Mix up a batch of these easy-to-make Sugar-Free Banana Muffins to share with your baby or toddler come breakfast or snack time. You don’t need any special ingredients and they are super moist and flavorful. (P.S. There’s a vegan option too!)
Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
When we’re feeding babies or toddlers (or ourselves) and looking to minimize added sugars, it can be hard to find homemade snacks and breakfasts for kids that still taste great. So I did my best to ensure that these muffins are delicious in their own right and just happen to have zero added sugars. I’ve made these a handful of times now and both of my girls enjoy them (aged 3 and 7), as well as the baby. And I do too!
Ingredients in Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
To make these healthy banana muffins you’ll need:
- mashed banana
- egg
- coconut oil
- milk
- pure vanilla extract
- whole wheat flour
- rolled oats
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- baking powder
TIP: You’ll want to be sure to use very ripe bananas with a lot of brown spots to ensure that the muffins are flavorful and naturally sweet.
How to Make Sugar-Free Banana Muffins Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this recipe. (See the full recipe at the bottom of the post for the specifics.)
- Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
- Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir together.
- Divide among a mini muffin pan and bake!
Dairy-Free Banana Muffins
To make these muffins dairy-free, use nondairy plain unsweetened milk.
Egg-Free Banana Muffins
To make these egg-free, you’ll simply omit the egg and add additional oil. So easy and delicious!
Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
To make these muffins gluten-free, use gluten-free flour blend. I like the one from King Arthur best.
Will my older kids like these too?
I like to make these with half topped with mini chocolate chips and half plain to make them delicious for all ages. My girls love them with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips (and I do too!) though you don’t have to do that—they’re impressively sweet on their own (though clearly not as sweet as a traditional banana muffin with added sugar.)
Baby Muffins with Bananas
Babies and toddlers under two are advised not to have added sugars and while that recommendation isn’t always possible to follow, these muffins are a great option for little ones. The textures is moist, so if you break them up into little pieces, babies eating finger foods can eat them too.
TIP: If your baby seems to have a hard time moving bready textures in their mouths, try topping each bite with a little applesauce or plain yogurt. And offer sips of water too.
Tips for Making the Best Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness.
- Gluten-free: Swap in gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat to make them gluten-free.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg and use ½ cup total coconut oil.
- Use melted butter or canola oil instead of coconut oil if needed.
- Be sure to stir your batter together thoroughly. If you can see the oil, you need to stir it more. It should be uniformly mixed.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours or in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To serve from the fridge, warm for 5-10 seconds in the microwave to soften slightly.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed very ripe banana
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (slightly cooled)
- 1 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree F and grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan.
- Place all ingredients into a medium bowl. Stir well but gently. Be sure to stir your batter together thoroughly. If you can see the oil streaking through the batter, you need to stir it more. It should be uniformly mixed and look like one consistent color.
- Divide batter among the prepared muffin pan.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
really enjoyed these! Nice and soft flavour and well measured ingredients – would recommend cooking bit longer if using gluten free flour (5 mins approx)
I have made this recipe so many times! And have changed it up with additions like strawberries, peanut butter, blueberries directly into the muffin tin. Best recipe ever!
Can you sub almond or regular flour for the whole wheat flour?
No, they will likely be mushy if you do that.
Great recipe! So easy to do even with a not-yet-two year old who got stuck in
them as soon as they were cooled enough.
Our double metric dose made 48 minis and 18 big muffins. (Not sure how we did that!)
I made the mistake of using pan papers instead of greasing. Don’t do this! (Half the minis go with the paper). Lesson learnt.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for the great recipe. My 94 year-old mom and I both love them. You don’t miss the sugar. I feel good about eating and sharing these. what do you think about adding chopped nuts?
I think you can add 1/4 cup chopped nuts or so. Enjoy!
It was great. Light and fluffy and it was so easy and budget friendly. The only thing is that I think is not sweet at all. Maybe I will add a tad of sweetener next time to make sweeter
Could I add PB2 peanut powder to these without causing any issues?
I haven’t tried it but it may work. I would just try not to add more than 1/4 cup to start and test for doneness on the earlier side of the baking time to make sure they don’t turn out dry.
What should we do for bake time or other alterations if we just have a regular muffin pan?
Use 1/4 cup batter in a standard muffin cup and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out cleanly.
These were so easy to make and my grandson (age 17 months) absolutely loves them!
pretty good considering no sugar
Pretty darn good considering there’s no added sugar. Obviously you can tell the difference – it’s not quite as yummy as muffins with sugar (FYI in case anyone was wondering).
I would take care to mix the butter in well and to leave the milk until last. I found that the cold milk from the fridge instantly re-solidified the melted butter!
