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These healthy banana muffins with oatmeal are made in a blender with simple ingredients and no flour required. Perfect for using up ripe bananas as a healthy breakfast or snack that the whole family will love.
If you asked me what recipe I have made the most over the past 10 years, I would say without hesitation: this banana muffins recipe! I’ve been making these healthy banana muffins with oatmeal for years now, and they’ve become my absolute go-to whenever I have spotted bananas sitting on my counter.
This recipe originally started as a reader’s challenge to me to create a healthier muffin recipe, and it’s become one of my top rated recipes by readers. Everything goes straight into the blender—no all-purpose flour, just wholesome ingredients that bake into fluffy muffins. They’re naturally gluten-free and I feel great feeding them to my kids or eating them for snacks!
Featured reader comments
“These are one of our go-to muffin recipes! I’ve shared the recipe with so many people! I love that I can “casually” measure the ingredients and they always turn out.” -Rachel
“I make these muffins at least once a month when I have ripe bananas that need to be used. I love them!! SO easy to freeze as well.” -Allegra
Why make this healthy banana muffins recipe
After testing countless variations over the years, I can say this recipe hits all the marks I want in a healthy snack or breakfast. Here’s what makes these healthy banana muffins so special:
- They’re basically oatmeal and a banana in muffin form. I love that these muffins are made mostly with old-fashioned oats and ripe bananas—no flour needed! The oats get ground up during blending, making a naturally gluten-free base.
- They’re lightly sweetened naturally. Instead of loading these muffins with sugar like many store-bought versions, I use just ¼ cup of maple syrup. The natural sweetness from the bananas adds as well!
- It’s quick and simple in a blender! If you haven’t made blender muffins before, it’s time to start! I’ve found that making muffins in a blender feels like it creates less mess. I can usually make these in about 10 minutes while the oven is preheating, since we also made the recipe quantities easy to remember.
The secret to perfect banana oat muffins
As I said, I make these healthy banana muffins all the time and our kids gobble them up! We love serving them since it’s basically like eating oatmeal and a banana, with a few added seasonings. Here are a few tips for the process:
Start with very ripe bananas. The key to moist, flavorful muffins is using bananas that are heavily spotted or even slightly overripe. I get excited when I see bananas getting too ripe for snacking because I know muffin time is coming!
Blend thoroughly for the right texture. Since you’re essentially creating oat flour during the blending process, I recommend blending thoroughly to make sure the oats get broken down (especially if your blender is less powerful!). We use a high speed blender and it works perfectly.
Top with oats for fun. I like to sprinkle extra rolled oats on top before baking. It adds a delightful texture contrast and makes these healthy breakfast ideas look bakery-worthy.
Pro tip
This recipe is very forgiving! I’ve found it even works with 2 ripe bananas. It’s not too touchy and it’s hard to mess up. Just make sure that you blend everything well before baking. It’s the perfect go-to healthy snack or breakfast!
How to customize your banana oat muffins
There are lots of ways to mix up these healthy banana muffins with oatmeal! Here are a few ideas:
- Spice it up: Add ½ teaspoon of allspice, ground ginger, or ¼ teaspoon of cloves for a warming spice blend that’s particularly nice in fall and winter.
- Add texture: Fold in up to ½ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or your favorite nuts after blending. Adding toasted walnuts brings a banana nut muffin vibe!
- Make them fruity: Try my Healthy Blueberry Muffins or Healthy Apple Muffins variations using this same blender method. You can also make Healthy Zucchini Muffins or Applesauce Muffins using this concept.
Storage and freezing info
These healthy banana muffins store well. Place them in the refrigerator and store for up to 10 days. They’re best at room temperature, so allow them to sit for a few minutes before eating.
These muffins also freeze well: place them in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Take out a few and pop them into the fridge for use in lunches throughout the week.
Dietary notes
This healthy banana muffins recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free. For vegan and plant-based, substitute 2 flax eggs for the eggs.
Frequently asked questions
I’ve tested this recipe in various blenders, and while a high-powered blender works best, a regular blender will work if you blend longer and scrape down the sides a few times.
