These healthy blueberry banana muffins are better than ever! They’re wonderfully wholesome and soft, and are quick and easy to make without a mixer. Every bite is filled with juicy blueberries and sweet banana flavor, and you can use nondairy milk to keep the muffins dairy free.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and made a few small updates to the recipe, so the muffins are more moist and flavorful. These changes are reflected in the printable recipe below; see recipe Notes for old version.
When it comes to muffins, do you have a favorite flavor? There are so many different varieties out there, from egg muffins to chocolate muffins, that it’s pretty much impossible to choose. It’s part of the reason I developed this muffin recipe as a base batter for infinite flavors! But if banana muffins and blueberry muffins are both in your Top 5, let me tell you…
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Quick and easy—no mixer required
- Wholesome and satisfying
- A kid-friendly baking recipe
- Packed with plump, juicy blueberries
- A glorious combination of banana muffins and blueberry muffins
- Dairy-free recipe if using nondairy milk
- Nut-free recipe, so perfectly acceptable for school lunchboxes!
One reader, Nicki, commented: “These yummy muffins are excellent! They are not too sweet, full of flavor, and soft and moist… just perfect! ★★★★★“
Big, sugary dessert-like muffins are a wonderful treat (looking at you, pumpkin crumb cake muffins!) but a healthier muffin that’s also easy to make and fabulously delicious is the type I choose on a weekly basis. Today’s recipe is a favorite kid-friendly baking recipe (easy to mix & quick to bake), and they freeze wonderfully.
On the same note, whenever a reader asks me for kid-friendly recipes that are also on the healthier end of the baked goods spectrum, I always suggest muffins. Muffins are quick, manageable, portable, acceptable for breakfast and snack time, and usually require very little clean-up.
These blueberry banana muffins fit the bill. They’re just sweet enough so kids gobble them up, but are made with better-for-you ingredients like whole wheat flour, coconut oil, and bananas.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why:
- Flour: I suggest using white-whole wheat flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour (I usually use a cup of each). If you use ALL whole wheat flour, expect a denser texture.
- Mashed Banana: Banana naturally sweetens the muffins. Just like when you’re making banana bread, it’s best to use super brown, speckled bananas—the riper, the better. You can use frozen and thawed bananas, too. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking for some tips.
- Brown Sugar: The taste and texture benefits from a little brown sugar. If you want to skip all refined sugars, you can substitute coconut sugar.
- Honey or Pure Maple Syrup: Honey or maple syrup finishes up the job of sweetening these muffins, and adds some moisture as well.
- Coconut Oil: Instead of butter or vegetable oil, use melted coconut oil. You can always rely on oil to keep your baked goods moist, especially when they’re made with drying ingredients like whole wheat flour.
- Egg: The egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, and also helps keep the muffins soft.
- Milk: You can use any kind of milk, dairy or nondairy, you have on hand. I usually use almond or oat milk to make these muffins.
- Blueberries: Can’t have blueberry banana muffins without blueberries! You can use either fresh or frozen berries here. If using frozen, do not thaw.
You also need these baking basics: baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract.
Don’t like banana? Try these blueberry oatmeal muffins instead.
Today’s muffin batter comes together in just minutes with simple kitchen tools: a couple mixing bowls, a whisk, a spatula, and a muffin pan. (If you need a recommendation, this muffin pan and this muffin pan have both held up well with very regular use.)
Expect a thick batter. As with ALL muffin recipes, do not over-mix it! Only mix the batter until the wet and dry ingredients are *just combined* and no more flour pockets remain. Over-mixing your batter will activate the gluten in the flour and overdevelop it, deflating the air bubbles in the process. This results in a tough, hard, dense muffin—not soft and fluffy like you are aiming for.
Let’s not forget those blueberries. Add a heaping cup (more like a cup and a quarter) of fresh or frozen blueberries to the batter. If you’re using frozen blueberries, don’t let them thaw, or else you will have some muddy-purple muffins that look a bit less appealing! Fold them in gently with a spatula, so they’re evenly distributed in the batter.
I love sprinkling the tops of the muffins with a little coarse sugar before baking, a finishing touch I always add when making these healthy apple muffins, too.
