Blueberry Banana Muffins are a total treat, especially when they taste like they came from a bakery. This easy recipe is a favorite—the muffins are sweet enough to taste like a treat, but wholesome enough to fill up little tummies and provide energy for a few hours. This muffin recipe comes together really easily in a food processor—which is important since I know you likely have a little one running around underfoot!
Blueberry Banana Muffins
I made this recipe on a recent weekend and we had them for breakfast and snacks through the week. They store extremely well in the fridge and are great either served chilled or slightly warmed up. You can also make them without dairy and nuts, which is nice for families who have restricted diets in the house.
Blueberry Banana Muffins with Oatmeal
You may wonder why so many of my muffin and bread recipes have ground rolled oats as the base, rather than flour. The short answer is because it’s an easy way to make gluten-free baked goods without needing a whole long list of specialty flours. (Just be sure to buy gluten free oats if you need them to be certified.) A longer answer is that I like making muffins with a dose of whole grains for both long lasting energy and a bit of fiber, and with this recipe, I was thinking of something that I could bring to a mom friend who’s about to have a baby. (Oats are always recommended as a good food to help with milk production!)
I also love this recipe as an alternative to oatmeal if your kids aren’t big fans. It has similar nutrition and is easy to make ahead and store in the fridge until breakfast time. (My toddler likes the mini muffins topped with cream cheese!)
Blueberry Banana Muffins Step-by-Step
Here’s how to make this recipe:
- Gather your ingredients.
- Place everything into the bowl of a food processor except the blueberries.
- Grind until smooth and uniform, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed. (You can also do this step in a bowl if you mash the bananas well and use oat flour, either store-bought or homemade—just grind your oats into a powder in a blender.)
- Remove the blade of the food processor and stir in the blueberries.
- Divide among a greased muffin tin and bake.
- Let cool slightly in the tins, then remove and serve warm or store in an airtight container and serve on future days.
Banana Blueberry Muffins with No Sugar
These muffins taste like a cross between baked oatmeal and a fresh blueberry muffin. Much of the sweetness comes from the fruit, though there is some honey added to balance the flavors. There’s no refined sugar, if that’s something you’re watching in your toddler’s diet or your own.
Dairy-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
These muffins are totally moist, but don’t require any dairy. Hopefully this allows more kiddos to enjoy them and it means that you can make these even when you might be short on milk! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! (There’s also an egg-free variation at the end of the recipe!)
Print
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
Like a cross between a fluffy blueberry muffin and baked oatmeal, these muffins are moist and packed with yummy nutrition.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 very-ripe-with-brown-spots bananas (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or canola oil or butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat well with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Place the oats, coconut, and flaxseed into the food processor and process for about 30 seconds or until the oats resemble a coarse flour. Add the rest of the ingredients except the blueberries and process to combine well. Remove the blade and stir in the blueberries. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups to just to the brim.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out cleanly. Let cool in the pan. Run a paring knife around the edges of the muffins and gently remove from the pan.
Notes
Serve warm or store in the fridge for up to 5 days and serve chilled or slightly warmed. Freeze cooled muffins in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months.
To make these without coconut, simply omit and add 1/2 more oats.
To make these Egg-Free:
Omit the coconut.
Soak the flaxseed in 1/4 cup water for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup milk (dairy or nondairy) to the batter.
Bake as directed.
To make these as mini muffins, use a mini muffin tin and bake for about 18 minutes.
To make this without a food processor, use oat flour and mash the banana well before mixing everything together in a bowl.
I tried the recipe but the muffin didn’t puff up very much and the inside seems to be still uncooked while outside is already too crunchy. Any idea why? I didn’t have food processor so i use hand blending instead. Batter texture wasn’t as smooth.
It’s possible that the batter not being as well incorporated doing it by hand would make the baking time inaccurate.
If I use oat flour instead of (grinding the oats myself), shouldn’t I use less than what this recipe calls from? I figure if they are rolled oats in a measuring cup, there is air between them, whereas there is not if I’m skipping the step and using the already pulverized form. Thank you!
