Vegan banana bread muffins

Name: Vegan banana bread muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 22 min
Yield: makes 6 muffins
Ingredients: 200 g / 7 oz ripe bananas (without peel); 60 ml / ¼ cup maple syrup or coconut sugar; 60 ml / ¼ cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter; 60 g / ½ cup GF all purpose flour (I used Dove's Farm) or buckwheat flour or all purpose wheat flour*; ¾ tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp baking soda; slivered almonds, to decorate (optional)

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Vegan banana bread muffins

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baking bananas easy gluten-free healthy

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Even though vegan banana bread muffins are the last thing I would like to make right now, as we are currently in the middle of a mini heatwave, in Crete, I’m really happy with this ’emergency’ recipe and I stand by it. Our current go-tos are fruit and veg salads, espresso freddos and an occasional summer vegetable pasta, as this relentless heat decimates your appetite completely. Luckily, there is plenty of sea to cool yourself in…

When I came up with these muffins, my reality could not be any more different. I was sitting in a cold house in Bristol where the summer has been dragging its feet so much that we’ve had to put our heating on for a couple of evenings (at the end of May) and these seemed perfect!

They are quick to make – they only use 6 ingredients and no equipment other than a bowl and a fork – as they were unashamedly borne out of one of my ‘I really want something sweet’ urges that I try to fight daily. Hence I’m referring to them as ’emergency’ muffins.

They started their life as giant cookies (and later morphed into muffins), which I decided to come up with when I succeeded at not buying any chocolate, but not at giving a home engineered sugar hit a miss, sadly.

I excuse myself by saying it’s the time of the month, but if that’s not an addiction I don’t know what is…The only line of defence I have is that these quick and dirty muffins are fairly healthy as they use no oil or refined sugar, so even if you are watching what you eat, you can easily get away with having one, for sure.

If you make this recipe please tag me on Instagram using the #lazycatkitchen hashtag and @lazycatkitchen. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

vegan banana bread muffins mashing banana

vegan banana bread muffins batter

vegan banana bread muffins making

vegan banana bread muffins cross section

makes

6 muffins

PREP

10 min

COOKING

22 min

makes

6 muffins

PREPARATION

10 min

COOKING

22 min

25 reviews

5.0

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INGREDIENTS

WET INGREDIENTS

200 g / 7 oz ripe bananas (without peel)
60 ml / ¼ cup maple syrup or coconut sugar
60 ml / ¼ cup all natural almond butter or peanut butter

DRY INGREDIENTS

60 g / ½ cup GF all purpose flour (I used Dove’s Farm) or buckwheat flour or all purpose wheat flour*
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

EXTRAS

slivered almonds, to decorate (optional)

METHOD

Warm up the oven to 180° C / 355° F and line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases (or grease them with a bit of oil). Move the oven rack a notch down from the middle position.
Mash both bananas with a fork, mash one rather finely and leave the other one a little more chunky.
Combine the mashed up bananas with maple syrup and nut batter in a medium-size bowl. Mix very well.
Add the dry ingredients and mix them well until there is no dry flour left, but do not overmix (that’s only important if you are using a flour containing gluten).
Transfer the cake batter into the prepared muffin tray. Decorate the tops with slivered almonds (if using).
Bake until a toothpick comes out fairy clean, about 22 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool down COMPLETELY before eating.

NOTES

*These are the three flours I have tried and they all yielded a very nice end-result. If you are gluten-free and want to use buckwheat flour, please ensure you use a brand that has been certified as gluten-free as otherwise there may be traces of gluten in it due to factory cross-contamination.

*BANANAS: it’s a scant 1 cup mashed banana (1 cup mashed bananas = 225 g). This recipe was created using fresh, ripe bananas. If using bananas that had been frozen and thawed, be aware that they contain more moisture so you’ll need to bake them for longer (one reader reported having to extend baking time by 10 minutes).