3 Helpful Tips
- Expect a semi-thick batter. Thick batter helps ensure the muffins lift UP rather than spread OUT.
- Add an optional coarse sugar topping. You can use coconut sugar, something like Sugar in the Raw, or sparkling coarse sugar (usually sold as sprinkles). Or don’t add anything at all, the muffins are plenty delicious without a topping!
- Bake at an initially high oven temperature. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in a very hot oven. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature. This initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is lowered, the centers of the muffins bake. I do this in all my muffin recipes.
Are These Blueberry Banana Muffins Healthy?
I’d say these are a healthy-ish muffin. Like my flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies, they are made with some healthier alternatives to traditional baking ingredients, but still include sugar. When it comes to labeling recipes as healthy, use the best judgment for YOU.
I Have Plenty of Healthier Muffin Recipes:
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins
- Applesauce Muffins
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Power Muffins (GF)
- Healthy Bran Muffins
Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These are soft and moist blueberry banana muffins made with a few healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour, mashed bananas, coconut oil instead of butter, and a little honey. See Notes for freezing instructions and how to make mini muffins.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour, or a mix of both (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (230g) mashed banana (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey or pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (56g) coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil/avocado oil)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (160ml) milk (dairy or nondairy), at room temperature
- 1 and 1/4 cups (175g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
- optional: 1 Tablespoon coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. (If you need a recommendation, this muffin pan and this muffin pan have both held up well with very regular use.) Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Once mashed, whisk in the brown sugar, honey/maple syrup, coconut oil, egg, vanilla, and milk until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Expect a semi-thick batter. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling them all the way to the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 15–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20–23 minutes, give or take. (For mini or jumbo muffins, see Notes for baking instructions.)
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins in a freezer-friendly container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan (like this one or this one) | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Why the initial high oven temperature? Like I recommend for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they’re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy.
- For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
- Loaf Pan: I haven’t personally tested it this recipe as a loaf, but the volume of batter is enough for a 9×5-inch loaf pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time, but you can follow this zucchini bread recipe as a guide.
- Updated in 2023: I made a couple small updates to the recipe, so the muffins are more moist and flavorful. To make the old version, leave out the baking powder, vanilla, and coconut oil. Add 1/4 cup (60g) Greek yogurt and another 1/2 cup (about 63g) of flour.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 195
- Sugar: 17.7 g
- Sodium: 171.4 mg
- Fat: 5.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.3 g
- Protein: 3.6 g
- Cholesterol: 15.5 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made these right after dinner & they were so delicious! My 8 year old also loved them! We used honey, coconut oil & regular milk. First time we tried healthier options and they did not disappoint! Thanks!
Had anyone tested with thawed blueberries?? I had a power outage and need to use up a lot of thawed blueberries…..
Hi Robin, we find thawed blueberries to be a bit too wet, adding too much moisture to the batter (and turning it blue). You can try draining and dabbing up as much moisture as possible from the thawed berries.
Delicious! I think I added a few too many blueberries though, if that’s even possible.
This recipe is one of the best I’ve fond. Moist and flavourful. I was concerned about the heat setting but it worked. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you Sally.❤️
These are my new favourite muffins. I made them as directed, but I cut the sugar in half. They were amazing.
Want to try this recipe but was wondering if there was anything I could use in place of the syrups.
Hi Bonnie, you can use honey instead of maple syrup if you’d like. We haven’t tested the recipe with other sweeteners, so are unsure of the results.
I’ve been baking muffins and other baked goods for quite awhile. This time I found your recipe and for the 1st time my muffins actually came out looking & tasting like bakery bought muffins! They had a nice muffin top & were plump & so moist! The baking at a high temperature in the beginning is what I’ve been missing! It really makes a big difference! Tks for for the great recipe! Love it!
I left out the brown sugar completely. I used maple syrup. I used oat flour made from porridge oats and used veg oil and they are so good sweet enough without added sugar.
What amounts would I use if I were going to substitute
1. Apples
2. Strawberries
Hi Roger, those substitutes should work fine here. If your strawberries are especially wet, you may need to add an additional minute or so to bake time. Enjoy!
OMG! This is the BEST muffin recipe EVER!!!
