Banana Muffins Perfected – Enough Said

For years, I found banana muffins underwhelming. I love bananas, and baking with them, but most banana muffin recipes taste more cake than banana to me. In my opinion, muffins should be slightly moist, very flavorful, and seriously fulfilling. So I finally decided to create my “perfect” version of dairy-free banana muffins.

The Perfect Dairy-Free Banana Muffins for Every Kitchen

These dairy-free banana muffins are tender, perfectly sweet, and loaded with banana goodness. The recipe has an extra dose of banana, to ensure the flavor comes through. It’s complemented with vanilla and cinnamon to add warmth and depth. And I use just enough brown sugar for that delicious touch of rich caramelized flavor. The result is truly addictive. That said, I do have some answers to your FAQs to ensure you get the best results.

What Other Sweeteners can I Use in these Banana Muffins?

You can definitely substitute regular white sugar or coconut sugar. If using either of these, you might want to increase the amount to 3/4 cup. I haven’t tested this recipe with liquid sweetener or sugar-free sweetener. These could have a greater affect on the taste and texture.

Will Under Ripe Bananas Work in these Banana Muffins?

It’s okay if they are yellow, and haven’t yet begun to brown. You can always bump the brown sugar up to 3/4 cup if you are worried about the sweetness and moisture level. But I would avoid using bananas that still have any green hue on them. Under ripe bananas are starchier and less sweet, and won’t perform quite as well in this recipe. If you can hold off, wait a day or two for the bananas to fully ripen.

Can I Use Frozen Bananas?

I don’t like to. I find that freezing does affect the taste of the bananas and makes them more watery. But my friend uses frozen bananas to make muffins often. If you decide to, defrost the banana and then mash into your measuring cup.

Can I Use Plant Butter instead of Oil?

Yes, you can, but I do prefer oil in this recipe. It is richer, and provides a better texture. But if you want that buttery flavor, dairy-free buttery spread or sticks should work fine in the same amount.

What Type of Oil do you Use for Baking Muffins?

Typically, I like to stick with neutral-tasting baking oil when making dairy-free banana muffins. Examples include grapeseed, extra-light olive, rice bran, vegetable, and non-GMO canola oils. You can use coconut oil, but make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature and the coconut oil is melted before beginning. If any of your ingredients are cool, they can cause the coconut oil to set up quickly into little shards.

Can I Reduce the Oil?

This is already a fairly low-fat muffin, so I don’t recommend reducing it or cutting it out. Ultra low fat and fat-free muffins tend to become gummy once they cool. If you are used to that texture, you can certainly reduce it. I would just substitute dairy-free milk beverage in equal amounts. These dairy-free banana muffins already have a lot of fruit, so you don’t really need to swap in applesauce for the oil.

What Banana Muffin Add-Ins Work Well and How Much Should I Add?

Dairy-free chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, raisins, and dried cranberries are each delicious in these dairy-free banana muffins. Once the batter is ready, fold in about 1/2 cup of your chosen add-ins. You can stir in more, if desired.

Will Pumpkin Work in Place of the Banana?

You can definitely use pumpkin puree. One 15-ounce can should work well in this recipe. But you might need to increase the sweetener and perhaps add a little more oil if the batter is too thick. We also have a dairy-free pumpkin muffin recipe that you might try instead!

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Banana Muffins

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian. Just be sure to choose an oil that suits your dietary needs.

For egg-free and vegan banana muffins, see our Egg Substitute Guide.

For gluten-free, dairy-free banana muffins, you can substitute your favorite gluten-free flour blend. A friend swears by the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour Blend for making banana muffins. Alternatively, you can substitute gluten-free oat flour for the flour.

Alisa Fleming

Dairy-Free Banana Muffins

5 from 5 votes

Remember, the riper the bananas, the sweeter they are! This is a great recipe for using up those speckled bananas on the counter.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 14 muffins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Calories: 178

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups mashed banana (see note below)
• ⅔ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅓ cup oil
• 2 eggs (see post above for egg-free options)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line 12 to 16 muffin cups with cupcake liners (or use silicone baking cups). This recipe makes 12 large, 14 medium, or 16 smaller muffins (as pictured above).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
3. In a mixing, beat the banana, brown sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and salt with a hand mixer until relatively smooth. There will be some lumps of banana.
4. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture, and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
5. Divide the batter between your prepared muffin cups.
6. Bake the muffins for 17 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. The time will depend on the size of the muffins you bake.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 medium muffinCalories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 28.5gProtein: 3gFat: 6.1gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 183mgFiber: 1.5gSugar: 11g

Notes

Banana Note: I just smash the banana into my measuring cups. They get mashed up more when beating the wet mixture with your mixer. One medium to large banana is about 1/2 cup. So you will need about 4 medium to large bananas for this recipe. It's okay if your amount isn't exact.

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