This recipe only makes 6 muffins, if you like the challenge of having an entire tray of them around you, simply double all the ingredients.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

calories

165

sugars

13 g

14%

fats

6 g

saturates

1 g

proteins

4 g

carbs

26 g

10%

*per muffin

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5.0

25 reviews, 59 comments

REVIEWS & QUESTIONS

Robyn:

7 Aug 2023

So so good! lovely and fluffy and moist and not too sweet! I was shocked at how little flour these need, but I followed your measurements because I've never been let down by a lazy cat recipe yet! baked perfectly! we put some cheeky chocolate sprinkles on top. definitely baking these again very soon. ☺️

Ania:

8 Aug 2023

Thank you Robyn, I am so happy you trusted the recipe and enjoyed the outcome - yes, I made them fluffier and lighter (hence so little flour) on purpose! Thank you for taking the time to leave this lovely review – I really appreciate it. x Ania

grace:

18 Jan 2022

I made these with buckwheat flour and almond butter and they turned out really good. I was using already peeled bananas from the freezer and so threw caution to the wind and went from 200g peeled bananas. I checked after 22 minutes and ended up leaving them another 10 for a total of 32 minutes bake time and that was perfect. I will be making these again though perhaps trying a wee bit less banana next time

Ania:

18 Jan 2022

Hi Grace,
Glad you enjoyed them and plan to make again. I think that the issue of having to bake them for much longer probably stems from using bananas that had been frozen and thawed - they contribute more moisture. I rested this recipe in August 2021 and they were spot on after 22 minutes at 180° C - I did, however, use fresh bananas. Hope this makes sense! xx Ania

suzanne:

17 Sep 2021

I followed the recipe to the exact but the middle of the muffins were doughy and uncooked....even cooking longer, they never cooked properly.

Ania:

17 Sep 2021

Hi Suzanne,
I am sorry to hear that! Is it possible that you have mismeasured something, like the amount of mashed bananas, for example? I re-tested this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I found no issues at all - the muffins came out perfect. Did you wait till they are completely cold before judging the 'doneness' - when muffins are warm they do sometimes may seem that they are undercooked? Hope this helps! Ania

Naomi:

31 Dec 2020

Was really excited to make banana bread muffins so I tried this recipe but as others have said there is no where near enough flour in the recipe!! I cooked for almost 30 mins but I had a feeling that 60 grams flour with so many wet ingredients wouldn't work out, should of gone with my instincts.... I would say this needs double the amount flour.

Ania:

31 Dec 2020

Hi Naomi,
The flour is clearly mentioned in step 4: Add the dry ingredients and mix them well until there is no dry flour left (...) . As for the amount of flour, I assure you it is absolutely correct. Not only did I test this recipe several times, I also have had plenty of people make these muffins successfully. The amount of flour a recipe needs depends on the texture you are after, these muffins are designed to be light and fluffy and so to achieve this I used less flour than normally. I'm sorry you are not happy with the outcome but I strongly feel that something must have gone awry in the process of making them or maybe this recipe is simply not to your taste. Ania

Nicole Madsen:

22 Jul 2020

Oh my god, these turned out sooooo freaking delicious! I want to eat the whole tray. I made these in a mini muffin tray in my toaster oven, and followed the recipe exactly (though I omitted the slivered almond topping). My baby girl is going to love these muffins when she wakes up :-) Thank you for sharing a SUPER TASTY recipe for the best banana bread muffins EVERRR!

Ania:

23 Jul 2020

Aw thank you so much for your kind words, Nicole! I am delighted to hear that you loved them so much and I do hope your little girl does too. x Ania

Sam:

17 Jul 2020

I’ve made these at least 4 times and they turn out perfect! It’s my go to recipe for when i have over ripe bananas. They’ve turned out great with both buckwheat and whole wheat flour. I make them for my kids and add a little chocolate chips. They love them and they’re always gone by the next day 🤣

Ania:

18 Jul 2020

It's so nice to hear that you enjoyed these enough to make them 4 times already, Sam! I'm delighted and thanks for letting me know! x Ania

Kelsey:

14 Jul 2020

What do you think that calories are per muffin??
They were delicious! I loved them!

Ania:

14 Jul 2020

Thanks Kelsey! Unfortunately, I am not able to provide calorie count on my site, but I am sure you Cronometer or a similar app could help. Ania

Dominika:

25 Jun 2020

These are amazing! I made them today, I increased the ingredients to get 9 muffins, as I had some friends visiting. Really simple, quick to make, I like the short ingredients list. My son, 3.5 year old had two already (2nd one he took/stole from the tray without asking!) Will definitely add to my favourite list, thanks for the recipe.

Ania:

27 Jun 2020

Thanks so much, Dominika! I am really happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed them so much! Ania

Lucy Black:

22 May 2020

Will this work with plain white flour?

