The Best Vegan Banana Muffins

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Moist, tender, and perfectly sweet! These vegan banana muffins are super easy to whip up and perfect for an indulgent breakfast or light dessert.

My kitchen is perpetually stocked with bananas! Partly because I love bananas, but also because I do so much baking. Bananas are pretty essential for vegan baking! For one thing, they work great as egg substitutes. But also, banana-based treats are deeeeeelicious!

I already have a recipe for classic vegan banana bread and it’s one of the most popular recipes on this site. A lot of readers ask if the banana bread can be made into muffins, and the answer is yes, but with some small tweaks.

Well here it is: my banana bread recipe transformed into vegan banana muffin recipe!

Choosing Bananas for Baking

One of the most important things to keep in mind when making vegan banana muffins, or nearly any other kind of banana baked good for that matter is this: your bananas need to be overripe.

What’s that mean? Lots of brown spots. If they don’t have any brown spots, they’re nowhere near ripe enough. My general rule is that at least a third of the peel should be brown. 

Using bananas that are overripe will ensure that your vegan banana muffins are sweet enough, moist enough, and have the perfect texture.

How big should the bananas be? I usually just grab what I consider medium-sized bananas while I’m at the supermarket. In the interest of accuracy, I weighed my bananas before putting them in my muffins and they were about 5 ounces each.

Note: If you’re weighing your bananas, do it right before baking, as the weight might change as they ripen.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Bananas. Once again, make sure they’re overripe!
• Canola oil. Any neutral baking oil will work as a substitute. You can use melted coconut oil, corn oil, or vegetable oil if you’d like.
• Brown sugar. Use organic to keep the recipe vegan.
• Vanilla extract.
• Whole wheat pastry flour. Regular old all-purpose flour also works. I haven’t tested the recipe with any other types of flour.
• Baking soda.
• Cinnamon.
• Salt.
• Vegan chocolate chips. These are optional, but so good! I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks. Leave them out if you prefer, or switch them with fresh fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, or diced apples.
• Walnuts. These are also optional, or they can be swapped out with another type of nut, such as pecans, almonds or hazelnuts.

Tip: If you ever have overripe bananas but aren’t ready to make them into muffins, freeze them! I keep a stash in a freezer bag at all times, and they’re generally good for at least 3 months. When adding them to the recipe, add the banana as well as any liquid that accumulates as they thaw.

How They’re Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

1. First, peel those bananas and stick them in a large bowl. Grab a fork or potato masher and mash them up!
2. Now add some oil, brown sugar and vanilla to the mashed banana. Stir everything up.
3. The dry ingredients go in next. Add the flour first, but don’t stir. Now sprinkle some baking soda, cinnamon, and salt over the flour. Doing it this way helps ensure that the baking soda gets mixed in evenly, without you having to mix up the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Now just stir the batter until it’s mixed — don’t overdo it! The batter should be pretty thick.
4. Stir-ins go in last. I used walnuts and vegan chocolate chips, but use what you like, or skip them all together.

Spoon the batter into paper-lined muffin cups. I like to sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on top of each one.

Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes. To test for doneness, lightly touch the top of one muffin — if it springs back, it’s done.

Let your vegan banana muffins cool a bit before digging in!

Shelf-Life & Storage

Vegan banana muffins will keep in a sealed bag or container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these muffins be made gluten-free?

I haven’t tried making them gluten-free, so I’m not sure. If you’d like to try it, your best bet would to use a one-to-one gluten-free flour blend, such as those made by Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour.

Why didn’t my muffins rise?

Usually this is due to old baking soda. To test yours, sprinkle a bit in a glass of vinegar. It should fizz. If it doesn’t, it’s time for a new box.

Why does the brown sugar need to be organic in order for this recipe to be vegan?

Most granulated sugar in the United States is processed using animal bone char, so it’s not considered vegan. Organic sugar is processed differently.