffin pans or liners you have!
If you use silicone liners (I have these), the banana blender muffins are super easy to pop out once they’re cool. Paper liners work too, but tend to stick in my experience. Store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. I like to pull them out for breakfast the night before so they have time to come to room temperature, but you can enjoy them cold too!
I have a Blendtec blender that I use every single day… but a regular blender will work for this blender muffin recipe too.
Now, if you don’t have a blender, don’t worry! You can still make the best banana muffins. Use an electric mixer to mix everything as instructed in the recipe.
Or mash bananas with a potato masher and whisk with eggs and honey in a large bowl. Then stir everything else in. The mashed bananas will be a little thicker than the blender version, but it still tastes amazing!
BANANA BREAD HEALTHY MUFFINS INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the muffin tins with paper or silicone muffin liners.
Step 2. In a blender, combine the bananas, eggs, and honey. Blend on low until everything is mostly smooth.
Step 3. When the oven is preheated, add the dry ingredients to the blender. Add salt and cinnamon (both optional), if using. Blend again on low for about one minute until everything is well combined and smooth.
Step 4. Immediately divide evenly among 12 silicone muffin liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
Step 5. Allow the banana bread healthy muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before removing them for storage.
Note: You can also make mini banana muffins. Decrease the baking time to 10-15 minutes.
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
ULTIMATE BANANA MUFFINS VARIATIONS
If you’d like to add something else to this muffin banana mixture, here are a few suggestions. Fold these into the muffin mixture after blending, or sprinkle on top of the muffins after filling the muffin pan.
- Chopped walnuts
- Pecans
- ANY kind of nuts you have on hand
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chia seeds
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Dried fruit
- Blueberries
- Chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
Another idea is to top these banana bread muffins with an extra sprinkle of rolled oats. I think it’s a wonderful touch and makes them look pretty.
SERVE WITH HEALTHY BANANA MUFFINS
There are times when I like to have banana bread healthy muffins with a side dish. Here are a few suggestions if you’re like me and like a bit of variety in the morning:
- Scrambled Eggs
- Bacon from the Oven
- Homemade Breakfast Sausage
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Parfait
- The Best Tex-Mex Migas
MUFFIN BANANA FAQS
Can bananas be too ripe for banana bread muffins?
Bananas can never be too ripe for banana bread muffins! The BEST muffin bananas would be black and not yellow. Rule of thumb, the darker the better.
P.S. I have tested this recipe with green and ripe bananas and the banana flavor isn’t much different.
What are the black specks in banana bread muffins?
The black specks that are found in banana bread muffins are seeds from the banana. These seeds are sterile and have no productivity capacity.
Can I use frozen bananas for banana muffins?
Yes! But thaw them first, so that they blend easily with the rest of the ingredients.
Do you need baking powder for muffins?
I don’t use baking powder for this recipe or for muffins but I have used it in cakes and bread. Baking soda has worked great!
MORE TASTY MUFFIN RECIPES
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Carrot Zucchini Muffins with Apples
- Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins
- Applesauce Muffins
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Whip up a quick batch of these lightly sweetened banana muffins for an easy and delicious breakfast perfect for busy mornings. Soft, moist, and fluffy, and made with simple ingredients, you’ll come back to this recipe again and again!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt (optional)**
- ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)**
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin tins with paper or silicone muffin liners.
- In a blender, combine the bananas, eggs and honey. Blend on low until everything is mostly smooth.
- When the oven is preheated, add the rolled oats and baking soda to the blender. Add salt and cinnamon (both optional), if using. Blend again on low for about one minute until everything is well combined and smooth.
- Immediately divide evenly among 12 silicone muffin liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Allow to cool completely before removing for storage.
Notes
** I’ve made these muffins both with salt and cinnamon, and without. Neither ingredient is necessary, but I personally prefer the taste of both.
Nutrition
- Calories: 110
One star off for confusion in instructions. I decided to try this because I had three very old bananas, a jar of honey that only had a quarter cup in it, a new bag of oatmeal, some freshly laid eggsand I finally unpacked my blender.
I started out by mashing the bananas with a fork and they were really liquidy. Then I added the honey which I had to microwave to get it to come out of the jar. Finally to this I added the eggs. Backyard chicken eggs are really little but they were free. I think grocery store eggs, being bigger would make a bigger amount of batter.
In the blender jar I pulsed the oats until they were like flour. The instructions were vague on this. I have a Blendtec and used pulse. And added to that the baking soda. And gave that a pulse or two as well. Next I just poured the liquid stuff in and blended it on stir setting. That has a whisk icon next to it. Seemed appropriate. Once the stuff was well mixed I added a half cup of chopped walnut. One more pulse and it went into the muffin tin. I divided it up evenly — it made 12 but they were only 1/2 tall when baked. Note to self – use a 6 cup muffin tin or get bigger eggs.
This is not my grandmother’s recipe which was far more complicated but these were very fast, cooked really fast and due to mini size I decided that 4 equaled a serving of oatmeal. When my hubby makes his oats he uses a heaping half cup or so. Quick math puts half this recipe at one cup so a 4th would be about his serving size. He was happy eating 4. It’s essentially a cup of cooked oat meal without the milk. 😵💫
I followed the instructions and they are definitely more than 1/2” tall and they taste great. I don’t know how you can knock the recipe down a star when you straight up ignored the directions.
I added a cup of frozen blueberries tossed in very light amount of wheat flour. Loved the banana blueberry combo! Super easy and tasty!
