Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins

These vegan banana walnut muffins are so soft and full of flavour thanks to the combination of banana, cinnamon and crunchy walnuts, making them the perfect grab and go breakfast or morning snack. These muffins are made dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan, making them a great healthy alternative that doesn’t compromise on flavour.

This recipe was originally published in April 2018 and has been updated with new photos and content. The recipe remains the same, because it’s delicious.

Is there anything better than when past you makes a batch of muffins to stock the fridge so future you has something delicious and ready to go when that snacky feeling strikes?

These muffins are ones that I’ve been making for years and I love that they contain a few healthy ingredient swaps over my usual white flour + all the sugar baking that I tend to do. With these muffins I get something delicious that I can actually feel ok about eating!

Plus, the smell of these fresh out of the oven is insane. Make these for that divine scent alone!

If you or someone you know are vegan, dairy-free, or egg-free then this is the perfect recipe to make. Also, it is super handy even if you don’t have the dietary restrictions, for when you want muffins but have run out of eggs/milk and don’t want to go to the shops.

I generally have all of the ingredients for these muffins in my pantry ready to go, and you will notice that these ingredients often feature in many of my recipes on the blog.

As mentioned at the start of this post, I like to keep these muffins in my freezer and just grab one in the morning to take with me to work. It defrosts on my desk through the morning, and then after 10-15 seconds in the microwave you would swear they were freshly baked!

Key Ingredients

You’ll need 12 ingredients to make these muffins, but don’t let that deter you! Most of these should be already in your pantry or easy to find at your local grocery store.

• Chia seeds or flaxseed meal – when mixed with water, chia seeds and flaxseed meal turns into a gel paste which works perfectly for a vegan egg replacement to bind everything together.
• Bananas – grab those bananas that have been sitting around on the bench forgotten. You want them browning and soft for the best flavour.
• Coconut oil – keeps the muffins moist and binds everything together. You could use canola or any light tasting oil as a substitute.
• Maple syrup – for sweetness instead of refined sugar, and that extra little bit of delicious maple flavour.
• Vanilla – for flavour.
• Apple cider vinegar – key to a soft, delicious texture. You could use white vinegar as a substitute.
• Cinnamon – I don’t think I can enjoy bananas without the addition of warming ground cinnamon. This is a must for the best flavour in these muffins.
• Baking powder – giving the muffins lift and rise in the oven.
• Bicarbonate soda – or baking soda in the US. This reacts with the acidic vinegar to help keep these muffins light and soft.
• Quick cooking oats – rolled oats or steel cut oats will not work in this recipe so make sure to get the quick oats.
• Walnuts – for that extra crunch. You could also use any nuts – pecans would be great. Or even chocolate chips!
• Wholemeal plain flour – known as whole wheat flour in the US. I love making these muffins with wholemeal flour as it’s a bit healthier and stronger in flavour. You could use while flour instead though.

Step-By-Step Instructions

These muffins are so easy to make, you’ll need a small bowl, a large mixing bowl, a whisk and a spatula plus your favourite muffin pan.

Depending on your muffin pan, you might like to simply grease the pan, otherwise I like to use cupcake/muffin liners to make it much easier to release the muffins after they’ve cooked.

Start by making your vegan egg substitute. You can use flaxseed meal which is what I’ve used for years, but recently I haven’t been able to get it, so chia seeds work exactly the same. Add them to a small bowl with the water, mix them up and let sit for about 10 minutes for it to turn into a thick gel.

Next, in your large mixing bowl, mash the banana. If your bananas are ripe enough, it’s really just easiest to do this with your whisk. Once the bananas are all mashed up, add in the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon and whisk together until combined.

Add in the flax or chia and mix. Finally add in your baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and wholemeal flour and mix until just combined into a thick batter.

Using the spatula, gently fold through the oats and the walnuts, being careful to only mix until mixed through and not to overmix. It’s ok if the batter is a bit lumpy.

Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin pan and top with a sprinkle of oats and pop in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and slightly springy when touched.

Recipe FAQs

More vegan banana recipes:

Banana Pancakes (Vegan, GF)
Vegan Banana Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream
Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
The BEST Vegan Banana Bread