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 muffinsIngredients in Sugar-Free Banana Muffins

To make these healthy banana muffins you’ll need:

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

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.)

  1. Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
  2. Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Stir together.
  4. 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.

sugar free banana muffins on wire rack

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 eating sugar free banana muffins

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!

Want to save this recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
sugar-free-banana-muffins-on-pink-towel

Sugar-Free Banana Muffins

Be sure to use very ripe bananas (with lots of brown spots!) for the best flavor and natural sweetness. (I updated this recipe December 2020 to ensure the most reliable results. The original version of this recipe is the "Egg-free" option in the Notes if you loved that. In the main recipe, I reduced the oil, added an egg, increased the baking soda a smidge, and reduced the baking time. They're great!)
4.97 from 240 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Muffins
Calories 128kcal
Servings 12 (Makes 24 mini muffins)

Ingredients

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.

Video

Notes

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.
Egg-free: Omit the egg and increase the coconut oil to ½ cup total. Bake for 18-20 minutes. (This is the original version of the recipe. The muffins may be a little flat on top but they're still delicious!)
To bake as full-size muffins, divide the batter among a standard size muffin tin and bake for 18-20 minutes.
To serve from the fridge, warm for 5-10 seconds in the microwave to soften slightly.
Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness.
Swap in gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat to make them gluten-free.
Use melted butter or canola oil instead of coconut oil if needed.
If you can see the oil, you need to stir it more. It should be uniformly mixed without any visible streaks of oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 2muffins, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 120mg, Potassium: 155mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 66IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

Related Posts

Related Products

Share it with the world

Pin

Filed Under

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

How many stars would you give this recipe?




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Not enough words to thank you for adding metric measurements! This is just amazing because I love your recipes!

    1. 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.)

  2. 5 stars
    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!

  3. 5 stars
    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!

    1. Great! You can use frozen bananas, but I would thaw them first and drain off any liquid. They should work well!

    1. 5 stars
      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.

  4. 4 stars
    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!

    1. 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!

  5. 5 stars
    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??

  6. 5 stars
    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!

  7. 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.

  8. 5 stars
    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!

  9. 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!

  10. 5 stars
    Made these with my 3 year old daughter and my 6 month old baby had them as her first muffins! Everyone loved them!

  11. 5 stars
    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!!