Cinnamon Banana Muffins

I originally developed this recipe for my dad, who appreciates a healthier treat. Unlike some banana muffin renditions, I relied on olive oil for fat and maple syrup for sweetness, plus of course a nice serving of whole grains - either whole wheat flour or oat flour to make a gluten-free version.

The resulting muffins are moist and tender, super banana-y, and not overly sweet, though they're punched up with a bit of cinnamon sugar sprinkled over their tops before baking. There's a lot of cinnamon in the batter, too, making these banana cinnamon muffins worthy of their name. Make sure to use very ripe bananas both for natural sweetness and flavor.

Then check out my other banana muffin recipes, including classic gluten free banana bread muffins, oat flour banana muffins, and gluten free chocolate chunk banana muffins!

What You'll Love about Cinnamon Banana Muffins

• Warm and cozy. A cinnamon sugar topping will make anything even better - do you agree? I love that there's cinnamon on top of the muffins AND liberally added to the batter to make these muffins super cozy.
• Packed with banana goodness. Because the muffins aren't overly sweet (yay, maple syrup), you'll truly taste the bananas in every bite. So yummy!
• Easily adaptable. Check out my suggestions below the ingredients list! I love adding in nuts, chocolate, and more to mix it up a bit.
• Make them gluten-free or not, as needed. Whatever suits your needs - you can easily make these gluten-free with your choice of oat or brown rice flour, or with whole wheat flour, including whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour.

Ingredients Needed for Cinnamon Banana Muffins

I've outlined the simple ingredients needed to make this recipe below. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Bananas - I used 2 large very ripe bananas for these muffins. If you have smaller bananas, use 3.
• Whole grain flour - Either whole wheat flour or gluten free oat flour is the right choice here! If you don't eat oats, use brown rice flour.
• Eggs - Large or medium eggs are best rather than jumbo-sized eggs.
• Maple syrup - I love lightly sweetening these muffins with maple syrup. You can use brown sugar or granulated sugar if you prefer.
• Olive oil - I used extra-virgin olive oil here, but almost any oil will do. I also like avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
• Ground cinnamon
• Baking soda
• Salt - I used fine sea salt or table salt.
• Topping - Light or dark brown sugar mixed with more cinnamon.

Variation Ideas/Etc.

It feels almost anathema to bake banana muffins without any add-ins, yet I do firmly believe that the cinnamon sugar topping is enough! However, I wouldn't be me if I didn't also reccomend some extras like:

• Nuts - Chopped walnuts or pecans are divine.
• Chocolate - Either regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips, a chopped chocolate bar, or if you're feeling really decadent, milk chocolate chips.
• Blueberries - A handful of fresh or frozen (wild) blueberries is lovely!
• Try ginger - Make these into ginger banana muffins by swapping the ground cinnamon for ground ginger.

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Fill the muffin cups ⅔ full. I've found that the ideal amount of batter per muffin cup is about about ⅔ full so that they rise nicely but don't overflow the cups.
• Don't overbake. I give the baking time of 20-25 minutes for the muffins, but I find they are done at 20 minutes or sometimes even less if my oven is running hot. Try not to overbake them so that they retain their lovely moisture.
• Adjust the sweetness. Bananas are very sweet on their own, and the riper they are the sweeter they'll be - so if you want to cut down the sugar even more, use ¼ cup of maple syrup. On the other hand, if you like a sweeter muffin, increase the amount of maple syrup, or add ¼ cup of sugar or brown sugar.
• Make into pumpkin or applesauce muffins. Swap 1 cup of applesauce for the mashed bananas or use my homemade pumpkin puree recipe instead of the mashed bananas.
• Egg-free. Omit the eggs to make these muffins vegan. You can either add another banana or keep the recipe as-is, though the muffins may be a bit more dense.

How to Store Cinnamon Banana Muffins

Make sure to cool the muffins completely before storing, otherwise they may get soggy. Here's how to store them:

• Counter - In an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Fridge - Keep the muffins in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
• Freezer - Place cooled muffins in an freezer-safe container or bag, then store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.