Healthy Banana Oat Muffins

When I need a quick and yummy breakfast, my solution is my Healthy Banana Oat Muffins. They are not only super easy, these delicious muffins are the perfect healthy breakfast or snack. 

The quest for perfecting my Healthy Banana Oat Muffins recipe started after my husband and I got married.   My morning dilemma was that I am a regular breakfast eater.  I wake up starving, no actually hangry, while my husband routinely SKIPS breakfast! 

When we first started dating this seemed absolutely crazy. He says he's just not hungry when he wakes up.  So what do I do?   I still cook breakfast because I figure everyone's gotta eat, right?   What seemed to finally win him over was my muffins. They take about 20 minutes to prep and get in the oven and then 20 minutes to bake.  So usually by the time they are finished baking the aroma has lured him to the kitchen.

Step-By-Step Instructions

The most important rule for any banana muffins or banana bread is starting with overly ripe bananas!  Yeah, you know when they turn speckled past the point anyone would want to eat them. Do not throw them away, you can make  Banana Coconut Muffins or Peanut Butter Swirl Banana Bread. The flavor and especially the sweetness increases in bananas when they ripen.  This makes it easier for us to make a healthy recipe because we can rely on the natural sweetness from the fruit and not add as much sweetener.

As far as techniques, there are just a few rules to follow when making banana muffins. Always mix the wet ingredients separately from the dry.   I start with one medium sized bowl and mash my ripe bananas with a fork.  Then I add the remaining wet ingredients and mix everything really well, there will still be lumps but that is okay.  

Then in a separate bowl I mix the dry ingredients.  Once those are thoroughly mixed I form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center.  With a spatula I stir in a large circular motion, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl until no streaks of white flour remain.  It is tempting to keep stirring until the lumps are completely gone but this will result in a dry muffin!  Leave the lumps and start filling your muffin pan with the batter about ¾ full.  Bake in a preheated oven for about 18 minutes.  All ovens are a bit different so check with a toothpick for doneness around the 16 minute mark.  You will know they are finished when a toothpick comes out clean without crumbs. 

are banana oatmeal muffins healthy? 

Yes, my recipe for banana oatmeal muffins are healthy!  By using a combination of oats and whole wheat flour I have increased the fiber.  I also make healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt instead of oil.  Greek yogurt is my substitution for vegetable oil in most of my recipes.  Greek yogurt has lots of health benefits and is much lower in fat and high in protein. Also by using a riper banana the more natural sweetness will be added to the muffin without the need of lots of sugar.  I use a small amount of honey and I think that it compliments the banana flavor very well. 

Ingredients needed for Banana oat muffins 

Here's what I use to make my banana oat muffins:

• ripe bananas- you know they are ripe enough when they have lots of spots and are too ripe to eat
• Greek yogurt -you can use fat free, 2% or even full fat, just make sure it is the plain flavor
• vanilla extract
• honey-or maple syrup 
• coconut oil-you can substitute olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.  It may change the flavor slightly but they will still be moist
• egg
• old-fashioned oats
• whole wheat flour- I use white whole wheat
• all purpose flour
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• mini chocolate chips- you can completely omit these or use regular sized chocolate chips

Of course you can always make substitutions with some of these ingredients.  The only dilemma is if you want to substitute all whole wheat flour for the all purpose of vice versa.  The whole wheat flour has a higher protein content than all purpose so you will definitely need more liquid or the result will be a very dry muffin.  While if you make these with all purpose flour omitting the whole wheat it will probably require less liquid.  Here's tips for swapping whole wheat flour if you have never tried it in a recipe.  

How do you store banana oat muffins?

After I take muffins out of the oven I carefully remove them from the muffin tin and let them cool on a wire rack.  Once they are completely cool transfer the muffins to an airtight storage container.  They will stay fresh for up to two days- if they last that long!

Can you Freeze banana oat Muffins?

Yes!! These are so easy to freeze.  When I have a hectic week coming up I'll whip up an extra batch to freeze.  Always let them cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap and place in storage container.  This way you can remove one at a time and defrost in the microwave.  They warm up so well that you can't even tell they were frozen.  

Looking for more delicious muffin recipes?  Try these! 

Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Muffins

Caramel Apple Muffins

Healthy Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins

Healthy Applesauce Muffins

Banana Coconut Muffins

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