Vegan Banana Oatmeal Muffins | Ambitious Kitchen

A few years ago I remember teasing this incredible recipe on Instagram and based on everyone’s response I knew I had to get these posted ASAP. These are seriously the most delicious, fluffy vegan banana muffins I’ve ever made (or eaten!) I made these beauties with oatmeal for a hearty, nutritious boost that takes them to the next level.

If you’ve been loving my vegan banana bread you’re going to absolutely adore these perfectly moist vegan banana oatmeal muffins. They’re freezer-friendly and make the perfect, easy breakfast or snack for the kiddos.

As always, feel free to get a lil’ wild and add some chocolate chips or your fav chopped nuts! You do you. Enjoy!

What makes these banana oatmeal muffins vegan?

We’re skipping the dairy and eggs in these fluffy vegan banana muffins and are instead using:

• Flaxseed meal instead of eggs
• Coconut oil instead of butter
• Dairy free milk instead of regular milk
• And dairy free chocolate chips instead of regular ones (if you’d like!)

Everything you need to make vegan banana muffins

This healthy vegan banana muffin recipe is made with plenty of pantry staples for ease and they’re seriously some of the fluffiest muffins I’ve ever made. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

• Bananas: you’ll need about 3 bananas to naturally sweeten the muffin and give them that delicious banana flavor.
• Coconut sugar: we’re naturally sweetening these vegan banana muffins with coconut sugar.
• Flaxseed meal: instead of eggs, these banana muffins have flaxseed meal to keep them vegan and help them hold together well.
• Milk: feel free to use any non-dairy milk you’d like. I typically use almond milk because that’s what we have on hand.
• Coconut oil: you’ll also need some melted coconut oil to add moisture to the muffins. Vegan butter works just as well!
• Flour: these vegan banana muffins are made with all purpose flour to keep them super fluffy. See below for my substitute recommendations!
• Oats: who doesn’t love a good oatmeal muffin? You’ll need rolled oats for the perfect texture.
• Baking staples: you’ll also need baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon & salt.
• Optional add-ins: I love mixing in dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts or pecans, but the choice is yours! Be sure to use dairy free chocolate chips to keep them vegan.

Optional ingredient swaps

I’d recommend sticking to the recipe as best you can so that the banana oatmeal muffins turn out perfectly fluffy and delicious, but if you do need to make some substitutions here’s what I can recommend:

• Choose your sugar. I like to keep these refined sugar free by using coconut sugar, but brown sugar will work just as well.
• Swap your flour. Using all purpose flour gives them the perfect, fluffy texture, but you can also use a whole wheat flour (I recommend whole wheat pastry flour). If you do use whole wheat flour you’ll likely need 2-4 more tablespoons of milk as whole wheat flour tends to be more dense.
• Make them gluten-free. I suggest trying chickpea flour or an all purpose gluten free flour, but I do not recommend swapping for almond flour or coconut flour.

Can I use steel cut oats?

I would not recommend using steel cut oats in this recipe as they are much grittier and denser. Rolled oats make these vegan banana muffins super fluffy.

How to use frozen bananas in muffins

Yes, these vegan banana oatmeal muffins will work using frozen bananas! Just be sure to thaw your bananas completely and drain off the excess liquid so that the muffins don’t end up too moist.

Easy vegan banana muffins in 4 steps

1. Prep your pan. Line a muffin tray with only 10 muffin liners and spray the insides with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. Mash the bananas, and stir together with the rest of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Make the batter. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips and/or walnuts if you’d like!
4. Divide, bake & devour. Divide the batter into the 10 liners in your muffin pan, bake them up until a toothpick comes out clean, then cool and enjoy!

Tips for making the best vegan banana muffins

• Use extra ripe bananas. I mean EXTRA ripe and almost brown. They’ll give these vegan banana oatmeal muffins a natural sweetness.
• Use fresh baking soda & powder. This will ensure that the muffins rise properly. If your baking soda or baking powder is more than 3 months old I’d suggest swapping it out.
• Don’t overmix the batter. Mix the flour into your wet ingredients until it’s just combined. If you overmix the batter your muffins may turn out dense and almost rubbery, which we don’t want. It’s okay if there are some lumps of banana in the batter!

Freezer-friendly banana oatmeal muffins

I love freezing these vegan banana muffins for easy breakfasts and snacks. Simply wrap muffins individually and place them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bags. When you’re ready to enjoy them, reheat them for 30-45 seconds in the microwave or simply thaw them at room temperature.

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I hope you love these fluffy vegan banana oatmeal muffins! If you make them I’d love for you to leave a comment and rating letting me know how you liked them. Enjoy xo!

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on May 17th, 2021, and republished on January 22nd, 2024.