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.
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 occuring 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).
How TO make healthy banana muffins
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.
In a bowl, sift the flour, add the baking powder and mix. Beat the egg until foamy, 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.
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 nearner 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.
And that’s pretty much it. My Fluffy Blueberry Muffins and Homemade Chocolate Chip Muffins With Cherry Jam Filling have added sugar, but can be adapted for kids by replacing the sugar with mashed banana too.
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Healthy Banana Muffins, 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.
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 large banana
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1/8 cup butter (30 g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- oats for topping (optional)
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Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
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Sift the flour and add it to a bowl together with the baking powder.
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Beat the egg until foamy, then add the yogurt and mix together until you get a smooth paste.
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Add the melted and cooled butter to it, then mash the banana with a fork and add that too.
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Mix everything together, add the vanilla extract, then add this to the bowl of flour and baking powder.
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Use a silicone spatula to gently mix the ingredients together, making sure you don't overbeat.
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Grease a 6-hole muffin tin with butter, then divide the batter between the 6 muffin holes, and sprinkle some oats over.
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Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
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To remove the muffins from the tin, use a sharp knife to loosen the edges, the muffins should pop out easily.
Recipe Video
Every time I make it it’s really dense and there isn’t enough liquid ingredients to not overstir it. It ends up a really think batter. Should I add another egg?
Add one more tablespoon of yogurt, it will help reach the consistency you need. It really depends on a lot of factors, size of the banana, size of the egg, so if the batter does not seem right, adding more yogurt should fix the problem (see video below the instructions). I hope this helps!
Could I use whole wheat flour? Any adjustments needed to make that change?
You might need to use a bit less flour, since is a lot denser than the regular flour, but see how the texture is.
Do you have the required time (in oven) if I wanted to make it into a loaf and not muffins?
I haven’t made in a tin before, l would think they needed about the same time, or about half an hour, but do check them. Once the top is golden, insert a skewer in the middle, if it comes out clean, it’s done.
Can I use plain yogurt instead of greek yogurt?
Absolutely! I use Greek yogurt because my daughter likes that one, so we have it in the fridge most days, but plain ones are also good.
Thanks for the recipe! Can we use milk instead of yogurt?
I haven’t tried with milk, but I would think that is possible, perhaps add more flour if needed?
Can I use puréed apple instead of yoghurt?
I am afraid I never tried with pureed apple, so I can’t advise you on that. It might be that the consistency changes, I wouldn’t want to give the wrong kind of advice.
Lovely! We lived it, do you have something healthy like this as a carrot cake?
I am glad you liked them! Try my banana waffles or banana pancakes too, they do not have refined sugar added. I have some carrot cake muffins, but they have sugar, perhaps you can give them a try but leave the sugar out?
Best healthy banana recipe out there! Both my 16 month old daughter and husband loves it (hubby was surprised no refined sugar). First time I made it, it was a bit dense but after making some adjustments for the second round, it was perfect! I measured heaping scoops of yogurt rather than measuring exactly (as per another comment about adding yogurt when dense) and since I was thought my 2 overripe bananas weren’t large enough, when doubling on the recipe, I added some unsweetened applesauce. I am throwing out my old recipe that has 1/4-1/2 cups of sugar and will use this as a staple for whenever I have overripe bananas. Thanks for the great recipe!
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. Sometimes making adjustments is the best way to find the perfect recipe, as some ingredients are not the same (different type of flour, size of bananas, yogurt consistency) and the results can be different. Apple sauce is always a good addition. I never use refined sugar when l make muffins or waffles and l can’t tell the difference.
Can I freeze them freeze them.?..
They should be ok to freeze.
Can I freeze them
They taste very good! My husband loves his cookies and muffins not sweet. However, my only issue was the cooking time. I put them in for the suggested 30 minutes, while we ate supper (which is why I kinda forgot about them and didn’t check on them), and they’re on the cusp of being burnt on the bottom. I had thought it was long, too, but just did as the recipe called for. I know ovens vary, so I would suggest putting them in for 20 minutes at first, check on them, and add 3-5 minute increments
Glad you liked them! Indeed, ovens vary greatly. I had to change the glass door for my oven and after the replacement l couldn’t get my time right again, it seems to be a lot hotter at the same temperature and everything bakes faster. So definitely start with less time and increase as needed.