Vegan Banana Muffins — These easy banana muffins are extra fluffy and moist thanks to the combination of coconut oil and ripe bananas in the batter. This is a quick and easy muffin recipe you’re bound to love!
Easy Vegan Banana Muffins
These moist banana muffins embody everything I was trying to achieve. No butter, no eggs, and no mixer needed. These vegan muffins are fluffy, soft, light, and moist. And they remind me of mini donuts, a huge bonus.
I have many vegan banana muffin recipes on my blog from circa 2009, but they’re anything but light and fluffy. They’re made with almond meal to keep them gluten-free and are much heavier.
I have more recent banana recipes, to the tune of, oh about 35+ banana bread recipes. You can never have too many, right? But they’re not vegan. Although some use oil rather than butter, they all use eggs.
Because I loved the Pineapple Coconut Oil Banana Bread I made a while ago, I figured muffins and mini muffins would be fun, and I kept them vegan. I’m not vegan, but many of my readers are, and some readers watch their egg consumption for health reasons. Plus, sometimes it’s nice to be able to bake vegan if you run out of eggs. Whoops.
These easy banana muffins are surprisingly light and fluffy for an egg-free muffin, which are often more like dense, lead balloons. They’re not too light, though. Banana bread is and should be somewhat dense, and these have just the right amount of substance.
They’re so soft and moist, thanks to the coconut oil and bananas. The smell in your house while they bake is heaven-sent. Bread baking with bananas, vanilla, and coconut oil is beyond scrumptious.
I popped them in one after the next. Just one more. And one more. The ones we didn’t immediately scarf actually got softer on the second and third days, and the flavors intensified.
Vegan Banana Muffins Ingredients
For these eggless banana muffins, you’ll need:
- Mashed ripe bananas
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Melted coconut oil
- Non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
I used Kelapo Coconut Oil Pre-Measured Baking Sticks. They’re pre-measured into half-cup portions and scored the way butter is, which is so handy for baking. Of course, using coconut oil from a jar is just fine too.
How to Make Vegan Banana Muffins
It’s incredibly easy to make banana muffins with no eggs or dairy products in it. Simply whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.
Divide the batter between regular-sized muffin cups or mini muffin cups — either works! Then, bake until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Tops will be domed, springy to the touch, and will be on the paler side rather than golden.
I dipped the tops in cinnamon-sugar. Everything is better coated in cinnamon-sugar. I didn’t even need to brush on melted coconut oil (or vegan butter) for the coating to adhere. The sugar granules add lovely texture and remind me of eating mini donuts. Except baked and vegan, nice.
Do I Have to Use Coconut Oil?
As I’ve discussed before when baking with coconut oil, it doesn’t impart much flavor. There’s barely a hint of detectable coconut flavor in these muffins, perfect for those who aren’t as fond of coconut. Normally when people object to coconut, it’s usually shredded or flaked coconut, which are very distinct and powerful, far stronger than coconut oil.
If you’re out of coconut oil or still hung up about trying it, I’m sure you could substitute canola oil, although I haven’t tried it with this recipe and highly recommend coconut oil.
The flavor the coconut oil lends to the muffins is of the can’t-put-your-finger-on-it type. Combined with the sweet bananas, vanilla almond milk, and heavy dose of vanilla in the batter, I was in fluffy, fragrant muffin heaven.
How to Store Eggless Banana Muffins
These vegan banana muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. They get softer and the flavor intensifies on the second and third day.
Tips for Making Vegan Banana Muffins
I baked 24 mini banana muffins using a rounded tablespoon of batter. Spray your tablespoon with cooking spray, repeating as necessary, so the batter glides right off into the pan because filling up mini muffin pans can be messy.
After two pans of minis, I made 7 regular-sized muffins in a standard muffin pan
and used a one-quarter cup measure.
A few words of advice: fill both the mini and regular pans to between two-thirds and three-quarters full. You’ll be surprised how much this batter rises, and the ones that were filled more than 3/4-full ended up turning into overgrown mushrooms. I have a knack for that. I want muffin top, not mushroom top.
Note that these vegan banana muffins bake in quite a hot oven to ensure the high heat gives these egg-less wonders as much rise and doming as possible. Watch them closely in the last few minutes of baking so they don’t burn.
