Vegan Banana Muffins
Fluffy, flavorful vegan muffins aren’t impossible at home! These Vegan Banana Muffins will become a favorite of vegans and non-vegans alike! Whether you’re hosting brunch, a play group or just making breakfast for the family, Vegan Banana Bread Muffins are a perfect recipe to serve. Makes 12 muffins.
If you know me, you’re probably wondering why the HECK I’m sharing a Vegan Banana Muffin recipe with y’all today, considering the fact that I’m actually allergic to bananas.
Well, I’ll tell you why: Because there are two members of my household who are bananas about, well, bananas. And because I don’t just cook for myself.
And because everyone I’ve given these muffins to has gone bananas over ‘em, too.
Why we love this recipe:
My mother-in-law declared, “This is better than my banana bread recipe!”
The rest of our family eagerly agreed, and there were no leftovers.
These Vegan Banana Muffins are sweet, but not too sweet. The banana sings, but you can also taste the walnuts.
And if you’re not into walnuts and/or have an allergy? Skip ‘em! The muffins are good without—my daughter can attest to that since she’s not a nut fan.
More vegan muffin recipes to try: Vegan Pumpkin Muffins | Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffins | Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins | Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Need breakfast inspiration? Head on over to my Breakfast and Brunch Recipe Index for ideas.
What do I need to make these Vegan Banana Muffins?
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In addition to these tools, you’re going to need some ingredients to make these vegan muffins, too:
- Bananas—a few small ones that are bordering on overripe.
- Light brown sugar—though dark brown sugar is an acceptable substitute in this recipe, too.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk—cashew milk is my non-dairy milk of choice, but any should work here. I’d advise against coconut cream since it’s so much thicker than a non-dairy milk, but you can use any unsweetened nut milk, oat milk, rice milk, etc.
- Unsweetened applesauce—this is going to play into the fluffy texture of the muffins. Also, it works nicely with the bananas.
- Vegetable oil—you could also use any other unflavored oil, like melted coconut oil or avocado oil.
- White vinegar—this is a must-have ingredient. Please don’t swap it with another vinegar.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour—we keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but the regular kind works, too.
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Chopped walnuts—optional, but they feel right considering this is a banana bread muffin recipe, right? Please leave them out if you’re feeding these to someone with a nut allergy.
How to make Vegan Banana Bread Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a muffin tin with baking cups. Spritz the baking cups with nonstick cooking spray, too, before setting aside.
The key to making these vegan banana bread muffins successfully is working quickly. So get the oven going first, prep the muffin tin and then mix together all the ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
Combine the mashed banana, sugar, non-dairy milk, oil, applesauce, vinegar and vanilla in another large bowl. Use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat them until light and fluffy.
Make the banana muffin batter. Sprinkle in the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Add the walnuts, folding into the batter.
Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to dollop the batter into the prepared baking cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. An inserted toothpick should remove cleanly to tell you they’re done.
Enjoy warm!
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re not vegan, either, and these muffins were a HIT in my household. Vegans and non-vegans can enjoy these muffins, I promise. In fact, the non-vegans will probably have NO idea these muffins are vegan. And your vegan friends will be thrilled that you made something for them. 🙂
The reason I originally developed my Vegan Blueberry Muffins—which remains my most popular recipe to date—is because I have vegan friends and had wondered what the heck I’d serve them if they came for brunch.
I like a combination of baking soda and vinegar for my vegan muffins, and when the two get together, they fizz and fuzz and make the muffins rise gorgeously.
Honestly, flax seeds weird me out. And while I know I can use a vegan egg substitute, I’d rather use something most of us have on hand in our household.
There are several different factors that might go into this. Here are a few things to check:
Is your baking soda old?
Is your baking powder old?
Does your oven run at the correct temperature? (Vegan muffins struggled to rise in my 1960’s oven because the oven never ran at a consistent temperature.)
We mix these vegan muffins together in a bowl. We’re using a combination of easy-to-find ingredients to make them, including leaveners.
What can I serve alongside these Vegan Banana Muffins?
- Vegan Breakfast Apple Crisp
- Tropical Green Smoothie
- Vegan Sweet Potato Sage Olive Oil Biscuits
- Mocha Latte Smoothie
- Vegan Thin Mint Smoothie
Quick tips and tricks to the best banana bread muffins:
- Work quickly! The combination of baking soda and vinegar is going to give these vegan muffins their rise, so you want to bake this recipe as soon as the batter has been mixed. Otherwise, the muffins could turn out a little flat.
- Use overripe bananas. They’ll mash up beautifully and add such a nice sweetness to this muffin recipe.
- Switch out those mix-ins. This muffin recipe calls for walnuts, but you could easily add sprinkles or chocolate chips. (Hi. I even made a Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe for you.) You could also use another nut of your choosing or simply not mix in a nut at all.
Soooooo good, right?
Scroll on down to see how you can make these beauties:
Vegan Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup banana mashed (about 3 small bananas)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups, then spritz with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Whisk until combined, then set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine the mashed banana, sugar, non-dairy milk, oil and applesauce, vinegar and vanilla. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, beat until light and fluffy.
- Sprinkle in the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.
- Add the walnuts, folding into the batter.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, dollop the batter into the prepared baking cups.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. (An inserted toothpick should remove cleanly to tell you they’re done.)
- Enjoy warm!
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Oh I cannot wake to try these!! They look absolutely amazing.
Woohoo! Thanks so much, friend! It’s crazy how quickly they went in our house every time we’ve made ’em. I hope y’all enjoy them as much as we have!
Oh I cannot wake to try these!! They look absolutely amazing.
Excellent recipe!! Easy and delicious. Definitely remember to spray non-stick spray on your muffin papers.
Made these for Christmas morning brunch. My daughter is Vegan, and the rest of us eat a combination of mostly vegan, but also omnivore foods. Everyone loved these, vegan and non-vegans. Thanks for sharing!!
Excellent recipe!! Easy and delicious. Definitely remember to spray non-stick spray on your muffin papers.
Made these for Christmas morning brunch. My daughter is Vegan, and the rest of us eat a combination of mostly vegan, but also omnivore foods. Everyone loved these, vegan and non-vegans. Thanks for sharing!!
Roxanne,
I am SO happy to hear that this went well for you and your family on Christmas morning brunch! So happy that everyone loved these muffins. 🙂 Thanks for leaving me a comment to let me know–it truly makes my day hearing from readers who’ve tried my recipes!
Can i substitute the unbleach flour to almond flour or cocunut flour?
Hi Yolanda! I’ve actually never baked with almond or coconut flour, so I cannot attest to the swap being easy for either of those in this recipe. I’ve heard good things about the 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour, but I’ve never tried that, either. I’m sorry I can’t be any more help. If you do make the substitute, I’d love to know what you thought and how it turns out.
These were some of the best muffins I’ve ever made! They have SUCH a light and fluffy texture, not heavy at all, and a delicious banana flavor. I substituted Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour for the flour because of allergies, and they turned out very well and just like the pictures – not gummy or dense or pasty or off-flavored or anything! I will definitely be making these again.
Sophia, your comment made my day! THANK YOU! So happy you enjoyed these muffins and enjoyed the texture!
Also, that’s an awesome tip about the Bob’s Red Mill GF AP Flour. I’ll make a note of that in the recipe card for others who might be interested in making these gluten free, as well.
Happy baking, Sophia! I hope this muffin recipe is awesome for you each and every time. 🙂