Healthy Banana Muffins topped with oats, a delicious afterschool snack for older kids, but also great for babies and toddlers. The muffins have no refined sugar added, their sweetness coming from the mashed banana. Fluffy and moist, and so easy to make, these banana muffins are great any time of the day.
Feeding our kids can be pretty overwhelming. From the moment you start the weaning journey, you constantly worry about the quality and quantity of food that is offered to them.
Later on, when they discover the sweet taste, it becomes quite though to still get them to eat healthy food, and that's when the hunt for healthier recipes starts. With my first daughter I started the traditional way with pureed food, and she was not really the best eater ever.
By the time I had my second, I relaxed a bit and I started with the baby led weaning, which proved to be a lot less stressful, and a lot more successful. And although the main meals are pretty good, I still want to offer them healthy snacks in between meals. And that's when these muffins come to the rescue.
As with my Baby Led Weaning Savoury Muffins, these banana ones are a nutritious breakfast or snack not just for little ones, but even for grown-ups too. You can't tell that these muffins are sugar free, because they are sweet and simply delicious!
Jump to:
Is refined sugar bad for kids?
Yes, without a shadow of a doubt! While we can't expect kids to go on diets like adults do, limiting the amount of refined sugar is the best you can do for them. Kids need carbs for energy and growing nicely, and a balanced meal is all they need. Fruit and veggies have plenty of naturally occurring sugar, thus no need for extra one.
My banana muffins have absolutely no refined sugar added, not even brown one, which people swear is healthier (is it, though?), and I did not sweeten them with honey or maple sugar either. If you really want to go for honey though, please be mindful that honey is a big no no for children under one year, but the older kids can safely consume it.
But they are just perfect if you choose a well-ripen banana which is naturally sweet. Mash it with a fork, and add it to the other ingredients, and you get the best muffins ever.
As a grown-up I might think they are not sweet enough for my taste, but that's because I am so used to the sweet taste, where a baby can't tell the difference. You can add any pieces of fruit to the muffins, nuts or seeds for extra goodness (again, careful with bigger pieces of nuts, as kids can choke on them).
Ingredients needed
- flour - plain flour can be used here, there is no need for self-raising flour
- banana - a large banana that is ripe and sweet
- yogurt - I prefer Greek yogurt for its creaminess, but plain yogurt can also work
- baking powder - it helps with the fluffiness
- egg
- butter - unsalted butter works better
- oats - for topping the muffins, they are optional though
- vanilla extract - it can be optional, this adds extra flavour though
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- In a bowl, sift the flour, add the baking powder and mix.
- Beat the egg until frothy, add the yogurt and cooled melted butter, vanilla extract (if you use) and gently fold everything together.
It's best to use a silicone spatula, and mix the ingredients gently before adding the batter to the muffin tin. It does not have to be beaten to perfection, even a few lumps here and there are ok.
- Grease a 6-hole muffin tin with butter, then divide the batter between the 6 muffin holes, and sprinkle some oats over.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- To remove the muffins from the tin, use a sharp knife to loosen the edges, the muffins should pop out easily.
Tips, variations and FAQ
As with all muffins, there is one big tip when it comes to great taste and texture.
- always pre-heat the oven before baking
- have the ingredients at room temperature
- DO NOT overbeat the batter, the muffins will become too dense and unlikely to rise as nicely.
Another tip is never to open the oven before the muffins are baked, and that is true for baking in general. I know the temptation is great, but better check nearer the time, and not too often.
Also, make sure the bananas are fully-ripen, the ones starting to brown are actually the best, as they are very sweet, and thus the muffins won't need extra sweetness.
Adding too much flour will result in the muffins being too dense and dry. Also, make sure that you use heaped tablespoon of yogurt, so the batter is too very thick.
My healthy banana muffins do not use any refined sugar, their sweetness comes from the banana only. If the banana is not ripe, the texture of the muffins will be wrong, and they will taste bland.
If you’ve liked my NO SUGAR BANANA MUFFINS FOR KIDS or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Healthy Banana Muffins for Kids (No Sugar Added)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 large banana
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 heaped tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- â…› cup butter (30 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- oats for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
- Sift the flour and add it to a bowl together with the baking powder.
- Beat the egg until foamy, then add the yogurt and mix together until you get a smooth paste.
- Add the melted and cooled butter to it, then mash the banana with a fork and add that too.
- Mix everything together, add the vanilla extract, then add this to the bowl of flour and baking powder.