Love these! I bake these about 2x/ month as they are perfect for my 15 month old for snack or breakfast. They also freeze and travel well. These were so great on a long flight for my kiddo. I add an extra banana usually in the batter when I have them and for half the batter I’ll add a surprise like peanut butter, chocolate chips, or blueberries. All delicious and provide variety.
Very easy! I made this with my 3yo and let him sprinkle sparkling sugar over half of them, leaving the other half unsugared for my 8.5 mo old. Both liked them very much! I make muffins a lot but I think I’ll do mini muffins from now on- the sizing is better for little hands who often want more but not that much more, hehe.
This is a keeper!! I’ve made four batches of this in the last week! I will say… i did not go 100% sugar free. I subbed honey vanilla Greek yogurt and heavy cream in place of the milk.
My toddler and 4 year old have loved these. I eventually added brewers yeast to other bathes as I’m nursing a newborn. It does take away some of the sweetness but it’s still so yummy. They’re ridiculously moist. I added blueberries to the last dozen. It needed an additional 2 minutes (22 for full size) writing this recipe down and keeping it for good!
I didn’t have enough rolled oats so I used almond flour. I started with 1 cup but then just kept adding more until the batter was a good consistency. These were so delicious I think I would try making and entire birthday cake from this recipe!
Love this recipe! Also great to change it up by adding some peanut butter or small pieces of apple rolled in cinnamon or blueberries. Such a hit!
I make these muffins every single week for my toddler! Such an easy snack or breakfast.
These were delicious. We didn’t miss the added sweetener, and I can give them to my baby who has started solids. Thank you!
So yummy! My 9 month old ended up eating the whole mini muffin in one go! It was super quick and easy to make too.
Just wondering about how to properly freeze them? I’m definitely new when it comes to cooking foods in bigger batches so want to make sure it can last properly. Any tips?
Hi- You can find the full info on how to freeze muffins here: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/how-to-freeze-muffins/
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
Sure
I tried making these muffins but had trouble with the melted coconut oil, solidfying and was not able to mix in properly. Wondering any tips on how to mix it in better. I let it cool some before adding but I did not stir right after adding and then added the milk. Please help! Thanks!
Maybe let it cool a little longer so it’s not warm when it hits the other ingredients.
Baby loved them and they were so easy and fast to make!
Thanks for including the cooking time for full size muffins 🙂 I was grateful for that
is all the fat in these muffins from the coconut oil or sunflower oil?
Yes, and also egg and milk
Absolutely love this recipe for my little, and sometimes if I have leftover batter I bake a loaf for my husband and I. I serve it up with peanut butter and we all LOVE it. It’s such a nice treat! I also use butter instead of coconut oil for some full fats, as well as oat flour instead of whole wheat flour. They come out perfect! They freeze really well, too!
Hi! How long do you bake the loaf for? Planning to make a couple of muffins for the little one and the rest into a loaf for everyone else. 🙂 Thank you!
These are in my regular meal prep rotation—and a favorite snack for myself and my 11m old! I don’t buy pre-packaged snacks, like pouches or puffs, so I find these to be a SUPER easy, portable snack!! I’ve added blueberries, grated apples, and shredded coconut to the batter to switch up the flavor!
Omg these are AMAIZING! My baby is 11 so I avoided the milk and salt but these are the best muffins I’ve ever had!
I am glad you both enjoyed them!
Hi, in terms of substituting this recipe to make it gluten free. Oats contain gluten. Are you possibly able to amend the recommendation for gluten free to replace the oats as well? Looking forward to trying it for mu little one 🙏
It is possible to find certified gluten-free oats. Or you can use that same amount of whole wheat flour instead.
I just realized it said whole wheat flour and I have all purpose is that still fine ?
I would add 2 tbsp more all purpose flour in this recipe to make sure it bakes through as intended. Enjoy
I love these muffins! I haven’t baked muffins in many years and these are so easy to do.
I am, really, THE WORST cook/baker ever…. and even i was able to get the most amazing cupcakes following this!
Honestly, my daughter and my husband loved them! Thank you so much ~~
Can you leave out the oats (allergy)? Any modifications needed for that?
I would recommend replacing them with additional flour.
Thank you so much for the recipe. It is exactly the recipe I was looking for. I adjusted it to the available ingredients in my pantry and fridge, using oat milk and regular wheat flour, adding walnuts, and topping it with chocolate chips, etc. It came out very good.
Let me start by saying that I’m totally addicted to your muffin recipes. My family and I have them at least twice a week and I’ve tried several different ones. I really like that these don’t have any added sugar, but still taste sweet and are still moist. You can’t go wrong with any of your muffin recipes. Our other favorites are the blueberry lemon muffins and the banana bread muffins. Thank you.