Awesome! I knew I could count on you to have something I can use! I need to use up bananas and make school breakfast for tomorrow (I forgot, ok fine, I didn’t forget but I was too super sleepy last night, to soak lentils in advance for a fermented ‘cake’ called idli). I have flax but I also have applesauce that needs to be used up. One of my kids may be reacting poorly to eggs (difficult to be sure, trying to narrow down cause of eczema) and I don’t eat eggs. So… will applesauce work instead of eggs/flax eggs? Thanks!
Loved these! I was looking for gluten free, dairy free recipes that our whole family could enjoy, and these were definitely a hit – and so easy too!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Is there a way I can incorporate bran into this recipe without changing the composition, consistency, or flavor profile too much?
My suggestion would be:
3 bananas
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
3/4 cup bran
Side note though approximately 12% of each whole grain oat is the bran portion already.
love the recipe. im off a lot of foods and hard to find yummy stuff that dont call for weird ingrediants. do you have other recipes for me? im off: sugar, chocolate, tomatoes, sesame, peanuts, wheat, seeds, legumes.
Hi Te’na! I’m not an officially allergy blog, so I suggest browsing my existing recipes to see if any sound good, and fit your restrictions. 🙂
May I please use the pictures you have used on your blog for a school project that I am using this recipe for? If you are not OK with that I completely understand, I just wanted to ask for permission before I use them.
Hi Kylie! Please submit your requests via email: tiffany (at) dontwastethecrumbs (dot) com.
How long to the muffins typically stay before having to freeze?
It depends on how warm the room is, but anywhere from 2-5 days on the counter or 4-7 in the fridge is normal.
How come the recipe from the email say’s 5-minute apple spiced muffins but when you click on it you get a 5 ingredient banana muffin recipe?
That was probably a typo Jeannette. 🙂 Bloggers make mistakes too!
Ok. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it today and the whole family likes them! I’m not going to tell them there’s oats in there! Haha. I LOVE that you do this in the blender. I got the Ninja Professional 1000 for Christmas and I’m eager to find ways to use it.
You’re very welcome Autumn! I’m so glad your family likes them! ♥
Hi Tiffany, I’ve made these before and like em! Now I’m wondering if you have a suggestion for how i might replace the honey with applesauce? I know they’d lose some sweetness but I’m thinking that maybe between the bananas and applesauce they’d still be a little sweet. Anyways I’m curious if, with all your experience experimenting with and creating recipes, you might have some guidance for me. Thanks 🙂 your blog is one of my very favorite places to be online.
Hi Heidi! Thank you for your kind words! I’ve replaced banana with applesauce before, but not the honey… but I bet it would be okay! If you give it a shot, let us know how it turns out!
Hello! Could I use maple syrup instead of honey? If yes, would I use the same amount? Thanks in advance!
Hi Navya,
Yes. You can use maple instead. I’d probably say replace it 1:1, but remember that maple is a bit sweeter than honey. So, keep that in mind depending how on sweet you like your muffins. 🙂
What’s your favorite way to freeze stuff like this? Freezer bags or Ziploc containers? I have a bunch of freezer bags to use up, but would they do better in a container? Also how could I prevent freezer burn? I have the worst luck with that!
Freezer bags for sure. I put a dozen muffins in a bag (laying them flat so bags can be stacked on top of each other, rather than haphazardly putting muffins in the bag) push out the air, then suck it out (yes, I put my lips to the bag and suck out the extra air!) and then freeze. Freezer burn is from the extra air, so the more you eliminate, the better off you’ll be!
I use a straw to suck the air out of bags as it is easier to get more out. Or I freeze the muffins open on a half sheet or other tray, then vacuum seal once frozen hard. Don’t try vacuum sealing without freezing first or you will have muffin crumbs!!!
Amazing recipe! They’re light and fluffy. No added fat or refined sugar. Few ingredients and hardly any dishes! The guidance or having everything ready and adding the oat flour at the end is probably what contributes to them feeling like regular banana muffins. The only change I did was to add some erythritol instead of the full amount of honey. I didn’t have a lot of honey left but it probably would have been perfect with slightly less. Thank you!
We made these yesterday for todays breakfast and they were soooo goood!! So easy.
My banana muffins are in the oven but I had enough dough for 18 muffins. Not sure how they will turn out. Wondering if the size of the bananas matter? Mine were medium to large.
Nah, it won’t matter in taste. You’ll just get more muffins!
These sound so yummy and easy but I have one question. You talk at the beginning about putting the oats in the blender to make oat flour but, then in the directions, you say to add rolled oats to blender after the bananas, eggs and honey. Do we need to turn oats into oat flour first?
Yes – make the oat flour, dump it out into another bowl, then add it at the end. The bowl will just need a quick rinse to be clean!
Does that mean that it’s 2 cups oats turned into flour? Or two cups oat flour? I assume it’s different but I guess I could do that experiment myself! Thanks!
Hi Emily! I measure 2 cups of oats, not oat flour. There is a slight difference that won’t make or break a recipe, but since I keep rolled oats on hand, not oat flour, it’s just easier to measure oats!
Oh happy day! No more waiting for the bananas to turn brown. I think I might have to turn this into a six ingredient recipe and add some chocolate chips Thanks, Tiffany and happy Monday.
You’re very welcome JoAnn!! Happy Monday to you!
I’m hoping that this recipe can be used to make a loaf rather than muffins.
I haven’t tried making a loaf Tamara, but I wouldn’t go for it… at least not as-written. If you want to sub all-purpose flour for oat flour, then you have a fighting chance!
For a loaf start start checking in after 15 minutes. I used a 5×8 loaf and a 8×8 pan and cooked it for about 25 minutes and it comes out perfect