The riper, the better! I prefer bananas that are heavily spotted or even slightly mushy. They should be sweet and aromatic.
Absolutely! Honey works well if you’re not vegan, or you can try agave nectar.
Healthy Banana Muffins
This healthy banana muffins recipe with oatmeal is incredibly easy to make in a blender with oats, bananas, and a few other simple ingredients! It’s the best use for ripe bananas as a healthy breakfast or snack.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 large very ripe bananas (about 1 ½ cups mashed*)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups rolled oats, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup neutral oil (sunflower, vegetable or grapeseed)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon**
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place all ingredients in a blender, breaking the bananas into pieces as you add them. Blend everything on high for a minute or two until a smooth batter forms.
- Place 9 muffin cups into a muffin tin and pour the batter divided evenly between the cups; the amount of muffins will depend on the size of the bananas and type of oats (we like filling them as full for a tall muffin). Sprinkle the tops with extra oats and gently press them down.
- Bake for about 30 to 33 minutes* until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the muffin tin and allow them to cool a few minutes before serving. Store refrigerated for up to 10 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Note: The amount of muffins can depend on the size of the bananas and the type of oats, and it’s a forgiving recipe (it even works with 2 large bananas). With large bananas and rolled oats, we typically get 9 muffins. We’ve had readers get 10 or even up to 12. The 30 minute bake time typically works for any amount of muffins, but you may want to check them at 25 minutes if you’re baking 10 to 12 muffins.
**If you’d like, add ½ teaspoon allspice to add even more flavor to this muffin. You can also add ½ ground ginger or ¼ teaspoon cloves for a bigger spice kick.
More healthy muffin recipes to try
Over the years, we’ve found readers love the healthy banana blender muffin concept. So of course we had to create a few variations on this recipe! Here are a few different flavors using the same blender muffin idea with rolled oats:
- Add blueberries for Healthy Blueberry Muffins.
- Use applesauce and oat for Applesauce Muffins.
- Try it with zucchini for Healthy Zucchini Muffins or Apple Zucchini Muffins.
- Make Apple Gluten Free Muffins or Healthy Apple Muffins instead.
- You might also enjoy our banana bread brownies!
I make these several times a year and this recipe is the sole reason why there is often bananas in my house! it makes 8 mini loaves. I try to add a bit more coconut oil and find that keeps them from drying out which happens for me as I don’t generally add sweetener to banana baking, or use half of what the recipe calls for.
LOVE these muffins…I’ve made them a number of times & will continue to do so. When made properly, they are moist enough to keep very well in freezer.
Caveat: in my experience one has to be careful/mindful about the blender/time.
I think the standard caution about “over-beating” ANY muffin batter does apply here.
If overblended (too long, too high) the muffins bake up very tough, almost rubbery.
These are one of our go-to muffin recipes! I’ve shared the recipe with so many people! 25 mins for 12 muffins seems to work :) I love that I can “casually” measure the ingredients and they always turn out. This time I added ground flax seeds, hemp seeds and protein powder to beef them up and still turned out great (slightly less delicious though).
Thank you guys!
Love this! Thanks for the comment.
Delicious! I used walnut oil, added ground flax, and sprinkled mini chocolate chips and chopped walnuts on top. I’ll mix the chocolate chips in next time. Definitely recommend adding walnuts. I’ve avoided blender muffin recipes to avoid cleaning the blender, but I am a convert after these – SO much easier to pour the batter rather than scooping!
Loved the recipe but without the salt, they came out a little too salty for my liking. Other than that these were great
These are really good. Even better is that they were a cinch to make–loved that they were made in the blender. Will definitely make again!
Could these be made as pumpkin muffins by subbing canned pumpkin for the bananas? The original version is fabulous, but it would be fun to change things up a bit.
We have tried this with applesauce and it works, so pumpkin should work too! You’ll just need to double the sugar because banana has so much sugar in it. Here’s a template, I would think you could substitute 3/4 to 1 cup pumpkin puree in this recipe and get it to work. https://www.acouplecooks.com/applesauce-muffins/