These are so yummy! You don’t miss the added sugar at all. I love that it’s a healthy and yummy snack for the whole family!
Had spotty bananas staring at me in the fridge for 3 days now so had to make these last night. Cut the milk to 3/4 cup since my mashed bananas were a little over a cup.
Made 24 mini muffins and had enough leftover for a mini loaf pan! I made an adult version for the mini loaf pan by adding a handful of crushed walnuts, then topping it with cinnamon sugar for some crunch. It was so delicious! Came out nice and moist still despite cutting down on milk. I had to stop myself from eating them, as they’re supposed to be for breakfast but I couldn’t resist!
Made these as full size muffins and our 1 year old loves them! I didn’t have to adjust the recipe at all. I like to warm them up and melt a little bit of butter on them!
I made these as full size muffins and would recommend adding 5 more minutes of baking time. At 20 mins they were still doughy in the center. Also, this is a super wet batter. Don’t use cupcake liners, just grease the pan really well. But they were really delicious! Definitely will be making them again.
I made these as full size muffins with butter vs oil. I added in blueberries and ground flaxseed. They turned out great and were a hit with the whole family! Both baby and selective toddler enjoy them. This will be a staple recipe for us, as it’s so quick and simple too!
My 1 year old loves these for breakfast with a little peanut butter or sunflower seed butter on them. I make double the recipe and it makes my mornings so much easier. Thank you !
These are really tasty and moist. I don’t even miss the sugar and butter. I will add cranberries and nuts next time for some texture. I didn’t even notice til later that the website is called yummy toddler. Perfect for my husband 🙂
I followed this recipe perfectly except I subbed out almond flour for regular. I’ve used almond flour hundreds of times to sub for wheat flour, and it’s never been a problem. So confused what happened but unfortunately it was inedible! I’ll have to use a different recipe next time. 🙁
You cannot substitute almond flour for wheat flour and expect the same results since they absorb liquid completely differently. If you make the recipe as written, they are delicious. Have a good day.
Would regular flour do the trick? Don’t have whole Wheat laying around.
I would add an extra 2-3 tbsp all purpose flour here to ensure they bake through properly.
I followed the recipe exactly but mine came out very oily and didn’t puff up. I’m not sure what I did wrong! I used muffin liners and they did not want to come out haha I won’t use them next time. The flavour was great though and my 1 year old loves them! Will definitely try again maybe with less oil to see if that helps.
Perfect
I made it. Waiting for my Lil one to wake up from his nap, I already ate two and WOW! AMAZING! I didn’t have coconut oil but I did use salted butter and didn’t add any salt, still came out perfect! Will be keep this recipe for sure.
Would buttermilk work with this recipe? Same amount?
I haven’t made them that way but it might!
I made the recipe and it turned out great! You are right- they are sweet even without sugar. I froze a bunch of them!
I’m wondering, do you think I could make these as regular size muffins (to make cupcakes) or even 3 – 4 inch cakes to make them into a smash cake?
I made these as regular sized muffins! Yield was 12 and I baked them for 19 minutes. Absolutely delicious!
In you note to make it vegan you said they were a little flatter than if you use egg. If you add two tablespoons of flaxseed it takes care of that problem (I just tried it and they came out puffy like times I have done them with egg, maybe more)
Did you still add extra oil?
I loved this recipe! Turned out great!!
Hi,
If we have to cut down the recipe by half, what would be the amount for egg ?
Thanks
You could whisk the one egg and divide it in half for the most exact way to halve it.
My toddler loves these and I do too. I can’t believe how good they taste without sugar.
My 3 annd 5 year old daughters love to bake these with me — always love recipes that allow easy kid help without fears of overmixing, gadgets, multiple steps, etc. I love to improvise these with whatever I happen to have around — we usually do a tiny bit of maple syrup and slather butter on them hot out of the oven, today we added chopped dates. Next time I’m doing them as is because they always turn out much sweeter than I expect! I recommend this recipe to everyone I know and bless Amy every time we enjoy it 💗
My toddler loves these muffins ! I replace the cinnamon by just a bit of cardamom and serve the muffins with nut butter. So good!
THANK YOU!!! Our picky 2.5 year old daughter and our one year old son loved these! My daughter asked for seconds! I almost cried I was so happy to have served her something new and homemade that she actually liked!! We love the baked tofu recipe as well. Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
I’m so glad!
These came out so good!! I did the full size muffin version and baked for 19 minutes. Thank you!
Hi, would omitting the salt completely affect the texture of the muffin? Thank you
No, it has no impact on the texture.
