Switch up your breakfast routine with something just as nutritious as a classic bowl of oatmeal, but so much more flavorful: oat flour banana muffins! They’re packed with wholesome, simple ingredients to keep you feeling full and energized, and free of refined flour and sugar, so you can start your day off on the right foot. This is an easy recipe that takes about 15 minutes to make - perfect for busy weekday mornings!
Is there anything better than waking up to breakfast that’s already been prepped? It makes mornings SO much easier. Rather than resort to something pre-packaged and not-so-healthy, imagine having a hearty, homemade banana muffin to enjoy! Made only with oat flour and naturally sweetened with honey, they’re both healthy and delicious.
Recipe Highlights
Here’s what you can look forward to when you whip up a batch of these easy oat flour banana muffins:
- Moist, tender muffins with the perfect amount of texture and chew (thanks to those oats!).
- A lightly sweet, banana bread flavor with a slightly nutty twist.
- An easy breakfast that’s both portable and filling. The rolled oats and oat flour in these muffins contribute a healthy dose of fiber and protein, making them much more substantial than your average muffin.
- A kid-friendly option that’s also naturally gluten-free and dairy-free - perfect for a variety of dietary needs.
- The perfect make-ahead recipe (and therefore a guaranteed new favorite). These banana and oat muffins stay moist for days, and they’re freezer-friendly too!
Jump to:
Muffin Ingredients
Let’s talk ingredients; the photo below shows everything you’ll need for this recipe!
The details:
- Bananas: The riper the better, so grab the ones with lots of brown spots that have been sitting on your counter for a day too many. Frozen bananas work too - just let them defrost before you use them. Mash your bananas by hand, so that they’re slightly chunky.
- Oat milk: This feels like a no-brainer choice for oat flour muffins (and conveniently keeps this recipe dairy-free), but cow's milk, almond milk, or anything similar will do the trick too. Just make sure it's unsweetened!
- Vanilla extract: I always recommend using real vanilla extract for baking, but that’s especially true here, since we’re working with simple flavors that will allow the vanilla to really shine through.
- Coconut oil: Instead of butter, we’ll use coconut oil to keep these muffins moist and tender. Any other neutral-flavored cooking oil (like avocado oil, which I use in my almond flour muffins) also works.
- Oats: I like to use old-fashioned oats, but quick-cooking oats are fine too.
- Oat Flour: You can buy this, but making your own oat flour is just as easy! It can be a great addition to so many recipes, like banana oat bread and healthy pumpkin muffins.
- Honey: They’re something about the combination of oats, bananas, and honey that just seems right, but you’re welcome to skip the honey and make banana maple syrup muffins instead. Agave syrup works too! If you do use honey, I like to opt for raw, unfiltered honey for its added nutrients.
What is oat flour, anyway?
So glad you asked! If you grind oats long enough (which really isn’t that long at all with a good blender), they’ll turn into a fine, powdery substance that we call oat flour. I have an entire post dedicated to making homemade oat flour, with more details about its nutritional benefits and what sorts of recipes it’s good for.
How to Make Oat Flour Banana Muffins
These muffins couldn’t be simpler to make! This is a no-mixer recipe - you’ll need nothing more than a couple of bowls and a whisk.
Start by preheating your oven to 375ºF. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and melted coconut oil. Add the eggs and whisk them in thoroughly. Pour this into the oat flour mixture.
Using your (now empty) second bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, oat milk, and vanilla extract. Combine this with the dry ingredients and fold everything together with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.
Divvy the batter up between the 12 muffin cups - each one will be nearly full, which is exactly what we want to make nice and big muffins.
Bake for 17-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Banana Oat Muffins
Muffins are always best stored at room temperature. Keep them in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. These muffins will stay fresh for anywhere from 3 to 5 days, depending on the temperature of your house.
In warmer months, I’d recommend keeping banana muffins in the refrigerator. When properly chilled, they should keep for up to a week. The refrigerator will make the muffins a bit less soft, but that’s nothing we can’t fix! Just pop one in the microwave for 30-40 seconds before serving.
