Fluffy Vegan Banana Muffins
User Reviews
4.5
Fluffy Vegan Banana Muffins
Description
These muffins rely on mashed ripe bananas for moistness and sweetness, combined with all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and optional salt to form the dry base. The wet ingredients include granulated sugar, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, warmed plant-based milk, and vanilla extract. After combining wet and dry ingredients gently to avoid toughness, the batter is portioned into greased and floured muffin tins.
Baking at 400°F produces muffins with a soft crumb marked by banana flavor and gently spiced undertones. For an optional finishing touch, dipping muffin tops in a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking creates a slightly crunchy, sweet crust. These muffins can be made as mini or regular sizes with batch yields adjusted accordingly.
They make a satisfying vegan breakfast or snack and store well at room temperature airtight for several days or can be frozen to extend freshness. The banana flavor intensifies after a day or two.
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ¼ cups banana about 3 small/medium or 2 large, mashed ripe
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch salt optional and to taste
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil melted (canola or vegetable oil could be substituted but I prefer coconut oil)
- ½ cup milk slightly warmed (coconut, almond, soy, rice, cow’s; I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- granulated sugar for dipping, about 1/3 cup
- cinnamon for dipping, about 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Spray non-stick muffin pans with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans. (I prefer cosmetically to not use liners, and also the muffins could stick) I made 24 mini muffins and 7 regular muffins. I estimate the recipe will make 30 to 36 mini, or 16 to 18 regular-sized muffins. Set pans aside.
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, optional salt, and stir to incorporate; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, melted coconut oil (about 1 minute in the microwave), slightly warmed milk (about 20 seconds in the microwave – this prevents the cold milk from re-solidfying the coconut oil on contact), brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Fold in the bananas.
- Pour wet mixture over the dry, stirring until just incorporated. Make sure to get all the dry bits from the bottom of the bowl, but don’t overmix or muffins will be tough. Batter is quite thick and if yours is seemingly too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it.
- Using a cooking sprayed one-tablespoon measure for a mini muffin pan or a sprayed one-quarter cup measure for a regular sized pan (or what is appropriate for your pan size). Fill the cavities between 2/3 and 3/4 full; don’t exceed 3/4 full.
- Bake until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Tops will be domed, springy to the touch, and will be on the paler side rather than golden. Done for me was about 9 minutes for mini, 15 minutes for regular sized. Baking times will vary widely based on size of pans used, how many pans you have in the oven at once, how moist your bananas were, and how many times you open the oven door to rotate pans. Watch your muffins, not the clock.
- Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- If desired, after they’re cool enough to handle, stir together about 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and dip the tops (or entire muffin) into it. I didn’t need to brush with melted coconut oil or (vegan) butter in order for the cinnamon-sugar to adhere.
Notes
- Keep muffins airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Flavor and softness improve after a day or two of resting.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 30-36 mini muffins, or 16-18 regular muffins
Amount Per Serving
Calories 242 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 242kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 40g | 13% |
| Protein | 2g | 4% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Cholesterol | 1mg | 0% |
| Sodium | 106mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 24g | 48% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.