I just made some oat flour from rolled oats to make sure for you since it’s been a while since I started with premade—and it came out to very close to 2 cups so that amount should work!
really great recipe. I followed the recipe except for using maple syrup instead of honey, because we were out of honey, and less than the 1/4 cup because we had really ripe sweet bananas. I ground the oats in a coffee grinder (cleaned it first obviously, cause my kids are hyper enough). My five year old helped me stir everything together. I also added a sprinkle of cinnamon because bananas-plus-cinnamon is always a good idea.
★★★★★
You’re right, they for sure don’t need caffeine:) I’m glad that you enjoyed them!
We love these muffins!!! My one year old goes Gaga over them. I switched the blueberries for apples for the second time around ( we ran out of blueberries). It was super yummy!!!
★★★★★
Ooh, I love the thought of doing them with apples!
Hi
I want to ask… What can replace egg..
As we are vegetarian .
I don’t have an egg-free option on these but you might like these Vegan Banana Muffins: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/recipes/breakfast/allergy-friendly-vegan-banana-muffins/
The dough was dense and I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but…. it was delicious! I did substitute wheat germ for the coconut since i didnt have nuts or coconut. Still came out yummy and my 14 month old ate them! I also added 1.5x the blueberries. I am so grateful for a wholesome breakfast and/or snack for my little one.
★★★★★
Hooray and I bet they are great with the extra berries!
Can I omit the flaxseed?
Yes, use an equal amount of additional oats.
OMG – these are amazing! I love them! Kiddo does too. Question – could I use frozen bananas? Do I have to thaw them first? Thanks!
★★★★★
I’m so glad! You can use frozen bananas but yes, you’d need to thaw them first. And drain off any excess liquid—sometimes there’s a little water that comes off of them when they thaw.
I have a baby under 1, what can I sub for the honey? Any suggestions? Thanks!!
You could try apple butter or unsweetened apple sauce (just drain off any extra liquid so it’s not too runny). You may need to bake for an extra minute or two so check for doneness with a cake tester. It should come out cleanly when inserted into the center. If the edges are browning but the insides aren’t done, put a piece of foil over the muffins. Please let me know if you try it!
Wow, those were amazing! Both my 1.5 year old son and I adore them! thx!
★★★★★
Hooray! I’m so happy to hear that and I appreciate that you took the time to let me know.
I think they’re delicious! I just made these while my son was napping and had to make some adjustments based on what I had on hand, but they came out great! I used quick oats instead of rolled, 4oz unsweetened blueberry applesauce with 1 lg banana bc I only had 1 really ripe, blueberry local honey instead of plain, and lemon extract instead of vanilla. I did add a hair less honey than 1/4 cup bc I think the kid I have is very sweet and about 1/4c more oats than 2c, bc after mixing I thought it looked a little soupy. The lemon is very subtle and I would probably add more next time, but the muffins taste great and they aren’t over sweet and moist without being sticky and wet. I’m very happy how these turned out and I hope my son loves them!
★★★★★
Hi Amie! I love hearing about the adjustments that you made and I’m glad that they turned out well! I’m totally going to add lemon to these the next time I make them! I hope your son enjoys them!
Can I use oat bran instead?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure! If you do it, I’d recommend baking as minis since I suspect they’d hold together better if smaller. Let me know!
We made these recently and my little guy loved them. Sometimes he eats them plain and other times I spread a little nut or sunbutter on them. I love the little hint of coconut flavor!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear that he likes them Amanda! (I love the coconut too.)
Can I substitute chai seed for the flax?
I haven’t tried that and it might get too firm. You could try 2 tablespoons chia seed or I think you could just use flour instead. Just the flour in after everything else is well blended. Enjoy!
Can I substitute coconut oil, melted (or canola oil or butter) with olive oil?
Thank you.
If it was a mild flavored one, I would think so though I haven’t tried it.
I just made these today. Omg, these are amazing!! I’ve tried so many toddler muffins hoping my now 2 year old would like them. And only a few passed her taste test. I’m thrilled that she loves these and how healthy these are!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe 🙂
Thank you for letting me know–I’m so happy she likes them!!