Vegan banana muffins are soft, sweet, and easily made gluten-free! Maple syrup and ripe banana naturally sweeten this one-bowl recipe that's punched up with chocolate chips and nuts.
Give me a vegan banana muffin recipe and I'll be a happy baker! This one is my absolute favorite - sweet ripe bananas melded with a touch of maple syrup, plus optional chocolate chips and walnuts make a batch of simple yet super delicious muffins. Easily adapted to any dietary needs, like gluten free, refined sugar free, etc.
Make gluten free chocolate chunk banana muffins, gluten free banana mini muffins, or gluten free pumpkin banana muffins for more muffins that feature bananas.
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Why I Love This Easy Vegan Recipe
- One bowl. The BEST recipes are made in one bowl, am I right?
- It's vegan AND easily gluten free. You can use any type of flour in this recipe from a single origin gluten-free flour, to a blend, to all-purpose flour, and whole wheat flour.
- So flavorful. Bananas and warming cinnamon add a cozy flavor that's irresistible.
Ingredient Notes
Here's a look at what you'll need to make banana mini muffins, including maple syrup and cinnamon. Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Bananas - You'll need about 2 medium, ripe bananas for these muffins.
- Oil - I love extra-virgin olive oil here, or you can use an oil of your choice.
- Non-dairy milk - Use your favorite non-dairy milk. I used almond milk.
- Maple syrup - If you don't have maple syrup, feel free to substitute honey, granulated sugar, or brown sugar.
- Flour - Use whatever flour your prefer here — all-purpose, whole wheat, spelt, or gluten free flour.
- Rising agents - A mix of baking powder and baking soda.
- Cinnamon - A little ground cinnamon or another spice like ginger adds extra flavor.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt and table salt is also fine.
- Chocolate chips - This is an optional addition that we love! Use mini chocolate or regular semisweet chocolate chips.
How to Adjust This Recipe
Vegan banana muffins are a go-to for me because they can be eaten by almost everyone regardless of dietary needs. Here are a few suggestions for making these to suit other palates:
- Gluten-free - Use all-purpose gluten-free flour like my homemade gluten free flour blend or add whole grains in the form of oat flour or brown rice flour.
- Dairy - If you don't need to keep dairy-free, use whole or 2% milk in place of the non-dairy milk.
- Banana-free - If anyone can't eat bananas, you can make these muffins with 1 cup of applesauce instead of the mashed bananas.
- Keep it plain - Leave out the nuts and chocolate to keep this a simple and sweet banana muffin.
How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins
This is another one-bowl recipe that will come together in 5 minutes or less. Get an idea of how to do so below:
- Whisk wet ingredients: In a large bowl whisk together egg, bananas, maple syrup, milk, and oil.
- Add dry ingredients: Whisk and stir in all of the dry ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts if using.
- Place in a muffin tin: Grease a mini muffin and portion out the batter.
- Bake: Let muffins bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Baking Tip: Freezing Bananas
Did you know that you can freeze ripe bananas to use anytime? You can chuck the whole banana, skin-on, in the freezer or remove the skin first and store it in a freezer-safe bag (my preferred option). Defrost the bananas before adding them to a recipe - you will want to drain the water that's released before you stir them into a batter.
Variation Ideas
See my section above on how to adapt these muffins to special diets, or try a few variations outlined here:
- Add nuts - Add chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds to add a bit of crunch.
- Substitute some almond flour - If nuts aren't an issue, substitute ¼ of the flour with almond flour for extra protein and added moisture.
- Double the batch - You can easily make a double batch of muffins! Just multiply the quantities in the recipe card by 2, or check the toggle for "2x".
- Make as mini muffins - Bake these banana muffins in a mini muffin tin. Grease each muffin compartment very well so that the muffins release easily.
- Use coconut sugar - For another natural sweetener option, swap coconut sugar for the maple sugar.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Place cooled muffins in an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Transfer the container to the fridge and keep it for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Add muffins to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the muffins thoroughly in the fridge before serving.
More Banana Recipes
Vegan Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 mashed medium bananas
- ⅓ cup olive oil, or a neutral oil of choice
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup, or brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cups flour, (210 grams) like oat flour, brown rice flour, all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips , optional
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and grease or line a muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, stir together the bananas, olive oil, milk, and maple syrup.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold ingredients together until combined. Add chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Pour the batter into muffin cups until almost full, about ⅔ the way up the cup.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a tester inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out mostly clean. Remove and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Add nuts - Add ½ cup of crushed walnuts or almonds for a light crunchy texture.
- Substitute some almond flour - If nuts aren't an issue, substitute ¼ of the flour with almond flour for extra protein and added moisture.
- Double the batch - You can easily make a double batch of muffins! Just multiply the quantities in the recipe card by 2, or check the toggle for "2x".
- Make as regular-sized muffins - Bake these mini banana muffins in a regular-sized muffin tin. You will need to adjust the baking time if you bake larger muffins.
- Use coconut sugar - For another natural sweetener option, swap coconut sugar for the maple sugar.
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