These Healthy Banana Nut Muffins are moist, fluffy and speckled with walnuts for extra crunch. Sweetened with maple syrup and moistened with yogurt, serve warm for breakfast, brunch or meal prep for a grab-and-go snack!
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Extra bananas on hand? Be sure to make Double Chocolate Banana Bread, Blueberry Banana Oatmeal and Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect way to use up those over ripe bananas hanging about in your kitchen!
- Yogurt is the secret ingredient to moist banana muffins.
- Made with pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand.
- Ready in 30 minutes – start to finish!
Recipe Ingredients
Most, if not all, of the ingredients for these banana walnuts muffins can be found in my healthy baking pantry recommendations. We will need:
- whole wheat pastry flour – whole wheat pastry flour keeps these muffins tender, light and fluffy. Sub it out for half all purpose flour, half whole wheat flour if that is all you have on hand. Or, try a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend.
- ground cinnamon – for a hint of warming spice. You could also add 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg if you like a little extra hint of flavor.
- baking soda – for lift and to help aid in browning.
- fine sea salt – to enhance all those banana nut flavors!
- extra ripe bananas – we want super brown speckled bananas for the best texture and flavor. We need 1 cup mashed banana, which is about 2-3 bananas, depending on size.
- maple syrup – for natural sweetness and rich flavor.
- granulated sugar – the granulated sugar is optional, and I only recommend it if your bananas are not ripe enough or if you prefer a sweeter muffin. I recommend ¼ cup or ⅓ cup depending on how ripe your bananas are and how sweet your sweet tooth is.
- yogurt – I tested these muffins with both plain Greek yogurt or Skyr yogurt, and they both were delicious. I suppose you could also swap it out for a dairy free yogurt like coconut or cashew, but I have not tested this myself. Let me know if you do!
- eggs – to bind the batter and lift those muffin tops to new heights.
- oil – I used avocado oil, but you could also use a light olive oil or melted and cooled coconut oil if you like a slight coconut flavor.
- vanilla extract – for floral sweetness.
- milk – use any milk you have on hand, such as almond milk, cashew milk, coconut milk or dairy milk.
- walnuts – for buttery goodness and crunch. Have some extra chopped walnuts on hand to sprinkle on top before baking.
Find the full detailed instructions with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
Recommended Tools
- 12-cup muffin pan – Use a light colored pan for even baking and prevent overly browned bottoms!
- Paper liners – I swear by these ones, they never stick!
Recipe Tips & Notes:
Speed up the ripening process. If your bananas are not ripe enough, seal them in a brown paper bag with an apple or avocado. The bananas should be ripe within 1-2 days.
Do not overmix the batter. Or you will end up with dense, rubbery muffins.
Crush the walnuts with your hands. If you only have whole walnut halves, crush gently with your hands.
Start at a higher oven temperature. This gives you bakery-style banana muffins, with higher and more pronounced muffin tops. Feel free to bake them straight at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes if you prefer.
Step-by-Step Guide
Banana and walnut muffins couldn’t be any easier than mixing the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Here’s how I do it in just a few easy steps:
Prepare Muffin Pan
Preheat oven to 425ºF and line your muffin pan with paper liners, or coat with cooking spray. You can also use silicone liners.
Mix Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Whisk Wet Ingredients
In large bowl combine the well-mashed banana with maple syrup and granulated sugar, if using extra sugar. Then whisk in the yogurt, add eggs, oil and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
Make Muffin Batter
Slowly add in half of the flour, gently stir a few times then add milk, remaining flour and fold in walnuts. Careful not to over-mix or you’ll end up with tough muffins.
Evenly distribute batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling about 2/3 way full. Top with more walnuts if you want some to show in the muffin tops.
Muffin Baking Tip: Use a medium cookie scoop for easy batter distribution!
Bake
Bake muffins at 425ºF for 5 minutes. Then drop oven temp down to 350ºF and continue baking for 10-15 minutes.
Check muffins at 10 minutes with inserted toothpick. Muffins are done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Cool & Enjoy!
Allow muffins to cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely. Enjoy warm!
Serving Suggestions
Warm banana muffins deserve nothing more than a hot cup of coffee or tea. A few more inspiring serving ideas include:
- Breakfast: Whip these together when you have some extra time in the morning and wake your family up to fresh banana muffins!
- Brunch: Bring these to any and all brunch gatherings with friends.
- Meal Prep: Make a batch at the beginning of the week to enjoy as a snack or grab-and-go treat. Kids love them in school lunch boxes, too!
Want my Top 5 Muffin Recipes?
How to Store & Freeze
Leftover banana muffins will keep in a paper-towel lined airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. I do not recommend storing these in the fridge, since the cold temperature will draw out moisture.
Rewarm in a 350 degree Fahrenheit toaster oven or oven for 5 minutes, or pop one in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
Freezing Instructions: Seal tight in a plastic freezer storage bag or freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature or reheat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds when ready to enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yes, thaw the frozen bananas completely and drain any excess liquid before mashing.
Can I make these banana nut muffins gluten-free?
Yes, I have had much success with using an equal amount of a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. My favorite is Bob’s Red Mill.
Can I reduce the fat content?
If you would like to reduce the oil, replace 2 tablespoons of the oil with an equal amount of mashed bananas, applesauce, or yogurt. I still recommend using the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil for a soft and tender texture.
Why did my muffins stick to the liners?
Traditional paper liners can cause sticking. To prevent the muffins from sticking to the liners, spray with oil, use silicone liners, or use these non-stick liners. Allowing the muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes also helps to prevent sticking.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Healthy Banana Nut Muffins recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too! Xx Ashley
Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups whole wheat pastry flour, see notes
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon,
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup well-mashed bananas, about 2 medium-large extra ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, optional, if you want a sweeter muffin
- ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt or Skyr, dairy free works too
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup avocado oil, or light olive oil, see notes
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk of choice
- ½ cup crushed walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF and line muffin pan with paper liners, or spray with oil; set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients; set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In large bowl combine well-mashed banana with maple syrup and granulated sugar, if using. Whisk in yogurt, then add eggs, oil and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
- Combine: Slowly add in half of the flour, gently stir a few times then add milk, remaining flour and fold in walnuts. Careful not to over-mix or you’ll end up with tough muffins.
- Bake: Evenly distribute batter into prepared pan, filling about ⅔ way full. Top with more walnuts if you want some to show in the muffin tops. Bake muffins at 425ºF for 5 minutes. Then drop oven temp down to 350ºF and continue baking for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Check muffins at 10 minutes with inserted toothpick. Muffins are done when no wet batter is present on the toothpick.
- Cool: Allow muffins to cool in pan for a few minutes before transferring to rack to cool completely. Best served warm.
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