The Ultimate Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
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Yields: 12 muffins
 
My taste testers called these the best banana nut muffins they’ve ever had—and I completely agree! They’re perfectly sweet and have the same tender texture as cupcakes. They’ll last for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (And I highly recommend reheating individual muffins in the microwave for 13-17 seconds—it makes them even more irresistible!)
  • 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
  • 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
  • ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
  • ¼ cup (28g) finely diced pecans, divided
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat 12 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the mashed Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Mix in the mashed banana and honey. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in 3 ½ tablespoons of pecans.
  3. Spread the batter into the prepared muffin cups, and gently press the remaining pecans on top. Bake at 350°F for 19-21 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one!) will also work, if measured like this.

Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you can find!

The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.

Pure maple syrup or agave may be substituted for the honey.

Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.

Walnuts (or any other nuts!) may be substituted for the pecans. To ensure the muffin batter bakes evenly, make sure the chopped nuts are about the same size as mini chocolate chips.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2017/01/31/the-ultimate-healthy-banana-nut-muffins/