Healthy Banana Nut Muffins are soft and hearty, with bananas and walnuts, and wholesome ingredients including steel-cut oats and whole wheat flour. They come together in just one bowl with vegan, gluten-free and nut-free options included.
It’s back-to-school week in many places so I thought it was a good time to share a few of my go-to healthy snacks. First up are these banana nut muffins made with overnight oats. They’re wholesome and filling, and perfect for an afternoon snack or quick breakfast as you’re heading out the door.
And I’ve included a nut-free version in the notes so they can also be packed in school lunches.
Ingredients for making easy banana oatmeal muffins
- Steel-cut oats
- Nut milk
- Overripe bananas (mashed)
- Egg
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Honey
- Whole wheat flour
- Coconut sugar
- Baking soda, cinnamon and salt
- Walnuts
How to make banana muffins with steel cut oats
This is a one-bowl situation so these muffins come together easily.
- Start by adding your oats and nut milk to a large bowl and let them soak until the nut milk is fully absorbed (I usually do this overnight).
- Once the oats are soaked, whisk in your mashed bananas, egg, oil and honey. Next, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until just combined. Fold in the walnuts.
- Divide the batter evenly into a 12-cup muffin pan and bake at 425F for 16-18 minutes.
- Let cool and store in a container. Or slather on some butter or honey and enjoy warm!
Recipe variations for these banana oat muffins
Nut-Free
Substitute dairy milk for the nut milk, and replace the walnuts with pumpkin seeds, raisins or chocolate chips. The nutty texture of the steel-cut oats will still give these banana muffins a nutty vibe.
Gluten-Free
Use gluten-free flour in place of whole wheat flour. You’ll also want to make sure the oats you’re using are certified gluten-free. The muffin texture will be a little different, and the tops will bake up a little crackly instead of dome-shaped. But they will still turn out soft and hearty.
Vegan
Replace the honey with maple syrup and use a flax egg instead of an egg. I always refer to this How to Make a Flax Egg tutorial.
Additional recipe tips and substitutions
- If you’re pressed for time, or don’t have steel-cut oats, you can use quick cooking rolled oats and soak them for 30-60 minutes. They won’t create the same nutty texture, but they still work well in this recipe.
- I usually make muffins with whole wheat flour, but if you only have all-purpose white, it will work in this recipe too.
- If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can substitute brown sugar.
- I always find that dark coloured pans brown the muffins faster, especially on the bottom. So if you’re using a dark pan, just keep an eye on the muffins as they near the end of their bake time.
Gluten-free version with chocolate chips
Other muffin recipes you might enjoy
- Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Spelt Banana Muffins
- Raspberry Lemon Muffins
- Coconut Mango Muffins
- Blackberry Lemon Oatmeal Muffins
- Banana Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins
Pin this Healthy Banana Nut Muffin recipe to make for breakfast tomorrow!
If you make these banana nut muffins, or any of the variations included in the recipe, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below!
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Healthy Banana Nut Muffins (Easy One-Bowl Recipe)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Healthy Banana Nut Muffins are soft and hearty, with bananas and walnuts, and wholesome ingredients including steel-cut oats and whole wheat flour. They come together in just one bowl with vegan, gluten-free and nut-free options included.
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 cup unsweetened nut milk
- 2 large overripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup raw chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the oats and milk and let soak overnight (or for at least 5-6 hours).
- Pre-heat oven to 425F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
- To the bowl of soaked oats, add the mashed bananas, egg, oil and honey. Whisk until combined. Add in the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and stir until the dry ingredients are well incorporated. Fold in the walnuts.
- Divide batter evenly into the cups of the muffin pan. The cups will almost be full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter or freeze for later enjoyment.
Notes
- Nut-free version – substitute dairy milk for nut milk, and replace the walnuts with pumpkin seeds, raisins or chocolate chips.
- Gluten-free version – substitute the whole wheat flour for gluten-free flour and make sure your oats are certified gluten-free. The texture will be a little different, and the muffin tops will turn out a little crackly instead of dome-shaped.
- Vegan version – replace the honey with maple syrup and use a flax egg instead of an egg.
- If you’re pressed for time, or don’t have steel-cut oats, you can use quick cooking rolled oats and soak them for 30-60 minutes. They won’t create the same nutty texture, but they still work well in this recipe.
- If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can substitute brown sugar. And if you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can use all-purpose white flour. Just note that these substitutions will make the muffins a little less healthy.
- Dark coloured muffin pans tend to brown the muffins faster, especially on the bottom. So if you’re using a dark pan, just keep an eye on the muffins as they near the end of their bake time.
- Total time in the recipe card includes time for the oats to soak.
- Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.
Should this recipe have baking powder instead of baking soda? Mine did not rise at all. In fact, some sunk. And I had too much batter, even though I didn’t use any nuts. I filled my muffin cups more than usual – which did not work out since they didn’t rise – they spread. Also, they weren’t done at 18 minutes so I kept cooking them longer at two minute increments. At 22 minutes they were still not done but were starting to burn.
I used the rolled oats instead of steel cut – should that be a 1:1 substitution? I would think you would want less rolled oats.
I also used dairy milk not nut milk and a flax egg, both recommended swaps. And I used coconut oil instead of olive oil, which shouldn’t matter.
Hi Marie. I’m so sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. The recipe definitely requires baking soda, not baking powder. Was your baking soda still fresh? Expired baking soda could affect the leavening. While the muffins don’t have a huge rise, they shouldn’t sink. Did you let the oats soak until all of the milk was absorbed? If the oats weren’t fully absorbed, that may result in the batter being too runny and causing the muffins to not rise or fully bake. Overfilling the muffin cups could have also contributed to them sinking. Rolled oats can be used in place of steel cut oats as a 1:1 substitution. I’ve made them this way many times before. The milk and flax egg shouldn’t have made a difference either. I’ve tested both substitutions. I haven’t tested this recipe with coconut oil so that may have played a part. I hope some of these suggestions help.
Hi, these are so good! How long would you say they would last without being frozen?
Hi Kiersten! I’m so glad you like the recipe. The muffins should last at room temperature for about 3 days.
Hi Leanne! I made these today, followed your recipe to the letter except I left out the honey (did not have(. The muffins are excellent! My main taste tester says I should book mark this recipe! Thank you so much. (I came here searching for a recipe that included bananas and steel cut oats).
Hi Arundhati! I’m so glad you and your main taste tester enjoyed the muffins! And I appreciate you letting me know. Glad you were able to find what you were looking for!
Will these freeze well?
Yes, I freeze them all the time!
Love that these muffins are healthy because I’ve really been trying to eat better as of late. Would love to have one of these for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Yum!
Thanks Michele!
I love that these are made with overnight oats, I often make a big batch at the start of the week and by midweek everyone is ready for something different, this is a great way to make sure there is no waste!
That’s a great idea! Thanks Donna!