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Vegan Banana Muffins make the best grab and go breakfast or afternoon treat. All you need is ripe, spotty bananas, plus 10 easy ingredients!
These Vegan Banana Muffins are soft and fluffy on the inside, crisp on the edges, and puffed up tall like the muffins from your favorite coffee shop. No one would guess these bite-sized buttery muffins were made with plant-based ingredients.
Table of Contents
The 30 Minute Muffin
A loaf of banana bread is delicious, but it’s also notorious for a pretty long bake (60 minutes to be exact)! This banana muffin recipe solves that exact problem. All the light, fluffy, delicious flavor of my popular vegan banana bread with ⅓ of the bake time.
I already know this 30 minute muffin recipe is going to come in handy for last minute meal prep, quick breakfasts, or late night snacks when a banana bread craving hits – you know what I’m talking about. Now let’s get into the details!
What You Need for Vegan Banana Muffins
Similar to my vegan banana bread, these muffins are made with affordable pantry staples. A few notes to help:
- Flax: Arguably my favorite vegan egg replacer. When mixed with water, it thickens up into a gelatinous texture, very similar to the consistency of egg whites.
- Flour: All-purpose flour yields the lightest, fluffiest domed muffins. If you’re looking for a gluten-free muffin, you may enjoy my Chocolate Banana Muffins.
- Bananas: The spottier the better.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar is essentially granulated cane sugar mixed with molasses, which adds both extra moisture and sweetness to these banana muffins.
- Non-dairy milk: Any unsweetened vegan milk will do here. Soy milk is my go-to.
- Oil: Another key ingredient to extra soft, bakery style muffins. If you’re looking for oil-free muffins, try my One-Bowl Pumpkin Muffins or make my Vegan Banana Bread recipe with nut butter.
How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins
- Mix the ground flax and water in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Form a well in the center.
- Mash the bananas until smooth and glossy in a separate bowl. Add in the brown sugar, flax egg, milk, melted vegan butter, vanilla and vinegar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until a thick batter forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts, if using.
- Spoon the batter evenly among the muffin tins. Sprinkle each muffin with a few extra chocolate chips.
- Bake until the tops of the muffins are slightly golden, about 25 minutes total.
- Cool the muffins on a cooling rack.
- Enjoy these vegan banana muffins warm or room temperature.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Use overripe bananas. As bananas ripen, the starches in them break down and increases the sugar content in the fruit. This makes riper bananas significantly sweeter. For best results, use ripe, spotty bananas!
- Mash the bananas really well. After mashing the bananas with a fork, mix them until they are mostly smooth and glossy – this allows for the best distribution of banana flavor.
- Pay attention to the oven temperature change. Starting at a higher temperature before decreasing for the remainder of the bake creates bakery-style domed muffins with golden, crisp edges.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan Banana Muffins make a simple breakfast, quick snack, or sweet, after dinner treat. I love to keep it simple and slather with my favorite nut butter.
If you’re looking for more easy vegan muffin recipes, you’ll also love these Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins, Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (One Bowl!) and these Apple Cinnamon Muffins!
How to Store Vegan Banana Muffins
Muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. These muffins can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Allow the muffins to cool completely before storing.
I typically enjoy these banana muffins at room temperature, but if you prefer your muffins warm, reheat a single muffin in the microwave in 15 second bursts until warm. Alternatively, wrap the muffins in foil and reheat in the oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes at 350F.
Recipe FAQs
The batter will be too moist and gummy. You need the correct ratio of wet to dry to make light, fluffy baked goods.
I recommend mixing with a spatula and slowly folding the batter together as opposed to a traditional whisking motion. This will help prevent air from being whipped into the batter and keep it from becoming tough.
From experience, I have not found this to make a difference. I wouldn’t worry about it!
It is okay for your batter to have a few lumps – just ensure there are no lumps full of dry flour.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 5 tablespoons water
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe* bananas mashed (about 1 cup
- 3/4 packed cup light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup melted vegan butter or neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks optional
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425F and generously grease a 12-muffin pan with vegan butter or oil. Combine the ground flax and water in a small bowl and mix well; let sit for at least 5 minutes, to thicken.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the flour to a large mixing bowl, then add in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until combined, then form a well in the center of the bowl.
- Wet Ingredients: Break the bananas into pieces and place in a smaller bowl. Mash the bananas well with a fork, mixing the mixture until it is mostly smooth and glossy. Add the brown sugar, flax egg, milk, melted butter or oil, vanilla, and vinegar to the center of the bowl. Mix well, until a thick batter forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts, if using.
- Divide the Batter: Use a large scoop or spoon to evenly divide the batter among the muffin tins, filling each tin level to the top. I like to sprinkle each muffin with a few extra chocolate chips, but that’s totally optional!
- Bake: Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 7 minutes, then, without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature for 350F. Bake for an additional 15 to 18 minutes, until the tops of the muffins are slightly golden.
- Let Cool: Remove from the oven and set the muffin tin on a cooling rack; let the muffins rest for 5 minutes before using a knife to remove them from the muffin tin. Enjoy warm, or let cool completely on the wire rack before storing.
- Storage: Muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze these banana muffins for up to two months, and defrost/reheat as necessary in a toaster oven. I do not recommend storing your muffins in the fridge as it makes their texture chewy.
Recipe Notes
- Ripe Bananas: Make sure your bananas are overripe and have brown spots on the skin! This gives the recipe sweetness and the best banana flavor.
- Ground flax can be replaced with ground chia seed.
- Brown sugar can be swapped for coconut sugar, but the muffins won’t be as moist.
These are so delicious! The perfect treat with the chocolate chips too. I baked them for a lot longer than the recipes suggested (15 minutes).
I’ll definitely be making these again!
Yay! Thank you, Ellen!
I just have to say…I already made these banana muffins twice and plan to make them again this weekend—they are just that good! I like to eat one or two right out of the oven and then freeze the rest for another day. They actually reheat so well—I think they actually taste better reheated because the exterior becomes crispy while the inside remains soft. I served these to my friend and he said it was the best muffin he ever had—and he’s not even vegan!
That’s wonderful! Thank you, Bre!
Best banana muffins I’ve ever made! Super moist and fluffy
Thank you, Julia!
This is so good! I’ve made it a few times and my non-vegan husband loves it as much as I do. It’s simple to make and so tasty
So happy to hear that, Lynetta! Thank you.
Made these muffins today for the first time & they are delicious! They came out so light and fluffy, with the perfect amount of banana taste. I used chocolate chips, walnuts, an egg replacer from my local store, full fat oat milk, and sunflower oil. They’re a hit 🤗 thanks for the recipe!!
You’re so welcome, Olivia!
I made these muffins yesterday (with walnuts and choco chips) and they turned out great! The tops rose beautifully so they had a great dome. My husband loves them as well.
Thank you for making them, Lee! We’re happy you and your husband loved it.
How many muffins does this recipe make?
It should be able to make about a dozen. We used a 12-muffin pan in this recipe.
These are so easy and delishous! My entire family devoured them. Will definitely be making again, probably with a dou le recipe so they last more than a day.
Yes they tend to go pretty quick! Glad you and your family enjoyed them 🙂
Can we replace the butter/oil?
I cannot recommend this as I haven’t tested an oil-free substitute for this recipe.
I tripled this recipe and made it with oat flour for some extra protein and I loved it. I also added extra nuts and no chocolate (but next time I’ll add chocolate to half the batch)!
Great to know! Glad you loved them 🙂