These Healthy Banana Nut Muffins are 100% wholesome, and super delicious! Using ripe bananas keeps them sweet without using much added sweetener. I love using oat bran in muffins to keep them high in protein and fiber, but also light and fluffy.
My son calls these muffins “nana cupcakes.” He adores them. I adore the fact that he eats such healthy muffins.
These start with oat bran, which is my new favorite muffin ingredient – I started using oat bran a while back with these Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran muffins.
By using ripe bananas, only very little added sweetener is necessary. I love relying on fruit for sweetness!
We’ve made these with chocolate chips added (my son’s favorite kind), but since I already have a great Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe, I decided to go with pecans this time — but who am I kidding? We all know that I add chocolate chips to this recipe most of the time! A handful of blueberries would also be a great addition.
These are the perfect make-ahead breakfast. For the past month, I’ve had one of these almost every morning with my coffee. I have a hard time motivating myself to actually cook in the morning when I am trying to start my day, so grab and go is the best option for me!
Contents
Tips for Healthy Banana Oat Bran Muffins
- Make it Gluten Free: Be sure to use Certified Gluten Free Oat Bran if necessary. Oats are naturally gluten free, but become contaminated during processing, unless you purchase ones that have been certified. Also purchase a high quality baking powder that states “gluten free” on the label.
- Make it Ahead: These can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months if wrapped in air tight bags. Simply defrost and eat, or gently warm up to enjoy.
- Make it Your Own: Instead of pecans, try walnuts, chocolate chips, or even 1/2 cup of blueberries. These are a great base to use for many different mix-ins!
Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups oat bran gluten free, if necessary
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup pecans chopped, or sub walnuts
Wet Ingredients
- 3 bananas ripe
- 1/2 cup yogurt plain
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey or sub date syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, leaving out the nuts.
- In a large mixing bowl, add bananas, and mash with a fork. Add the rest of the wet ingredients, and stir to combine, leaving the bananas a bit chunky.
- Add the dry ingredients and the pecans to the wet ingredients, and stir to combine, without over mixing.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners, and then fill each liner with batter. This recipe will make 12 muffins if you fill them 3/4 of the way, or about 9-10 if you slightly overfill them like I do.
- Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are slightly browned and they are fully cooked in the centers.
- Allow to cool. Store at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Healthy Muffin Recipes:
- Favorite Pumpkin Muffins, by Pinch of Yum
- Vegan Carrot Spiced Muffins, by OhSheGlows
- Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins, by Vitamin Sunshine
- Blueberry Apricot Oat Bran Muffins, by Vitamin Sunshine
I’d love to connect with you on social media! Find me on Facebook or Instagram where I post daily healthy eating and lifestyle inspiration.
Recommended for this Recipe
Oat bran is also a great travel snack. I add 1/3 cup to a snack sized ziplock bag, and add some raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and chia seeds. When I need a healthy snack or meal while I am traveling, I just have to find hot water — which is available in hotel rooms, on flights, and in coffee shops while out and about!
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small percentage of any purchases made.
This is my 5th time making these muffins and they’ve turned out great every time so far (latest batch with blueberries are in the oven now).
I make a half recipe with a whole egg and no honey, it works fine. Very much recommended!
So good to hear! My son loved these muffins when he was little. I haven’t made them in a while but I think I will do that soon!