Banana Oatmeal Muffins (Moist and Tender!)
Hearty oats make these Banana Oatmeal Muffins extra satisfying! Serve these moist, tender muffins for breakfast, a snack, or any time of day. They freeze beautifully!
Bananas are the most perfect ingredient for muffins, if you ask me. Whether it’s these banana oatmeal muffins, Pumpkin Banana Muffins, or Double Chocolate Banana Muffins, the beauty of bananas is that they help give muffins a moist, tender crumb, they add sweetness so you don’t need as much sugar, and then there’s that lovely banana flavour. This banana oatmeal muffin recipe has become a favourite for my little one, especially when I make them with chocolate chips!
Why These Fluffy Muffins Are Our New Favourite
My daughter is definitely right: there’s a lot to love about these easy vegan banana oatmeal muffins! Here’s what makes them such a hit.
- The perfect muffin texture. Without the right ratios of ingredients, banana muffins can end up overly moist and dense or dry and flavourless. These banana oatmeal muffins are absolutely perfect—moist and tender, yet still light and fluffy. I also love how the oats add a chewy, hearty texture to the mix. They’re divine!
- Sweet, but not TOO sweet. I didn’t want these banana oatmeal muffins to taste like cupcakes (because if I want cupcakes, I’ll make Chocolate Cupcakes!), but the brown sugar and ripe banana make them just sweet enough. And, of course, the chocolate chips add some sweetness too!
- Easy to make. The thing I love about making muffins is how EASY they are. Even though I adore baking, I don’t always have time to bake something elaborate, so this is the kind of recipe that’s ideal for busy days. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something by baking from scratch, without taking several hours of effort!
Notes on Ingredients
If you have a well-stocked pantry, you probably have a lot of these ingredients already! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Ground flaxseed – These are used to make a flax egg.
- Almond milk – Unsweetened and unflavoured.
- Banana – Make sure it’s ripe and quite brown, which is how you get all that sweetness and banana flavour!
- Coconut oil – Or another oil you like to use for baking.
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned rolled oats – Not steel cut oats, which won’t soften enough in your muffins, and not quick oats, which don’t add as much texture.
- All-purpose flour – You can swap in a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend if you’d like.
- Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Vegan chocolate chips – Not all chocolate chips are vegan! Make sure you read the label on the package. You’re usually safe with dark or semisweet chocolate.
How to Make Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Here’s what you’ll need to do to make these tasty little muffins.
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease or line your muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together the flax and almond milk and let them sit for 5 minutes, until the flaxseed gels. Mash the banana in a larger mixing bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the flax egg, coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract into the bananas.
- Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt just until combined.
- Finish the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. If you’d like, sprinkle some oats or chocolate chips on top, then bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for Perfect Muffins
These are some universal tips that work for any muffin recipe, including these banana oatmeal muffins.
- Don’t overmix the batter. It’s always better to have some streaks of flour left in the batter than to mix too much, which can over-develop the gluten in the flour. The result is dense, tough muffins that don’t rise much in the oven.
- Divide the batter equally. Using a cookie dough scoop or small measuring cup can help you make sure the same amount of batter goes into each muffin cup. This ensures that they all finish baking at the same time.
- Rotate the pan if needed. Some ovens don’t cook evenly. If you know that yours has a tendency to be hotter on one side than the other (you’ll know this if things tend to be consistently browner or under-baked on one side), I recommend rotating your muffin pan halfway through the baking time.
Variations
Instead of chocolate chips, you can add chopped nuts—pecans and walnuts both work well in banana muffins (and Banana Bread!). You can also skip the chocolate chips and make your muffins plain, which works well for toddlers (no chocolatey fingers!) and if you want to slather your muffins with Strawberry Jam. Yum!
How to Store
- Room temperature: Let the muffins cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: These banana oatmeal muffins freeze very well! Transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can let them thaw at room temperature before serving or warm them in the microwave until they’re heated through.
More Vegan Muffin Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this banana oatmeal muffin recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground flaxseed, 10g
- ⅓ cup almond milk, 80mL
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed – about 1 ⅓ cups / 300g
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, or any neutral oil – 80mL
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, 150g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5mL
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 80g
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 180g
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 3g
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2g
- ¼ teaspoon salt, 1.5g
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips, 80g
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease it.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ground flaxseed and almond milk. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas until mostly smooth.
- Add the flax mixture, melted coconut oil, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the bananas. Whisk until combined.
- Stir in the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until just combined—do not overmix.
- Gently fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each almost to the top. Sprinkle extra oats or chocolate chips on top if desired.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (melted chocolate is fine).
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Room temperature: Let the muffins cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: These banana oatmeal muffins freeze very well! Transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can let them thaw at room temperature before serving or warm them in the microwave until they’re heated through.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
