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.
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.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- 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
Yes! I love to freeze these. I just let them cool completely then wrap each individually in plastic wrap and place in a large zip lock bag, squeezing out most of the air. These will stay fresh for about 3 months.
To defrost, I let them come to room temperature and then zap them in the microwave for about 10 seconds to give them that ‘fresh from the oven’ taste.
No, for the best texture I recommend using quick cooking oats only. Rolled oats will be too tough and chewy.
Healthy is such a subjective term! For me, I find these muffins are a healthier choice when I want something delicious and baked as they use wholemeal flour and are refined sugar free plus there is a bunch of nutritional benefit thanks to the addition of flax or chia (whichever you use), banana and oats.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More vegan banana recipes:
Banana Pancakes (Vegan, GF)
Vegan Banana Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream
Banana Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
The BEST Vegan Banana Bread
Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal or chia seeds
- 2 ½ tablespoons water
- 2 large overripe bananas or 3 small
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 ¼ cups wholemeal plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a muffin tin with 12 patty cases / cupcake liners.
- Make your flax/chia egg: Mix together flaxseed meal or chia seeds and 2 ½ tablespoons of water and set aside for 5-10 minutes until it has thinkend into a gel-like consistency.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add in maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and cinnamon and mix together using a wire whisk. Add in the flax/chia mixture and whisk to combine.
- Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda directly into the bowl and mix through until just combined. Add in oats and chopped walnuts and fold through with a spatula.
- Fill muffin cups with mixture about ¾ full and top with a sprinkle of oats. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top and muffins spring back when gently touched.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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.
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