I just made it and it was quite a wet/watery mixture before baking but it came out perfect and my baby kept asking for more! I made 12 muffins and baked for around 22mins. Thank you for the excellent recipe!
I made these but used melted unsalted butter instead of coconut oil. i didn’t taste them but my 2 1/2 year old loved them. Now the best part is my mom always says she doesn’t like banana bread but she gave them a try and ate 5 of them!! 5 year old niece also ate 2! that’s a huge! thank you for such an easy and nutritious recipe.
Hey Amy!
I don’t have oats on hand, is it possible to just sub it out for equal parts flour?
Thank you !
Hi- yes, you can use all purpose flour instead. Enjoy!
What could I use as a replacement for the coconut oil? Thanks!
Melted butter or any other neutral oil you like to use for baking.
I make these all the time, and I make them with avocado oil instead of coconut oil and they’re perfect!
We love this recipe so much. I have a lot of full-fat Greek yogurt to use up. Would it work if I subbed yogurt for the milk? Thanks!
I haven’t made them that way so I can’t say for sure, but it might work!
I made these with eikorn flour and added chopped pecans and chocolate chips. They turned out great! Very yummy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I don’t normally leave comments, but I had to for this recipe- my two year daughter and I made these muffins this morning – and I have to say, they were moist and so delicious. They were sweet from the bananas, and I blended up some dates with milk and used 1 cup in the recipe. You don’t miss the sugar at all! And the BEST part… I didn’t have to feel guilty about giving my daughter so delicious and we were both able to take part in making this. Thank you!
I have made these twice, both times they turned out very oily. My baby doesn’t seem to mind but its just weird how oily they are.
Me too! I used the airfryer instead of the oven and i thought it was my problem. It was bubbling with oil/water in the muffin tins and steam were coming out from my airfryer. Afterwards, my airfryer basket was lined with oil. I have no idea where the oil came from?! I used the same amount of coconut oil as instructed in the recipe. The result was great though, super moist inside and my 1.5 year old loved it! Just gotta make sure I pat the muffins with paper towel to soak up some oil before giving to my baby.
Can you add sprinkles?
Sure
Love these muffins. It’s so nutritious and tastes delicious. Soft and fluffy. I add in grated zucchini and carrots and not much adjustment to the recipe and it turns out perfect.
My baby is obsessed with these muffins! We also tried swapping applesauce for the bananas because my baby is sensitive to bananas and they were still amazing! I’m wondering if I can use this recipe to make her mini smash cake for her first birthday?!
We love your recipes! Thank you for everything!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Can I use organic non bleached flour too ?
It works best with whole wheat flour. From there, you can use any type you like.
My 70 year old hubby diabetic hubby enjoyed these
Thanks for the recipe
How much butter would you use in place of coconut oil? I don’t have any coconut oil on hand.
Thanks!
Looking forward to making these!
You can use the same amount. Enjoy
These are amazing and you’d never know there is no sugar! So moist and delicious and both my toddlers love them
My toddlers loved this! I used vanilla non-dairy unsweetened yogurt instead of milk bc that’s all I had and they were moist and not too sweet. Thank you!!
Make these all the time, because they’re so easy!!! My toddler requests them frequently, and I’m happy to bake something healthier than what is in the stores.
Excited to make these! Would this recipe work with old fashioned oats instead of rolled oats?
Old fashioned oats and rolled oats are the same thing, so yes.
Delicious, and I love the fact that no extra sweetener is added. Toddler LOVES them
I want to make these for my baby, but he has an oat allergy. How can I get around this?
Use additional whole wheat flour.
We love these! They have landed a permanent spot in our meal prepping routine for over a year now, are so easy to freeze and reheat, and the kids love them. I even bake a batch and bring them on trips with us so kids have a healthy snack to grab while we’re away.
maybe I did it wrong because I have two small kids under my toes and it was hard to tell how much 1 cup of bananas was as whole bananas. But mine turned out gluggy on the inside and they weren’t nearly sweet enough (I am not a big sweet tooth either).
I do recommend mashing the banana and measuring it out next time, but I get the reality of baking with kids underfoot.
You are amazing and extremely inspirational. These recipes have motivated me to bake again and start recipe testing. Thank you for the work you do.
My three-year-old loves these…but even more so, my husband will snitch them for midnight snacks and I’ve found these to be one of the only baked goods I can have after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. So it’s not an exaggeration to say these save my sanity! My daughter and I loooooove to bake, so this gives us something to be able to make AND eat together. And these have so much more staying power than my weak little low-carb toast slices, so I can actually feel FULL for once in my day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I love to hear that, thanks so much for commenting!
