Mix up a batch of these easy-to-make Sugar-Free Banana Muffins to share with your baby or toddler come breakfast or snack time. You don’t need any special ingredients and they are super moist and flavorful. (P.S. There’s a vegan option too!)
Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
When we’re feeding babies or toddlers (or ourselves) and looking to minimize added sugars, it can be hard to find homemade snacks and breakfasts for kids that still taste great. So I did my best to ensure that these muffins are delicious in their own right and just happen to have zero added sugars. I’ve made these a handful of times now and both of my girls enjoy them (aged 3 and 7), as well as the baby. And I do too!
Ingredients in Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
To make these healthy banana muffins you’ll need:
- mashed banana
- egg
- coconut oil
- milk
- pure vanilla extract
- whole wheat flour
- rolled oats
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- baking powder
TIP: You’ll want to be sure to use very ripe bananas with a lot of brown spots to ensure that the muffins are flavorful and naturally sweet.
How to Make Sugar-Free Banana Muffins Step-by-Step
Here’s a look at the process involved in making this recipe. (See the full recipe at the bottom of the post for the specifics.)
- Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher until smooth.
- Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Stir together.
- Divide among a mini muffin pan and bake!
Dairy-Free Banana Muffins
To make these muffins dairy-free, use nondairy plain unsweetened milk.
Egg-Free Banana Muffins
To make these egg-free, you’ll simply omit the egg and add additional oil. So easy and delicious!
Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
To make these muffins gluten-free, use gluten-free flour blend. I like the one from King Arthur best.
Will my older kids like these too?
I like to make these with half topped with mini chocolate chips and half plain to make them delicious for all ages. My girls love them with a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips (and I do too!) though you don’t have to do that—they’re impressively sweet on their own (though clearly not as sweet as a traditional banana muffin with added sugar.)
Baby Muffins with Bananas
Babies and toddlers under two are advised not to have added sugars and while that recommendation isn’t always possible to follow, these muffins are a great option for little ones. The textures is moist, so if you break them up into little pieces, babies eating finger foods can eat them too.
TIP: If your baby seems to have a hard time moving bready textures in their mouths, try topping each bite with a little applesauce or plain yogurt. And offer sips of water too.
Tips for Making the Best Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor and sweetness.
- Gluten-free: Swap in gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat to make them gluten-free.
- Egg-free: Omit the egg and use ½ cup total coconut oil.
- Use melted butter or canola oil instead of coconut oil if needed.
- Be sure to stir your batter together thoroughly. If you can see the oil, you need to stir it more. It should be uniformly mixed.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours or in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To serve from the fridge, warm for 5-10 seconds in the microwave to soften slightly.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
Sugar-Free Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed very ripe banana
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (slightly cooled)
- 1 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree F and grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan.
- Place all ingredients into a medium bowl. Stir well but gently. Be sure to stir your batter together thoroughly. If you can see the oil streaking through the batter, you need to stir it more. It should be uniformly mixed and look like one consistent color.
- Divide batter among the prepared muffin pan.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
- Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool fully.
Not enough words to thank you for adding metric measurements! This is just amazing because I love your recipes!
I’m so glad! I have a few left to do but they should all be done in another week or so. (I still test using American measurements but I hope this is helpful.)
These muffins (made as written) are absolutely delicious! I add chocolate chips on the top of half for my 4 year old and both him and my 1 year old gobble them up.
Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that!
My 9 month old son and I really enjoyed these! Can frozen bananas be used next time if I don’t have fresh? Thank you!
Great! You can use frozen bananas, but I would thaw them first and drain off any liquid. They should work well!
These muffins are good and easy! I added semi-sweet chocolate chips for extra sweetness.
My child cannot have oats. Should I substitute something else or omit them from the recipe?
I haven’t tested these without oats so I can’t say for sure. It’s possible it would work to use additional flour instead. This recipe doesn’t have oats. https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/whole-grain-chocolate-chip-banana-muffins/
Use cooked brown rice and a 1:1 ratio. Works perfectly.
Great!
Use brown rice! I didn’t have oats at home when I wanted to bake these and I read that brown rice is a good sub, and I actually prefer it to the oats (I’ve made it both ways). The rice keeps the muffins really moist.
Thanks for sharing that! Do you add it cooked or raw?
So easy and delish! My 1 and 4 year olds gobbled these down
I loved the texture of these muffins (I didn’t have any problems with too much moisture and loved the nuttiness from the oats). However, even after using bananas with spots, I found myself wishing they were a tad sweeter (maybe we’re just used to overly sweet banana bread?…). Next time I’m going to try the recipe with some sugar – how much do you suggest that won’t mess with the texture? Maybe I can use maple syrup and reduce the milk? Or maybe just try the other recipe for banana muffins?… Thanks, Amy!
I would just add 1/4-1/3 cup sugar to the recipe as it is and that will add some nice sweetness!
Hi! For the vegan version, I’m wondering if I can use a flax egg or apple sauce in place of the additional coconut oil.
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t say for sure!
Amy love your recipes! Unfortunately sometimes I’m not getting the perfect result because I am not used to cups measuring so I have to transform to grams and there is were I do mistakes?♀️….have you considering adding grams measuring as well??
I’m working on adding metric‚ it won’t be immediate, but know that it’s in the works!
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple years now, since the muffins are loved by every member of my family! The update is fantastic (addition of egg, reduction of oil), as they are definitely fluffier than in the past. And when they had at times been a smidge greasy in the past, the consistency is great now. While I did have to increase the cooking time for both the mini and regular sized muffins by a couple minutes, I didn’t have any issues with sogginess. I typically make some as-is for my husband, and then the rest with chocolate chips (though I put them in the batter rather than on top; much less messy when reheating!) for me and my boys. They are great for snack and perfect to send with my toddler for his breakfast at daycare. Thanks for the simple, delicious recipe!
Thanks for letting me know. I just retested these last month three times and didn’t have this issue, so I am unsure of why they were soggy. You could reduce the milk to see if that helps though.
my 10-month-old daughter loved this recipe! thank you!
I’m so glad!
These are delicious! My son has egg allergy and I use butter or canola oil and they turn out great either way. Sometimes I use whole wheat flour and I’ve also used cup4cup gf flour and they’re great with both, too. Thank you for always having such great recipes and including allergy friendly options!
Thanks for your feedback. I haven’t tested this recipe muffin in a full size pan but it does work very nicely in mini muffin pans as the recipe is written. I will add a note about not using full-size!
Made these with my 3 year old daughter and my 6 month old baby had them as her first muffins! Everyone loved them!
Absolutely fantastic! Best foundational recipe for baby banana breads I’ve found. (And I’ve tried a bunch.) Instead of a muffin pan, I use rectangular Silicon soap molds to bake 12 mini loaves and they turn out perfectly moist and clean up is sooo easy. Highly recommend the molds. We’ve added fresh fruit, all kinds of nuts and even chocolate chips. Deeelicious every time. Ohhh and. A smearing of cream cheese on a fresh cut loaf is divine! Enjoy!!