Ania:

22 May 2020

Yes, definitely! Ania

Mary D:

14 May 2020

Having recently started a plant based diet, this recipe is far yummier than my non-vegan banana bread which I no longer miss! I added dark chocolate chips in it and it’s amaaaaazing. The kids fight over them every single time. My oven is quite hot so I turn the temp down slightly and cook them a few mins longer than suggested. I hardly write comments on recipes but this was too good and so easy to make :)

Ania:

14 May 2020

Aw, I am delighted to hear that, Mary! Your comment made my day - thank you so much for taking the time to review the recipe. Ania

Rony:

30 Apr 2020

Love these!
Made it with whole rice flour and it turn out fantastic. Also added crumble on top, also made with wrf. Thanks for yet another great recipe!

Ania:

1 May 2020

Thanks, Rony - I'm delighted to hear that! Ania

Madina:

4 Apr 2020

Hi Ania
Thank you for such an easy recipe! I used sunflower butter and muffins came out fluffy and moist. My only concern is I could taste baking soda or baking powder a little bit as the muffins had a slight metallic taste to them. If I use less of baking soda and baking powder would the muffins still rise?
Otherwise it is the most moist vegan, gluten-free muffins I’ve ever made so far! 😀

Ania:

4 Apr 2020

Oh no, I am so sorry about the baking soda taste. I swear I did not find that to be the case during tasting but yes, reducing it is a good idea - they will still rise, just a touch less. Glad you liked them in general though. Ania

Moe:

17 Sep 2019

Hello Ania
I loved this recipe, thank you!
I was just wondering, do you think they could be frozen?
Moe

Ania:

18 Sep 2019

Thanks, Moe! That's lovely to hear. I have never frozen any baked goods (they never last in my house), but if you do and are happy with them once thawed, I am pretty sure that these muffins will be no different. Ania

Ashley:

12 Sep 2019

While I did adapt this a little bit, these muffins were so delicious and moist! Perfect mini muffins for our toddler. I used 1/2 amount of maple syrup because my bananas were super ripe and previously frozen aka extra liquid-y. I also added 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt and used white whole wheat flour. Little additions that made them extra yummy. Thank you!

Ania:

12 Sep 2019

That's great to hear, Ashley! Thanks for taking the time to rate this recipe - much appreciated! x Ania

Tina:

6 Sep 2019

These have become my go-to muffin recipe! I love how healthy they are and my 2 year old gobbles them up! I always make a double batch, but that doesnt mean they last as long as they probably should (:

Ania:

6 Sep 2019

Aw, thanks Tina! I am delighted to hear that! Ania

Allison Smith:

28 Aug 2019

I made these but I have to "tweak" the recipe a bit, I didn't have any maple syrup so I did use the coconut sugar and found when I added the flour (Buckwheat) it was a little dry so I added some apple sauce and maple essence, as well as some cinnamon - delicious

Ania:

28 Aug 2019

Glad you enjoyed them, Allison. Yeah, swapping liquid sweetener for a solid one does call for an adjustment of wet ingredients. Sounds like you have a good baking instinct! Ania

Sasha:

6 Aug 2019

Hi, these turned out pretty well for a first try. I used 50g buckwheat flour and 10g flaxseed and coconut sugar. I have a fan oven so baked at 16 0 degrees but had to bake for about 25 mins. I think these will taste even better tomorrow when the flavours have had a chance to develop. They would be delicious warmed up for breakfast! 😋

Ania:

6 Aug 2019

Great to hear, Sasha!! x Ania

Natasha:

31 Jul 2019

Hi, would it be possible to swap the almond butter for a different fat such as coconut oil? Would it need a touch more flour?
Thanks

Ania:

1 Aug 2019

Hi Natasha,
Yes, I am pretty sure it will work fine and you may need (not necessarily though - you need to see how it goes) to add a touch more flour. x Ania

Lena:

8 Jun 2019

Hi Ania,
I just found your blog by looking for a new banana bread recipe. These muffins turned out really well! Almost magical how easily they are whipped up. Thanks for sharing! I will definitely try out more of your recipes. Very inspiring!
Lena

Ania:

10 Jun 2019

I am delighted to hear that, Lena! And thanks for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe – much appreciated! x Ania

Alicia:

2 Jun 2019

My first attempt making these completely flopped. They did not cook on the inside and it was clear there wasn’t enough flour. For my second attempt, I doubled the flour (I used Bobs all purpose GF flour) and baked them at 375 for 16 minutes. They turned out perfect!! This will definitely be my go-to muffin recipe!