If it matters for feedback purposes, I did another batch over the weekend but was too lazy to portion the batter into my muffin pan (I usually get 48 mini muffins in a recipe, because I keep them pretty small so it takes twice the time to bake them) so I dumped it all in a single pan, sheet pan pancake style. I baked it for 12 minutes at 375 and it came out perfect! So easy to cut into little squares or sticks, my daughter can dip them in a little syrup while I can spread a bit of cream cheese or peanut butter on if I want, and that pan is way faster to clean than a little muffin tin. Totally recommend that method for a change of pace!
These muffins work for my diabetic husband but are so tender and tasty that my entire family devours them!
Should I make any adjustments if using white flour? Thank you.
You’ll want to reduce the amount of milk. I haven’t made them that way so I can’t say for sure, but I’d start with 1/2 cup and if the batter is super thick, add 1/4 cup more.
These are perfect for my toddler. Love the ingredients!
Could i use buckwheat flour?
I haven’t made them that way but it might work similarly!
These are my go-to banana muffins for my kids (okay, and me too)! I add chocolate chips to half the batter for my 4-year old. They never last more than two days! Thank you!!
Can I use instant oats or should I use old fashioned?
I usually use old-fashioned but you can use either.
Do these freeze well?
Yes, that’s mentioned in the Notes at the end of the recipe.
Hi! Do you think I can substitute the oats with more flour?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but it might work similarly.
This is my second time making them – I completely forgot to add the coconut oil this time because I didn’t have any and was going to substitute it for butter….but they still came out what appears to be fine and my 14mo demolished one this morning, so I guess they still taste great even without that!
So quick and easy to make! We added one choc chip to each mini muffin for some extra sweetness. Delicious!
These are delicious! Added chocolate chips for me and the older toddler and we couldn’t stop eating!
Are you able to advise an adjusted time/temp if I were to use a regular muffin pan? I don’t have a mini one!
Temp would be the same though they may take about 4-6 more minutes to bake through.
Hi Amy,
I would love to bake these sugar free banana muffins for my 18 month old (First time baking muffins).
Wondering if I could swap rolled oats with instant oats (as that’s all I have at hand at the moment).
Hi, that should work similarly. I hope they enjoy them!
I made these with gluten free flour, a flax seed egg. They were so doughy inside so I baked them another 20 minutes checking every 5 minutes. Still doughy. They taste good but my family and I are not keen on the pudding like centers. What might I have done differently?
I would use a different egg replacer as flax eggs plus banana might just be too much moisture. You could try the egg replacer from bobs red mill.
Can I use frozen bananas?
Yes just thaw and drain first
If you use plain white gluten free flour mix instead of normal ‘whole wheat’ flour then the milk ratio is off. You need to reduce the milk by half to 1/2 a cup. You can add a little more milk during the mix if it’s too thick. Found this out the hard way myself (uncooked doughy muffins) and then trawled the comments to find the solution. Would be great if the recipe was clearer on this. You get the same issue on the ABC muffins too – but I think there’s a reminder note on the milk in the main recipe for that one.
Super easy and yummy recipe. Thank you 😊
Easy to whip up and the ingredients are something I feel good about giving my children. This is my third Yummy Toddler Mini Muffin recipe I’ve made and they all come out perfectly! Thank you!!
I’m so glad to hear it!
Bubs loved making it and eating it 🙏🏾
Hi, I am trying this recipe for the first time with the eggless version (adding 1/2 c coconut oil) but the oil turned into big blobs (chunks). Should I keep going ? Thanks
Hi- I’m sorry I was away from my computer, it should turn out fine even though it firmed up
I just had the same issue! It seems like maybe adding the oil last would help. My oil firmed up in the bowl while I was adding/measuring the other ingredients. Hope it turns out ok!
Love the muffins, I make them atleast twice a month.
I sometimes make half the recipe. In this case can I use a whole egg and less coconut oil instead of half an egg?
I would think so, maybe just 1 tbsp of the oil
The texture was good but I found these bland even though I used very ripe bananas. I would probably try to add some extra sweetness with applesauce next time.
Hey, so before I make this recipe I was curious, I was told that babies under one could not digest rolled oats. Is that true? And if it is, what could I use instead?
That’s not true if they are cooked until soft unless there’s a specific medical issue at play.
Thanks for sharing. Can I use whole grain self raising flour instead of plain flour?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but let me know if you try it out
I am a DISASTER in the kitchen. This was super easy and perfect for my 10m. We added chocolate chips on the half for us parents and they’re delicious.
Glad to hear that!
Baby loves this very much. Even hubs! I used butter instead of coconut oil and it came out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe. Love that there is metric conversion too!
