These banana walnut muffins are an old favorite that I recently retested and photographed with a few minor adjustments to help them bake up tall and fluffy.
I'm very happy to be bringing this recipe back as a member exclusive! The muffins are satisfying, tender, and lightly sweet, with crunchy walnuts folded into the batter and a simple maple-cinnamon swirl running through the middle.
What I love most about these muffins is just how much banana they use. There's a whopping 1 ⅔ cups of mashed banana in the batter (about 4 extra large bananas), along with just 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
I have a few different banana muffin variations on the blog. What makes these different is that, other than the walnuts folded in, there's no added fat in the batter (i.e. nut butter, yogurt, oil).
So the bananas are really doing the heavy lifting when it comes to moisture, sweetness, and flavor.
The maple-cinnamon swirl is the little extra something that makes these muffins feel like more than just another banana muffin. It's simple to make and adds a delicious pop of warm cinnamon sweetness.
These wholesome muffins are perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or anytime you have a bunch of ripe bananas waiting on the counter.
All you need are 12 ingredients and 30 minutes to make a batch.
How to Make Them
You'll find the full recipe at the bottom of the page, but here's a quick look at the process.
- First, whisk together the maple syrup and cinnamon for the swirl mixture. Then mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls, and combine to form a fluffy batter. Fold in the walnuts.
- Spoon a small amount of batter into each muffin cup, filling them about a third full. Drizzle with ¾-1 teaspoon of the maple-cinnamon mixture.
- Fill with the remaining batter, and sprinkle more walnuts on top if desired. Bake in a preheated 370°F oven for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
Lori's Recommended Equipment
Perfect for measuring flours, powders, and produce. A must-have for any home baker!
I really enjoy these muffins in the morning with coffee. They're also a great late-afternoon snack when you need something to make it to dinnertime.
As a member exclusive recipe, I hope you'll enjoy having this one in your recipe collection. And if you make them, I have a feeling you'll be anxiously awaiting your next batch of overripe bananas like I am!
Recipe
Healthy Banana Walnut Muffins With Cinnamon Swirl
Equipment
Ingredients
For the maple-cinnamon swirl:
- 2½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the muffins:
- 1⅔ cups mashed very ripe banana (lots of dark spots) - about 4 large bananas
- ⅔ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk - such as almond, oat or soy
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar - or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups oat flour - If making your own in a blender, start with 2¼ cups oats
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts - plus more for tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 370°F (185°C). Place paper liners in a standard 12 cup muffin pan.
- Make the swirl mixture by whisking the 2½ tablespoons maple syrup and 1½ teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl mash the bananas very well, and measure to make sure you have 1⅔ cups. Add the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and vinegar and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the oat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Pour dry ingredients into the wet and stir until there's no dry flour. Fold in the walnuts.
Spoon a small amount of batter into each muffin cup, only filling a third of the way. Drizzle about ¾ teaspoon of the maple-cinnamon mixture over each one.- Evenly divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with more walnuts, if desired.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Dana says
Following up on my question about replacing banana with butternut squash, I’ve just made my first batch of what is likely to be a firm favourite 🤩 thank you so much Lori, they are delicious and I might just have to have another one whilst they’re still warm 😋
Lori Rasmussen says
Excellent! Would you be able to share the amounts/details with us? I'd like to try them, too. 😀
Dana says
I’ve tried a few banana muffin recipes and I just can’t like the flavour. However, I’ve adapted a few recipes and swapped out the banana for cooked butternut squash and I’ve loved them. Do you think I could make this work for your recipe, or would I need to add more sweetness somehow? I love cinnamon and walnuts so I really want to try it 🤞
Lori Rasmussen says
Hi Dana, I think that swap sounds delicious! Now you have me longing for cozy fall flavors (and temperatures - ha).
Yes, assuming you want a sweet muffin, I would increase the sweetener. In looking at my pumpkin muffins recipe just now, I can see how I might adjust the wet ingredients to create a cross between the that one and this banana one. Since butternut squash is more dense, I might decrease the amount to 1 1/4 cups and double the maple syrup (might even take more like 1/2 cup maple - hard to say). Hopefully, that increase along with the milk will be enough moisture. You could also do a combo of maple syrup and light brown sugar.