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.
Would regular flour do the trick? Don’t have whole Wheat laying around.
I would add an extra 2-3 tbsp all purpose flour here to ensure they bake through properly.
I followed the recipe exactly but mine came out very oily and didn’t puff up. I’m not sure what I did wrong! I used muffin liners and they did not want to come out haha I won’t use them next time. The flavour was great though and my 1 year old loves them! Will definitely try again maybe with less oil to see if that helps.
Perfect
I made it. Waiting for my Lil one to wake up from his nap, I already ate two and WOW! AMAZING! I didn’t have coconut oil but I did use salted butter and didn’t add any salt, still came out perfect! Will be keep this recipe for sure.
Would buttermilk work with this recipe? Same amount?
I haven’t made them that way but it might!
I made the recipe and it turned out great! You are right- they are sweet even without sugar. I froze a bunch of them!
I’m wondering, do you think I could make these as regular size muffins (to make cupcakes) or even 3 – 4 inch cakes to make them into a smash cake?
I made these as regular sized muffins! Yield was 12 and I baked them for 19 minutes. Absolutely delicious!
In you note to make it vegan you said they were a little flatter than if you use egg. If you add two tablespoons of flaxseed it takes care of that problem (I just tried it and they came out puffy like times I have done them with egg, maybe more)
Did you still add extra oil?
I loved this recipe! Turned out great!!
Hi,
If we have to cut down the recipe by half, what would be the amount for egg ?
Thanks
You could whisk the one egg and divide it in half for the most exact way to halve it.
My toddler loves these and I do too. I can’t believe how good they taste without sugar.
My 3 annd 5 year old daughters love to bake these with me — always love recipes that allow easy kid help without fears of overmixing, gadgets, multiple steps, etc. I love to improvise these with whatever I happen to have around — we usually do a tiny bit of maple syrup and slather butter on them hot out of the oven, today we added chopped dates. Next time I’m doing them as is because they always turn out much sweeter than I expect! I recommend this recipe to everyone I know and bless Amy every time we enjoy it 💗
My toddler loves these muffins ! I replace the cinnamon by just a bit of cardamom and serve the muffins with nut butter. So good!
THANK YOU!!! Our picky 2.5 year old daughter and our one year old son loved these! My daughter asked for seconds! I almost cried I was so happy to have served her something new and homemade that she actually liked!! We love the baked tofu recipe as well. Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
I’m so glad!
These came out so good!! I did the full size muffin version and baked for 19 minutes. Thank you!
Hi, would omitting the salt completely affect the texture of the muffin? Thank you
No, it has no impact on the texture.
I just made it and it was quite a wet/watery mixture before baking but it came out perfect and my baby kept asking for more! I made 12 muffins and baked for around 22mins. Thank you for the excellent recipe!