Hello wondering if you can substitute the whole wheat flour for almond flour or just more oats.
Thanks
Hi- I haven’t tested those options, but of the two oat flour (grind the oats up in a blender or food processor) would be a better choice.
Don’t fill the muffins too high or the coconut oil will over flow, causing smoke.
Made these (with butter instead of coconut oil) and they are delicious! I used a regular size muffin tin and lined it with parchment paper liners. They came out perfectly! Has anyone added peanut butter to these at all?
Thank you. You made Nana a hero. my 18 month old grandson loves them.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! My 10 month old babies love these muffins! This recipe is a keeper. 🙂
Making these for a today for a loved one with Heart considerations. Perfect that there’s no added sugar and I’m subbing out the coconut oil (saturated fat) for a more heart friendly oil (mono or poly saturated). Thanks!
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats. That’s all I have at home. Will baking time need to change with it?
They should work very similarly
I love these muffins but my 10 mo old cannot have any milk – dairy or non. What would you substitute ? Is water ok?
I haven’t ever made them with water but I think that would likely work okay!
My little one really liked these muffins! But I’m still stumped on why so many “no added sugar” or “healthy” recipes for kiddos still have added salt? I was under the impression that excess sugar and sodium were both concerns.
It’s because if you omit the salt, baked goods have the tendency to taste really bland. (And when you divide the amount of salt by each serving, it’s such a tiny amount.) Glad that they liked it!
Good question! Salt in home cooking usually isn’t the culprit of high sodium diets, rather its the excess sodium used in processed foods.
In this recipe there is approximately 24 mg of sodium per muffin. Theoretically a child of at least 6 years of age could each the whole dozen batch of these muffins and still fall well below recommended daily sodium intake guidelines. Hope that helps.
reference: https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/children-sodium/index.html
Just what I was looking for– a healthy treat for my son that isn’t full of sugar. They taste great and I love them, too! It’s nice they’re low in calories so I can eat two and not feel guilty.
My 13 month old son and husband are crazy over these muffins!! I personally have a banana allergy, so I can’t enjoy the muffins with them.
I made a few changes: I add sunflower oil instead of coconut oil, and add about a 1/4 chia seeds to the recipe.
I also have a banana allergy but when cooked, the protein is denatured and I am able to eat banana! Maybe you could try it.
Thanks for sharing that!
So good, and so easy! My 2 year old and 4 year old picky eaters love them. I used olive oil instead of coconut oil because that’s what I had and the substitution worked just fine.
Turned out amazing! My son has an egg allergy so I substituted 1/4 cup apple sauce for the egg 🙂
I just had a question on the nutritional value. You had written 128K Cal but that converts to 128,000 calories?? That doesn’t sound right at all??
Should just be calories!
FYI a Cal (uppercase C) is a kilocalorie or kcal (lower case c)
So 128 kcal = 128 Cal
Can’t wait to try this for my 12 mo old twins! (with no honey/chocolate). One silly question. I see in your directions that you put oats into the blender with the ingredients (sans flour), however I didn’t see you put them in video. Do you need to create oat flour, or whole oats is fine??
Are you looking at the video for the Spinach Banana Muffins? This one here you just mix together in a bowl. For the Spinach ones, you add the whole oats to the blender so they grind up a bit and aren’t noticeable in the batter. Enjoy them (whichever ones!).
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. Although of course there’s sugar in the bananas, as a diabetic it’s great that no additional sugar is added. I don’t even use very ripe bananas but I’m used to more savoury tastes now! I’ve been making them for a few months, freezing them and then defrosting in the microwave, so I’m not tempted to eat more than one at a time. I use brown rice flour and mild olive oil and sometimes add a couple of blueberries to each one when baking. Big thanks 🙂
Not enough words to thank you for adding metric measurements! This is just amazing because I love your recipes!
I’m so glad! I have a few left to do but they should all be done in another week or so. (I still test using American measurements but I hope this is helpful.)
These muffins (made as written) are absolutely delicious! I add chocolate chips on the top of half for my 4 year old and both him and my 1 year old gobble them up.
Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that!
My 9 month old son and I really enjoyed these! Can frozen bananas be used next time if I don’t have fresh? Thank you!
Great! You can use frozen bananas, but I would thaw them first and drain off any liquid. They should work well!
These muffins are good and easy! I added semi-sweet chocolate chips for extra sweetness.
My child cannot have oats. Should I substitute something else or omit them from the recipe?
I haven’t tested these without oats so I can’t say for sure. It’s possible it would work to use additional flour instead. This recipe doesn’t have oats. https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/whole-grain-chocolate-chip-banana-muffins/
Use cooked brown rice and a 1:1 ratio. Works perfectly.
