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Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins are naturally sweetened, packed with whole grains and are freezer friendly. These muffins are perfect snacks for babies and toddlers, but adults will love them too!
What Makes these Blueberry Banana Muffins Healthy?
Healthy is a loaded word and means different things to different people. I consider these blueberry muffins healthy because they are low in sugar and high in fiber and protein. We use only bananas and a touch of pure maple syrup to sweeten these – no refined sugar. And instead of using white flour, I used white whole wheat flour for extra fiber and nutrients.
How to make healthy muffins that are moist
Healthy muffins can be tough, dry and bland – but they don’t have to be. In order to make these Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins actually taste good, I used a few tricks to make sure they are moist and tender.
- Bananas – Bananas are great for healthy baking because they naturally add sweetness and moisture. Be sure to use very ripe bananas for the best results.
- Plain Greek Yogurt – Yogurt adds moisture and the acidity reacts with the baking powder to help with leavening – which makes the muffins more fluffy.
- Butter – I used 1/4 cup of melted butter in this recipe for flavor and moisture. If you don’t want to use butter, try coconut oil or vegan butter.
- Maple Syrup – sugar or sweetener is considered a wet ingredient in baking, because it also adds moisture, as well as flavor. Here we only need to use 1/4 cup because the bananas help with sweetness also.
In addition to these ingredients, one very important tip for making moist and tender muffins is: DO NOT OVERMIX! I cannot say this enough. If you overmix your muffins, they will be tough. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined.
Substitutions for healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
Make these egg free – use a flax egg.
Make these dairy free – Replace milk AND yogurt with your favorite non dairy milk, plus a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Replace butter with vegan butter or coconut oil.
Make these vegan – Replace both egg and dairy with substitutions listed above.
Can you use frozen blueberries in Blueberry Muffins?
I used fresh blueberries, but you can use frozen. If using frozen blueberries don’t thaw them. Add them to the batter frozen, which will help them not to leak blueberry juice into the muffins and turn them purple!
TIPS FOR MAKING MOIST AND FLUFFY HEALTHY BANANA BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
- Use theย muffin method: mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine them and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter โ that will cause the muffins to be tough and dry.
- Use theย best flour for healthy muffinsย โย white whole wheat flour. This is my favorite flour to use for healthy baking because it has all the health benefits of whole wheat flour but has a lighter texture. You can also use Whole Wheat Pastry Flour for similar results. If you canโt find it, you can use whole wheat flour but the muffin will be a little heavier.
- Start with a blast of heat. I start all my healthy muffins at 425 degrees F and bake for five minutes before reducing the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. The initial blast of heat helps them rise quickly and gives a nice domed top.
HELPFUL TOOLS FOR MAKING MUFFINS
- A 12 cup muffin tin โ I likeย THIS ONE.
- I use anย ice cream scoopย for easy portioning
- A cooling rack likeย THIS ONE
- You can spray the pan with cooking spray or use cupcake wrappers โ I likeย THESE.
Can you Freeze Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins?
Yes, muffins freeze very well. Allow to completely cool before freezing. Individually wrap in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag. Muffins can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight or quickly thawed and warmed up in the microwave for 30-45 seconds.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
- Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Banana Muffins
- Healthy Apple Muffins
Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ยพ cups white whole wheat flour plus 1 Tablespoon. Substitute regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour or All-Purpose Flour if you wish.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 2 mashed bananas
- 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- ยฝ cup plain Greek yogurt I use full fat
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/4 cups blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ยฐF degrees. Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, set aside.
- In large bowl, mix the mashed bananas, maple syrup, yogurt, egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla together until smooth..
- Set aside about 1/2 cup of blueberries if you are going to sprinkle them on the muffin tops. Toss the remaining blueberries in 1 tablespoon of flour (this helps them not to all sink to the bottom of the muffins.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix the batter or you will have tough muffins.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin cups. (I use an ice cream scoop for easy portioning). Sprinkle a few blueberries on top of each muffin if you want (I did 5 blueberries per muffin).
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF degrees. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF and continue to bake for another 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When done, remove from the oven and transfer the muffins to a cooling rack as soon as possible.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the items I recommend through the links I provide, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more info, please see my disclosure policy. Thanks for supporting Fox and Briar!
Perhaps Iโm misreading the instructions, but I donโt see the butter/oil addition in there
Hi Tracy – it is added with the other wet ingredients in step 3. I have updated the recipe, thanks for catching that!
Can I use baby oatmeal in place of half of the flour used?
Hi Jennifer – I haven’t tried that so I can’t be sure how it will turn out. My guess is that they will be a little more flat, but probably still taste fine. Let us know if you give it a try!