Healthy Small Batch Banana Muffins
These are the best banana muffins I’ve ever made! They’re really tender and full of bright fruit flavor. I also love that there are virtually no tempting leftovers to worry about! If you do end up with some, any leftover muffins will keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten free* flour (measured like this)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp (100g) mashed banana (about 1 medium – and see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp (15mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 6 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 6 muffins cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes or until the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with some crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much flour will make your banana muffins turn out dry and taste bland.
Measure the bananas by tablespoons or grams, not by “one medium banana.” Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!
The mashed banana and Greek yogurt need to equal ½ cup. If you have slightly more mashed banana, decrease the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.
IMPORTANT BANANA NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Use the spottiest, ripest banana you have! The ones that are purely brown (or at least more brown than yellow) are ideal because they have a stronger flavor and more natural sweetness than the pure yellow bananas. They also yield a softer and moisture muffin texture. (See my photo in the blog post above for more info!)
I do not recommend using pure yellow bananas. They aren't as sweet and don't have as strong of a flavor when used in this recipe, so your muffins won't be very sweet or flavorful either.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These muffins aren't overly sweet — and that's intentional! The bananas provide the majority of the sweetness in this recipe. If your bananas are more yellow than brown, then your muffins will taste blander and noticeably less sweet.
For sweeter-tasting muffins, or if your bananas are more yellow than brown, then substitute 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, use a total of 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons.)
MUFFIN PAN RECOMMENDATION: This is the 6-cup muffin pan that I use. I love how it bakes muffins more evenly than traditional metal pans. The muffins’ sides don’t brown nearly as much with this pan, so they turn out light and moist, almost exactly like the muffins’ tops.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
DAIRY-FREE + VEGAN OPTION: Use the coconut oil option (or any other neutral-tasting oil), or substitute stick-style vegan butter (I like this one and this one) for the unsalted butter. Substitute dairy-free milk (ie soy, almond, cashew, etc) for the nonfat milk. For the best results, substitute dairy-free yogurt (ie soy- or almond-based) for the Greek yogurt. You can also substitute additional mashed banana for the Greek yogurt, but your muffins may turn out slightly denser.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work, if measured like this.
DOUBLING THE RECIPE: This recipe is easily doubled!
HOW TO STORE: Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least four days, if not longer.
FREEZING TIPS: These muffins freeze and thaw really well. If you baked them in paper or metal liners, peel off the liners before freezing. (It’s harder to peel them off after thawing or reheating the muffins!) I like to thaw individual muffins in the microwave on 50% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!
{gluten-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, vegan option, dairy-free option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.