Great!
Use brown rice! I didn’t have oats at home when I wanted to bake these and I read that brown rice is a good sub, and I actually prefer it to the oats (I’ve made it both ways). The rice keeps the muffins really moist.
Thanks for sharing that! Do you add it cooked or raw?
So easy and delish! My 1 and 4 year olds gobbled these down
I loved the texture of these muffins (I didn’t have any problems with too much moisture and loved the nuttiness from the oats). However, even after using bananas with spots, I found myself wishing they were a tad sweeter (maybe we’re just used to overly sweet banana bread?…). Next time I’m going to try the recipe with some sugar – how much do you suggest that won’t mess with the texture? Maybe I can use maple syrup and reduce the milk? Or maybe just try the other recipe for banana muffins?… Thanks, Amy!
I would just add 1/4-1/3 cup sugar to the recipe as it is and that will add some nice sweetness!
Hi! For the vegan version, I’m wondering if I can use a flax egg or apple sauce in place of the additional coconut oil.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure!
Amy love your recipes! Unfortunately sometimes I’m not getting the perfect result because I am not used to cups measuring so I have to transform to grams and there is were I do mistakes?♀️….have you considering adding grams measuring as well??
I’m working on adding metric‚ it won’t be immediate, but know that it’s in the works!
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple years now, since the muffins are loved by every member of my family! The update is fantastic (addition of egg, reduction of oil), as they are definitely fluffier than in the past. And when they had at times been a smidge greasy in the past, the consistency is great now. While I did have to increase the cooking time for both the mini and regular sized muffins by a couple minutes, I didn’t have any issues with sogginess. I typically make some as-is for my husband, and then the rest with chocolate chips (though I put them in the batter rather than on top; much less messy when reheating!) for me and my boys. They are great for snack and perfect to send with my toddler for his breakfast at daycare. Thanks for the simple, delicious recipe!
Thanks for letting me know. I just retested these last month three times and didn’t have this issue, so I am unsure of why they were soggy. You could reduce the milk to see if that helps though.
my 10-month-old daughter loved this recipe! thank you!
I’m so glad!
These are delicious! My son has egg allergy and I use butter or canola oil and they turn out great either way. Sometimes I use whole wheat flour and I’ve also used cup4cup gf flour and they’re great with both, too. Thank you for always having such great recipes and including allergy friendly options!
Thanks for your feedback. I haven’t tested this recipe muffin in a full size pan but it does work very nicely in mini muffin pans as the recipe is written. I will add a note about not using full-size!
Made these with my 3 year old daughter and my 6 month old baby had them as her first muffins! Everyone loved them!
Absolutely fantastic! Best foundational recipe for baby banana breads I’ve found. (And I’ve tried a bunch.) Instead of a muffin pan, I use rectangular Silicon soap molds to bake 12 mini loaves and they turn out perfectly moist and clean up is sooo easy. Highly recommend the molds. We’ve added fresh fruit, all kinds of nuts and even chocolate chips. Deeelicious every time. Ohhh and. A smearing of cream cheese on a fresh cut loaf is divine! Enjoy!!
Hi! Can this be cooked in a microwave? We don’t have an oven.
I haven’t tried it that way but I think probably not.
This tastes more like banana bread than muffin. The sweetness of the bananas didn’t really come through very much. Maybe my bananas weren’t spoiled enough. I baked full size and did find the consistency to be a bit mushy n the middle but maybe that’s how these are supposed to be.
These were so good! I actually did add about 1/4 cup of maple syrup to make a little sweeter, and used a cup of gf flour instead of wheat, and used tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon– but they came out perfect and me and toddler both loved them!
I’m so glad!
The sweetness was good, but I followed the recipe exactly, mixing thoroughlt, and using fresh baking powder & soda and they came out flat and way too greasy.
Can you tell me what kind of oil you used? I cannot replicate this issue when I make them and if I cut down on the oil they are very very dry but I would like to figure out what caused this. Thank you
I have tried this recipe soooo many times now, following instructions exactly, and my muffins always turn out flat and completely wet and uncooked inside 🙁 I don’t know what I’m doing wrong…
The most likely culprit would be baking soda not being active or perhaps expired if you could check that?
They taste great but mine deflated and they ended up the shape of a hockey puck. I did add finely chopped walnuts and chia seeds so I’m not sure if the weight contributed to the flat shape? Or chia seeds?
It is possible that those additions would change the shape!
My toddler is going through a very picky phase and has his first molars coming in. So it’s safe to say he’s not eating much lately. However, he is currently enjoying these! They were very easy to bake and quick, too. Thanks for another great recipe! They are a hit!