To freeze these muffins, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them inside a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. You can freeze them for up to 3 months and let them defrost at room temperature before serving.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ideas for putting your own spin on these healthy banana oatmeal muffins:
- Add a mix-in: Try adding up to 1 cup of mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
- Spice things up: A warm spice like cinnamon would pair perfectly with the other flavors in these muffins, or take a cue from my coffee banana bread and add some espresso powder.
- Add a garnish: Sprinkle your muffins with raw sugar before baking to give them a crunchy-sweet finish.
How to Serve These Muffins
My favorite way to serve these muffins is split in half and topped with a pat of butter - it’s simple but so, so good. You can also slather them with peanut butter or Nutella for an extra treat!
And since every morning calls for caffeine (at least in my book), don’t forget to pair them with your caffeinated drink of choice! A caramel iced coffee or warm chai latte would be a great choice.
Oat Flour Banana Muffin Recipe FAQ
Compared to most traditional muffin recipes, these carry much more nutritional value. Besides the high fiber content of oats and oat flour, you’ll also benefit from nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, magnesium, and potassium found in bananas. And if you’re looking to avoid processed carbohydrates and sugars, you can feel good about knowing that these muffins have absolutely no conventional flour and no refined sugar.
Use products made with certified gluten-free oats to make these banana oat muffins gluten-free. Oats often come in contact with gluten-containing grains during processing, so this is important to watch out for if you’re baking for someone with celiac disease or any sort of gluten sensitivity.
While I've only tested this recipe with a muffin pan, I do have a very similar recipe for oat flour banana bread that I highly recommend!
More Great Recipes You Can Make with Bananas
Don’t let those overripe bananas go to waste! I’ve got plenty of ways for you to use them:
Have you made this recipe?
If so, I'd love to hear your feedback; you can leave a rating and review in the comments section below! It's also so helpful if you help spread the word by sharing this post on your favorite social media channel. If you happen to snap a photo of what you've baked, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me (@brighteyedbaker) so I can give you a shoutout!
Recipe Card
Oat Flour Banana Muffins
These healthy muffins are naturally-sweetened with ripe bananas and honey, and come packed with oats and oat flour to keep you feeling satisfied all morning long. Despite the fact that they're made without refined flour, sugar, or butter, they're light, moist, and delicious!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: muffins
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 cups (286 grams) oat flour
- 1 ⅓ cups (124 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (170 grams) honey
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) coconut oil, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (361 grams) mashed ripe bananas
- ⅜ cup (92 grams) unsweetened oat milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF and spray a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, oats, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and melted coconut oil. Add the eggs and whisk them in thoroughly. Pour this into the oat flour mixture.
- Using the (now empty) second bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients: mashed bananas, oat milk, and vanilla extract. Combine with the dry ingredients, folding everything together with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.
- Transfer the muffin batter to the prepared pan, filling each cup nearly to the brim.
- Bake muffins in preheated oven for 17-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Ingredients Notes:
- Quick-cooking oats can also be used.
- Honey can be substituted with maple syrup or agave syrup.
- Coconut oil can be substituted with another neutral-flavored cooking oil, such as avocado or vegetable oil.
- Frozen bananas can be used; just defrost them first!
- Oat milk can be substituted with any other unsweetened, dairy-free milk alternative, or cow's milk.
- For gluten-free banana oat muffins, make sure your oats, oat flour, and oat milk are certified gluten-free.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
- Muffins should be stored in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag. They can be kept at room temperature for 3-5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- To freeze muffins, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store inside a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months, and defrost at room temperature.
- Muffins can be warmed in the microwave for 30-40 seconds before serving if preferred.
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Sandra
A shout out to a simple recipe that has been tweaked to be more nutritious than the old fashioned muffins I grew up eating. These are so light and tasty!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
These definitely are perfect little breakfast muffins. Good thing I have all the ingredients on hand so I can make them!