Ania:

3 Jun 2019

Glad you enjoyed them after your modification, Alicia, but the amount of flour isn't incorrect. I make them often according to this recipe. Cheers! Ania

Sarah:

19 May 2019

This is a fantastic recipe! I used all purpose flour, crunchy natural peanut butter and added some mini choc chips.
I made 12 small cupcakes instead of muffins and the result was a light, delicious treat that will be perfect with a cup of tea for an afternoon treat.
I will be making this recipe over and over again, thank you so much for sharing!

Ania:

19 May 2019

Aw, thanks so much for your kind words, Sarah! I'm so happy to hear that! x Ania

Maya Reese:

14 May 2019

These are by far the best muffins I've ever made. Perfect texture and flavor. Thank you so much!

Ania:

14 May 2019

Aw, thanks so much, Maya! I'm soooo happy to hear that! x Ania

Amala:

28 Apr 2019

Hey! Can this recipe made as a banana cake as well? If any changes are to be made could you please tell me what they are?
Thanks!!

Ania:

28 Apr 2019

Hi Amala,
I haven't tried making these into a cake, but I don't see why that would not work. I would say that you may need to increase the amount of batter (depends on your tin) and the baking time. Hope that helps! Ania

Emily:

24 Apr 2019

Can I use almond flour in this recipe? xx

Ania:

24 Apr 2019

Hi Emily,
I haven't tried, but I do think so, they just may end up a little heavier maybe. It's worth a shot! Ania

Melissa:

9 Mar 2019

DELICIOUS!!

Ania:

17 Mar 2019

Thanks Melissa! I'm delighted to hear that! Ania

Helena:

18 Feb 2019

Hi Ania, made these yesterday and they were sooooo delicious!! Moist and fluffy, exactly the kind of muffin I was craving! :)
Thanks for such a simple and tasty recipe! I used buckwheat flour but I don't always have it on hand, so I was wondering if oat flour would work instead. Any thoughts?
xx

Ania:

18 Feb 2019

I'm delighted to hear that, Helena! Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed them so much and for rating the recipe - much appreciated. Oat flour might make them a bit heavier, I think, but it should work too. A splash more milk might be needed if the batter looks denser than when made with buckwheat flour. Good luck! x Ania

Natasha the lonely vegan girl:

14 Feb 2019

I made these muffins exactly as they are written only adding a sprinkle of cinnamon. They are so delicious. Love how easy they were to make as well. I will be making these again without a doubt. So yum, thank you!

Ania:

14 Feb 2019

So nice to hear, Natasha! I'm delighted you enjoyed this recipe so much! Ania

Louise:

12 Jan 2019

Is your oven temperature for a fan or conventional oven?
Thanks

Ania:

12 Jan 2019

Hi Louise,
It's for a conventional oven, if you want to use the fan function reduce it by 20° C. Hope that helps! Ania

ANNA:

11 Jan 2019

Hi, do u think I can use Almond Flour instead since I'm on a low carb diet? Thanks

Ania:

11 Jan 2019

I assume you mean instead of flour (not instead of almond butter) - it should be okay, but I haven't tried so cannot vouch they will come out perfect, I'm afraid. Ania

Laura:

8 Nov 2018

Had these in the oven in only 5 minutes this morning when I found out about some guests dropping by. Great emergency recipe! They were quick and delicious. I would bet easy to customise too. Keeping this recipe forever :D

Ania:

9 Nov 2018

Aw, thanks so much, Laura! I'm delighted to hear that! Ania

Monique:

24 Sep 2018

These turned out wonderfully! Lovely and soft, with a slight fudgy quality that is delicious. I swapped the maple syrup for golden syrup and it worked great.

Ania:

24 Sep 2018

I'm really pleased to hear that, Monique! Thank you :) Ania

Jen:

11 Sep 2018

Thank you soooo much for this very easy recipe! I've been baking bread and muffins for years and this is so far the quickest and easiest recipe I've ever found! I baked it on bread tin and sliced it before serving to my kiddos (5 and 2yrs old) and they absolutely love this! I use whatever available in my cupboard that includes macademia butter or pumpkin butter, date syrup, cassava flour or buckwheat flour thrown some flaxseed, chia and hemp seeds as well and all comes out nice and fluffy.

