Banana Bread Muffins (No Added Sugar)
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 12/14/2022 - Last updated on 03/31/2023
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These Banana Bread Muffins are easy and healthy banana muffins made with a bunch of wholesome ingredients and no added sugar.
Plus, these banana muffins are also dairy-free, with an egg-free option and only 3.5 grams of sugar per serving.
I love baking banana muffins for my kids instead of banana bread because it makes great lunchbox fillers.
In fact, these banana bread muffins keep fresh, soft, and fluffy for longer compared to regular banana bread.
Plus, they are a great alternative to wholewheat banana muffins, and they are a bit healthier as these are naturally made with:
- No added sugar
- No dairy
- Egg-free option
What Are Banana Bread Muffins
Banana bread muffins are simply a muffin version of your favorite banana bread.
They are filled with chopped nuts, light, fluffy, and a delicious on-the-go breakfast or afternoon snack.
How To Make Banana Bread Muffins
You can easily bake banana bread into muffins, and these are the best muffins to use the many ripe bananas sitting on your kitchen counter.
Ingredients
All you need to make delicious banana bread muffins are:
- Mashed Ripe Bananas – I recommend using bananas with many dark spots on their skin. This makes banana muffins ultra-sweet without adding any sugar, so they are naturally sweetened with the fructose from bananas.
- Almond Milk or any plant-based milk you love, like coconut milk or oat milk.
- Egg – This recipe also works very well with a flaxseed egg. To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water and set it aside for 10 minutes. When the mixture gets gooey, use it as an egg in the banana muffin recipe.
- Vanilla Extract
- Avocado Oil or melted coconut oil. If you don’t like the flavor of coconut oil, use refined coconut oil. It has no coconut flavor. Other oil works as well, including olive oil or melted butter, if not dairy-free.
- All-Purpose Flour or white wholewheat flour for a healthier twist.
- Cinnamon
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Chopped Toasted Nuts – I like to use a blend of nuts: almonds, walnuts, and pecans to add a blend of healthy fats and proteins to the muffins.
Toasting The Nuts
First, I recommend toasting the nuts for a better muffin flavor. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Place the nuts on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 5 to 6 minutes until roasted and fragrant.
You can also dry-toast the nuts in a non-stick pan over medium heat. It takes 2 to 3 minutes while stirring occasionally. Stop cooking when fragrant.
Set aside on a plate. Then, when cooled, place on a chopping board and finely chop the nuts. Set aside.
Banana Bread Batter
Now, in a large bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, add the peeled bananas.
Mash the banana piece until it resembles a liquid smooth puree. You can also use an electric beater or potato masher to mash the bananas.
Pack the mashed bananas in measuring cups to measure the exact amount called by the recipe. this prevents the muffins from being too dry – not enough mashed bananas – or too moist – too many bananas.
Return the mashed banana to the bowl, add the remaining liquid ingredients: almond milk, egg, oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined.
Now, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and toasted chopped nuts.
Using a wooden spoon, silicone spatula, or the paddle attachment, mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix the banana bread batter to avoid the muffins being packed and dense.
Baking The Muffins
Preheat oven to 430°F (220°C). I recommend baking the muffins at high temperatures for 5 minutes to help them raise and increase the fluffy texture of the muffins.
Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper liners and lightly oil them with cooking oil spray.
Use a large cookie dough scoop or a 1/4 cup to scoop out the batter from the bowl and fill the muffin pan.
Place the muffins on the center rack for 5 minutes at 430°F (220°C), then reduce to 350°F (180°C).
Bake for another 25 to 35 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
If the top of the banana bread muffins turns dark too quickly, foil the top of the tray and reduce the heat to 325°F (160°C).
Let the muffins cool down for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to fully cool down.
Add-Ons
This banana muffin recipe is so versatile and easy to adapt to create a range of banana muffin flavors.
For example, swap the nuts or half of it with some of the ingredients below:
- Chocolate Chips – You can use sugar-free chocolate chips to keep the added sugar low.
- Shredded Coconut
- Blueberries – or follow my wholewheat banana blueberry muffins recipe.
- Raspberries
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ideas to adapt this recipe and make it allergy-friendly:
- Egg-Free – As mentioned above, any egg replacer works like a flax egg, chia egg, or store-bought egg replacer. See above how to make a flax egg at home.
- Gluten-Free – Feel free to use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
- Nut-Free – You can skip the nuts entirely, and the recipe will still work. Instead, you can toast seeds like hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
Storage Instructions
These banana bread muffins can be stored for up to 4 days in a sealed box in the fridge.
You can freeze banana muffins for up to 3 months in sealed bags or airtight containers. Simply thaw the banana muffins the day before at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are my answers to your most frequent questions about these banana muffins.
Can I Bake The Recipe In A Loaf Pan?
Absolutely, you can bake this recipe in a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan to make banana bread.
Should I Add Sugar If My Bananas Are Yellow?
Yes, I recommend adding 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of granulated sweetener along with the dry ingredients.
The healthiest options are coconut sugar, sugar-free brown erythritol, or simply brown sugar.
Can I Use Almond Flour?
No, this recipe won’t work with almond flour. Try my almond flour banana muffins instead or keto banana bread for a low-carb option.
Have you tried these banana bread muffins? Share a comment or review below to connect with me.
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Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Ripe Mashed Bananas 3 large ripe bananas (7"/8"long) with dark spot on their skins
- 2 tablespoons Almond Milk
- 1 large Egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Avocado Oil
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups All-Purpose Flour (note 1)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Chopped Toasted Nuts mix of pecans and walnuts
Optional – if banana not ripe enough
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar (note 2)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420°F (220°C). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- Dry roast the nuts in a non-stick pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Cool down on a chopping board, then finely chop them. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the pieces of peeled, ripe banana and mash with a potato masher, forks, or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
- Pack the mashed bananas in a measuring cup to measure the amount called by the recipe and return to the bowl.
- Whisk in the remaining liquid ingredients: almond milk, egg, vanilla extract, and oil.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. If your bananas are not ripe enough, add the optional granulated sweetener now.
- Fold in cooled, toasted nuts and stir to combine. The batter should look like banana bread, not too thick, and fairly liquid with no lumps of flour.
- Fill each muffin hole with about 1/4 cup of banana muffin batter.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 420°F (220°C), then reduce oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
- Cool down on a wire rack for 1 hour.
Storage
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months in zip-lock bags or a sealed container. Thaw at room temperature the day before.
Notes
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About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
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Why do you have to cook banana cupcakes at such a high heat, then turn down? Why not just cook at consistent 350?
I explain this up in the post, baking your muffins at higher temperature for 5 minutes increase the raise. You don’t have to follow this extra step, but this makes your muffins extra fluffy