- Use a silicone spatula to gently mix the ingredients together, making sure you don't overbeat.
- Grease a 6-hole muffin tin with butter, then divide the batter between the 6 muffin holes, and sprinkle some oats over.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- To remove the muffins from the tin, use a sharp knife to loosen the edges, the muffins should pop out easily.
Video
Notes
- always pre-heat the oven before baking
- have the ingredients at room temperature
- DO NOT overbeat the batter, the muffins will become too dense and unlikely to rise as nicely.
Nutrition
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Anna says
Loved this!!! So good.
Daniela Apostol says
That's great to hear!
Jordan says
Your nutrition information. Is that per muffin or for the batch?
Daniela Apostol says
Per muffin.
Matthew says
hi, i'm wanting to make these.. do you have a conversion for the "cup" measurements i.e grams?
Daniela Apostol says
A cup is 125 g.
Julie says
Made these for myself this weekend but I added frozen raspberries too, the mixture was quite dense as already stated above so I added a tbsp of 1% fat milk which worked out well. I will definitely make them again with a few of the above suggestions, especially the applesauce. I had two for breakfast this morning, heated up in the microwave for 1 minute and topped with some greek yoghurt, they were blooming lovely. ( I have frozen the rest of them and they are fine).
Daniela Apostol says
That sounds delicious! I am glad they worked for you!
Michele T Jansen says
I forgot to mention that I used half whole wheat flour and half white. And then a tablespoon of ground golden flax seed for fiber. Still fluffy and light thanks to the kefir!
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback, I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! Kefir sounds like a great addition, I will definitely give it a go!
Michele T Jansen says
I found this recipe when looking for a no sugar muffin for my grandson. It's great! A few suggestions: the batter is quite dense even after adding more yogurt. I added about a quarter cup of kefir (buttermilk would work too) and the muffins turned out really fluffy! However I thought they needed a tiny bit of salt...I always use no salt butter. Also only baked for 20 minutes. Thanks for this fun recipe!
K says
Interesting recipe. Wish it had more banana flavour. Once baked it’s tasteless. The kid likes it so that’s a win. Next time going to add an extra banana.
G says
I wasn’t convinced the baking powder would be enough to raise the muffin considering the banana and yogurt heaviness, so i did 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate). I also added toasted pecans and sunflower nuts. They were perfect.
Daniela Apostol says
I am glad the recipe worked for you!
LND says
Is the banana muffin recipe suitable for a 9months baby?
Did you use plain flour?
Daniela Apostol says
Yes, the muffins are suitable from 6 months old. I used plain flour - but you can used self-raising flour too.
Paulette says
Can you freeze the muffins?
Daniela Apostol says
Yes, absolutely!
Dee says
These were pretty bland after baking (even added chocolate chips) I didn’t think to add an oil to the mix so I could use muffin papers …. Meh … but it was fun to try
Daniela Apostol says
Thank you for your feedback. These muffins are meant to carer for babies over 6 months and children, hence why they do not have sugar added. As grown ups we are used to refined sugar, so our taste buds will not appreciate less sugary bakes. But children do not need all the refined sugar. My 11 month baby has never had sugar in his diet and loves these muffins.
Kelsy says
Nice recipe. Overall really easy to make. I also found the consistency thick when I made it so I added about a half a cup of unsweetened applesauce to a double batch, reduced the cooking time to 25min, and topped with chopped pecans and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
Daniela Apostol says
It sounds delicious!
Kathleen says
These are really good! I've made them twice now. I up the nutritional factor by using half whole wheat flour and half almond flour. I also use regular yogurt, and add a bit extra to compensate for the additional moisture whole wheat flour absorbs. I also add 1/4 tsp. baking soda (which interacts with the acid in the yogurt) to lighten the muffins. Chopped walnuts add a bit of crunch, plus more nutrition.
And I always double the recipe.
Thanks!
Daniela Apostol says
The additions sound amazing, l am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Rashmi says
I followed the recipe exactly, I just replaced with whole wheat flour and don’t know why the muffins came out very bitter. I suppose the bitterness was from baking powder. I guess it’s too much just for 6 muffins.
Could it be that? Or maybe the banana was overripe?
Daniela Apostol says
Hi! It must be because of the wheat flour - my recipe was not tested with this kind of flour, but white only - so the recipe wasn't quite followed exactly. I am afraid unless I test it with a different kind of flour, I can't say why the bitterness, it could also be because the bananas were not ripe, otherwise they muffins would have been sweet enough. Overripe bananas would be sweet.