Vegan Banana Muffins

These easy vegan banana muffins are made with whole grain flour, coconut oil, and ,maple syrup plus lots of mashed ripe bananas for extra sweetness.

I do this thing where I buy a big bunch of bananas on my weekly trip to the grocery store and then spend the rest of the week trying to use them up — smoothies, with peanut butter, just as they are — before they turn. Even with the air conditioner running fruit ripens very quickly here on my counter. If I don’t cut up my browning bananas and stick them in the freezer for future use in ‘nice cream’ I will make banana bread or mini vegan banana muffins for the minis in my life.

Not that the world needs yet another banana bread or muffin recipe but the muffin recipe I made with my extra bananas last week is a winner and too good not to share. It’s low in sugar, just 1/4 cup of maple syrup for the batch of about 30 muffins, full of whole grains, and slightly chewy with the addition of shredded coconut. Vegan, too, and easily made gluten-free. I love the inclusion of coconut oil but you could easily substitute good quality olive oil. These are healthy and not-too-sweet yet still solidly in the realm of delicious. (Adding some toasted, chopped walnuts for crunch would be lovely, too.)

If you can’t eat up all your muffins in a week, pop some in a plastic bag and stick in the freezer for a quick breakfast or snack (if you’re anything like me you will in fact plan to save a few extra). And if your contrary, unpredictable child does will not eat again what she previously seemed to love … well, there’s all the more for you.

I imagine I might be sick of bananas by the time summer’s out — then again, I’ll be in California with access to rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries, etc. so bananas may become more treat than rote — but ’til then, muffins. And other things.