I’ve always liked banana nut muffins, but I didn’t realize the standard muffins were like cupcakes minus the icing until I cut out all the highly processed foods. I cut out refined sugar and used whole grains for my recipe.
If you look up banana nut muffin recipes online, they usually call for a lot of white (refined) all-purpose flour and sugar. Some recipes call for 1 cup (or more) of sugar for a batch of 12 muffins.A few cupcake The recipe I found also calls for the same amount!
So if you omit the icing and call it something else, does that mean you can have cupcakes for breakfast? Whose grand idea was that!? With sweeteners, the muffins actually become the breakfast food we wanted.
Whole grain banana muffins for breakfast
I love making different types of muffins with fruit, but I can’t go wrong with a basic banana nut muffin recipe. These can be made ahead and frozen, or whipped up quickly in the morning for an easy breakfast idea.
By cutting out refined sugar and baking with whole wheat flour, these banana muffins are much closer to breakfast food than what you get from the store or drive-thru.
Muffins are perfect for handmade snacks for bento!
banana nut muffin ingredients
I wanted to make banana nut muffins easily with the usual ingredients, so I didn’t add any unnecessary ingredients. No refined sugar, oil or white flour, just whole grains, baking soda, salt, baking powder, eggs, butter, maple syrup, bananas and nuts.
How to choose the best bananas for muffins
For the best flavor and texture, use bananas that are very ripe (even if they start to brown). It should be past the stage where it’s a little mushy and you want to eat it. This recipe calls for 2 medium/large bananas. If yours is small, you can add a third.
Besides banana muffins, homemade banana bread and banana ice cream are my favorite ways to consume overripe bananas. can be used later.
To freeze ripe bananas, peel them (important because they are very difficult to freeze), cut them in thirds and store them in a freezer bag, or peel them and pre-mash them and divide them into containers. Then defrost on the counter before baking or carefully thaw in the microwave on the “thaw” setting.
If you don’t have many ripe bananas at home, you can often buy them at discounted prices at the grocery store.
nut options
Nuts are optional in this recipe, so you can omit them if you have allergies in your home.
Some people like to add other mix-ins to these muffins. Substituting chocolate chips for nuts can turn these breakfast muffins into a sweet dessert. You can also mix in raisins or other dried fruits to make it different.
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes, you can substitute an equal amount of honey for the maple syrup in this banana nut muffin recipe.
What is the substitute for butter?
If you don’t eat dairy or are simply short on butter, you can substitute applesauce, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, or another type of oil.
Applesauce, Coconut Oil, Greek Yogurt: 1 to 1 substitution, 1/2 cup for this recipe.
Olive oil: Substitute ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil for butter.
Tips for Freezing Homemade Muffins
Let cool completely before freezing banana nut muffins. If they still give off steam when frozen, they may become soft and soggy muffins when thawed.
Place the muffins in an airtight container. For maximum freshness, place muffins in a ziplock bag and “vacuum seal” to remove excess air. Thaw in the microwave for 1 minute or on the counter overnight.
