These Blueberry Banana Muffins are a total treat, especially because they are so easy to make, and they taste like they came from a bakery. The two fruits in the muffins add natural sweetness and a base of oatmeal adds extra goodness—all in about 30 minutes!
I love to make this healthy muffin recipe on weekends to store and serve for quick breakfasts and snacks throughout the week. These muffins store extremely well in the fridge and are great served chilled or slightly warmed up. The flavor is bursting with natural sweetness from the fruit and they are full of nutritious ingredients including oats and eggs.
This muffin recipe for kids comes together really easily in a food processor, which quickly turns the whole ingredients into a nutrient-packed batter. And then you can serve them as a toddler breakfast, cold lunch idea with some fruit or yogurt, or as a healthy toddler snack.
I like making muffins with a dose of whole grains for both long-lasting energy and a bit of fiber. With this recipe, I was originally thinking of something that I could bring to a friend who was about to have a baby. (Oats are recommended as a good food to help with milk production.)
Plus, these Blueberry Banana Muffins are a great alternative to regular oatmeal if your kids aren’t big fans. It has similar nutrition and is easy to make ahead and store in the fridge until breakfast time. You can also make these muffins without dairy and nuts, which is nice for families with dietary restrictions or needing dairy-free recipes for kids.
(You may also like my traditional Oatmeal Muffins, Banana Oatmeal Muffins, and Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins.)
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need
Here’s what you need to have on hand to make these Blueberry Banana Muffins so you know what to get ready.
- Rolled oats: These are sometimes called “old-fashioned” oats at the store and they add whole grains, fiber, and B vitamins to the healthy blueberry muffin recipe.
- Shredded unsweetened coconut: This adds flavor and moisture. (If you don’t love coconut or don’t have it, you can simply use more oats instead.)
- Ground flaxseed: This is sometimes called “flaxseed meal,” and it helps the batter hold together nicely.
- Salt: A little salt helps to bring out the other flavors in baked goods.
- Eggs: The eggs in this recipe help the batter hold together nicely, make the muffins more filling, and add beneficial fats. I use large eggs in baking.
- Ripe bananas: The riper the bananas, the better the flavor will be in these muffins.
- Coconut oil: You’ll want to melt this before you add it in so it blends in seamlessly. You can also use another neutral oil or melted butter.
- Honey or maple syrup: You can use either here. To make this for a baby under age 1, skip the honey and use maple syrup instead—or omit it all together.
- Fresh or frozen blueberries: Either work here, so use what you have.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make this blueberry banana muffin recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full information. (You don’t even need a mixing bowl!)
- Place all the dry and wet ingredients—except the blueberries—into the bowl of a food processor.
- Grind until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Remove the blade of the food processor and stir in the blueberries. Divide batter among a greased muffin tin and bake.
- Let cool slightly in the tins, then remove muffins and serve warm or store in an airtight container to serve on future days.
TIP: Let the banana blueberry muffins cool slightly in the tins, then remove and serve warm or store in an airtight container to serve on future days.
Dairy-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
These muffins are totally moist without requiring dairy. Hopefully this allows more kiddos to enjoy them, and it means you can make these even when you are short on milk. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
TIP: There’s also an egg-free variation at the end of the recipe in the Notes.
Fresh and frozen blueberries work similarly in this muffin recipe, so you can use either according to what you have on hand.
If you have blueberries that sink in a muffin, you can toss in flour to coat before adding into the batter. (I haven’t had that happen with this recipe, but if you’re worried, you can do that extra step.)
Yes, you can omit the honey or maple syrup and simply rely on the banana for sweetness. That is a great option. Just be sure to use very ripe bananas for the best flavor.
You sure can! We’ve done them with fresh and frozen raspberries and they work really well. I think diced strawberries would be great, too, or really any berry that you have and want to bake with.
How to Store
Once the muffins have cooled on a wire rack, store Blueberry Banana Muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and serve chilled or slightly warmed. Freeze cooled muffins in a zip-top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months.
Best Tips for Success
- These taste like baked oatmeal crossed with a muffin.
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness.
- Use honey or maple syrup as you prefer. (Avoid honey for babies under age 1.)
- Make them as standard size or mini muffins.
- To make them without coconut, substitute additional oats.
- To make them without coconut oil, use canola oil or butter, melted and slightly cooled.
- I prefer to bake muffins in a nonstick pan coated with nonstick spray instead of paper muffin liners, which may stick to the muffins.
- Serve with Greek yogurt, a Yogurt Drink, scrambled eggs, or milk, if desired.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you’d tried this recipe so please comment below to share!