Baking times will vary based on what size pans you’re using. I baked the mini banana muffins for about 9 minutes and the full size for 15 minutes. Bake until they’re done. Watch your muffins, not the clock. They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and they’re domed and springy to the touch (they’ll be more pale than golden).
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Fluffy Vegan Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 to 1 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas, about 3 small/medium or 2 large
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted (canola or vegetable oil could be substituted but I prefer coconut oil)
- ½ cup milk, slightly warmed (coconut, almond, soy, rice, cow’s; I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- about 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for dipping
- about 1 tablespoon cinnamon, for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Spray non-stick muffin pans with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans. (I prefer cosmetically to not use liners, and also the muffins could stick) I made 24 mini muffins and 7 regular muffins. I estimate the recipe will make 30 to 36 mini, or 16 to 18 regular-sized muffins. Set pans aside.
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, optional salt, and stir to incorporate; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, melted coconut oil (about 1 minute in the microwave), slightly warmed milk (about 20 seconds in the microwave – this prevents the cold milk from re-solidfying the coconut oil on contact), brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine. Fold in the bananas.
- Pour wet mixture over the dry, stirring until just incorporated. Make sure to get all the dry bits from the bottom of the bowl, but don’t overmix or muffins will be tough. Batter is quite thick and if yours is seemingly too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it.
- Using a cooking sprayed one-tablespoon measure for a mini muffin pan or a sprayed one-quarter cup measure for a regular sized pan (or what is appropriate for your pan size). Fill the cavities between 2/3 and 3/4 full; don’t exceed 3/4 full.
- Bake until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Tops will be domed, springy to the touch, and will be on the paler side rather than golden. Done for me was about 9 minutes for mini, 15 minutes for regular sized. Baking times will vary widely based on size of pans used, how many pans you have in the oven at once, how moist your bananas were, and how many times you open the oven door to rotate pans. Watch your muffins, not the clock.
- Allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
- If desired, after they’re cool enough to handle, stir together about 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and dip the tops (or entire muffin) into it. I didn’t need to brush with melted coconut oil or (vegan) butter in order for the cinnamon-sugar to adhere.
Notes
- Muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. They get softer and the flavor intensifies on the second and third day.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Vegan Muffin Recipes:
Vegan Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins — The muffins are soft, springy, bouncy like little trampolines, and they’re vegan. They’re ridiculously moist, tender, delicate and light, without being airy, and as good as any traditional muffin with eggs and butter.
Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Muffins — They’re hearty, sweet enough without being too sweet, and full of tons of chewy texture in every bite from the raisins and oats.
Skinny Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins — Fast, EASY, one bowl, no mixer muffins that are on the SKINNIER side!! Loaded with CHOCOLATE in every bite! Soft, fluffy, and deliciously decadent tasting!!
Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins — Soft, fluffy, full of PEANUT BUTTER flavor, and LOADED with CHOCOLATE in every bite!
Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins — If you’re looking for a healthier carrot cake recipe that tastes AMAZING, make these muffins immediately!
Vegan Blueberry Muffins — These are the BEST blueberry muffins I’ve ever had, vegan or otherwise. An avocado replaces the butter (and much of the oil) you’d typically add to muffin batter. These are fluffy, moist, and so easy to make!
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins— These apple cinnamon muffins are studded with BIG chunks of apple! They’re so easy to make and are perfect for a quick snack or breakfast to-go.
These look fabulous darling! What a great recipe. Have a fabulous week!! oxx
I love vegan recipes! This muffins sound just perfect! I really like the fact that they’re mini and I have all the ingredients home right now to make them!
These really do look like sugar donuts in muffin form. And how cool that they don’t contain eggs! I am definitely one of those people who run out of eggs on occasion, so I’ll bookmark this now.
The mini muffins look so adorable!! My niece is allergic to eggs so these lil muffins would be a perfect snack for me to make for her whenever she comes over. Love that they are coated with cinnamon sugar. Thanks for the recipe and great photos as always Averie :) Pinned!
Glad they’ll come in handy for your niece and thanks for the pin!
