These healthy vegan banana muffins are sweetened naturally with dates and bananas for a delicious, moist, and healthy morning or midday sweet bread.
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Mornings are a busy time. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, there’s always a lot of hustle and bustle as we wake up and get ready to go about our days. And in all the craziness, too often a healthy breakfast is forgotton.
Not anymore, my friends!
These healthy vegan banana muffins are a delicious way to start your morning. Loaded with wholesome ingredients, they are a healthy, protein-packed, naturally sweetened, and so good the kids will be begging for more.
And better yet? You can make them ahead of time. These sugar free banana muffins are the perfect snack for your kids. Make them ahead of time and you’ll have a healthy snack the kids can eat all week long.
Ingredients & Substitutions
I love this recipe and I think you will too! These vegan muffins are moist, rich, and naturally sweetened with chocolate chips in every bite. They are the perfect morning pastry or a midday snack.
Here is everything you’ll need
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour – For healthier flour options, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour blends, buckwheat, or spelt flour.
- Dates – For this recipe make sure to use Medjool dates rather than regular dates for they are juicier and sweeter.
- Bananas – Use overly ripe bananas. This gives the recipe more sweetness and flavor while also being easier to mash and incorporate into the remaining ingredients.
- Applesauce – Look for unsweetened applesauce. The applesauce acts as the binder for these muffins. You can’t taste the applesauce but if you would prefer a different kind of egg replacer, check out my complete guide on replacing eggs to get a few more ideas.
- Coconut Oil – Coconut oil adds a bit of flavor and moisture to the muffins. You could also use avocado or olive oil although olive oil will add a slightly savory flavor.
- Vegan Chocolate Chips– If you want to cut out the added sugar, try this recipe with cacao nibs.
Video Recipe
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making these naturally sweetened banana muffins is the perfect beginner vegan baking project. Just like my Vegan Banana Bread recipe, it comes together very quickly for a delicious and wholesome snack.
Step One – Purée the Dates and Bananas
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain the dates and place them in a food processor with the bananas, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Blend the ingredients until a smooth purée forms. You will need to scrape down the sides of the food process a couple of times to make sure you get all the bananas and dates.
Step Two – Make the Batter
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix the date/banana mixture into the flour until the flour is fully hydrated.
Pro Tip: Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
Add the vegan chocolate chips into the batter and fold them in with a wooden spoon or spatula until they are evenly distributed. The goal with folding is to get the chocolate chips fully incorporated into the batter without overmixing the batter. To do this, use a wooden spoon or plastic spatula and fold the batter from bottom to top in a “C” shape.
Step Three – Fill and Bake
Fill each muffin tin or liner to the top with batter. I find that using an ice cream scoop is the cleanest and easiest way to get the batter into the muffin molds. Additionally, with an ice cream scoop, you can ensure the muffins are equally sized.
Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool before serving.
Serving and Storing
Serving – After you take the muffins out of the oven, allow them to cool in the tins until they have cooled completely. Serve the muffins as mid-afternoon snacks or as part of a healthy breakfast.
Storing – Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place the muffins in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry area. You can also freeze these muffins for up to 2 months. To thaw, pull the muffins from the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature for several hours.
Tips And Tricks
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Soak your dates for 20 minutes before blending. This helps soften the dates and makes them easier to purée.
- Use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
- Make sure to let the muffins sit in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before flipping them out to a wire cooling rack. Otherwise, the muffins may fall apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you want to make this muffin batter in advance, store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours.
To bake the muffins, preheat the oven and bake according to the instructions. However, these muffins may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled. The muffins will also be slightly denser as the baking soda begins to activate once it’s mixed into the batter, causing it to be slightly less potent.
For sure! For gluten-free muffins, I recommend using a 1:1 baking blend.
Sure. If you would like to make this recipe oil-free, simply swap out the oil for additional applesauce at a 1:1 ratio.
Walnuts go great in banana muffins. You can add them in addition to or instead of the chocolate chips. You could also add other nuts or seeds which both give some nice crunch and additional nutrients.
More Vegan Muffin Recipes
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
Want more? Make sure to get all my vegan muffin recipes here!
Healthy Vegan Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates pitted and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
- 4 very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
- Drain the dates and place them in a food processor along with the bananas, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients. With a wooden spoon, mix the date/banana mixture into the flour mixture until the flour is fully hydrated. Be careful not to overmix. Once your batter is uniform, stir in chocolate chips.
- Spoon into muffin tins, filling each cup to the top. Bake 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow muffins to cool before removing from pan.
Video
Notes
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Use very ripe bananas. This adds sweetness to the recipe. Ripe bananas are also easier to incorporate into the batter.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
- Make sure to let the muffins sit in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before flipping them out to a wire cooling rack. Otherwise, the muffins may fall apart.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
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