Blueberry Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups sliced bananas (about 2 medium/large bananas; use very ripe bananas)
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled (or canola oil or melted butter)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and coat muffin pan well with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Place the oats, coconut, and flaxseed into the food processor and process for about 30 seconds or until the oats resemble a coarse flour.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except the blueberries and process to combine well.
- Remove the blade and stir in the blueberries.
- Spoon into the prepared muffin cups just to the brim.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool in the pan.
- Run a paring knife around the edges of the muffins and gently remove from the pan.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days and serve chilled or slightly warmed. Freeze cooled muffins in a zip-top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months.
- To make these without the shredded coconut, simply omit and add ½ cup more oats.
- Nut-free: Use canola oil or butter instead of the coconut oil, and use additional oats instead of the coconut.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Egg-free: Omit the coconut. Soak the flaxseed in ¼ cup water for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup milk (dairy or nondairy) to the batter. Bake as directed.
- As mini muffins: Use a mini muffin tin and bake for about 18 minutes.
- Without a food processor: Use oat flour and mash the banana well before mixing everything together in a bowl.
Nutrition
This post was first published April 2016.
I did the vegan version. They didn’t rise at all/much but they were still delicious so I’ll be sure to make again. My three year old LOVES them. I love them too, especially since they don’t have a ton of sugar like a lot of other muffin recipes.
Idk who liked these more, me or my toddler! Such a delicious and easy recipe, made them into mini muffins and they turned out amazing. Thank you!
Perfect in every way! My toddler (18 mos) is not yet having potent sweeteners so I used some homemade date syrup in place of the honey/maple syrup. The blueberries provided perfect little bursts of sweetness, so next time I might try to just rely on the natural sweetness from both those and the bananas.
The muffins rose nicely in the oven and came out light and fluffy!
Absolutely love these myself and so does my son! Thank you for the recipe.
I made these as mini muffins with my three-year old daughter and she had three of them as soon as they came out of the oven (~15 MINS!)!! My one year old also approved, so we will definitely be making these again. I used 2 1/2 cups oatmeal (no coconut) and 1/8 cup flax seeds and 1/8 cup chia seeds. Topped a couple with some mini chocolate chips and the rest with 1-2 fresh raspberries from our garden!
These are perfect! Love the coconut and the oat texture. They feel good for you without being dry, bland or boring.
What can I substitute banana’s for apple sauce? If so how much would I add
Thank you
Jody
I haven’t tested it so I can’t say for sure, but my best guess is that you can use 1 cup applesauce in place of the bananas.
Yep! I used 1 cup apple sauce and they came out great!
I just made these and they taste amazing! But all my blueberries popped and it became soggy on the bottom while cooling. How do I avoid them popping?
Great recipe. I added zest from a lemon and it was delicious. Me and 11 month old loved em as minis.
Thanks for all your recipes and advice!
Still delicious as mini muffins even without coconut or flaxseed, just extra oats. We adjusted cooking time to be roughly 12-15 minutes. Definitely toddler approved!
hi rachel how much extra oats did you add to replace the flaxseed and coconut? was it 1 whole extra cup or just 1/2 cup
This is my favorite muffin/sweet recipe from you yet! They are so good. Full of flavor and filling and the texture is perfection. The whole family loves them. I was able to bake the mini muffins in ~15 minutes. So grateful to have found you as a resource during these toddler feeding years. Bonus, us parents get to enjoy wholesome, yummy snacks too 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that!
Does the bake time change if you use mini muffin tins instead of regular ones?
Thanks!
Yes, As mini muffins: Use a mini muffin tin and bake for about 18 minutes.
How many mini muffins will this recipe make? Thanks, the recipe looks delicious!
It should make about 24. Enjoy!
Yum! My 3 year old and I made these together. Didn’t have flax seed so I left that out (and didn’t see the note to them up the amount of oats… but it still worked out!). I also halved the recipe to see if my picky girl would eat them. She loved them! Halved the batter and did one with blueberries and one with some mini chocolate chips. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi! Just wanted to say these are great and I found the recipe to be flexible. I did one banana, two little packaged cups of applesauce and 1/4 cup sugar (bc banana wasn’t too ripe). I only had 2 eggs so I added 1/4 cup oil (used vegetable oil, I didn’t have coconut oil). They came out a great, moist, normal texture and the whole family enjoyed them! Thank you!
If I take out the coconut you mentioned to add 1/2 more oats. Just wanting to clarify, is it 1/2 cup of additional oats or is it 1 cup of additional oats? Thank you! Can’t wait to try the recipe!
It’s 1/2 cup more so 2.5 cups oats total if you omit the coconut.