These muffins look amazing! Vegan baking can be tricky sometimes without the eggs, but your muffins look fluffy and moist. And with the cinnamon sugar on top these could easily make a great dessert.
It sure can be tricky! But I worked it out here!
I have to try these. I am new to using coconut oil and this looks like a perfect recipe. I am going to make the mini’s like the photos.
LMK how it goes!
I LOVE baking with coconut oil and I LOVE bananas!! I also love how easy these are to whip up! Obviously I love a lot of things abou this recipe……as always!
I love banana bread. Like, I could eat it every day. No, make that every meal. I’ve been eyeing the Greek yogurt one for a while, but now I have this recipe I love how simple this one is and how most of it is just banana! The sugar on top and mini size make these so cute and irresistable. Wow, Averie, I am starving now.
LMK how it goes if you make it!
It is so hard to find , light and fluffy options when your vegan. Thanks for the recipe!
so hard to find light and fluffy options when your vegan <-- agreed. Most are super dense; ether from the wheat flour used in the name of 'healthiness' or from nut-based flours, or flax seeds/flax eggs that just make everything heavier anyway!
Once you pop, you can’t stop! These muffins are so darn cute – and obviously, delicious. :)
Once you pop, you can’t stop! = And I do love Pringles and mini muffins :)
These remind me of cinnamon sugar donut holes and would be perfect right now with my cup of coffee! I am so glad to see an egg-less muffin with such nice rise and texture–I always thought egg (or a flax egg) was needed as a binder and to help the rising process. I am guessing the bananas help bind and the hot oven gives them a “lift” (I get curious about baking science and always want to know why things work the way they do).
They are almost like cinn-sugar donut holes and I do have a d.h. pan but I realize most probably don’t, so a mini muffin pan is pretty close.
Eggless muff with that rise. Yes bananas are like miracle workers in this application AND also the tbsp of baking powder doesn’t hurt. Plus, it’s pretty easy to get a muffin to rise; much harder to get a whole loaf of 9×5 bread; which is another reason I went with muffs.
And the high heat creates big air bubbles molecularly so they only place the dough can go is up; and it’s why I did a hot oven, for short duration. Normally I hate high heat b/c it’s…so…harsh, but here, it was a must-have.
Thank you for this response, Averie,! It is really neat to find out why people design recipes the way they do. Baking science is fascinating. Now I really can’t wait to make these!
I can’t believe those cuties are vegan! They look like balls of cinnamon sugar-coated heaven!
Cuties. That’s what I was calling them in my mind!
When you measure coconut oil from a jar is the measured amount before or after it’s melted? So if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup is that the solid amount or the melted amount?
I measure it just like any other cooking oil; I pour it into the measuring cup until I get the desired amount. Usually my jar is semi-melted/semi-solid, so I just pour what I can into a measuring cup that’s liquid, and if some blobs of solid get in, fine; then I nuke for about 15 secs or til melted. This is NOT that precise of a recipe that it’s going to matter if you’re off by a tsp or even a tbsp or two. :)
Perfect…thanks
Coconut oil has become my new favorite oil. It took a little getting used to (mostly, in savory dishes, for me), but in sweeter items, I love it. The muffins look delicious!
I know, in savory it can be a little noticeable, but in sweets, it’s heavenly – I agree!
Wow oh wow. I love using coconut oil and I love that these are vegan. I’m a vegetarian..but thy to eat vegan when I can . I love that they are like mini doughnuts!
I love coconut oil too and I try to eat vegan as much as I can…it’s the eggs and butter in my baking that does me in. Usually. But not in these!
Oh Averie they look delicious!! And in deed like donuts, texture-wise.
I have some normal coconut oil sitting around (I buy organic fairtrade deodorized coconut oil for cooking, at the farmacy. But one time they where out of it and I bought regular, coconut-smelling)
So this will be made!
I’m experimenting with vegan baking for a while, the PpK has so many cool reciepes also.
Thankyou and I’ll let you know how they turn out!!
Oh please do! Excited to hear how they go for you & what you think! :)
These are delicious! Surprisingly soft!! I even reduced the sugar and played with xilytol and other sweeteners, but they did still not end up being heavy!!
Yay, so glad to hear that they worked out well for you, with sugar reduction, and xylitol experiments, too! Good to know!