Vegan Banana Muffins

You can make our vegan banana muffin recipe with the same ingredients as our delicious vegan banana bread.

And while there are no eggs or butter here, the result is outstanding!

You can expect tall, soft, moist muffins and a pleasant banana flavor. Optionally, you can add chocolate chips and walnuts to the batter to make them even richer and tastier.

The muffins are excellent as a quick breakfast on the go, for a snack, or even as a dessert. They are relatively healthy compared to most sweets, and kids love them.

We’ll show you how to make them with simple pantry staples with one fork in a bowl.

Bananas

Use ripe bananas, the ones with dark spots on the peel. They are sweeter and easier to mash. If you don’t have ripe bananas, add 2 to 4 extra tablespoons of sugar to compensate for the lost flavor.

You can use frozen bananas if you wish. To do so, thaw them at room temperature first, mash them, and use them. If the frozen bananas were not ripe, I would add 2 to 4 extra tablespoons of sugar.

Flour

You can use all-purpose flour or mix 50% all-purpose and 50% whole wheat flour if you want to make your vegan banana muffins more wholesome.

Non-dairy milk

Any non-dairy milk works for this vegan banana muffin recipe. We usually use almond milk or soy milk.

Oil

To make muffins, we recommend a neutral flavored vegetable oil instead of melted vegan butter or melted coconut oil because the vegetable oils are lighter and allow the muffins to rise, giving them a light, soft, and fluffy texture.

Some oils that work well are canola oil, sunflower oil, light olive oil, and avocado oil.

You can substitute oil with unsweetened applesauce.

Sugar

You can use brown sugar or coconut sugar for a more natural sweetness.

Vanilla

Use vanilla extract or the beans of a vanilla pod.

Baking powder

Make sure your baking powder is not too old. Baking powder helps the muffins rise and get their dome shape.

There’s no need for baking soda or vinegar in banana muffins.

Salt

Just a pinch to meld the flavors together.

Optional add-ins

Like in banana bread, you can add dairy-free chocolate chips (vegan mini chocolate chips are best), chopped vegan chocolate, chopped walnuts, pecans, other nuts, and cinnamon.

Note that there’s no need to add flax eggs or apple cider vinegar in this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 12-muffin pan (or two 6-muffin pans) with muffin liners.

Tip: if you don’t have paper liners, use 5-inch squared pieces of parchment paper.

Mash bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl until they become banana puree.

Add non-dairy milk, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract to the banana mixture and stir well with the same fork.

Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder until barely combined. Don’t overmix the batter, a stir with the same fork until the flour absorbs all liquid.

Tip: there’s no need to use a whisk or hand mixer.

Optionally, fold in the chopped walnuts and/or mini chocolate chips.

With a spoon, scoop the batter into muffin tins lined with muffin liners or parchment paper. You should be able to get 12 vegan banana muffins (more if you make mini muffins).

Optionally, you can top the muffins with chocolate chips or chopped nuts.

Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Let the vegan banana chocolate chip muffins cool down for about 20 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin, then transfer them onto a cooling rack and let them cool down completely.

Vegan Banana bread

Swap the muffin tips for a loaf pan, and you can make delicious, moist, and soft vegan banana bread.

Baking time is a little longer, at 50 minutes to an hour, but banana bread is a classic and certainly worth the wait.

Check out our vegan banana bread recipe.

Banana nut bread

Add some crunch, healthy fats, and nutty flavor to your banana bread recipe and make a banana nut bread instead.

You can use walnuts, pecans, or your favorite nuts. Nuts and bananas are magical, and you’ll love the flavor combination.

Check out our banana nut bread recipe.

Use ripe bananas: pick bananas with dark spots on the skin. They are sweeter, moister, and easier to mash. If you don’t have ripe bananas, use regular ones, but add 1/4 cup more sugar.

Don’t overmix the batter: for soft, light, and fluffy banana muffins, stir the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together with a fork until just combined. There’s no need for a whisk or hand mixer.

Oil vs. butter: use neutral vegetable oil for light, tall, and soft muffins. Use melted vegan butter to make denser and flatter cupcakes.

Make ahead: our banana bread muffin recipe is excellent for meal prep because the muffins keep well for five days.

Storage: keep the muffins in a plastic bag or in an airtight container at room temperature for five days. If you prefer, you can keep them in the fridge as well.

Reheat: if the muffins get a little dry, heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave, and they’ll be as soft and moist as just baked.

Freezer: let the muffins cool down completely, then transfer them into a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave or at room temperature.

Get your next snack or breakfast idea from these easy and 30–minute muffin recipes:

• Blueberry muffins (blueberries, cornstarch, flour, plant milk, lemon zest, etc.)
• Lemon muffins (lemon zest, lemon juice, milk, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, etc.)
• Sweet potato muffins (microwave sweet potato, sugar, almond milk, walnuts, cinnamon, etc.)
• Zucchini muffins (zucchini, chocolate chips, flour, almond milk, cinnamon, sugar, etc.)
• Apple muffins (apples, milk, cinnamon flour, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, etc.)
• Oat flour muffins (banana, almond milk, rolled oats, dates, cinnamon, etc.)

For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.