Hello – I am about to make these but I only have a muffin tin that’s for regular sized muffins. Should I just keep these in the oven a bit longer?
Yes, typically full size muffins take 16-20 minutes to bake.
My little girls love these. I add less milk and put in about 3/4 of a carrot. They are delicious and very nutritious. Thanks for the recipe.
Great!
Just baked a batch! They taste great but they didn’t rise very well. Perhaps my baking powder/soda were too old. I added ground flax and chocolate chips. However, so far my toddler-hating-muffin approves of these! That’s a huge win! She’s not liked all the other muffins I’ve tried! Thanks!
I’m glad she likes them!
Flavour is good, but is the coconut oil ratio correct? Mine turned out verrrry greasy. And I used less than was stated?
Can you tell me specifically what kind of coconut oil you used? I’ve never had this issue and when I tried using less oil they were very hard. Perhaps the batter needed to be stirred together more thoroughly?
Amazing! I have made extra and popped them in the freezer. How do you recommend baking from frozen or just defrosting? (I don’t have a microwave) thanks!!
I’d defrost at room temperature or you could warm for a few minutes from frozen in a 350 F degree oven. Maybe 5-6 minutes?
I made this the other day! So perfect! I just didn’t add cinnamon because I can’t have it. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Love love these! My go to muffins for my 15 month old, I make the mini version and keep them in the freezer
I accidently put rolled quick oats. Would they work the same way?
Yes it should be fine!
how many muffin can you make in this recipe? I made 12 muffins, it took 30 minutes and still didn’t come out clean on the knife when I poked in the center. Should I bake longer?
Did you make mini muffins?
Baby enjoyed them! How long will they last on counter / in fridge / in freezer?
I’m so glad! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours or in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve just made these and they are so addicting and delicious. These are the best banana sugarfree muffins I’ve ever made, and they taste nutritious with the whole wheat flour. When adding the coconut oil, my cold wet ingredients caused it to solidify since it was microwaved…. but then I just microwaved all the wet mix together to liquify the oil again before adding the dry ingredients. Worked out great! I’m going to make these ALL THE TIME!
I never leave comments on recipes but just wanted to say thank you for this one!! My 11 month old loves them and so does my vegan self- win win!! I added chopped walnuts on top of half for me 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that and thank you for commenting!
Hi amy, are the rolled oats necessary or can I leave them out?
I haven’t made this recipe without them, so if you have them use them!
Oh boy. I don’t bake often so this could be on me.
I melted the coconut oil per the recipe with a few seconds in the microwave. Then I dumped all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. When I started stirring, I realized the cold milk solidified the coconut oil into huge solid chunks.
We called it an oops and threw it into the oven anyway, where it currently smells great. We’ll see what happens!
I hope they turned out okay!
Unfortunately this recipe didn’t work for me. It looked like too much coconut oil?? Also had a strange flavour which was a shame.
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you change anything about the recipe?
Can I use regular quick oats?
I haven’t tried them but I wold think so!
Oh my goodness! These are AMAZING! I used a GF flour blend, 3 bananas was perfect, and i did butter instead of coconut oil. I also added in a few things to try some different flavors. Frozen blueberries. Chocolate chips (these were for me). Shredded coconut. (Not all together, each add in was on its own). These came out incredible. I’ve made sugar free banana bread before and was shocked how great this was. I would never have guessed this didn’t have added sugar. And my bananas were not super brown either. They were just starting to spot. 10 stars! From me and the kiddo (15 months)
Hooray! And I love the additions you made!
i just tried them out and smell amazing but have a super strange unpleasant taste. what do you think the problem could be?
Did you change anything in the recipe? I’m honestly not sure since I’ve never had that issue.
I could not print this receipe fto make again later. I am waiting for them to come out of the oven. They smell so delicious.
Is it possible to make this recipe without oil or butter? Or could I substitute applesauce instead?
I haven’t tried it that way but let me know if you do! (You could make it easier and just use extra mashed banana I’d think.)
What do you think about using olive oil?
I haven’t tried it, but I think if you do you’d want one with a mild flavor. Let me know if you give it a shot!
I just love these! Amy you do such a great job, keep up the great work! I’ve tried the “REALLY” healthy muffins with no sugar / no flour but my toddlers won’t go for them…they go for these, though 🙂
Can I substitute applesauce for bananas? Our bananas are currently green, but we have a big tub of applesauce in the fridge!
I haven’t tried applesauce so I can’t say for sure, but it usually works the same as mashed bananas in baked goods.
I don’t have coconut oil? Is this essential or can I substitute for another type of oil?
Melted butter or a neetral oil like canola should work!
Can you use regular all purpose flour?
You sure can!