Just baked this recipe for the first time and they turned out great. Did the healthier option of half AP flour and half King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour. My problem now is they’re really really good and I most likely will devour them all by myself by this time tomorrow.
Thank you Sally for sharing…Baking makes me happy especially when recipes are easy to follow and turn out great!.
Can I add nuts if I wish?
Hi Pat, absolutely!
The muffins taste delicious and even better, my kids like them. They will be a lunchbox staple this year. I do find them too sweet though. I would use less syrup next time but I will definitely make them again !
I love this recipe; I used 1 cup flour and 1 cut buckwheat flour…delicious
Really nice recipe! I just happened to have banana bread ripe bananas and blueberries that were on their way out when I searched and your recipe caught my eye. I used a little less of coconut sugar and just a drizzle of maple syrup plus I did half applesauce with half the avocado oil which came out great. Nice texture, moist and light at the same time. I also subbed in half cup of almond flour for AP to boost the protein. I know I made a few changes but I usually do this with any quick bread or muffin recipe and this one came out perfectly!
I always bump up the heat for the first 5 minutes! It really helps to get a perfect domed rise on the muffins!
I made these muffins today with my over ripe bananas. They came out really good. Not overly sweet which made them even better.
When the muffins were done but not browning in the oven causing much perplexion in my brain, I saw the brown sugar on the cabinet. I had completely forgotten to put in the brown sugar while mixing! I was making the muffins for a pot luck tonight at church so I panicked for 5 about minutes, threw some leftover lemon glaze on half a muffin, it tasted great. My husband ate the non glazed half a muffin and said it was really good too. I then halved another muffin and it was quite good and sweet. I went ahead and made a lemon glaze for the pot luck muffins but when I make these muffins again for family I will not put in the brown sugar, no need.
Perfect recipe! Nothin to ad, nothing to take out. Most definitely it deserves five stars!
These yummy muffins are excellent! They are not too sweet, they’re full of flavor, and soft and moist…just perfect!
Delightful! Perfect first time. Thank you for this one.
These were great, Sally! Very moist just how I like them.
How many bananas does it take to make one cup of mashed bananas?
Hi Elaine, about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas.
This looks like another yummy recipe that I hope try soon! My question is about the bananas- can frozen bananas be used? If so, do they need to be thawed & theexcess liquid drained off ? Thanks for your help!
Sure can! Here’s my page all about using frozen bananas in baking. Drain most of the liquid off.
@ Betsy–I used frozen bananas. I frequently use them in baking and just mash them while partly frozen. Sometimes they thaw while I’m getting everything ready, and that’s fine too. I made these muffins with thawed bananas and didn’t drain the liquid, and they still came out delicious.
Can I substitute applesauce for the coconut oil? Thank you! I can’t wait to try them
Hi Emily, I wouldn’t replace the coconut oil with a lower fat/fat free alternative. You could try reducing the coconut oil down to 2 Tbsp and replacing the other 2 Tbsp with applesauce if desired.
May I substitute 1 cup applesauce for the banana in this recipe?
Hi Debby, I haven’t tested it but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Thanks for this recipe, I’ll definitely make them! However, should I use regular oil or butter in order to substitute for the coconut oil?
Hi Lucy, you can use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted butter instead of coconut oil.
Hi again Sally! We loved the muffins! I was scared they’d be too sweet, but it balances the sourness of the blueberries perfectly! I was wondering if you had any tips for distributing the blueberries evenly? they first muffins had tons and the last one to fill had 2
Hi Lucy, we’re glad you enjoyed the muffins! It sounds like the blueberries weren’t evenly folded into the batter. Feel free to give it another few turns as you fill the cups to make sure they’re distributed throughout.
Could this be made into a loaf bread?
Hi Rachelle, I haven’t personally tested it, but the volume of batter would be enough for a 9×5 inch loaf pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time, but you can follow this zucchini bread recipe as a guide.
RE: blueberry muffins…can I substitute canola oil for the coconut oil?
Yes, absolutely.
Can this recipe be made in a loaf pan?
I love your use of weight measurements.
Hi Stef, I’m sure it could be. I haven’t personally tested it, but the volume of batter would be enough for a 9×5 inch loaf pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time, but you can follow this zucchini bread recipe as a guide.