Ania:

11 Sep 2018

Thanks Jen! I'm delighted to hear that! Ania

Julie Mansius:

31 Aug 2018

You are a genius! These are by far the best muffins I’ve made, so light and fluffy. Way better than those I used to make with dairy and white flour. The only additions I made were to add vegan chocolate chips and flaxseed meal. I used whole-wheat flour.

Ania:

31 Aug 2018

Aw, thanks, Julie!! I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoyed them so much. Great additions too! x Ania

Maggie:

24 Aug 2018

Do you think soft brown sugar would work as a sweetener?

Ania:

24 Aug 2018

Yes, I think it should work just fine. Ania

Cynthia HSIEH:

6 Aug 2018

Hi, These muffins turned out quite uncooked inside ( I used all-purpose wheat flour). What's I have done wrong? Thanks!

Ania:

7 Aug 2018

Hi Cynthia, I am sorry to hear that - sounds like maybe your oven burns less hot than mine and they needed to be cooked a little longer. I made them a bunch of times and never had this issue. Ania

Bec Milgrom:

18 Jun 2018

Hey there, any chance you could leave out the sugar/maple syrup all together? I know they wouldn't be as sweet but do you think they would still bake OK or is it all a delicate chemistry balance?

Ania:

18 Jun 2018

Hi Bec,
I'm not sure to be honest. While maple syrup (and any sugar in general) provides sweetness, it also gives structure and those crispy tops to baked goods. My guess is that skipping it completely, will result with soft and soggy cookies. Hope that helps! Ania

11 Jun 2018

I made these today. Super easy but seemed undercooked, so I cooked it a bit longer and it burnt a bit and crumble apart. Seems to be missing something. Still very tasty...

Ania:

12 Jun 2018

Hi,
Sorry to hear that you weren't completely happy. From your description, it sounds like they were overbaked (baked for too long or maybe your oven burns hotter than mine) a little. Hope you decide to give them another go! Ania

Celia:

10 Jun 2018

Tried these this morning and they were so easy and delicious! I like them even better than non-vegan muffins. Thanks Ania!

Ania:

12 Jun 2018

Aw, thanks so much, Celia! That's a massive compliment indeed! I'm so chuffed to hear that! Ania

Allison Smith:

9 Jun 2018

A teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie spice or some cinammon and cardoman would be delicious added to this, I am making these to take for the annual fundraiser for the Cancer Council 'Biggest Morning Tea' that we are holding next Tuesday at our local Community House, this recipe has arrived just in time!

Ania:

12 Jun 2018

Hi Allison,
Agreed, the spices will be a great addition. I initially had cinnamon in these, but I wanted to keep the recipe as simple as possible so decided to do away with it! What a great cause! I hope you and your fundraiser guests will enjoy these! Ania

Wendy mackay:

9 Jun 2018

I'm not quite sure what I did wrong but I couldn't get my muffins to bake completely in the middle. I've gone back over the instructions & can't see anything obvious other than I used Nuttelex instead of peanut/almond butter. I used regular plain flour. Any tips for a very novice baker?! I increased the length of cooking time too but still no joy.

Ania:

12 Jun 2018

Hi Wendy,
I'm so sorry to hear that. My first guess is that maybe your oven bakes hotter than mine so you might want to decrease the overall temperature and bake them for a touch longer so that the inside has a chance to cook while the outside doesn't get too brown too quickly. Also, ensure your oven has been properly pre-heated before putting the tray in. Other than that, I'm not sure what else to suggest, I made these several times and never had this issue. Ania

Sally:

8 Jun 2018

Hi, was thinking you might find the wedding dress in Crete? Perhaps Minoan style 😉

Ania:

12 Jun 2018

Ha ha, yes, it did cross my mind, but I am not a good shopper and especially not in extreme heat so unless a perfect dress hits me in the face, I don't think I will bother shopping here, plus we are staying in tiny seaside places.

Andrea:

8 Jun 2018

These are delicious! Perfect for solving my sugar craving this afternoon...and as these things go, pretty healthy and guilt free! Thank you :)

Ania:

12 Jun 2018

Thanks, Andrea! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed them! Ania

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